It's no coincidence that four of the six letters in health are "heal." Ed Northstrum
Causes of Headaches
There are many different types of headaches that exist. Many different causes contribute to people getting headaches. The causes of headaches number in the hundreds. In dramatic cases, medical issues like cerebral aneurysms and brain tumors produce headaches. It is important to note that typical headaches have common causes.
In many cases, simple eyestrain (such as from working too long at the computer) can produce a headache. In other cases, ordinary inflammation of the sinuses (due to head cold or allergy) can be the cause. Overuse of certain prescription medicines can produce a headache of a type labeled, appropriately enough, MOH (medication overuse headache).
Though the exact cause isn't known in every instance, constriction of blood vessels is thought to be the culprit in a range of cases. Pain-sensitive nerve fibers in the head line blood vessel walls. When they contract (or dilate) the nerves are activated, sending signals to the brain. Ironically, the brain itself can't feel pain since it has no pain-sensitive nerve cells within it. Tension-type headaches or cluster headaches are the result.
But blood vessels can dilate as well as contract. When they do, so one theory goes, migraines and cluster headaches can be produced. Current research suggests that there are other, perhaps more important, factors at work in migraines.
Tension headaches can result from other causes, such as tension in the muscles of the neck, shoulder and even the jaw. Those who've experienced TMJ disorder (a condition resulting from tension of the temporomandibular joint, in which the jaw tightens against the skull) are familiar with this last.
In more serious cases, headaches are the result of some underlying disease, where they are labeled 'secondary headaches'. This happens when a patient suffers from encephalitis or brain cancer, for example. But the list of diseases that can cause headaches is also lengthy. Everything from irritable bowel syndrome to rabies or scarlet fever can be the culprit.
In many cases, environmental factors are at work. Carbon monoxide poisoning, resulting from a gas of the type produced by automobile exhaust, can cause severe headaches. In fact, headache is one of the chief symptoms of the condition. Allergies, such as sensitivity to pollen, are the problem for some. Lead poisoning is a potential cause of headaches, though less a problem these days. Food poisoning is still fairly common, though.
Even when food isn't actually toxic in general, such as being laced with a bacteria, certain individuals may be sensitive to compounds that won't affect people in general. Such common foods as chocolate or cheese can cause headaches in some. Caffeine has long been known to produce headaches when taken in too large a quantity. Some preservatives, such as monosodium glutamate, can produce headache pain. Red wine, even in moderation, does it for some.
But position, posture and other controllable factors may well be some of the most common causes, especially today. As more and more people use computers on a daily basis, more people are producing neck tension, jaw stress, eyestrain and facial tightening. Any of these can produce a headache if the circumstances persist, as they often do for information workers.
The majority of headaches (85 to 90 percent) turn out to be typical tension headaches due to the factors listed above. Treating the common headache should be easy to due with a little knowledge and the appropriate response to the situation.
Treatment can vary widely depending on the true cause of the condition.
Often, migraines occur more frequently when there is a combination of these triggers. As distinguished from so-called prophylactics which are used to prevent them. Consequently, it does not reduce pain from conditions caused by inflammation, as aspirin will.
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