Home Cures for Headaches
Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment of various types of headaches. Lemon is valuable in bilious headache. The juice of three or four slices of this fruit should be squeezed in a cup of water and drunk by the patient for treating this condition. The crust of lemon, which is generally thrown away, has been found useful in headaches caused by heat. Lemon crusts should be pounded into a fine paste in a mortar and applied as plaster on the forehead. It will give relief. Applying yellow rind of a lemon, newly pared off, to each temple will also give relief.
Apples are valuable in all types of headaches. A ripe apple, after removing the upper rind and the inner hard portion, should be taken with a little salt every morning. This should be continued for about a week.
The flowers of henna have been found valuable in headaches caused by hot sun. A plaster of the flowers should be prepared by rubbing them in vinegar and applied over the forehead. It will soon give relief. Cinnamon is useful in headaches caused by exposure to cold air. A fine paste of this spice should be prepared by mixing it with water and it should be applied over the temples and forehead to obtain relief.
Certain water applications help relieve headaches. Copious drinking of water can help as do the cleansing enema with water temperature at 98.6011 F, the hot foot bath, a cold throat pack, frequent applications of towels wrung out from very hot water to the back of the neck, a cold compress at 40 to 60 F applied to the head and face or an alternate spinal compress. Hot fomentations over the abdominal region just before retiring relieve headaches due to stomach and liver upsets.
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Viral Infection Headache Symptoms
Caught a virus and starting to experience severe headaches? If you start to have severe viral infection headaches, then you should check them out. It will be a good idea to ensure that your symptoms do not point to a case of meningitis. There are serious consequences from having meningitis.
So what is meningitis all about? This is an infection in the membrane that surrounds your brain. Brain and spinal cord infections can be very dangerous because they cause inflammation, which places pressure on your nerves. This will cause you to have a viral infection headache.
Inflammation can also cause the following symptoms:
* Fever
* Severe headache
* Feeling confused
Severe inflammation can cause these symptoms:
* Brain damage
* Stroke
* Seizures
* Death
A bacterial infection or virus causes meningitis. The body can usually fight and beat an infection. However, when the infection travels into the blood stream, it can then go into your brain and spinal cord fluid. It can then affect your nerves and move into the brain causing inflammation and swelling. This can damage or kill nerve cells and cause bleeding in the brain. It can also cause you to have a viral infection headache.
Brain swelling is very dangerous because the brain is a soft organ in a hard box (the skull). If the brain swells, there is nowhere for it to go, except against the walls of the skull. This is what causes the most damage.
There are several causes of meningitis. These include
* Bacterial infection
* Viral infection
* Fungal infection
* A reaction to medications
* A reaction to medical treatments
* Lupus
* Some forms of cancer
* A trauma to the head or back
Bacterial meningitis is the worst type because it can kill you. It often begins as an upper respiratory tract infection. From there it travels through your blood vessels to your brain. Then it can block up your blood vessels inside your brain triggering a stroke and brain damage.
Viral meningitis is the most common form. Usually viruses that enter your body through your mouth before going to your brain and multiplying cause it. You can find these viruses in the mucus, saliva and feces.
Other viruses that may cause meningitis include:
* Chicken pox
* Flu
* Mumps
* HIV
* Genital herpes
Anyone can catch meningitis. This is especially true if your immune system is weak.
Meningitis often begins like the flu does. You may get a rash. The major symptoms include:
* Running a sudden fever
* A severe headache
* Stiff neck
* Dislike of light
Bacterial meningitis must be treated quickly. Severe bacterial meningitis will require intravenous antibiotics. On the other hand, antibiotics cannot be used to treat viral meningitis because they do not kill viruses.
Whether you are having bacterial or viral meningitis, what would be best for yourself is to get plenty of rest and give your body a break. In the meantime, drink plenty of water to flush out the toxins and go easy on your diet. Do follow the recommendations by your doctor during this period. Your viral infection headache and other symptoms will start to subside as your body recovers.
