Headaches Part 2

There’s so many ways of relieving headaches out there whether it’s scientifically proven or not.

From using Lemons, Apple, Cinnamon to even Rosemary.
No one is able to say if it’s useful or able to relief as it depends on individual.

What about the ways to control or relief headache scientifically?

Before I start, do remember all the following methods RELIEF headaches but not CURE it.

These methods can be categorized into 2 groups, natural or drugs relief.

Let me explain the methods without help of drugs or natural remedy.

Get Some Sleep
As we discussed previously, most common headache are often triggered by stress and fatigue.
Sleeping reduces stress (check out post regarding Stress and Management) and fatigue.
Therefore getting some good sound sleep relieves many tension headaches.
But sleeping can also cause a headache if you get too little or too much.
So it’s important to set regular bedtime and get up the same time every morning.

Fuel Your Body
Skipping meals can cause headaches just as easily as missing sleep.
When your body runs low on fuel, it activates the part of the nervous system that increases tightness of the muscles throughout your body,

Mind Your Diet
It's a good idea for people who get frequent headaches to consider the possibility that the foods they ate two to three hours earlier had something to do with their headache.
The common offenders are foods that contain tyramine, an amino acid known to trigger headaches in many people.
Foods or beverages containing tyramine or other headache-producing substances include most alcoholic beverages, aged cheeses, cured meats, pickles, chocolate, citrus fruits, pizza and anything containing monosodium glutamate (MSG).
As different food might have different effect on individual, it’s always a good way to try eliminating them one by one from your diet and see what happens if you suspect that foods are causing your headaches.

Pass On Red
The next time you're offered red wine, think twice.
Red wine contains many chemicals that can dilate blood vessels and cause headaches.

No More Third Cups.
Don't drink excessive amounts of coffee.
If you drink three or more cups of coffee every day in the office and you sleep in late on Saturday, you could wake up with a headache because of caffeine withdrawal.
To prevent that, doctors suggest that you drink no more than one or two eight-ounce cups of coffee a day.

Quite Smoking
Smoking is bad for everyone, and it will make certain headaches worse.
If you smoke, quit.

Get Moving
Exercise is a surprisingly effective treatment for headaches.
It seems odd, but there are people who will play a vigorous game of racquetball and find that their headaches go away.
Exercise relieves stress and can trigger production of natural painkillers called.
Just walking 30 minutes a day three times a week may be enough to prevent headaches and enhance your health in other ways.
But if your headache is accompanied by a fever, you should seek medical advice and postpone exercise until you recover.

Get Warm
One important home remedy is using a heating pad on the neck and shoulders for 15 to 20 minutes daily.
It's a very good way to gradually reduce the frequency of your tension headaches.
The heating pad helps soothe tight muscles and prevents them from squeezing off circulation.
In a pinch, you can try taking a warm shower or hot bath, but neither is as effective as a heating pad, he says.

Learn To Relax
Most important, learn to relax your mind and body.
Do things you enjoy, spend time with your families.
Learn to make time for yourself.

If natural remedies don't work for you, there are plenty of prescription and over-the-counter medications that may relieve your headache pain.

Here are some examples of drug relief.

Reach For An Aspirin
Most people can find excellent relief from their headaches if they take two aspirin or acetaminophen.
Aspirin decreases inflammation, and both aspirin and acetaminophen are good pain relievers.

Do note, never give Aspirin to Children as it might cause Reye syndrome.
Reye syndrome is sudden (acute) brain damage (encephalopathy) and liver function problems of unknown cause.
The syndrome has been associated with the use of aspirin to treat chickenpox or the flu in children.

Caffeine Cure
If you have a moderate to severe headache, try taking your aspirin with a strong cup of coffee.
The caffeine in the coffee will speed absorption of the aspirin.
But do note, as caffeine can increase the effect of certain drugs.
It’s not always suitable to take caffeine with drugs as it might speed up the side effects too.
For example caffeine in coffee or tea can interact with antibiotic like ciprofloxacin and may increase nervousness, sleeplessness, heart pounding, and anxiety.

Is It Time For A Prescription?
For severe cluster or migraine headaches, you may need a prescription drug such as ergotamine with caffeine (Cafergot) or dihydroergotamine.

Ergotamine or dihydroergotamine are in a class of medications called ergot alkaloids.

Ergotamine works together with caffeine by preventing blood vessels in the head from expanding and causing headaches while dihydroergotamine works by tightening blood vessels in the brain and by stopping the release of natural substances in the brain that cause swelling.

Ask your doctor if a prescription medication is right for you.

Be Wary Of Painkillers
There's nothing worse for a headache than using painkillers regularly.

Any pain medication, whether it is prescription or over-the-counter, should not be used more than twice a week for headaches, because regular use of these medications actually lowers your pain threshold and will increase the frequency of your headaches.
These increased in frequency are called rebound headaches, and when this happen consult your family doctor.

Antihistamine The Other Alternative
Histamines are substances that try to attach to the cells in your body and irritate them (Mosquito Bite). Histamines can cause itching, sneezing, a runny nose and watery eyes.
Antihistamines prevent histamines from attaching to your cells and causing symptoms.
Antihistamines can also relieve itchiness caused by insect bites and stings, poison ivy and poison oak.
It’s more commonly use against motion sickness and allergies.

Over-the-counter antihistamines that don't also contain pain medication may subdue your tension headache if you take one or two tablets every four hours.
You can take up to 300 milligrams per day, but don't exceed the daily limit given on the package label.

These antihistamines can cause muscle relaxation if taken repeatedly.
They're effective and they get you away from pain medications.
They may make you drowsy at first, but the more you take them, the more effective they will become against your headaches and the less drowsy you will be.