How can headaches be effectively managed and treated. What are the latest developments in headache research and treatment. Why do some people suffer from chronic headaches while others don’t. How do emotional and psychological factors impact headaches. What role does stress play in triggering headaches. Are there any promising new treatments on the horizon for headache sufferers. How can headache patients find the right specialist to help them.

The Personal Toll of Chronic Migraines: A Patient’s Perspective

Chronic migraines can have a devastating impact on a person’s life, affecting their relationships, career, and overall well-being. One migraine sufferer shared her harrowing experience:

At age 47, just as she entered a prestigious graduate program, her migraines began. By graduation, the headaches had become so frequent and severe that she questioned her ability to work as a therapist or be a good mother and wife. After seeing multiple specialists and trying numerous medications, she was left feeling hopeless and contemplating suicide.

Her journey highlights several key challenges faced by migraine sufferers:

• Difficulty maintaining a career and relationships
• Feelings of isolation and shame
• Frustration with ineffective treatments
• Fear and anxiety about future attacks

Fortunately, with the help of a headache specialist and new CGRP medications, she was able to regain some quality of life. However, the constant vigilance and fear of another attack remains.

The Biopsychosocial Approach to Headache Treatment

While headaches have a neurobiological basis, emotional and psychological factors also play a significant role. Dr. David Schechter, a physician specializing in chronic pain, advocates for a biopsychosocial approach to headache treatment.

How can addressing emotional factors help headache sufferers? Dr. Schechter has found great success in pain relief by focusing on patients’ emotional stressors, childhood traumas, and personality styles. He shared a case study of a 45-year-old healthcare worker who was able to overcome her migraines through expressive journaling and brief psychotherapy, eliminating the need for powerful injectable medications.

This approach offers several benefits:

• Empowers patients to take control of their condition
• Reduces reliance on medications
• Addresses underlying emotional triggers
• Potentially leads to long-term headache relief

Dr. Schechter emphasizes that being open to a biopsychosocial explanation and treatment is not a sign of weakness, but rather a strength that can lead to patient empowerment.

Oxygen Therapy: A Breakthrough for Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches, often described as excruciatingly painful, can be particularly challenging to treat. However, one sufferer, an orthopedic surgeon, found relief through an unexpected source: oxygen therapy.

How does oxygen therapy work for cluster headaches? The patient discovered that breathing pure oxygen for about 10 minutes could abort a cluster headache attack that would typically last 2-4 hours. This treatment proved to be a game-changer, providing much-needed relief when medications had failed.

Key points about oxygen therapy for cluster headaches:

• Fast-acting, providing relief within minutes
• Non-pharmacological approach
• Effective when other treatments have failed
• Can be used as needed during cluster periods

It’s worth noting that the patient’s experience also supports the conventional wisdom that migraine frequency and severity often decrease with age.

Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block: An Underutilized Migraine Treatment

Dr. Morris Maizels, a family physician and headache specialist, introduced a little-known but potentially effective treatment for migraines: the sphenopalatine ganglion block.

What is a sphenopalatine ganglion block? This procedure involves lying on your side with your head extended and rotated, then squirting lidocaine gel into the nostril on the side of the headache (or both nostrils if the headache is bilateral).

Advantages of this treatment include:

• Safety and low cost
• Quick action when effective
• No systemic side effects
• Can be performed at home

Despite its potential benefits, this treatment has not gained widespread acceptance, possibly due to lack of promotion by the pharmaceutical industry. However, more headache specialists are beginning to adopt this procedure as an alternative or complementary treatment option.

The Global Challenge of Vaccine Distribution

While not directly related to headaches, the article also touches on the challenges of global vaccine distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Covax initiative, aimed at equitable vaccine distribution worldwide, has faced numerous obstacles.

What are the main challenges in global vaccine distribution? Some key issues include:

• Shortage of vaccine doses
• Logistical difficulties in delivery
• National interests trumping global needs
• Catering of vaccine manufacturers to wealthy countries

Despite these challenges, Covax has made progress, delivering vaccines to 100 countries within its first six weeks of operation. However, the rate of distribution remains slower than desired, highlighting the ongoing struggle to achieve global vaccine equity.

Emerging Treatments and Research in Headache Management

The field of headache research is constantly evolving, with new treatments and approaches being developed to provide relief for sufferers. Some promising areas of research include:

CGRP Inhibitors

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors represent a significant breakthrough in migraine treatment. How do CGRP inhibitors work? These medications target a specific protein involved in pain signaling, effectively reducing the frequency and severity of migraines for many patients.

Neuromodulation Devices

Various neuromodulation devices, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and vagus nerve stimulators, are showing promise in headache management. These devices work by altering brain activity to reduce pain signals.

Personalized Medicine Approaches

Researchers are exploring ways to tailor headache treatments to individual patients based on their genetic profiles and specific headache characteristics. This personalized approach could lead to more effective and targeted therapies.

Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Non-pharmacological approaches, including mindfulness meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy, are gaining recognition as valuable tools in headache management. These techniques can help patients better cope with pain and reduce the frequency of attacks.

The Importance of Specialized Care in Headache Management

One recurring theme in the experiences shared by headache sufferers is the critical role of specialized care. Many patients found relief only after consulting with headache specialists who were able to provide targeted treatments and comprehensive management plans.

Why is specialized care so important for headache patients? Headache disorders, particularly migraines and cluster headaches, can be complex and challenging to treat. General practitioners may not have the in-depth knowledge or experience to effectively manage these conditions.

Benefits of seeing a headache specialist include:

• Access to the latest treatments and research
• Comprehensive evaluation of potential triggers and underlying causes
• Personalized treatment plans
• Expertise in managing medication side effects and interactions
• Understanding of the psychological and emotional aspects of chronic pain

Patients struggling with chronic or severe headaches should consider seeking out a neurologist or headache specialist to explore all available treatment options and develop an effective management strategy.

Lifestyle Factors and Headache Prevention

While medical treatments play a crucial role in headache management, lifestyle factors can also significantly impact headache frequency and severity. Implementing certain lifestyle changes may help prevent or reduce the occurrence of headaches for many sufferers.

