Our bodies are apt to be our autobiographies. Frank Gillette Burgess
Headaches - Tension Headaches
For many years it was believed that common headaches were caused by tension. While the causes of headaches are not completely understood, modern research contradicts the long held belief in the tension cause.
Some researchers suspect that, as with migraines, the underlying cause is more likely to be the interaction of serotonin with nerve cells. Research involving anti-depressants and other drugs that alter the levels of this neurotransmitter has provided some evidence to support the claim. But the search for an answer continues.
In the interim, the common treatments continue to apply for the vast majority of tension headache sufferers - which is just about everyone at one time or another. Though women get more headaches than men, both sexes suffer a tension-type headache at some point. Some, so-called 'chronic' cases get as many as several per month.
Though they typically last no more than a few hours, often less, they can be unpleasant and even debilitating, interfering with work and other pursuits. Treatment is often in the form of ordinary aspirin, but that wonder drug isn't suitable for everyone, since it can irritate the stomach lining.
Acetaminophen or ibuprofen are other common treatments and some commercial forms combine several ingredients. Excedrin, for example, contains aspirin, acetaminophen and caffeine. Though acetaminophen rarely has significant side effects, it doesn't work for everyone. Ibuprofen can cause stomach upset for some users.
As with many conditions, the best cure is prevention. Here, lifestyle choices can influence the frequency and severity of tension headaches.
Though muscle tension in the head, neck, back or face may not be a primary cause, it can certainly play a part in a headache. Proper posture, regular exercise and a healthy diet can help influence tension.
Changing position while working is desirable, particularly for those at the computer for long stretches every day. Adjusting the location and position of mouse and keyboard can reduce stress on the neck and back. If you sit with one foot raised on a part of the chair, changing feet from time to time helps keep the back from tensing.
A regular exercise program keeps muscles strong, less prone to spontaneous tensing and encourages good blood flow. All those reduce the likelihood or severity of headaches.
Regular exercise also helps reduce stress and the odds of becoming stressful in the first place. Keeping tissues well oxygenated discourages headaches. One of the primary treatments for cluster headaches, for example, is a few minutes breathing of pure oxygen. Though of a different type, similar mechanisms may be at work in tension headaches.
A healthy diet works together with regular exercise to keep your body in top shape. Firm muscles, modest amounts of body fat and basic strength are built, in part, by good diet. It also supplies all the nutrients that, when present in too low amounts, can lead to tension headaches. Mineral levels play a part in headaches, as does the percentage of fluid.
More powerful medicine may be used in extreme or chronic cases. Migraines can be controlled with drugs such as triptans. There is some research that claims that tension headaches are a milder version of a migraine. Prior to taking prescription drugs, ask your doctor for advice on all treatment possibilities.
They can become so full as to have the two sides touch.
Interview with Dr. Frederick Taylor
Interview with Dr Frederick Taylor at the Headache Research Summit presented by the Diamond Headache Clinic Research and Educational Foundation.
February 27, 2008
Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
DEFINING THE COMPLICATED MIGRANE
Author: headacheresearch
Keywords: Migrane Dr Frederick Taylor Headache Research Summit Elsevier
Added: August 20, 2008
My wife's mutiny- Tess talks about her art therapy
Art therapy is an integral part of the Diamond Headache Clinic Ltd's holistic approach to treating migraineurs as PEOPLE, not just as a medical problem.
This is a piece my wife did yesterday, narrated by her.
She blogs about this in healthier times at tesslist.multiply.com and you can see her other form of art therapy- the family craft of recycling waste mat'ls into rugs, at toothbrushrugs.blogspot.com
Author: Tourtruco
Keywords: art_therapy migraineur pain migraine Wife
Added: April 9, 2008
Picket at Granville and Sheridan
Location: Granville & Sheridan, the Edgewater neighborhood on Chicago's far north side.
Date: Friday May 23, 2008 at approximately 10:15am
My wife and I noticed this on the way home from her weekly trip to Diamond Headache Clinic. So naturally I walked the dogs down to see and find out what was going on. I saw, I talked, they petted my dogs.
I must say... I'm impressed they got the inflatable rat to stay in place in the wind. I was afraid my butterfly dogs (papillon) were going to take flight and become kites!
As usual, the full video is available for download via Voeh, Google Video, and on my bog's video page.
The full 720x480 stream is also available through Veoh.
Author: Tourtruco
Keywords: edgewater Chicago strike union labor picket
Added: May 23, 2008
Interview with Dr. Frederick G. Freitag
Interview with Dr. Freitag, Associate Director of the Diamond Headache Clinic at the Headache Research Summit presented by the Diamond Headache Clinical Research and Education Foundation
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
February 18-22, 2008
CLUSTER HEADACHE OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR NASAL, SINUS OR OCULAR CONDITION
Author: headacheresearch
Keywords: Cluster Headache Migrane Nasal Diamond Clinic Research Summit
Added: August 20, 2008
Physicians can use some objective factors in diagnosing the type of headache, in order to recommend a reasonable treatment. Taper off gently. The diary should note when it began and ended, as accurately as possible. Simple tension headaches - produced by inflamed neck or facial muscles, constricted head blood vessels and other causes - don't generally get diagnosed professionally at all. Simple everyday activities, such as walking up stairs or other intensive physical exertion, can trigger an attack.
|
