Head off
Headaches
Learn the m ost com m on
causes in order to treat and
prevent pains in the head.
by
LORI NUDO
w hen to
see a
doctor
IF YOU REACH FOR
OVER-THE-
COUNTER
MEDICATIONS to
treat a headache more
than
2
or
3
days a week.
IF SEVERE
HEADACHES START
COMING ON
SUDDENLY. Get
immediate medical
attention.
IF YOUR
HEADACHES ARE
GETTING
PROGRESSIVELY
WORSE, or you notice
fundamental changes in
your typical headache
symptoms.
F IN D IN G S O M E O N E
has n e ver had a headache is about as
lik e ly as fin d in g som eone w h o has
never had a head. Th ese scourges
strike v irtu a lly everyone at one tim e
or another. Fortunately, th e y’re
u su a lly easy to treat. “T h e re are so
m any th in gs people can do to help
them selves,” says D r. R obert
K anie cki, d ire cto r o f T h e H eadache
C enter at the U n iv e rs ity o f P ittsburgh
M e d ica l Center. A v o id in g headaches
in the first place is the best rem edy o f
all, b u t to do that, it’s im portan t to
understand the d iffe ren t types and
w h a t causes them .
NOT ALL CREATED EQUAL
T h e re are tw o m ajor types o f
re cu rre n t h e a d a c h e s-te n sio n -typ e
and m igraine headaches. T h e re is a
th ird ty p e -c lu s te r h e a d a c h e s -b u t
th e y’re p re tty rare, m ostly affecting
a fe w u n lu c k y m en.
“T e n sio n headaches are yo u r
typica l nuisance headache,” says
K anie cki. T h e y tend to m ake yo u r
w h o le head h u rt, b u t th e y ra re ly p u t
yo u out o f com m ission. A m igraine
headache, on the other hand, is a
“headache plus,” because it com es
w ith a w h o le host o f d eb ilita tin g
sym ptom s, such as nausea, vom itin g ,
and extrem e se n sitivity to lig h t or
noise. M ig ra in e s fre q u e n tly h u rt on
one side o f the head, th ro b intensely,
and u su a lly w o rse n w ith activity.
“W h a t m ost people don’t k n o w is
th at yo u are w ire d fo r one type o r the
other,” says K aniecki. D iffe re n t
people are p redisposed to a certain
type o f headache, even w h e n th e y
are exposed to the same triggers.
A b ru p t changes in y o u r d a ily
ro u tin e and em otional stress are at
the top o f the lis t o f trigg e rs fo r b oth
types, says D r. E liza b e th Coder,
H eadache and Pain D iv is io n ch ie f at
B righ am and W o m e n’s H o sp ita l in
Boston. T o a lesser extent, food
sensitivities, sensory overload,
allergies, and w eathe r changes can
cause headaches, too.
People w h o suffer m igraines also
are m ore affected b y horm onal
changes, w h ic h e xplains w h y so
m any m ore w om e n suffer from this
co n d itio n than m en and w h y
m igraine headaches tend to peak in
w om e n in th e ir m id -4 0 s. N e w
in fo rm a tion suggests th at alm ost h a lf
o f all w om e n w ill have m igraines at
som e p o in t in th e ir lives, says Coder.
continued on page 205
2 0 2
JULY 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTO: VEER