Stress Management

Given the strong link between stress and headaches, developing effective stress management techniques is crucial. This may include practices such as:

• Regular exercise
• Meditation or mindfulness practices
• Time management and prioritization
• Seeking support from friends, family, or mental health professionals

Sleep Hygiene

Poor sleep quality and irregular sleep patterns can trigger headaches in many individuals. Improving sleep hygiene may help reduce headache frequency. Key strategies include:

• Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule
• Creating a relaxing bedtime routine
• Optimizing the sleep environment (e.g., comfortable temperature, minimal light and noise)
• Limiting screen time before bed

Dietary Considerations

Certain foods and drinks can trigger headaches in susceptible individuals. Common dietary triggers include:

• Caffeine (both excess consumption and withdrawal)
• Alcohol, particularly red wine
• Aged cheeses and processed meats
• Artificial sweeteners
• MSG and other food additives

Keeping a food diary and working with a healthcare provider to identify personal triggers can be helpful in managing headaches through dietary modifications.

Hydration

Dehydration is a common headache trigger. Ensuring adequate daily water intake and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption can help prevent dehydration-related headaches.

Regular Exercise

While intense exercise can sometimes trigger headaches, regular moderate exercise has been shown to reduce headache frequency and severity in many individuals. Finding a balance and gradually increasing exercise intensity may be beneficial for headache sufferers.

By addressing these lifestyle factors in conjunction with medical treatments, many headache sufferers may experience significant improvements in their condition and overall quality of life.

Opinion | Ways to Ease the Pain of Headaches

To the Editor:

Re “Why Don’t We Have Cures for Headaches?,” by Tom Zeller Jr. (Opinion guest essay, Sunday Review, July 25):

Finally, someone is shedding light on a traumatic disorder that wrecks relationships and careers, and makes you feel crazy and completely alone. At 47, just as I entered the prestigious Smith College School for Social Work, my migraines started.

Three years later, as my fellow students and our families cheered our graduation, my heart sank. My migraines had become so frequent and so painful that I couldn’t imagine how I could commit to being a therapist. How could I hold other people’s emotional pain when I was in such physical pain? How could I still be a decent mother and wife?

Nine neurologists and three psychiatrists later, I came away with a suitcase full of drugs and multiple analyses: Grad school had been too much, gluten was the trigger, or perhaps I had bipolar disorder! I cried, railed and contemplated suicide.

Ashamed, I shrunk into myself and retreated to a dark room. I also faced painful rejection from friends who didn’t like the new me who could no longer drink and laugh.

Thanks to one Houston neurologist who is a headache specialist, an extremely devoted partner and the new calcitonin gene-related peptide meds, I have emerged with some semblance of a life. But I remain vigilant at all times. A migraine is lurking, and the fear never really goes away.

Opinion Conversation
Questions surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine and its rollout.

Clare Casademont
Nantucket, Mass.

To the Editor:

Headaches are neurobiological, but stress and emotional tension are, too, and should not be dismissed.

As a physician who treats chronic pain, headaches and back pain, I often find that a focus on a patient’s emotional stressors, childhood traumas, personality style, etc. yields great success in pain relief.

I recently treated a 45-year-old health care worker. After learning how emotions can cause and trigger migraines, she was able to learn, through expressive journaling and brief psychotherapy, how to intercept the process. Not only have her headaches gone away, but she is off those powerful, injectable medications that Tom Zeller Jr. refers to.

I consider that a win for her and a huge cost savings for society. Being open to a biopsychosocial explanation and treatment is not weakness; it is strength and empowerment of the patient.

David Schechter
Culver City, Calif.

To the Editor:

I have suffered from cluster headaches since I was in medical school (I’m an orthopedic surgeon). I would get them every two or three years, have them every other or third day for a couple of months, and then they would go away. They were always in the same location, like an ice pick in my right eye, sometimes brutally painful — so bad I could only walk slowly in a darkened room, couldn’t even lie down. Medications were useless.

Around 25 years ago a neurologist friend suggested oxygen, so the next cluster I got, I used an oxygen tank and breathed oxygen, and in 10 minutes the headache would go away. Previously they would last two to four hours typically. This was awesome. Finally I had a treatment that worked.

The last couple of times I had them they weren’t so bad, and I haven’t had any for 10 years. Whew! I’m 69 now. It is conventional wisdom that migraines subside as we get older, true in my case.

James Loddengaard
Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

To the Editor:

I am a family physician headache specialist. A little-known treatment for migraine, which I first published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1996, involves merely lying down on your side with the head extended and rotated, and squirting a gel of lidocaine into the nostril on the side of the headache (on both sides if the headache is on both sides). The procedure is referred to as a sphenopalatine ganglion block.

While the treatment is a bit inconvenient, and less reliably effective than the usual commercial products, it is very safe and inexpensive, and when effective, it acts almost immediately. More and more headache specialists are adopting this procedure, but it does not have widespread acceptance because it is not promoted by the pharmaceutical industry.

Morris Maizels
Everett, Wash.

The Road to Getting Vaccines to the World

To the Editor:

Re “Short on Doses, and Struggling to Deliver Them” (front page, Aug. 2):

It’s easy to find ways in which delivering vaccines to nearly every country in the world during a pandemic could be improved. Yet no one has been more vocal than Covax in calling out the governments that put national interest over the global one, or the vaccine manufacturers that cater to them.

The fact is that today, albeit at a rate slower than we would have liked, Covax is delivering: Within the first six weeks we had started delivering to 100 countries, and then, even though we faced supply bottlenecks because of export bans and vaccine nationalism, with dose donations we’re now close to being back to our original rate of deliveries. In a world without Covax, many of these countries would still be waiting for any vaccines at all.

But yes, for the sake of humanity, we need Covax to work. Because if it doesn’t, then the appalling global inequities in Covid-19 vaccine distribution would not only be much worse but would also inevitably persist for some time — meaning continued spread of new infections and new variants.

We are pleased that the pace of deliveries has now picked up. Ultimately, however, a global collaboration is only as strong as the level of partnership it receives.

Seth Berkley
Geneva
The writer is chief executive of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

How to Ease Brain Freeze

Head and Neck
Headache

Reviewed By:

On a hot summer day, there’s nothing like taking a big gulp of ice-cold water or a slushy beverage, or going for a big mouthful of ice cream. Great way to cool down, right?

But then it hits you: a bolt of intense pain in the temples, forehead or behind the eyes or nose.

Brain freeze, otherwise known as ice cream headache, is technically known as cold neuralgia or sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. Big words for a short— but-agonizing— episode.

