Chronic Daily Headaches
Cluster Headaches


Cluster headaches are uncommon and extremely painful conditions. While migraines occur in 10 percent of people, much fewer than one percent of people have cluster headaches. Cluster headaches have been described by sufferers as being more painful than childbirth or migraines.

Often reported as a hot, stabbing pain behind the eye or near the temple, they are characterized by happening at regular times. Cluster headaches tend to occur at the same time of day, last for an hour or less, then disappear to re-occur the next day. This can often go on for months or longer. Unlike migraines, which are sometimes preceded by familiar symptoms such as flashing lights, cluster headaches strike without warning.

The cause isn't known with certainty, but many researchers believe this debilitating condition occurs as a result of an abnormality of the hypothalamus. This small gland plays an important role in regulation of the 'biological clock' and changes in the length of day and other factors can influence its behavior.

One striking difference between migraines and cluster headaches is their gender preference. Of the 28 million Americans who suffer from migraines, nearly three times as many women as men are afflicted. Cluster headaches, however, are far more prevalent among men than women, and usually strike those between 20 and 50 years of age. The ratio of men to women sufferers ranges from 5:1 to 8:1.

A range of treatments are available, but the common ones used to combat ordinary tension or even migraine headaches typically have no effect. Aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen - though near wonder-drugs for other conditions - are usually ineffective.

One treatment that has been tried with some success is the inhalation of pure oxygen for several minutes. This is among the so-called 'abortive' treatments, since it only works after the onset of symptoms.

Another is one common among migraine regimens, a class of drugs called triptans. In order to speed delivery, it's often injected rather than ingested, however. Nasal sprays work quickly, but cluster headaches often produce swelling of the nasal passages, making administering the treatment by that route less effective.

Unfortunately, few preventive or prophylactic treatments are effective. Given the poor understanding of the causes and the rarity of the condition, this shouldn't be surprising. Though there are many treatments on the market, such as the use of CCBs (calcium channel blockers), the results are mixed.

Surgery has proved somewhat effective in the most serious cases. Other extreme treatments such as removal of part of the brain, nerve blocks, and other neurological surgeries can be used when all other options have been failed. Continuing research is being conducted on solving the causes and pain o cluster headaches.

Naturally, only a physician can provide the proper tests and analysis.

Kids with hay fever more likely to suffer from headaches, facial pain (New Kerala)
Washington, Sept 22 : A new study has found that children who suffer from bouts of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) are at an increased risk of suffering from headaches, facial pain, and ear aches.

Children With Hay Fever More Likely To Experience Headaches, Facial Pain (Science Daily)
Children who suffer from bouts of allergic rhinitis are also more likely to suffer from headaches, facial pain, and ear aches than children without these allergies, says new research presented at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in Chicago, Ill.

General Assembly meeting means traffic headaches (The Record)
NEW YORK -- Get ready for traffic tensions. World leaders have descended on the city for the U.N. General Assembly. Meetings are scheduled to start Monday.


But no one else can literally and directly feel your pain, so doctors have to rely on what you report.
Even when not the direct cause, it can up the odds of getting one and worsen an existing headache. Nausea and vomiting are common among migraine sufferers. But differences in lifestyle can largely be discounted these days, with women in the workplace as often as men. This is similar to TMJ disorders in which the temporomandibular joint connecting the jaw to the skull is irritated. Hippocrates was a renowned Greek doctor that was using a form of aspirin in 5th century B.