Headache

Headache is one of the most common complaints. It is a symptom and not a disease. There are various types of headache such as headache due to anxiety or tension headache, depression, alcoholism, constipation, migraine or sick headache or biliary headache.

Types of Headache

There are five types of headache: vascular, myogenic (muscle tension), cervicogenic, traction, and inflammatory.

Headache due to anxiety disturbs the sleep. Migraine is usually one-sided headache. It is repetitive and pulsating. Some diseases also lead to headache such as High blood pressure, allergy, epilepsy, fevers, liver, kidney and eye troubles. Sinus trouble, infection and inflammation. Toothache, various neuralgias and tension in the body also cause headache. Trauma, meningitis, syphilis, cerebral tumors are the major causes of headache.

Feeling of pain anywhere in the body is a function of the brain But headache does not mean pain in the brain.

Types of Headache

There are five types of headache: vascular, myogenic (muscle tension), cervicogenic, traction, and inflammatory.

Vascular
- The most common type of vascular headache is migraine. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head, an upset stomach, and, for some people, disturbed vision. It is more common in women. While vascular changes are evident during a migraine, the cause of the headache is neurologic, not vascular. After migraine, the most common type of vascular headache is the "toxic" headache produced by fever.
- Other kinds of vascular headaches include cluster headaches, which cause repeated episodes of intense pain, and headaches resulting from high blood pressure (rare).
Muscular/myogenic headaches appear to involve the tightening or tensing of facial and neck muscles; they may radiate to the forehead. Tension headache is the most common form of myogenic headache.
Cervicogenic headaches originate from disorders of the neck, including the anatomical structures innervated by the cervical roots C1–C3. Cervical headache is often precipitated by neck movement and/or sustained awkward head positioning. It is often accompanied by restricted cervical range of motion, ipsilateral neck, shoulder, or arm pain of a rather vague non-radicular nature or, occasionally, arm pain of a radicular nature.
Traction and inflammatory headaches are symptoms of other disorders, ranging from stroke to sinus infection.

Specific types of headaches include

Tension headache
Migraine
Ictal headache
"Brain freeze" (also known as: ice cream headache)
Thunderclap headache
Vascular headache
Toxic headache
Coital cephalalgia (also known as: sex headache)
Sinus headache
Hemicrania continua
Rebound headache (also called medication overuse headache, abbreviated MOH)
Red Wine Headache

Like other types of pain, headaches can serve as warning signals of more serious disorders. This is particularly true for headaches caused by inflammation, including those related to meningitis as well as those resulting from diseases of the sinuses, spine, neck, ears and teeth.

Common Causes for headache

Chronic headaches are commonly due to Migraine

Tension, emotional stress, depression -- Depression headache is associated occasionally

with the focus of a somatic delusional system.

Intracranial injury, head injury, cervical spondylosis, dental or ocular disease, temporo-

mandibular joint dysfunction, sinusitis, hypertension, and a wide variety of general medical

disorders.

Alcoholism -- alcohol is toxic to tissues, directly initiates the meanings and causes the cerebral pain.

Constipation -- due to absorption of toxic products in the circulatory system. constipation

sometimes causes temporary loss of plasma into the wall of the gut, and the resulting poor flow of blood to the head could be the cause of the headache.

Yogic Treatment for Headache

Some forms of headache, such as migraine, may be amenable to preventative treatment.

The patients suffering from headache have to do three things:

(i) Regular practice of selected yoga asanas, pranayama,

(ii) Proper diet,

(iii) Avoid the things which strain the nerves.

selected yoga asanas

Kapalabhati-- Kumbhaka is not necessary.

Beside the above mentioned asana and pranayama practice of yoga nidra, concentration and meditation gives the best result.

Tension headaches, also categorized as muscle contraction, often can be alleviated through deep breathing and relaxation, especially in a lying down position in a quiet place.

Inverted postures increase oxygen to the brain and can reduce headache-causing strain.

A regular routine of Yoga exercises, breathing techniques, and relaxation/meditation can help prevent chronic headaches or reduce their severity. Exercises that stretch your muscles can release the tension that often causes headaches.

Proper Diet

A balanced diet can also play a crucial role in preventing or treating headaches. Some headaches result from a missed meal or a lack of protein and can be alleviated by eating a healthy protein snack. Include fruits, green vegetables (salad), and pulses in meals.

The non-vegetarians can eat fish and liver with least amount of spices.

Drink a lot of water.

There are also some foods which are suspected of causing headaches, such as some nuts, aged cheeses, and chocolate, and foods containing nitrates or monosodium glutamate.

Smokers should stop smoking. Reduce the number of cups of coffee tea or stop it completely. You simply don’t need any external stimulants.

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Yoga Treatment For Common Diseases

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