The Scoop on Ice Cream Headache

What causes ice cream headaches? Nothing serious, says Wojtek Mydlarz, assistant professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins. He explains:

“There are several theories about what makes this happen. The one that probably makes the most sense is that when you eat or drink a large quantity of very cold food or liquid, you drop the temperature of the palate (the roof of your mouth) pretty substantially. The blood vessels automatically constrict—it’s a survival reflex to maintain your body’s core temperature.”

After the squeeze, Mydlarz says, the blood vessels open up — quickly. “This rebound dilation sends a pain signal to the brain through a nerve called the trigeminal nerve, whose upper branch extends into the midface and forehead,” he says.

Mydlarz says ice cream headache is an example of “referred pain” — when changes happening in one part of the body signal pain in another. In this case, the tiny muscles around the blood vessels in the palate are tightening and relaxing suddenly, but the sensation is experienced higher up in the head

The Migraine Connection

Research shows migraine sufferers have a higher likelihood of experiencing brain freeze. The pain of brain freeze headaches is more intense and sharp than that of a migraine. Both headaches can occur in the forehead and result in throbbing pain.

But, thankfully, in 98 percent of patients, brain freeze headaches last less than five minutes.

How to Ease Brain Freeze

If you get nailed by brain freeze, act fast. If possible, remove the cold food or drink from your mouth, and press your tongue or your thumb against the roof of your mouth. Drinking warm water can help, too.

Mydlarz (whose favorite ice cream flavors include coffee and chocolate-cherry) recommends taking smaller bites or sips of cold food and drink, and warming them up in your mouth before swallowing.

Grabbing an aspirin or acetaminophen may not be worth it. In the majority of people, brain freeze headaches are so short lived that by the time pain medications kick in, the headache will be over.

That is the only good thing about brain freeze: its brevity. By the time you take steps to counteract the pain, it is likely to be over and gone, and you’re back to enjoying your summer day—and with luck, more ice cream.

First Aid: Headaches (for Parents)

Headaches usually are brief and can be caused by many things, including too little sleep, eye strain, stress, sinus infections, or a bump to the head. Some headaches last longer and come with other symptoms. Very rarely, headaches can be a sign of something serious.

Signs and Symptoms

The two most common types of headaches in kids and teens are tension headaches and migraine headaches.

Signs of a tension headache:

• a feeling of squeezing or pressure around the front, sides, and back of the head
• dull, steady pain
• pain is not made worse by activity
• no nausea or vomiting
• muscles of the scalp, face, neck, and shoulders may be sore to the touch

Signs of a migraine headache:

• pounding, throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head
• pain is worsened by rapid motion
• dizziness, feeling tired
• nausea, vomiting, belly pain
• seeing spots or halos
• sensitivity to light, noise, and/or smells

What to Do

Most headaches respond to home care. To help ease pain, have your child:

• lie down in a dark, quiet room
• drink liquids
• take acetaminophen or ibuprofen as needed
• put a cool, moist cloth across the forehead or eyes

Get Medical Care if the Headaches:

• happen once a month or more
• don’t go away easily
• are more painful than usual
• prevent your child from participating in everyday activities
• follow a head injury or loss of consciousness
• come with any of these symptoms:
  • decreased alertness or confusion
  • fever or lasting vomiting
  • changes in vision
  • weakness
  • skin rash
  • neck pain or stiffness

Think Prevention!

Some types of headaches can be prevented by avoiding certain things that can cause them, such as getting too little sleep, some medicines, not drinking enough liquids, and using the computer or watching TV for a long time.

8 Ways To Naturally Ease A Headache

For those of us who don’t feel too thrilled about the idea of relying on painkillers for our discomforts, it’s very nice to know there are many natural ways to ease headaches, in particular. Many times, the cause of headaches might be things we can quickly and easily counteract. This includes, for instance, the way our body reacts to certain foods, which can be triggers for headaches. By pinpointing how our bodies individually react to the foods, we can determine what things we might want to eliminate. In addition to eliminating items, there are also things we can add to our diets to prevent and ease headaches.

I feel lucky in that I generally don’t get headaches that are unbearably awful. This for me is true unless I’m extremely hungover (hello, dehydration!), overwhelmingly stressed, or dealing with a sickness. However, there are certain ladies out there who are probably far too familiar with the pain and suffering associated with headaches and migraines. Some might even get them on a daily basis.

Relying on painkillers, like ibuprofen and aspirin, can often feel like a quick yet undesirable fix to relieving the pain. While painkillers as a tactic are definitely effective — as that’s the kind of thing they’re there for — there are also other tactics to try out on our own to help ease the pain and get us feeling good again.

Here are eight natural trick for curing a headache or migraine that can bring you right out of the debilitating pounding to your normal, happy self.

1. Block Out As Much Light And Noise As Possible

This is certainly a difficult ask if you’re at work, but if you’re home, get yourself to a room where there is little light and the least amount of noise, according to LIVESTRONG. The goal is to make your body as relaxed as possible to release any of the tension that may be causing your headache. Building off of this idea of tranquility, try to use some meditation techniques, too. Close your eyes, take long, deep breaths, and use visual imagery to erase the pain.

2. Take A Long, Hot Bath

Heat up the water and lounge in the bath for a while to help relax muscles and ease the pain of a throbbing headache. According to Mayo Clinic, this kind of temperature therapy can be effective. Make sure the environment around you is calm while you’re in the bath, as well. Also, taking a hot shower can assist with headache relief, particularly if your headache might be caused by stress. Heat releases tense muscles, so by allowing the stream of hot water from the shower to hit against the back of your neck, you’ll be relaxing your body.

3. Grab Your Partner & Get It On

I’m being completely serious here — sex has been known to ease the pain of headaches and migraines. According to a 2013 study out of Germany, sex can be effective in curing head pain, even more so than relief caused by taking painkillers. If you feel your head begin to pulse, call you partner immediately. Not a bad form of medicine, right?

4. Try Amping Up Your Flaxseed Consumption

Many times headaches can be reduced by consuming omega-3 fatty acids. Here is where flaxseed comes in. Flaxseed is rich in omega-3s, therefore is the perfect super food for these unbearable situations when your head won’t stop pounding. Flaxseed can easily be added to your smoothie, oatmeal or even a glass of water to help ease headaches and migraines.

