Recipe and Health Articles

What is headache?
Most headaches happen outside the skull in the nerves, spasm of blood vessels of the head or tightening of muscles of scalp and neck. Headache dose not occur due to pain in the brain. The pain can be mild or severe enough to disrupt daily activities. Headache involves the network of nerve fibers in the tissues, muscles, and blood vessels located in the head and at the base of the skull.


Types and Symptoms

Tension Headache
Tension headache usually produces a dull, steady ache on both sides of the head. The pain usually increases over a period of hours. A small number of tension-headache patients report that, when at its worst, the pain develops a pulsating quality. Tension headache is described as pressure or tightness around the head, as though a band were pulled tightly around it or as if it were clamped in a vise.


Cluster headache
Cluster headaches cause excruciating pain. The severe, stabbing pain centers around one eye and is accompanied by eye tearing and nasal congestion on the same side. The headache lasts from 15 minutes to 4 hours and may recur several times in a day. Heavy smokers are more likely to suffer cluster headaches, which are also associated with alcohol consumption.


Migraine headache
Migraine headache is caused by a combination of vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) and the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the blood vessels. During a migraine attack, the temporal artery enlarges. (The temporal artery is an artery that lies on the outside of the skull just under the skin of the temple.) Enlargement of the temporal artery stretches the nerves that coil around the artery and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the artery magnifies the pain.


Basic causes of headache
1    Heredity - if you have a close relative with a history of headaches, you may be more likely to develop headaches either in adolescence or early adulthood.

2    Stress related muscle tension.

3    Fluctuations in blood sugar levels, can lead to spasm of the arteries in the head.

4    Caffeine withdrawal, commonly caused by regular and excessive consumption of coffee and tea.

5    Dental abscesses, post-extraction infection and difficulties with the joint of the jaw can cause pain in the local area, as well as referred pain to the face and head. Misaligned teeth can also increase muscular tension in the jaw and contribute to recurring headache.

6    If a person has difficulties with their vision, such as long-sightedness, they tend to squint and strain the eye muscles in order to better focus their vision. Eye diseases like glaucoma can cause headache by referring pain into the structures of the head.

7    Too much sun or heat.

8    Side effects of medication.

9    De-hydration.

10    Disorders of the ear, nose and throat that can cause recurring headache caused by infection, cold, flu or allergic reactions such as hayfever.


Treatment for headache
1    Acetaminophen is a safe and very effective pain reliever and should be considered the first-line treatment of headache.

2   Take clove, cinnamon and almond in equal quantities (around 1 teaspoon each) and grind together with a little water to make a paste. Apply paste on the forehead. A paste made of sandalwood powder can also be applied on the forehead.

3    Aspirin is another common pain reliever. Its most common side effects are stomach upset and increased risk of bleeding. Aspirin is a type of "nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug."

4    Mix a quarter teaspoon of clove powder in one teaspoon of cinnamon oil. Apply mixture to the location of pain.

5    Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs known as NSAIDs include such medications as ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin, for example) and naproxen sodium (Aleve and Naprosyn are commonly known brand names). These medications are often used for headache.

6    Take a few drops of ghee (clarified butter) on your palm. Mix 3 or 4 pieces of saffron in it, and rub it for two minutes

7    Homeopathic, herbal, and other remedies that are not tested for safety or regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be potentially dangerous and are not recommended. Without FDA regulation there is no control over the quality, dose, or ingredients.

8    Oil massage on the scalp also relieves tension and headache. Sesame oil, almond oil, mustard oil or ghee (clarified butter) can be used for massage.


When headache occurs
Simple cooked vegetables without oil, vegetable juices and soup, fruits like apple, mango, grapes and fruit juices should be taken in ample quantities. Rice, salad and buttermilk are also good. Some sweets and milk products can be taken moderately with small quantities of nuts. The natural urges (sneezing, passing stool and urine, hunger, thirst, sleep, breathing and yawning etc.) should not be suppressed. The patient should also try to keep the mind free from anxiety, anger, mental tension and worry.