Headache Cures

Identifying a cause or trigger to your headaches can obviously be the first step to finding a headache cure, though prevention is better than cure as they say.

Having ruled out organic causes for headaches, i.e. serious underlying medical conditions, it is time to look at other factors. Although there will be some overlap in the groups, we will be looking at Chemical, Food and Drink and Physical including Psychological.

Chemicals

Each year it is estimated that over two thousand new chemicals are introduced into our environment worldwide, the long-term effects of which are largely unknown, simply because they haven’t been around long enough to know!

Obviously chemicals have to pass certain tests when they are used in the workplace, medicines or food stuffs for example, but their long term effects and effects on individuals can and will only be revealed by time.

If you are an adult you will no doubt recall many chemicals that are no longer considered safe that once were, whether pesticides such as DDT or medicines that have had to be withdrawn.

Medicines

Painkillers, Analgesics, Headache medicines, whatever you call them, it is now accepted that their overuse can cause what have been termed rebound headaches.

It is thought that this is the result of withdrawal symptoms, with one the symptoms being a headache.

Painkillers containing codeine can cause such a problem. So although you may start out taking an effective drug for a tension headache or other pain, if this becomes habitual, perhaps more than 3 or 4 times a week it can result in a headache when stopped.Therefore it can result in a vicious circle if you then immediately reach for the pills again!

If you taking regular medication it is worth checking the side effects, which may include headaches, these should be listed in a fact sheet accompanying all medicines. If you are affected and have severe side effects an alternative medication may be available without this particular side effect.

Chemicals at Work

Workplace chemicals are almost impossible to avoid, whether it is on the factory floor where they can be very obvious, to less obvious ones in the office from printers or photocopiers, to what was used to clean the office.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may be naturally occurring or man-made but they are widely encountered at home and the workplace. VOCs are variously defined and regulated throughout the world, but basically they are substances that vaporise readily in normal atmospheric conditions i.e. if it is a liquid it will evaporate quickly.

But equally it can be a solid giving of gaseous emissions, often things we associate with having a strong smell, although not always detectable.

Sometimes exposure can give rise to a near instant headache other times it may be more subtle, where chemicals from coatings or furniture slowly enter the atmosphere.

This leads to what has been termed “sick building syndrome”, where people experience an increased level of sickness often including headaches without obvious cause.

Chemicals at Home

Chemicals in the home can be just as obvious and prevalent as in the workplace, equally they can be less obvious and overlooked. The more obvious chemicals might be volatile cleaning products, such a turpentine or white spirit, to less obvious things such as air fresheners, perfumes, painted objects, furniture and carpets.

Food and Drink

This is an area where keeping records is difficult yet essential because of the range foods and drinks we consume.

We will list some headache triggers further on, this may help your task of looking what may be causing your headaches easier.

The task of monitoring drink consumption maybe somewhat easier because of the limited range when compared with food, but it should not be overlooked.

As well as the obvious headaches that can result from alcohol consumption in larger quantities, some people can find they can have or develop something more approaching an “allergic reaction” to it, where even a small quantity is enough to provoke a headache, this may be episodic phases where sometimes it can be tolerated and not at all at other times.

Even tea or coffee consumption can be suspect in higher quantities or where its consumption suddenly changes, say between working days when a lot of coffee may be drunk to a weekend when the levels drunk fall dramatically, when a caffeine headache may result as a withdrawal symptom.

Caffeine and its effects are complex, they can be good or bad and will be discussed more fully later on. Foods or more likely food additives may trigger headaches, there is much debate about the food additive aspartame that has become more and more widely used both in food and drinks, such that it is sometimes difficult to find fizzy drinks or a fruit squash without it.

This is not to suggest that it is harmful, however it may have an effect on some people. To label something as chemical should not alarm you in itself, after all water is a chemical, but too little i.e. dehydration, can certainly cause headaches, while at the extreme too much can even be fatal, which perhaps suggests that the expression “everything in moderation” might be good advice.

Food and Drinks Known to Trigger Migraine Headaches and others in some people: -

Alcohol – even in small quantities Aspartame – a food additive often found in reduced sugar products, often products containing this will say “a source of phenylalanine” or in Europe it appears as “E number” E 951. Carbonated drinks Cheese Chocolate Port Red Wine

Physical and Psychological Triggers

How many of you are reading this hunched over your computer keyboard?

Posture can be a significant cause of headaches stemming from muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. The muscles of the neck and shoulders being affected by the back and arm muscles means there is a lot to consider about your posture.

Additional to simple muscle fatigue and stress due to bad posture and repetitive actions, that may lead to repetitive strain injuries (RSI), there are also the effects on muscles from mental stress and anxiety.

Stress and anxiety typically manifest themselves in neck and muscle tension which can lead to tension headaches, naturally if this is situation continues it is possible that chronic tension headaches may result. Stress is also known to trigger or make you more susceptible to migraine headaches too.

Depression and Anxiety

Those people suffering from depression and anxiety frequently report having headaches, where this is the case it is important to deal with these underlying causes first, but this need not stop you getting symptomatic relief from headaches in the mean time.

People that endure extended levels of stress can often go on to develop depression if it is not addressed. Although there are effective drugs to treat depression, how they work is not fully understood, the cause of the headaches that somehow seem related is not simple or understood either, but effective treatment of the depression should improve the situation.