5. Pour Yourself A Giant Glass Of Water

A common cause of headaches is dehydration. Stop and consider whether you’ve consumed enough fluids in recent days. If the answer is no, a speedy way to begin clearing up your headache is to drink water. According to research out of the Netherlands, drinking more water can have positive effects on people suffering from headaches. To further reduce headaches, avoid alcohol or other drinks that might dehydrate you, according to LIVESTRONG.

6. Drink A Cup Of Chamomile Tea

According to Reader’s Digest, the compounds found in chamomile tea helps ease pain and relax you. The next time you feel an excruciating headache coming on, brew a cup and allowed the tea bag to steep while covered for 10 minutes. Then, drink in a wuiet place for best results.

7. Give Yourself A Head Massage

You don’t need to visit the local spa to get the most out of a massage. You can give yourself an effective scalp and head massage all on your own, and it is known to help ease headache pain if done correctly, according to Everyday Health. Try adding a drop or two of thyme or rosemary essential oil to each temple and to your forehead, according to Reader’s Digest. Use you index finger and/or thumb to fingers to slowly massage the oil into each of the spots, using circular motions. WebMD suggested keeping pressure on the painful areas for seven to 15 seconds, then release and repeat as needed. Also, you can try using your fingers to massage slowly in circular motions all over your scalp. After massaging the areas, sit in a quiet place for a few minutes.

8. If All Quick Fixes Fail, Consider Revising Your Diet Long-Term

If you’re someone who gets headaches regularly, you might consider devoting time to determining if your diet has anything to do with it. According to Everyday Health, there are certain trigger foods associated with headaches and migraines, including chocolate (bummer!), diary, peanut butter, avocados, bananas and onions, just to name a few. The recommendation is to keep a food diary and mark down how your head feels after consuming these and other foods. You might find one or more in particular sends you into a spiraling headache. Eliminate the foods you regularly note have this effect.

Moving forward, whenever we are faced with severe headaches and migraines, we can rest assured knowing that some of these tactics can help us ease the pain naturally. This way, we can feel good about relying on ourselves to feel better, rather than manufactured painkillers of any kind.

Images: Pixabay (5) ; alishav, baileysjunk, sanfranannie, andyhuynh/Flickr

How to Ease a Headache Without Medicine

g-stockstudioGetty Images

One of the most apt descriptions of a headache I’ve ever read was in a novel called We Were Liars. Author E. Lockhart depicts it as a rusty saw “slicing through my forehead into the mind behind it.” Lockhart eloquently captures a headache’s paired agonies: physical pain and psychological disruption. The typical solution is an analgesic such as aspirin or ibuprofen, but this one-size-fits-all approach misses the fact that headaches can have varied causes that are best addressed by different therapies.

Tension headache relief

This is the most common type of headache, brought on by tense muscles in the head and neck. Massage, acupressure, hot or cold compresses, and rubs containing menthol or camphor may relieve the pain. Stress-neutralizing techniques like yoga breathing and meditation can also help prevent episodes. Stress actually contributes to virtually all kinds of headaches, so it’s worth seeking out a tension-relief method that fits into your daily routine.

Migraine relief

Classic symptoms of migraines include visual flashes or blind spots just before onset, throbbing pain, light sensitivity, and nausea and vomiting. Caused by rapidly dilating blood vessels, migraines can be triggered by food sensitivities, strong odors, hormonal fluctuations (migraines are more than twice as common in women as in men), and stress.

As difficult as it may sound, my principal recommendation is to stop drinking caffeine daily, especially coffee (even decaf!). Eventually your sensitivity to caffeine will increase; then, when you feel a migraine coming on, drink one or two cups of a caffeinated beverage to circumvent that blood vessel dilation and stop the migraine in its tracks. To prevent it from happening in the first place, try 50 to 100 mg of extract of the herb butterbur (Petasites hybridus) twice daily with meals. Magnesium supplements (500 mg twice daily) can also be helpful.

Cluster headache relief

Characterized by intense, throbbing pain, these headaches typically occur on only one side of the head. They can last anywhere from 15 minutes to three hours, recur up to eight times in 24 hours, and then retreat for weeks or months until another “cluster” strikes. To treat them, people often use strong medications, including the powerful drug ergotamine, or even surgery to disable nerve endings.

Before you resort to these methods, I suggest trying biofeedback, acupuncture, and supplemental magnesium (500 mg twice daily). Breathing oxygen from a tank (available by prescription) can also reverse a cluster headache.

Eyestrain headache relief

Symptoms include eyes that feel sore, hot, itchy, dry, or watery; blurred or double vision; and general soreness in the head, neck, or back. Eyestrain headaches are common these days—almost universally due to staring at glowing screens. The obvious solution is to take breaks (at least five minutes per hour), during which you should look into the middle and far distance. And, of course, make sure your glasses are the right Rx for you.

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Essential plant oils and headache mechanisms

The rationale for using essential oils to alleviate headache is based on several assumptions. Especially for peppermint oil certain analgesic mechanisms were recently described. Local application of peppermint oil generates a long-lasting cooling effect on the skin, caused by a steric alteration of the calcium channels of the cold-receptors. Further it was shown that peppermint oil inhibits non-competively 5-hydroxytryptamin (Serotonine) and substance P induced smooth muscle contraction in animal-models. It is also known that peppermint oil induces a significant increase of the skin blood flow of the forehead after local application, measured by laser doppler. Assuming that a clinical relevant analgesic action exists, this ought to be observable in experimental algesimetric human tests. Therefore the effects of peppermint oil and eucalyptus oil preparations on neurophysiological, psychological and experimental algesimetric parameters were investigated in 32 healthy subjects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized cross-over design. Four different test preparations were used: preparation 1 (LI1701) consisted of 10 g peppermint oil and 5 g eucalyptus oil plus ethanol 90% to 100 g; preparation 2 (LI1702) of 10 g peppermint oil and traces of eucalyptus oil plus ethanol 90% to 100g; preparation 3 (LI1703) of traces of peppermint oil and 5 g eucalyptus oil plus ethanol 90% to 100 g; and preparation 4 (placebo) of traces of peppermint oil and traces of eucalyptus oil plus ethanol 90% to 100 g. The test preparations were applied to large areas of the forehead and temples using a small sponge. The treatment effect of the preparations was evaluated by comparing baseline and treatment measurements. The combination of peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil and ethanol can increase cognitive performance while having a muscle-relaxing and mentally relaxing effect, but has little influence on pain sensitivity. A significant analgesic effect with a reduction in sensitivity to headache is however produced by the combination of peppermint oil and ethanol. The essential plant oil preparations can thus be shown by laboratory tests to exert significant effects on mechanisms associated with the pathophysiology of clinical headache syndromes. Further, to investigate the efficacy of essential oil preparations compared to usual analgesics (paracetamol or acetylsalicylicacid) a double blind, placebo controlled, randomized study should be performed.

