Headache is one of the most common maladies which refers to a pain sensation in the head. It may itself be an ailment or may be the symptom of any other illness. Headaches can last for a short time or may persist up to several weeks depending on its cause or type. Many reasons can trigger headache. 

The following are eight reasons why you might get that headache

Stress: Physical stress or emotional stress can be identified as one of the most common causes for your headache. Tension, anxiety and depression may trigger a headache. This is also known as tension headache. In this condition, the muscles of your scalp, neck, face and jaw tighten, thus causing pain. Fatigue may also lead to this type of headache.
Eye problems: Sometimes eye problems may be the cause of your headache. Diseases such as glaucoma can cause headache. Straining your eyes for seeing distant objects or glaring at your computer screen for long can also result in headache.
Eating and sleeping pattern: Change in eating and sleeping pattern can also cause headache. Inadequate sleep or caffeine withdrawal can give you terrible headache sometimes.
Ear, nose or throat disorders: Ear, nose or throat problems can also give rise to headache. Sinus caused by cold or infection, tonsillitis or throat infections can also prompt a headache.
Medication: Excessive use of medication can be a factor responsible for your headache. This is also known as rebound headache.
Dental problems: Jaw or dental problems sometimes may trigger a mild headache which can turn severe also. The alignment of lower and upper jaw, tooth decay may be some of the causes for headache.
Hormonal problems: Sometimes a decline of your estrogen levels can also be a reason for your headache.
Bad posture: Sometimes, poor posture may strain the muscles of your back and neck, triggering a headache.
Headache can be very annoying. Sometimes pain relief medicines help in controlling headache, but consuming them regularly may affect your health. You must consult a doctor in order to get your headache treated in a proper manner.

8 Reasons Why You Might Get that Headache

Headache or cephalgia, though is not a serious disease, but the condition has become a part of our daily life for most most of us. Homeopathy form of medicine classifies the headache into two major types i.e. primary headache and secondary headache. Sinusitis, excessive stress and strain to spinal cord or neck due to improper posturing are the major cause for primary headaches. 

Secondary headaches are just the warning signal of any other serious pathological disease condition in our body. It might be because of any trauma in head, craniotomy surgeries, and compression of nerve endings because of growing tumour in neck or brain.

Homeopathy is an ancient form of medicine which identifies the exact cause of headache for the person and treats accordingly. Thus, the treatment modalities change from one individual to the other.

Homeopathic medicines for headache:
Belladonna, Pulsatilla, Nux vomica, Bryonia, Gelsemium,iris, Sanguinaria and spigelia are the commonly used homeopathic medicine to treat any type of headache even if it is migraine.

Homeopathy also advices certain self care remedies to relieve headache

Exercises and massage: Doing exercises and massages improve the circulation and thereby relieve the headache.
Proper posturing: Identify the postures that causes excessive muscle contraction and strain to the neck and spinal cord. Maintaining good posture helps in relieving headache because of muscle contractions.
Rest: Headache indicates that your body is lacking adequate rest. Relax and sleep to relieve headache is the best natural way to calm your body from stress.
Eat small frequent meals: Headache sometimes may also occur as a result of low glucose level so split your meals and have as small frequent feeds. Include foods such as spinach, olive oil and tofu or pumpkin seeds for person who get headache as a result of hypoglycaemic effect.
Cold compress: Applying ice pack over your forehead helps in relieving the nagging type of headache.
Stay hydrated : Dehydration is the main cause of headache so have frequent sips of water to maintain the hydration status.

Headache - Homeopathy Is the Perfect Cure!

Headaches are common among working people as accumulated stress results in headaches and tiredness. Among the many different causes, strain on the eyes is one of the leading reasons for that annoying headache.

Taking an eye exam is recommended in case you are having headaches. The issues may not always be related to the eyes, but still a thorough eye check up is recommended. Strain in the eye is caused when small muscles present in the eye have to put in more effort than usual. Symptoms include aching, tired eyes with blurred vision and accompanying headaches. Such headaches are caused because of the following reasons:

Astigmatism
The cornea is in abnormal shape and causes people to squint when they want to focus, and this leads to bad headaches.