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Important Information About Cluster Headaches
A small portion of the human population suffers from a type of headache known as cluster headaches. It is estimated that about 69 out of a 100,000 people will get cluster headaches. There is not a lot of information about these type of headaches however you should find out as much as possible so that you can accurately diagnose your problem should you ever suffer from a cluster headache.
Typically cluster headaches will first occur when people are between twenty and fifty years of age. Thirty years is the typical median age for these types of headaches. Although cluster headaches is a condition that can strike people at any age with some occurring even before ten years of age and over eighty years of age. Most often men get cluster headaches and only about one out of six people who get cluster headaches are women.
By knowing the symptoms that happen with a cluster headache you will be able to understand whether or not you have a cluster headache. On average a half hour to two hours is the usual duration of a cluster headache. Attacks of cluster headaches can occur between once a week and six per day. The occurrence of cluster headaches varies depending on how severe the condition is. Cluster headaches often come in waves and will occur for four to eight weeks before going into remission. In severe cases cluster headaches can last for years, but this is only in a small percentage of people who have cluster headaches.
The condition of the nasal passage is the best place to look when trying to find symptoms that can help you diagnose cluster headaches. Often times those who experience cluster headaches will have a blockage of the nasal passages. Another sign of cluster headaches is a redness of the eye along with sweating from both the forehead and cheeks. At the start of cluster headaches a persons heart rate will often increase quickly, which is something you should take note of. With a cluster headache the pain will typically begin around the eyes and the spread outward. Cluster headache will come on quickly and often reach the maximum pain level within two to fifteen minutes.
Currently there is no treatment for those who have cluster headaches but there are options that will help you reduce the amount of pain that accompanies the headaches. Aspirin and other common analgesics are often not effective enough when trying to reduce the pain caused by cluster headaches since it takes too long for the pills to take effect and by the time they do the headaches will be over or near the end. Doctors will often prescribe antihistamines, calcium channel blockers and ergot preparation for people who experience cluster headaches in an effort to reduce the symptoms people experience.
You should speak to your doctor about cluster headaches if you find that the pain from your headaches effects your sleep, causes you to loose focus or you experience pain whenever you do active movement.
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Truth About Sinus Headaches – What Can You Learn
Sinusitis is a pretty common ailment that afflicts millions of individuals worldwide. The reason for sinusitis is that the paranasal sinuses within our skulls are irritated either by bacteria or allergies that cause the sinus passages to swell and constrict. When this happens, a sinus headache ensues. The areas affected by a sinus headache can be found where the swollen sinuses are which happen to be in the face or check areas, between the eyebrows, and behind the eyes.
Sinus headaches can be very sever and is always accompanied by stuffy nose and a persistent green or yellow colored nasal discharge. There are several very effective over the counter cures for sinus headaches and sinusitis. Unfortunately, these treatments have been known to fail among individuals who have mistakenly diagnosed themselves to have sinusitis and therefore suffer from sinus headaches.
In severe rare cases, one may also experience ear aches, neck and top of the head pains as part of the sinusitis headache symptoms. It is important to take note of all the symptoms of sinusitis because a lot of individuals only think that they have sinus headaches when in fact, they are actually suffering from migraines instead.
It is important to note that sinusitis headache is not the only symptom of sinusitis. If it is indeed sinusitis, you will experience inflammation and tenderness of tissues around the eyes resulting in swollen eyelids and red eyes. Aside from this, there can be a loss of smell from a congested nasal passage.
Furthermore, aside from sinus headaches and other symptoms already mentioned here, sinusitis could trigger fever and cough. The cough can sometimes be a result of a post nasal drip from the draining of the sinuses that irritate the upper windpipe which causes it to be sore and encourages us to cough as a result. Sinusitis is also always accompanied by general weakness and tired feeling.