Help Fight Head Pain with Self-Care

Head pain—either from a headache or migraine—can get in the way of daily life, leaving sufferers scrambling for a treatment to ease the hurt. While medication like Excedrin® can help relieve pain, there are other holistic strategies that can assist with alleviating discomfort.¹ Self-care, which includes treatment approaches such as acupressure, acupuncture, massage, stress reduction techniques, and other daily practices, can play an important role in staying ahead of your headaches. Try these strategies, along with medication, for optimal headache relief.

Acupressure

Headache or migraine sufferers might find that applying physical pressure—known as acupressure—to a specific spot on their body called an “acupoint” can relieve head pain, according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.2 Based on ancient Chinese medicine, these spots are often the site of tension that can be relieved through physical manipulation, although their location does not necessarily directly correlate with the location of your pain. For instance, one acupoint recommended for headache relief is found between the base of your thumb and index finger.

To apply acupressure:

• Take your right thumb and index finger and find the web-like space on your left hand between the base of your left thumb and index finger.
• Press firmly on either side of the skin at this point for 5 minutes. (If the direct pressure is too intense, you can also use a circular motion.)
• Repeat on your right hand.

Use acupressure several times throughout the day if you are experiencing a headache.²

Acupuncture

This technique, also developed in ancient China, involves stimulating specific acupoints by inserting a very fine needle into the skin to alleviate pain.³ A 2016 meta-analysis of acupuncture used for migraine prevention (compared with a proven preventative drug) found that adding acupuncture to symptomatic treatment of attacks reduced the frequency of migraines.⁴ In the same review, three trials (out of 22) found that migraine frequency was cut in half in 57 percent of participants receiving acupuncture for three months. 4

Massage

Massage therapy is another approach that may help. A study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that when compared to a control group, massage participants who received weekly massages lowered their migraine frequency and raised their sleep quality, both during the weeks they received treatment and for the three weeks following.⁵

Sleep

A change in your sleep routine is a common headache trigger, according to the American Migraine Foundation.⁶ Going to bed around the same time each night and waking up at a consistent hour will help reduce the chance of developing a headache.⁷ If you struggle to fall asleep, consider using a few drops of essential oils on your pillow. Certain oils are believed to support healthy sleep and can be linked to easing headaches.

Yoga

When migraine patients in one International Journal of Yoga study received conventional care in combination with yoga therapy five days a week for six weeks, they experienced a greater decrease in their migraine frequency and intensity than study participants who only received conventional care. ⁸ Find a yoga studio in your area and start with a basic hatha yoga practice to see if that helps ease your head pain and headache frequency. Already familiar with the practice? Try these yoga poses for headaches at home.

Headache | Spine Treatment Clinic “Vertebrocenter”

According to statistics, headaches are very common among residents of Yekaterinburg. Many people experience them for days, weeks, months, years. For some, it reaches such an intensity that it interferes with work, forcing a person to hide from loud sounds and bright light. The most common types of headache are migraine and tension headache .

Headache is varied in its manifestations.

Someone has a squeezing pain like a vise, as if a helmet is worn on the head, someone has a throbbing pain, and someone has the occipital region of the head “breaks” or “drills” in the eyeball, etc.

Why does the head hurt?

The most common causes of headache are migraine, tension headache, and cervicogenic headache (caused by problems with the cervical spine).

A short video can be viewed below:

With tension headache , squeezing pain, aching, usually of low or moderate intensity, more often appears in the afternoon.Maybe daily. Women are affected more often than men. As a rule, people who are engaged in mental work and great emotional overload suffer.

Migraine differs in the severity and intensity of the headache. As a rule, pain of a pulsating nature, lasting from 4 to 72 hours (up to three days), is necessarily accompanied by either nausea, vomiting, or sound and photophobia. Often, but not always, an attack of migraine pain is preceded by an aura – “flies” in front of the eyes, noise, “clicks” in the ears, weakness and weakness. With a migraine attack, it is rarely possible to work fully.

Not so long ago, botulinum toxin (Botox, Dysport) began to be used for treatment. Just like in cosmetology, the drug is injected into certain muscles of the head, and the migraine recedes for several months.

Another common cause of headache is cervicogenic headache , associated with problems in the cervical spine.

Increased intracranial pressure, contrary to popular belief, is in fact extremely rare.The Clinic of Neurology and Manual Therapy “Vertebrocenter” employs specialists who can quickly establish the cause of the headache. Within the framework of modern world recommendations, our doctors will select an individual treatment regimen. Our doctors have not only drugs in their arsenal. The combination of such techniques as manual therapy, massage, osteopathy, botulinum toxin injection, therapeutic injections give an impressive result – the pain that has interfered with for years is receding. The person returns to ordinary life, filled with worldly joys and happiness.

Pain relievers alone are difficult to cope with. An integrated approach is important here – stretching the spine, massage, injecting drugs into certain structures of the neck, modern physiotherapy, etc.

Only experienced qualified doctor is able to understand all the nuances of a headache, is able to take a hand and lead a person on the way to getting rid of this ailment.

The medical center “Vertebrocenter” presents modern innovative equipment for the treatment of headaches:

• Injection of Botox into specific muscles of the head and neck for the successful treatment of headaches.
• Modern methods of physiotherapy – shock wave therapy, interstitial electrical stimulation, manual therapy, massage.
• Headache treatment is conducted by a leading specialist in this field, cephalgologist, Yuri Mikhailovich Nemchenko.

Many of our patients, who are desperate in search of a way to get rid of headaches, finally find the long-awaited relief and can again work fully, play their favorite sports, and enjoy life.

Askofen ULTRA – proven action against migraines, headaches and other types of pain

ASCOFEN ULTRA! MEET THE NEW IN THE CATEGORY OF SYSTEM ANALGETICS!