Hyperopia
This disorder is also called farsightedness. In case of this disorder, the images are focused by the eye behind the retina, and causes blurred vision and strain upon the eyes. Headaches occur as a result.

Presbyopia
This kind of problem occurs when the lens hardens and becomes inflexible with old age. This makes it hard for a person to focus and causes sore eyes along with headaches.

All disorders or conditions of the eyes can be rectified with the use of prescribed spectacles and contact lenses. For people already having glasses, regular eye check up should be carried out. Your power may increase which you are unlikely to notice, so regular check ups are vital.

Other causes
Headaches related to eye strain and eye problem can also develop from other causes. They are:

1. Glaucoma, an eye disease also causes headaches. This disease is characterized by the development of a fluid in the eyes, which in turn causes the internal eye pressure to shoot up. This pressure fluctuation can lead to headaches in many cases of glaucoma.
2. Cataract affected people suffer from headaches as well. Cataracts develop in individuals due to ageing. The lens becomes cloudy, and the vision gets blurred and slowly diminishes. The eye has to give more effort resulting in eye strain and accompanying headaches.

Prevention
In case you are having headaches, and you are not being able to find out the reason behind it, you should have an eye check up. Eyes are very sensitive and added strain to them causes headaches. People who use computers for long hours are affected by headaches due to eye strain. The best prevention is to have an eye examination and switch to glasses or lenses if required.

Headaches are of various kinds and arise from different factors, but eye strain is known to cause a lot of headaches in people who do eye stress involving activities.

Headaches? Get Your Eyes Checked!

A headache can be a hindrance to any person at any time. It can either occur on left or right side in case of a migraine, be isolated to a point or radiate across the entire head. The pain can be sharp, throbbing or dull. It can either develop gradually or suddenly and can last for few hours to several days. Headaches need not arise due to a factor or condition of or in the head alone, they can be triggered because of other disorders or diseases in the body.

What are the different causes of a headache?
There are different kinds of headaches. Based on the symptoms, a doctor can diagnose the causes and the best treatment option for it. Not all headaches indicate serious illness. On the other hand, some headaches can be life-threatening as well. Primarily headaches can be divided into two broad categories- a primary headache and secondary headaches.

Primary headaches: A primary headache is caused due to conditions or factors associated with the pain-sensitive structures of the head. These types of headaches do not result from underlying illness. Muscles of the neck and head, blood vessels and chemical activity in and around the skull are the reason for primary headaches. Even certain genes could be responsible for triggering the pain. Some of the types of primary headaches include a cluster headache, tension headache, migraine, paroxysmal hemicrania etc. There could be primary headaches that last for a very long time such as sex headaches, cough headaches, chronic migraine, hemicranias continua etc. Typically, primary headaches are often triggered by poor posture, alcohol, lack of sleep, irregular food timings, processed meats etc.
Secondary headaches: Secondary headaches are the symptoms of a disease that can activate the pain-sensitive nerves of the head. The severity of the pain varies greatly. Some of the possible causes of secondary headaches include arterial tears, acute sinusitis, brain aneurysm, brain tumour, dehydration, ear infection, carbon monoxide poisoning, dental problems, glaucoma, hangovers, flu, hypertension, stroke, panic attacks, toxoplasmosis, post-concussion syndrome, trigeminal neuralgia, monosodium glutamate, meningitis, giant cell arteritis etc. Some of the common triggers of secondary headaches include ice cream headaches, compression headaches, thunderclap headaches, sinus headaches, rebound headaches, spinal headaches etc.
When to seek emergency care for headaches?
Headaches could indicate serious disorders such as encephalitis, stroke or meningitis. It is advisable to seek immediate medical care for an unbearable headache which also includes the inability to understand speech, stiff neck, trouble in vision, vomiting accompanied with nausea, trouble in speaking, high body temperature, greater than 104 F. A doctor should be consulted if the pain occurs multiple times in a short duration, keeps one from working or performing daily activities, the pain doesn t improve even after the consumption of over the counter medicine and disturbs sleeping.


Headache - Why You Must Consult For It?

