What Are Headaches?

It can be a small, singular pain in the area of the head. It can be a massive affected area, or the whole head. It can be a minor annoyance, or a symptom of a life-threatening illness. It can be a simple distraction, or so all-enveloping that not one thought other than that of anguish can fit with it in that throbbing, pounding, skull.

Pretty much everyone suffers from a headache at some point in his or her life, but, for some folks, headaches occur with such frequency and intensity that life is lived with one, or trying to avoid one, or praying that the current one will go away.

But, in spite of the fact that headaches all affect the head, there are, in fact, many types of headaches, each with its own cause...and treatment.

Types of Headaches

These occur when something directly affects our emotions, which then cause a physical response. They are triggered by stress, tension, anxiety, and muscle tension. Temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), while considered to be a physical condition, originally stems from emotionally- based situations and can include headaches among its symptoms.

Then there are those headaches that are related more to outward forces upon the head, such as trauma, occupational straining of the muscles or eyes, and exertion headache from moving heavy objects or even sleeping improperly.

Other headaches are systemically induced. Allergies can cause headaches, as can sinus pressure, coffee consumption, hunger, hormonal imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, and fever. The use of alcohol, drugs or tobacco can sometimes cause headaches (the infamous "morning after"); and exposure to irritants such as pollution, perfume or even after-shaves and/or lotions can do it, as well.

Systemic headaches may be related to an underlying health problem. People who suffer from frequent headaches may be reacting to certain foods or chemicals in foods. Some people have been known to have developed headaches from ingesting wheat, chocolate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame, sulfites (used by restaurants to keep salad bars items looking fresh), sugar, hot dogs, lunch meat, dairy products, nuts, citric acid, fermented foods (cheese, sour cream or yogurt), alcohol, vinegar, and/or marinated foods.

Anemia, bowel problems, brain disorders, bruxism (tooth-grinding, which also relates to TMJ), hypertension (high blood pressure), hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), sinusitis, spinal misalignment, toxic overdoses of vitamin A, vitamin B deficiency, and various diseases of the eye, ear and throat can also express themselves as headaches.

So, what kinds of headaches do you have? Tests show that 90% of all headaches are tension-related; 6% are migraine headaches. Tension-related headaches are caused by muscle tension. Migraine headaches are systemic, and stem from a disturbance in the blood circulation of the brain. The remaining 4% are known as "cluster" headaches. These are quite severe, recurring headaches that affect millions of Americans. These most often are caused by stress, alcohol or smoking.

Treatment of Headaches

One thing that may help with all types and intensities of headaches, is to adopt a proper attitude concerning the thought patterns that may have led to the condition. In her book, You Can Heal Your Life, Louise L. Hay says that the probable old thought patterns that lead to headaches are, "Invalidating the self. Self-criticism. Fear." She says that the new thought pattern to nurture and develop is, "I love and approve of myself. I see myself and what I do with eyes of love. I am safe."

Each type of headache may differ in intensity, symptom and cause. Let's look at the most common headaches and their symptoms, causes and possible treatments.

Arthritis

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This headache occurs at the back of the head or neck. It is made worse by movement. It is directly caused by inflammation of the various joints of the shoulders and/or neck muscles.

Bilious Headache

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This type of headache is felt as a dull pain in the forehead and a throbbing in the temples. This is caused by overeating, followed by indigestion and lack of exercise.

Caffeine Headache

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If you take too many coffee enemas, you may experience a caffeine headache. This kind of headache occurs during caffeine withdrawal. It is experienced as a throbbing pain, usually across the back of the neck; it is caused by blood vessels that have dilated.

Cluster

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The manifestation of this headache is severe throbbing pain on one side of the head, flushing of the face, tearing of the eyes, nasal congestion. Cluster headaches occur one to three times a day, over a period of weeks or months. Each can last from a few minutes to several hours.

Exertion

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This is a generalized headache that can occur during or after physical exertion such as running or sexual intercourse, or passive exertion such as sneezing or coughing. Usually this kind of headache is related to a migraine or cluster headache. About 10 percent of these headaches are related to organic diseases such as tumors or blood vessel malformation.

Eyestrain

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Usually this consists of bilateral and frontal pain throughout the region of the eyes. This can be due to eye muscle imbalance; uncorrected vision or astigmatism. In this situation see an eye doctor and get your vision corrected through used of proper lenses, glasses or contact lenses.

Fever Headaches

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A fever headache usually develops from or with a fever. Fevers usually are a sign of infection somewhere in the body.

Hangover

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A headache that is like a migraine headache, with throbbing pain and nausea. It is usually caused by alcohol, but can also be triggered by the environment in which drinking often occurs: excessive noise experienced over a period of hours, tobacco smoke or high levels of carbon dioxide (from many people breathing in a room with inadequate ventilation), and loss of sleep (from staying up until the wee hours).

Hunger

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Hunger strikes just before mealtime and can be accompanied by a headache. This is due to low blood sugar, muscle tension and rebound dilation of the blood vessels. The causes of this condition can be the skipping of meals or too stringent a diet.

Hypertension

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The symptoms of this headache are a dull, generalized pain affecting a large area of the head. Hypertension headaches are aggravated by movement or exertion. They are caused by high blood pressure. There are several factors to consider in response to a diagnosis of high blood pressure. Diet and habits are the main body of focus in handling this.

Menstrual

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This is a migraine-intensity pain that occurs to women shortly prior to, during and after menstruation, or at midcycle (the time of ovulation. It is caused by the variation in the body's estrogen levels. Various pressures of water retention and bloating in the body can cause the onset of a menstrual headache.

Migraines

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A migraine headache is a vascular headache. It involves the excessive dilation or contraction of the brain's blood vessels. The word migraine is derived from the Greek hemikrania, which means, "half a skull" or "crown". Nausea, vomiting, blurred vision and tingling and numbness in the limbs usually accompany a migraine headache. One can last up to eighteen hours.

Sinus

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This kind of headache is experienced as a gnawing, nagging pain over the nasal and sinus areas. It often increases in severity as the day progresses. Fever and discolored mucus may be present.

Temporal

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This is felt as a jabbing, burning, boring pain. It mostly occurs in the temple, or around the ear when you are chewing. Symptoms include weight loss and problems with eyesight. Temporal headaches usually occur in people over 55 years of age. They are caused by an inflammation of the temporal artery.

Temporomandibular Joint Headache

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This is a condition in which the temporomandibular joint of the jaw does not function properly. This is the joint that connects the temporal bone (the bone that forms the sides of the skull) with the mandible (the jaw bone). This situation produces pain, sometimes excruciating pain, in the muscles and joints of the jaw. This pain can at times radiate to the face, neck and shoulders. Headaches, toothaches, dizziness, feelings of pressure and pain behind the eyes, ringing of the ears possibly even difficulty opening or closing the jaw are other symptoms. A person with this condition may find that he or she has difficulty opening his or her mouth all the way. This could be accompanied by clicking, popping and grinding noises that occur during movement of the jaw or when chewing.

Tension Headache

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This is the most common of all headaches. This form of headache is accompanied by constant pain. It can be localized or affect the entire head. Usually it is associated with sore muscles that have trigger points in the neck and upper shoulders. In addition to raw pain, other symptoms are lightheadedness and dizziness.

Tic Douloureux

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This is experienced as short jabbing pains around the mouth, jaw and forehead. It is more common in women over 55 years of age. It is caused by a degeneration of the trigeminal nerve in the jaw. This condition is evidenced by a pressure upon the trigeminal nerve. It not currently known what triggers these headaches. One theory is that toxins accumulate in the nerves of the area, causing a pressure build up.