Advantages of the molecule / drug

• ASCOFEN ULTRA: proven action against migraines, headaches and other types of pain
• Relief of headaches and other types of pain begins to develop within 15 minutes *.
• The dosages of ASCOFEN ULTRA are balanced for the treatment of headache, migraine and other types of pain, as confirmed by numerous international clinical studies for over 30 years **.
• The preparation contains the following active ingredients: acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) 250 mg, paracetamol 250 mg, caffeine 65 mg. ASA has an analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effect associated with the suppression of COX-1 and 2, which regulate the synthesis of prostaglandins. Paracetamol has analgesic and antipyretic activity. The analgesic effect is due to the blockade of COX-3 in the central nervous system and the effect on the centers of pain and thermoregulation. The therapeutic dosage of caffeine in the composition of the drug normalizes the tone of the cerebral vessels, accelerates blood flow without stimulating the central nervous system, due to which it enhances the action of analgesics for headaches.

Advantage of the release form

• ASKOFEN ULTRA is available in two packs: No. 10 and 20 in coated tablets, which is convenient when swallowed.

Indications for use:

• Pain syndrome of moderate and mild intensity of various origins in adults and children over 15 years old:
  • headache;
  • migraine;
  • toothache;
  • neuralgia;
  • arthralgia;
  • myalgia;
  • algodismenorrhea (pain during menstruation).
• Febrile syndrome in adults: in acute respiratory diseases, influenza.

Other forms of release

Migraine – Causes of occurrence and methods of treatment

Comments are given by a neurologist of the highest category

Vlasova Irina Aleksandrovna

Almost every person has encountered a headache at least once in life.People suffering from migraines are forced to face this problem much more often.

Migraine is one of the most famous diseases in the history of human civilization, this disease, the most frequent and characteristic symptom of which are episodic or regular severe and painful attacks of headache in one (rarely in both) half of the head. The headache can be so severe that it often leads to a loss of working capacity and even the need to establish a disability for the patient, due to the patient’s inability to work a sufficient number of hours a week, or even work at all.

Relatively recently, a fairly effective way to combat migraines has appeared – injections of botulinum toxin preparations, better known as botox.

In the 1970s and 1980s, type A toxin (Botox®) was introduced into the practice of clinicians, a highly diluted toxin used to treat strabismus and blepharospasm.

In the mid-1990s, it was observed that patients who received botulinum toxin for reasons other than headaches experienced relief from these headaches.

As a result of subsequent research and testing, Botox has been shown to significantly alleviate chronic migraine conditions. At the same time, practically no side effects were identified. That allowed the drug to be taken into practice.

Botox is now widely used in the treatment of migraines.

Indications

You are indicated for treatment with Botox © (a patented trademark of the American company Allergan) in the following cases:

• If you have a headache 15 times a month
• Headache lasts more than 4 hours
• Headache reduces your working capacity
• The nature of the headache is pulsating, more often unilateral
• The headache is accompanied by nausea, photophobia, vomiting
• Prophylactic treatment with tablets is ineffective or ineffective

The drug is injected into fixed points in the projection of the muscles of the head and neck with a single insulin syringe with a thin needle, and local anesthesia is not required.

After the procedure, the improvement of well-being is observed after 2 weeks.

This treatment is effective and safe, it can significantly reduce headache attacks until they disappear completely for a long period of time, which leads to an improvement in well-being and restoration of working capacity.

Botulinum toxin injections are especially recommended for those who are not affected by drugs, or for those who are contraindicated or highly undesirable to take painkillers.For example, Botox is often prescribed for women with migraine attacks who are planning a pregnancy.

More information on the treatment of migraine with Botox injections can be found here: https://aibolit.me/articles/lechenie-migreni-preparatami-botulotoksina-botulinoterapiya/

https://aibolit.me/articles/postoyannaya-migren /

Headache, which occurs even periodically, is a cause for concern and is a reason for contacting a neurologist in order to timely diagnose and prevent chronic headache.

When visiting a neurologist, be prepared to answer the following questions:

Time-related questions

• How long ago did your headache start?
• How often does the headache occur and what is its timing
• (episodic or daily and / or persistent)?
• How long is GB?

Questions about the nature of GB

• What is the intensity of the headaches?
• The nature and quality of the headache?
• Headache localization and spread?
• Concomitant symptoms

Questions about the cause of GB

• Predisposing and / or provoking factors
• Factors that increase and / or reduce headache
• Hereditary history of similar headaches

Questions about the treatment of GB

• What does the patient do during a headache?
• How much limited or hindered the patient’s daily activities (functions) due to the headache?
• What medications did the patient use in the past and at the present time, the route of administration and what is the effect of the treatment?

Health status during the interictal period

• Are you feeling normal or are there any symptoms?

Promotions and offers

Appointment

Online appointment

Phones:

+7 (812) 30-888-03

+7 (812) 242-53-50

Clinic address: Saint Petersburg, Vyborgsky district, st. Asafieva, 9, to 2, lit. And

HEADACHE: to treat or “let it go by itself”?

There is no person who has never, not once in his life, had a headache. Taking painkillers in this case is the fastest and often most effective way to solve this problem. When is the moment when you should stop self-medication and see a doctor?

• If the head hurts 3 times a week or more

• If taking “usual” painkillers no longer brings relief

• In case of acute and intense headache (it hurts as badly as never before in my life)

• If the headache is accompanied by weakness in the arm and / or leg (usually on one side of the body), transient loss of vision, speech, sudden loss of memory (in which a person loses orientation in space for some time and forgets where he is is and what it does).

In such cases, it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor and undergo a serious examination, including an ultrasound examination of large vessels, ECG, EchoCG, a clinical blood test, urine, blood sugar, detailed blood tests to determine a lipid profile, a tendency to thrombus formation, computer or magnetic resonance imaging tomography of the brain.

Headache can be the first symptom of a wide variety of diseases: hypertension, vegetative-vascular dystonia, renal and endocrine pathology, brain tumor, stroke, etc.e. Today 45 diseases are known, accompanied by headache. Timely diagnosis and adequate therapy for these conditions will improve your well-being and maintain your health.

It should be noted that headache is not a painful sensation of the nervous tissue of the brain, since there are no pain receptors in it. It occurs as a result of exposure to sensitive areas located in the head and / or neck: the skull (periosteum), muscles, nerves, arteries and veins, subcutaneous tissue, eyes, sinuses and mucous membranes.The method for treating headache depends on the identified disease or the cause of the symptom.

