What are Chronic Headaches?
Lots of people experience frequent headaches, yet, not all of them are diagnosed with frequent headaches. The chronic headache diagnosis is given when the patient suffers from daily headaches for about 15 days per month, three months in a row. The condition can be debilitating, interfering with the person’s capacity to deal with daily tasks. There are several types of chronic headache, but the most common are migraines and tension-type headaches.
Symptoms
For migraines the list of symptoms includes:
– pulsating pain on one side of the head
– the pain becomes worse during daily physical routines;
– nausea and vomiting (occasionally);
– sensitivity to sounds and light.
For chronic tension headaches the symptoms are:
– the pain affects both sides of the head but not pulsating;
– the pain also affects the neck and the upper back;
– a pressure or tightening in the neck and shoulders;
– possible sensitivity to light and noise;
– the pain does not get worse during physical activity.
When to see the doctor
You should search medical health if:
– you suffer from headaches more than twice per week;
– you need an analgesic pill every day or every other day;
– you need a higher drug dosage than the recommended one to alleviate the pain;
– the headaches get works or their occurrence pattern changes.
Causes for chronic headaches
The mechanism behind chronic headaches is not totally explained and understood in the medical world. Specialists are still in the dark about what causes daily chronic headaches particularly if the patient’s health condition is otherwise normal. Lifestyle factors and genetic predisposition partly explain the headaches, and with a bit of changes in daily lifestyle, the frequency and intensity of the painful episodes might be reduced.
Stress is the number one factor that causes headaches. And it goes hand in hand with sleep deprivation.
Lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating patterns also cause problems headaches and other symptoms.
There are also medications that could trigger headaches. Women who are taking birth-control pills could experience migraines due to the fluctuations of hormones. It is important to talk to the gynecologist and decide whether to discontinue the oral contraceptive or not.
How to treat
When you have to put up with a very intense painful episode, the normal tendency is to take an analgesic. Yet, you ought to know that pain relievers treat only the symptoms, but do not solve the problem. Conventional medication can be used occasionally but not every day or every other day. Patients who have used such drugs too extensively have reported a worsening of their health condition.
Massage and acupuncture solve much of the problems for tension-type headaches because these complementary therapies eliminate the energetic blockages in the system, reducing tension and inducing a state of well being.
Yoga also has a life balancing effect, and its benefits are recognized for both the spiritual and the physical existence.
Chronic headaches can be prevented by a body-mind approach that improves the quality of life.
Lots of people experience frequent headaches, yet, not all of them are diagnosed with frequent headaches. The chronic headache diagnosis is given when the patient suffers from daily headaches for about 15 days per month, three months in a row. The condition can be debilitating, interfering with the person’s capacity to deal with daily tasks. There are several types of chronic headache, but the most common are migraines and tension-type headaches.
Symptoms
For migraines the list of symptoms includes:
– pulsating pain on one side of the head
– the pain becomes worse during daily physical routines;
– nausea and vomiting (occasionally);
– sensitivity to sounds and light.
For chronic tension headaches the symptoms are:
– the pain affects both sides of the head but not pulsating;
– the pain also affects the neck and the upper back;
– a pressure or tightening in the neck and shoulders;
– possible sensitivity to light and noise;
– the pain does not get worse during physical activity.
When to see the doctor
You should search medical health if:
– you suffer from headaches more than twice per week;
– you need an analgesic pill every day or every other day;
– you need a higher drug dosage than the recommended one to alleviate the pain;
– the headaches get works or their occurrence pattern changes.
Causes for chronic headaches
The mechanism behind chronic headaches is not totally explained and understood in the medical world. Specialists are still in the dark about what causes daily chronic headaches particularly if the patient’s health condition is otherwise normal. Lifestyle factors and genetic predisposition partly explain the headaches, and with a bit of changes in daily lifestyle, the frequency and intensity of the painful episodes might be reduced.
Stress is the number one factor that causes headaches. And it goes hand in hand with sleep deprivation.
Lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating patterns also cause problems headaches and other symptoms.
There are also medications that could trigger headaches. Women who are taking birth-control pills could experience migraines due to the fluctuations of hormones. It is important to talk to the gynecologist and decide whether to discontinue the oral contraceptive or not.
How to treat
When you have to put up with a very intense painful episode, the normal tendency is to take an analgesic. Yet, you ought to know that pain relievers treat only the symptoms, but do not solve the problem. Conventional medication can be used occasionally but not every day or every other day. Patients who have used such drugs too extensively have reported a worsening of their health condition.
Massage and acupuncture solve much of the problems for tension-type headaches because these complementary therapies eliminate the energetic blockages in the system, reducing tension and inducing a state of well being.
Yoga also has a life balancing effect, and its benefits are recognized for both the spiritual and the physical existence.
Chronic headaches can be prevented by a body-mind approach that improves the quality of life.