| | | | Other Names | | | Head Ache, Head Aches, Headache, Headaches, Migraine, Migraines, Migraine
Headace, Migraine Headaches, Migraine Head Ache, Migraine Head Aches.
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| | | A headache is a very common condition which may vary considerably
in severity and type. Its significance and cause may vary tremendously, at
one extreme indicating the presence of a turnout or meningitis, while at
the other extreme it may merely indicate a common cold or tiredness. Even
so, persistent or recurrent headaches should always be taken seriously.
Although the brain itself is insensitive to pain, the surrounding
membranes - meninges are very sensitive, and changes in intracranial
arteries, or spasm of the neck or scalp muscles, which may occur for
various reasons, may cause considerable pain. Usually a clinical diagnosis
should be possible; further investigations should only be necessary
following head injury, if headaches recur or if neurological signs such as
drowsiness, vomiting, confusion, seizures, or focal signs, develop.
Some of the more common causes of headaches
are as follows. Anxiety is probably the most common cause of a headache
and, where possible, the reason for the anxiety - overwork, family
problems, unemployment, financial difficulties, etc. - should be tackled.
Some people are more prone to anxiety than others. An unpleasant
environment such as traffic pollution, badly ventilated or overcrowded
working conditions, excessive smoking, etc., may provoke headaches in some
people. Migraine is a characteristic and often disabling type of
headache. High blood pressure may cause headaches. Occasionally refractive
errors of the eyes are associated with headaches. Sinus infections
are often characterized by frontal headaches. Rheumatism in the muscles of
the neck and scalp produce headaches. Fever is commonly accompanied by a
headache, and sunstroke and heatstroke customarily result in
headaches. Finally, as already stated, diseases in the brain such as
meningitis, turnouts and haemorrhage may first manifest themselves
as persistent or recurrent headaches.
Migraine, or Hemicrania as it was sometimes known from the
Greek word for half a skull, is a common condition characterized by
recurring intense headaches. It is much commoner in women than men and
affects around 10 per cent of the population. It has been defined as
'episodic headache accompanied by visual or gastrointestinal disturbances,
or both, attacks lasting hours with total freedom between episodes'.
It usually begins at puberty though young
children can be affected - and often tends to stop in middle age: e.g. in
women attacks often cease after menopause. It often disappears during
pregnancy. The disorder tends to run in families, though how is not
clearly understood. In susceptible individuals attacks may be provoked by
a variety of causes including: anxiety, emotion, depression, shock, and
excitement; physical and mental fatigue; prolonged focusing on a
television or cinema screen; noise, especially loud and high-pitched
sounds; certain foods: e.g. chocolate, cheese, citrus fruits, pastry;
alcohol; prolonged lack of food; irregular meals; menstruation and the
premenstrual period.
Anything that can
provoke a headache in the ordinary individual can probably hasten an
attack in a migrainous subject. It seems as if there is an inherited
predisposition that triggers a mechanism whereby in the migrainous subject
the headache and the associated sickness persist for hours, a whole day or
even longer.
The precise cause is not known,
but the generally accepted view is that in susceptible individuals one or
other of these causes produces spasm or constriction of the blood vessels
of the brain. This in turn is followed by dilatation of these
blood-vessels which also become more permeable and so allow fluid to pass
out into the surrounding tissues. This combination of dilatation and
outpouring of fluid is held to be responsible for the headache.
Two types of migraine have been recognized:
classical and common. The former is relatively rare and the headache is
preceded by a slowly extending area of blindness in one or both eyes,
usually accompanied by intermittent 'lights'. The phenomenon lasts up to
30 minutes and is followed by a bad, often unilateral headache with
nausea, sometimes vomiting and sensitivity to light. Occasionally, passing
neurological symptoms such as weakness in a limb may accompany the attack.
The common variety has similar but less severe symptoms. It consists of an
intense headache, usually situated over one or other eye. The headache is
usually preceded by a feeling of sickness and blurring of sight. In 15 to
20 per cent of cases this disturbance of sight takes the form of bright
lights: the so-called aura of migraine. Most attacks are accompanied by
vomiting. The duration of the headache varies, but in the more severe
cases the victim is usually confined to bed for twenty-four hours.
Migraine headaches occur when a substance
called serotonin is released in the body causing swelling and constriction
of blood vessels in the head.
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Please Note: This Traditional Use information is provided as a courtesy only. The products indicated above may be listed in error. This information is based on Traditional and Folklore Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA and is not based on scientific evidence from any source. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
| | 3 total products | | | | |  |
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Migraine Headache - Health - Stress B-Compound - 100 - Timed Release - Yeast Free
60 caplets
15.61 US
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Migraine Headache - Health - Stress B-Compound - 100 - Timed Release - Yeast Free
90 caplets
21.63 US
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Migraine Headache - Health - Vitamin B-6 - Pyridoxine HCL - 50 mg
100 tablets
5.61 US
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