Historical background

Separate mentions of recurrent headaches, reminiscent of the description of a migraine clinic, appeared more than 5000 years ago. In the XIX-XVI centuries BC, descriptions of headache attacks were also found in Babylonian literature, which was compared to a flash of lightning. For the first time, hemicrania, which is accompanied by vomiting and poor health in general, was described in the Ebers papyrus as “a disease of half of the head.”The first classification of headaches called “De Cephalalgia” was developed by Thomas Willis in 1672. In 1787, Christian Baur divided all headaches into idiopathic (primary) and symptomatic (secondary), and also identified 84 categories of headaches. At the end of the 19th century, in the book “On migraine headaches and other similar diseases” by Edward Living, a differential difference between migraine and other, similar in clinic, headaches was shown. The clinical symptoms of cluster headache were described by Harris in 1926, but the priority of describing the disease belongs to Ryder (1924).In 1939, Horton also described the clinic for cluster cephalalgia, but unlike Harris, he regarded it as erythromelalgia, and then as histamine cephalalgia. Later, this condition was referred to as Horton’s syndrome. For the first time, Ekbom pointed out the similarity of these conditions in 1947, and since 1952, at the suggestion of Kunkel, the disease is called “cluster cephalalgia”. In 1962, at the National Institute of Diseases of the Nervous System, the Committee on Headache introduced a new definition of headache into practice, and also developed a classification of cephalgia and prosopalgia, which existed for 26 years.In 1988, the International Headache Classification Committee introduced a new classification of head and facial pains, which is still used today. The second version of the classification, published in 2004, has been approved by the World Health Organization.

Classification of headaches

According to the International Classification of Headaches (2nd Edition), all headaches are divided into two large groups: primary (migraine, tension headache, cluster (cluster) headache and other trigeminal autonomic (autonomous) cephalalgias, other primary headaches) and secondary headaches (associated with head and / or neck trauma, vascular lesions, infections, homeostasis disorders, mental illness, etc.)reasons). Cranial neuralgia and unclassified headache are separately identified. There are other classifications of headache. So, according to the mechanism of occurrence, headache is classified into 6 types: vascular headache, muscle tension headache, liquorodynamic headache, neuralgic headache, mixed headache, psychlgia (central headache). In all this diversity, I would like to dwell on some types of headaches that we encounter most often, namely:

– tension headache;

– migraine;

– cervicogenic headache;

– headache associated with increased blood pressure;

– abusal headache.

Tension headache (TCH) is the most common type of primary headache. Episodic HDN occurs in more than 70% of people, and 1-3% of adults suffer from chronic HDN. HDN often begins in adolescence, mainly among women (there are two men for every three women). The peak incidence occurs at 20-39 years. The mechanism of HDN development is associated with stress or musculoskeletal problems of the neck. Attacks of episodic HDN usually last for several hours, but can last for several days. Chronic HDN can be continuous and interfere with normal functioning much more than episodic HDN. HDN is characterized by: bilateral localization, compressive / pressing character, pain intensity from mild to moderate, headache does not worsen from normal physical activity, absence of nausea or vomiting, photophobia or phonophobia may be present. The pain is usually monotonous with minor fluctuations in intensity throughout the day. It is often described by patients as a feeling of pressure, tension or constriction around the head like a “helmet” and is much less often presented in the form of pain itself, sometimes extending to the neck or starting from the neck.In some cases, patients report short episodes of acute, one-sided piercing pain. Often, patients with HDN associate the occurrence of painful episodes with stress. The occurrence of HDN episodes after physical and mental fatigue is just as often noted. Irregular eating and disturbance of sleep and wakefulness are characteristic provoking factors, although such factors as strong odors, smoke, bright light and meteorological factors rarely act as provocateurs of HDN episodes. In the chronic form of HDN, it often occurs at night or in the morning upon awakening. The diagnosis of HDN is made on the basis of the analysis of complaints (the nature of the headache) and the history of the disease (the connection between headache episodes with negative emotions, chronic stress, prolonged postural overstrain). Examination in patients with HDN reveals tension and soreness of the pericranial muscles. Considering the great role of muscular-tonic syndrome in the pathogenesis and chronicity of HDN, the treatment of muscle tension should be one of the most important tasks of HDN therapy.Therefore, along with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants must be included in the treatment regimens for this group of patients. In the presence of emotional and personality disorders, sedatives and antidepressants must be added. In patients with a combination of HDN and migraine, which is often found in clinical practice, it is possible to use triptans. However, in these cases, the patient should be taught to distinguish between episodes of HDN and migraine attacks. In this group of patients, acupuncture, relaxation training, and post-isometric relaxation are effective as preventive measures.

Migraine is manifested by stereotypical attacks of one-sided pulsating headache, which is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, photo- and phonophobia. The duration of a migraine attack varies from 4 to 72 hours. In many cases, seizures occur as a result of exposure to provoking factors, the most common of which are: stress, disturbances in sleep and wakefulness, menstruation, jet lag, food (cheese, chocolate, citrus fruits, eggs, smoked meats, etc.).) and drinks (red wine, beer, coffee). There are two main forms of migraine: migraine without aura and migraine with aura. Migraine without aura occurs in 80% of all migraine cases. Many patients can experience migraine attacks with or without an aura. Quite often there are attacks of “headache-free aura”, which, unfortunately, are often not recognized and not diagnosed. Migraine treatment includes two areas: treatment of a migraine attack and prophylactic treatment in the interictal period. Treatment of a migraine attack is divided into: 1) nonspecific – these are simple analgesics – paracetamol; combined analgesics – combinations with caffeine, short-acting barbiturates; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – aspirin, ibuprofen, indomethacin, diclofenac; drugs for relief of accompanying symptoms; 2) specific therapy is triptans – sumatriptan, zolmitriptan, nonselective agonists of 5-HT1 B / 1B receptors – ergotamine, dihydroergotamine; auxiliary agents – metoclopramide, domperidone; combined drugs – difmeter.Prophylactic drug treatment is prescribed to all patients and is aimed at reducing the frequency of occurrence and severity of headache attacks. When choosing a pharmacological agent, the individual characteristics of the patient, the characteristics of the seizures, the presence of comorbid disorders are taken into account. For the prevention of migraine attacks I use β-adrenergic receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, antiepileptic drugs, antidepressants, nootropics, venotonics, riboflavin (vitamin B12), coenzyme Q10, thioctic (α-lipoic) acid. Non-drug methods of treatment are effective for migraines: acupuncture, relaxation training, behavioral therapy.

