Headache Cures, more common sense than science

If you experience headaches on a regular basis, you know the prevailing thought when one occurs is how to get rid of it. Headaches come in many forms and for many reasons. When you can pinpoint the cause for your headache, you have a better chance of finding the right headache cures to beat your problem.

When your headache is not a migraine, you have to search for the source. Tension headaches are quite common, and can be felt not only in the head, but in the neck and shoulders as well. Headache cures for this type of headache range from medications to message. Staring at your computer all day can give you eyestrain. This eyestrain will then contribute to a pounding headache. You can take medications for this, or can try a more natural remedy to get rid of this type. Prevention is the best remedy available. Make sure you eye prescription is up to date, always wear your corrective lenses, and take a break from staring at your computer monitor at least every ten minutes.

For headaches of unknown origin, pain relievers often help. You can help eliminate sources of stress and bad habits like smoking or drinking. Natural headache cures often work better if you know the root of the problem. Rest is often a good one, along with cutting back on caffeine and sugar. Simple headache cures often will not help raging and reoccurring headaches that don’t have an obvious cause. This is when you might want to see a doctor to discuss your pain. There are times when severe headaches (that are not migraines) can signify a medical problem.

More Migraine Treatments

If you suffer from migraine headaches you know how debilitating they can be. You have probably tried a number of migraine treatments with little or no relief as well, which makes you feel like banging your head against the wall. Why not, it couldn’t hurt any worse, right? You dread the moment you get the first sign, or aura, of a migraine coming on.

You start to see spots, feel sensitive to light, smells, or sounds, and may feel dizzy or nauseated. You just want to find a dark room and tuck yourself into bed somewhere. Migraine sufferers are unable to function at work, school, or anywhere else for that matter. According to The National Migraine Association, also known as MAGNUM (www.migraines.org), reports that 36 million people in the United States suffer from migraine headaches.

With improved recognition of symptoms and diagnosis by health care providers, a 60% increase in migraine sufferers has been noted over the past decade. Migraines are different in each individual and not everyone experiences the same symptoms, which is why some migraine treatments are more effective than others, making the process somewhat complicated.

Migraine headaches are a neurological disease with biological causes that are often hereditary. Migraine treatments have improved immensely over the years, but are not effective for everyone, not to mention the side effects that some people experience. Migraine treatments are divided into separate group. There are preventive or prophylactic medications and alternative therapies for migraine treatment, and there are those that work to ward off symptoms once a migraine has ensued. Prescribed medications used in migraine treatment are beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, anti-depressants, and Depakote (an anti-seizure drug).

Alternative prophylactic migraine treatments include feverfew leaf, butterbur root, vitamin B12, and magnesium supplementation. New research is also looking to the gut, which may be the origin of migraine headaches in some sufferers. If preventive therapy is not completely effective, prescription medications such as Imitrex, Maxalt, Zomig, Relpax, Midrin, and Migranal can be used which lessen the severity and duration of migraines by initiating cerebral vasoconstriction. If migraine treatment is sought in a physician’s office or emergency room, a narcotic injection can be administered, such as Stadol, Phenergan, or Vistril, which are non-vasoconstricting agents used in the event other treatments are contraindicated.

These are all effective migraine treatments, but remember that not all will help every migraine sufferer. Other alternative treatments such acupuncture, biofeedback, and chiropractic manipulation have also proven to be effective migraine treatments in some patients. Avoiding certain migraine triggers is an important intervention that can be used by all “migrainuers”, such as avoiding certain foods and alcoholic beverages than have caused migraines in the past, and wearing sunglasses in bright sunlight. If you suffer from migraine headaches and you are not getting relief from your current migraine treatment regimen, then schedule a consultation with your health care provider. It is possible to get better relief and have fewer episodes, which will greatly improve your emotional outlook and quality of life.

Cures for Headaches

If you suffer from frequent headaches like many people, finding some effective cures for headaches has probably been a personal goal of yours. Unfortunately, headaches are one of the most complicated and poorly understood phenomenons in the medical world. Have you ever tried asking your doctor about cures for headaches? If you ask ten different doctors about headaches, you’ll get ten different answers.

The reason why doctors give you so many different answers is because headaches can have so many causes, and a lot of them aren't really clear. If you get a lot of headaches, the first step you should do is try and figure out what kind of headaches you're getting. From my understanding, there are a few different kinds.

Many people get headaches as a response to physical strain, cramped muscles, and pinches nerves. These muscular headaches can be brutal, and are usually reoccurring to a very persistent degree. Usually, there is some level of tightness in or soreness in the area the muscle strain is occurring, like your neck or back area. Because your nerves in that region are all connected and ultimately lead to your head, strain in your neck, shoulders, or back can produce headaches. Usually these kinds of headaches start out very localized, but can often spread over your entire head. Cures for headaches of this kind are difficult, as you have to cease doing whatever it is that is causing the strain, and may need extensive physical therapy to help your muscles recover.

Then there are sinus headaches. These are especially nasty, but fortunately are rarely a constant reoccurring phenomenon. Sinus headaches result from pressure in your sinuses, as a result from allergies, colds, or a sinus infection. If you get sinus headaches a lot, you may be suffering from allergies. Cures for headaches of this type can range from allergy treatments, to decongestants. My favorite is Claritin.

Last but certainly not least, are migraines; everyone's favorite and the least understood of the headache family. There are so many potential causes for migraines its not funny. If you suffer from migraines often, like me, it's a good start to keep a kind of headache log. Record hours you slept, how well you slept, what you ate and drank, what you did during the day, anything you can think of and see if you can detect patterns with your headaches. If you can’t get your finger on it there's always painkillers. While they're certainly not cures for headaches, they are better than nothing.