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Headache de nition and facts

The head is one of the most common sites of pain in the body.

Headache or head pain sometimes can be di cult to describe, but some common symptoms include throbbing, squeezing, constant,
unrelenting, or intermittent. The location may be in one part of the face or skull, or may be generalized involving the whole head.

Headache may arise spontaneously or may be associated with activity or exercise. It may have an acute onset or it may be chronic in nature with
or without episodes of increasing severity.

Headache is often associated with nausea and vomiting. This is especially true with migraine headaches .

Head pain can be classi ed as being one of three types: 1) primary headache, 2) secondary headache, and 3) cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and
other headaches .

Common primary headaches include tension, migraine , and cluster headaches.

Home remedies for tension headaches, the most common type of primary headache, include rest and over-the-counter (OTC) medications for pain.

Secondary headaches are usually a symptom of an injury or an underlying illness. For example, sinus headaches are considered a secondary
headache due to increased pressure or infection in the sinuses.

Medication overuse headache (rebound headache) is a condition where frequent use of pain medications can lead to persistent head pain. The
headache may improve for a short time after medication is taken and then recur (The term "rebound headache" has been replaced by the term
"medication overuse headache")

Individuals. should seek medical care for new onset headaches or if headaches are associated with fever, stiff neck, weakness, change in sensation
on one side of the body, change in vision, vomiting or change in behavior that may be caused by the development of serious infections.

What is a headache?
Headache is de ned as a pain arising from the head or upper neck of the body. The pain originates from the tissues and structures that surround the skull or the
brain because the brain itself has no nerves that give rise to the sensation of pain (pain bers). The thin layer of tissue (periosteum) that surrounds bones,
muscles that encase the skull, sinuses, eyes, and ears, as well as thin tissues that cover the surface of the brain and spinal cord (meninges), arteries, veins, and
nerves, all can become in amed or irritated and cause headache. The pain may be a dull ache, sharp, throbbing, constant, intermittent, mild, or intense.

How are headaches classi ed?

In 2013, the International Headache Society released its latest classi cation system for headache. Because so many people suffer from headaches, and
because treatment is di cult sometimes, it was hoped that the new classi cation system would help health-care professionals make a more speci c diagnosis
as to the type of headache a patient has, and allow better and more effective options for treatment.

The guidelines are extensive and the Headache Society recommends that health-care professionals consult the guidelines frequently to make certain of the
diagnosis.

There are three major categories of headache based upon the source of the pain.

1. Primary headaches

2. Secondary headaches

3. Cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches

The guidelines also note that a patient may have symptoms that are consistent with more than one type of headache, and that more than one type of headache
may be present at the same time.

Migraine Triggers

A migraine is a throbbing painful headache, usually on one side of the head, that is often initiated or "triggered" by speci c compounds or situations (environment, stress, hormones, and
many others). They occur more often in women (75%, approximately) and may affect a person's ability to do common tasks.

Migraine headaches are often triggered to occur when the person is exposed to a speci c set of circumstances.

ashing lights
anxiety and stress
lack of food or sleep
hormonal changes
Headache / What ar
foods (red wine, cheese, chocolate, soy sauce, processed meat, and MSG)

 Headache / What ar