Ashe About Your Health: Alleviating headaches

If you Google the phrase “gives me a headache,” you get 15,300,000 results in less than a second.

In other words, there’s a long list of things that gives people headaches.

The International Headache Society classifies headaches that are not caused by other underlying diseases into three major categories: tension-type, migraine and cluster headaches. Tension-type headaches are the result of muscle tension, spasm or strain in the neck, shoulders and scalp. Migraines are any headaches that are so painful and disabling they require you to essentially stop whatever you’re doing and go lay down in a dark, quiet room.

Cluster headaches are pretty much like migraines except they can go on for days or even weeks – whereas migraines generally last hours or a day at most.

There are some other common and often overlooked causes of headaches that you ought to know about too. Caffeine withdrawal is one of them. If you drink even modest amounts of caffeinated beverages on a daily basis for weeks or months, you may experience a severe headache after going without caffeine for even a day. You may be treating the caffeine withdrawal by choosing a pain reliever for the headache that happens to contain caffeine, as many popular products do because it happens to boost the effectiveness of pain relievers. Taper off the caffeine or don’t let yourself get into the habit of consuming it daily.

Another frequently missed cause of headaches is referred to as “medication rebound,” a paradoxical phenomenon wherein the routine daily use of nearly any pain reliever turns on you and starts causing headaches. Gradually reduce and then discontinue the use of the medication while you endure the headaches until they resolve.

Tension-type headaches can often be treated with massage, stretching, physical therapy, relaxation exercises or meditation. They can be the result of biting or clenching of the jaw, even during sleep, in which case a custom-fitted night guard made by a dentist may be the solution.

Some more about migraines: They’re more common in women and can be related to hormones. They may be triggered by stress, certain foods, allergies, sinus problems or environmental changes such as Santa Ana winds.

“Classical migraines” are associated with symptoms like flashing lights or temporary blind spots that precede the headache. Migraines are throbbing, severe and often on one side of the head. They’re also commonly associated with other symptoms like light and sound sensitivity, nausea and vomiting.

The good news is that there are many safe and effective prescription medicines for migraines nowadays. See a clinician if you: have a severe headache that is unmanageable by over-the-counter medications; came on after a head injury of any kind; or is associated with memory loss, trouble seeing, hearing, speaking, swallowing or using your arms or legs. If you ever get “the worst headache of your whole life,” then it could be a medical emergency and can warrant a trip to the Ashe Center or a hospital emergency room.

There is one, very common, extremely severe type of headache that does not require medical attention. Here’s the high-tech advice for this one: Don’t drink your Jamba Juice so fast and you won’t get “brain freeze”!

Dr. David Baron is the executive director of the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center.