Cervicogenic headache

The prevalence of cervicogenic headache (CBH) among patients with chronic headaches is 15-20%. CHP is observed mainly in middle-aged people, is 4 times more common among women and has a significant tendency towards chronicity. CGB, as a rule, affects representatives of “sedentary” professions, as well as those who, in the process of work, often have to throw their heads back or work with their heads down.The appearance of CHP in most cases is preceded by a prolonged forced position of the neck and head, as well as awkward neck movements associated with overextension or sharp rotation. Other provoking factors are sleep in an uncomfortable position, hypothermia, drafts, stress. Speaking about the mechanism of development of cervicogenic headache, muscle-tonic and vascular components should be distinguished. Damage to the cervical spine leads to impaired outflow along the vertebral venous plexuses and leads to the formation of central venous stasis. Also, irritation of the autonomic plexus of the vertebral arteries plays a significant role in the formation of CHP. CGB is a unilateral headache that spreads from the cervico-occipital region to the anterior parts of the head. The intensity of the CHP is most often moderate, sometimes it can be accompanied by nausea, non-systemic dizziness, flashing of flies before the eyes, cervic-brachial pain. It should be noted that the one-sided nature of the headache is characteristic of the onset of the disease. When amplified, it can spread to the other side, but still dominates on the side of origin.Often, CHP is combined with other types of headache. The main objective sign confirming the cervicogenic nature of headache is musculoskeletal dysfunction in the cervicobrachial region. There is a shortening of the extensors of the neck, the descending portion of the trapezius, scalene muscles, a low level of training of the deep flexors of the neck and interscapular muscles. In chronic CHP, active trigger points are determined in the region of the sternocleidomastoid, scalene, belt, descending portion of the trapezius, levator scapula, subscapularis and supraspinatus muscles, as well as short extensors of the neck (short suboccipital muscles) from the side of the same name. In terms of examination, the doctor will prescribe an X-ray of the cervical spine with functional loads, Doppler ultrasonography of the neck vessels. Treatment for CHB includes non-drug and drug-based methods.

Manual therapy

Its main goal is to eliminate functional musculoskeletal disorders that cause cervical headache, and thus prevent its subsequent episodes.

Patients are assigned training system . Its key stage is isometric strengthening of the local muscles of the cervicobrachial region – deep flexors of the neck and interscapular muscles. Postural and ergonomic retraining of the patient involves the exclusion of positions and movements that can lead to overstretching of soft tissue structures and mechanical irritation of the vertebral arteries. According to indications, wearing a Chance collar is recommended. Drug treatment includes the appointment of NSAIDs and central muscle relaxants (tizanidine, baclofen). In the presence of a vascular component, vasoactive drugs (nicergoline, vinpocetine, ginkgo biloba drugs), actovegin, nootropics are added to therapy, and in case of venous insufficiency, venotonic drugs (venosmin, detralex, normoven, venodiol).In the chronic course of CHB, depressive disorders can join; in such cases, antidepressants should be added.

Headache associated with increased blood pressure

With high blood pressure, the headache is dull, pressing, sometimes pulsating in nature with localization (most often) in the occiput. Patients with essential hypertension, as a rule, are already well aware of this character of headache, “feel” that the pressure is increasing.Therapeutic tactics in this situation is as follows: measure blood pressure, when it rises, take antihypertensive drugs (captopril, captopres, fenigidin, bisoprolol). As a rule, an increase in blood pressure is accompanied by emotional arousal, which, in turn, leads to a further increase in blood pressure numbers. Therefore, we recommend taking sedatives (corvaltab, valerian, sedistres, cardiolin). However, sometimes patients do not know and do not associate headache with an increase in blood pressure. They take painkillers, which to some extent alleviate their condition, but do not give a noticeable improvement in well-being, and most importantly, the cause of the headache (high blood pressure) is not eliminated, which in turn can lead to rather serious health complications.High blood pressure, untreated hypertension is the risk of heart attack and stroke. Therefore, when you have a headache, take your blood pressure. If the blood pressure numbers are more than 140/90 mm Hg, you need to take antihypertensive drugs (drugs that lower blood pressure numbers) and consult a doctor. The doctor will prescribe the necessary examination plan (ECG, Holter monitoring of ECG and blood pressure, dopplerography of the extracranial vessels of the head and neck, ultrasound of the heart) and the question of the need for regular intake of antihypertensive drugs will be resolved, the selection of the drug and the choice of dose will be made. There are a lot of antihypertensive drugs, which one you need and in what dose, the doctor must decide. As a rule, the appointment of antihypertensive drugs alone is not enough to completely cope with the problem of headache in hypertension. Here you will need a course intake of vascular, nootropic drugs, venotonics, and in some cases antidepressants.

Abuse headache

Uncontrolled intake of analgesics (especially in combination with barbiturates, caffeine, some sedatives) can cause inhibition of its own anti-pain brain centers and lead to the so-called abusus (drug) headache.With frequent headaches, it is important to remember: it is extremely dangerous to take painkillers in large quantities and longer than 15 days a month, and combined analgesics – longer than 10 days. At the same time, there is no specific drug that provokes the development of this disease. The only thing that matters is the duration of use and the dose of the drug. Treating an abusal headache is a difficult task. First of all, it is necessary to completely cancel the drug, the use of which caused this syndrome.But this should be done carefully and gradually, since abrupt discontinuation of the drug can increase the pain syndrome. Also, depending on the indications, the doctor will prescribe antiemetics, sedatives, antidepressants, and, if necessary, carry out rehydration and detoxification measures. It should be noted that the prevention of the development of abusal headache is facilitated not only by knowledge about the dangers of abuse of painkillers, but also, first of all, by timely diagnosis and adequate treatment of the patient’s pain syndromes.Headache treatment should consist not only of the treatment of a headache attack, but also of preventive courses of treatment, lifestyle modifications, nutrition, moderate physical exertion. It is this approach that will allow you to cope with the problem of headaches, gain health and well-being.

The publication was prepared by a neuropathologist, Candidate of Medical Sciences – Nelly Borisovna Balkova.