While it is true that up to 97% of individuals who think they suffer from sinusitis headache symptoms are mistaken because they are actually suffering from migraine, it is very important to make the correct distinction between the two. First, one needs to be properly diagnosed for illness specific medication treatment. It can be quite frustrating to be taking sinus medication to treat sinus headache symptoms when in fact; the headache is cause by a migraine.
With this said, one must never take the sinus headache symptoms for granted and haphazardly assume that it is a migraine. In some rare instances of complications, sinus headache symptoms may be a signal of acute sinusitis, which results in brain infection.It is therefore very important to get the proper diagnosis and treatment whatever the cause of the headache.
Studies have been reported to produce results that show that among individuals who think they suffer from sinus headaches, up to 97% of them actually suffer from migraine instead. It was found that people and sometimes doctors mistake migraine for sinus headaches, resulting in false and useless treatments. Imagine suffering needlessly with these supposed headaches and not getting the much sought after relief from use of sinusitis medication. Naturally, if you suffer from migraine and not sinus headaches, you must get migraine specific medication.
Otherwise, you will continue to suffer from migraines without getting proper treatment and this of course can result to a serious impediment on the quality of life you deserve to enjoy. It is quite easy to mistake migraines for sinus headaches because some individuals who suffer migraine also suffer from sinusitis like symptoms such as pain in the face area as well as a stuffy nose and ref puffy eyes. Although, people must keep in mind that if it is indeed a sinus headache induced by a sinus infection then along with the other symptoms, the person with sinusitis will have constant yellow or green nasal discharge. Without this, it is not a sinus headache from sinusitis. It could be migraine.
To help you and your doctor be able to correctly diagnose the root cause of your headache and determine whether it is indeed sinus headache or migraine, it has been said that it is helpful to keep a headache diary. Keeping tabs and taking notes every time one experiences a headache can help one accurately log the experience and details that may otherwise have been neglected will be highlighted and will help in proper diagnosis.
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The Hatepinks – “Girl Migraine”
Chronic Sinus Headaches, Or Could It Be Something Else?
Many people believe they suffer from chronic sinus headaches because they frequently suffer from sever pain around their sinus areas in their face and head. It is possible to have chronic sinus headaches however the condition is rare and can only be diagnosed by a doctor.
A chronic sinus headache would not be as painful as the more common acute sinus headache which occurs during a sinus infection. When sinuses are clogged bacteria can grow in the nasal passages creating an infection of the nasal passages commonly known as a sinus infection.
The headache associated with a sinus infection is quite severe and common treatments such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen will not help the pain. Chronic sinus headaches and acute sinus headaches will often require antibiotics to kill the infection as well as medications to alleviate the sinus pain.
Migraine Headaches
Many self-diagnosed chronic sinus headache suffers could actually be suffering from migraine headaches, the pain occurs in much the same places in the face and head. However, the cause of migraine headaches are varied and rarely are related to an illness.
Some people who believe they suffer from chronic sinus headaches believe the change in weather or pollution such as chemical smells or smoke are the cause of their sinus headache. In fact, these are triggers of migraine headaches.
If an allergy does exist it would not cause a sinus headache, because with allergies such as pollen, dander, or dust which cause nasal drainage. The fact that there is drainage omits the possibility of chronic sinus headache occurrences.
Moreover, many people take over the counter medications for sinus headaches such as sinus relief medicines, allergy medicines, or other pain relieving medication. However, these medications often will have no effect on the headache.
Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are also often thought to be pain masquerading as chronic sinus headaches. Tension headaches can cause pain in the temples and across the forehead. Because of this many people do mistake tension headaches for chronic sinus headaches.
Many tension headaches are accompanied by pain in the neck and shoulders. Sometimes the pain is right at the base of the head. Because there are also glands here, this can confuse many people into believing that they are suffering from chronic sinus headaches instead of tension headaches.
A doctor can perform tests to determine if a person has chronic sinus headaches. If someone believes they have chronic sinus headaches they should immediately contact a physician as medial treatment is necessary to relieve the pain and kill the infection.
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