Migraine vs. Headache: know the difference

How to differentiate between a migraine and headache?

When you feel pain or pressure in your head, it may become difficult for you to assess whether you are experiencing a common headache or a migraine. Let's understand how different they are from each other.

A typical headache usually affects both sides of your head and varies from a mild to moderate pain. It can last from 30 minutes to up to a period of one week.

Some specific areas which get affected by a headache are:

  temples

  forehead

  back of your neck

Factors that trigger this headache type are a muscle strain, stress or anxiety. 

A migraine, on the other hand, is also a type of a headache which results in an acute throbbing sensation in one part of your head. Usually, migraine headaches are highly painful. Migraine pain makes it difficult for a person to carry out his/her daily tasks. Symptoms or signs associated with migraine attacks are:

  vomiting

  nausea 

  sensitivity to sound or light

  pain in the temples

  temporary loss of vision

  pain behind your ear or eye

What are the common causes of a migraine?

  hormonal imbalances in women - fluctuations in oestrogen, especially during menopause or pregnancy seem to trigger a migraine

  drinks like wine and extremely caffeinated beverages 

  foods such as salty foods, aged cheese as well as processed foods can trigger the migraine attack.

  medications - vasodilators such as nitroglycerine and oral contraceptives can intensify migraine pain.

How to treat a headache?

Fortunately, you can get rid of stress-induced headaches through over-the-counter treatments, which include:

  aspirin

  acetaminophen

  ibuprofen

How to treat a migraine?

If you experience migraine attacks less frequently, these medicines may give you quick relief:

  triptans, such as rizatriptan (Maxalt) or almotriptan (Axert)

  antinausea medicines, such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), promethazine (Phenergan) or prochlorperazine (Compazine)

  non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as acetaminophen, naproxen sodium, aspirin or ibuprofen

Some preventive tips:

  make changes in your diet such as avoid such foods, including caffeine and alcohol which are believed to trigger headaches.

  you can also try muscle relaxation exercises, yoga or meditation to ease the migraine attack. 

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: 8 Common Migraine Triggers You Must Stay Away From

Migraine Vs. Headache: Know the Difference

Eye Strain is an umbrella term that denotes a number of symptoms that relate to the extended use of eyes as well as discomfort that may come from excessive smartphone and computer use. This condition may or may not lead to significant eye damage and is usually characterised by blurry vision, headaches and a feeling of dryness in the eye as you blink less which creates less tears. This may happen due to the extended use of the eye when you are following objects on a screen or staring at a screen for too long. So, is eye strain the cause of your headaches? 

Find out more in this article.

Causes: Eye Strain or Asthenopia is caused by concentrating on visually intense tasks like reading from texts that have a fine print, the use of computers and other screens for prolonged periods, and trying to focus on objects in the dark. This can lead to distress of the muscles in this area which can also cause eye strain leading to a variety of symptoms including double imagery and even headaches and mild migraine like conditions.

Eye Muscle Imbalance: When there is eye strain which leads to headaches, it can also give rise to eye muscle imbalance which makes it difficult to concentrate with both eyes at the same time. In such cases, one may need bifocal glasses so as to fix the issue and prevent such debilitating headaches to remain on a persistent basis.

Diagnosis: Digital eye fatigue and ocular eye strain leading to headaches can be diagnosed by a doctor with the help of regular eye examinations. In any case, one should have the eyes checked at least once a year. This is especially important if your job involves sitting in front of the computer screen for prolonged hours.

Symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms of these headaches that are caused by eye strain. Apart from blurry vision which does not allow the patient to see properly and clearly without glasses, it can also cause headaches with symptoms like nausea and sensitivity to light. Retinal or eye migraines do not necessarily have to come with headaches, but the pressure can be painful enough.

Treatment: To begin with, the best form of treatment for headaches born from eye strain includes prevention which can be done by getting plenty of rest and sleep even as we limit the hours spent in front of the screen. One can also lower the resolution of the screen and make it more ambient. Also, the screen should be placed at a considerable distance from the eyes. The doctor can also prescribe glasses and eye drops for better eye lubrication.

Headache - Can Eyestrain Be the Reason Behind it?

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