Sinusitis: Causes and Treatments
Sinusitis is an inflammation, or swelling, of the tissue lining the sinuses. Normally, sinuses are filled with air, but when sinuses become blocked and filled with fluid, germs (bacteria, viruses and fungi) can grow and cause an infection.
Conditions that can cause sinus blockage include the common cold, allergic rhinitis (swelling of the lining of the nose), nasal polyps (small growths in the lining of the nose) or a deviated septum (a shift in the nasal cavity).
There are different types of sinusitis, including:
· Acute sinusitis: A sudden onset of cold-like symptoms such as runny nose, stuffy nose and facial pain that does not go away after 7-10 days. Acute sinusitis typically lasts 4 weeks or less.
· Subacute sinusitis: An inflammation lasting 4 to 8 weeks.
· Chronic sinusitis: A condition characterized by sinus inflammation symptoms lasting 8 weeks or longer.
· Recurrent sinusitis: Several attacks within a year.
Who Gets Sinusitis?
About 37 million Americans suffer from at least one episode of sinusitis each year. People who have the following conditions have a higher risk of sinusitis:
· Nasal mucous membrane swelling as from a common cold
· Blockage of drainage ducts
· Structure differences that narrow the drainage ducts
· Conditions that result in an increased risk of infection such as immune deficiencies or taking medications that suppress the immune system.
In children, common environmental factors that contribute to sinusitis include allergies, illness from other children at day care or school, pacifiers, bottle drinking while lying on one's back, and smoke in the environment.
In adults, the contributing factors are most frequently infections and smoking.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Acute Sinusitis?
The primary symptoms of acute sinusitis include:
· Facial pain/pressure
· Nasal stuffiness
· Nasal discharge
· Loss of smell
· Cough/congestion
Additional symptoms may include:
· Fever
· Bad breath
· Fatigue
· Dental pain
Acute sinusitis may be diagnosed when a person has two or more symptoms and/or the presence of thick, green or yellow nasal discharge.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Sinusitis?
People with chronic sinusitis may have the following symptoms for 8 weeks or more:
· Facial congestion/fullness
· A nasal obstruction/blockage
· Pus in the nasal cavity
· Fever
· Nasal discharge/discolored postnasal drainage
Additional symptoms may include:
· Headaches
· Bad breath
· Fatigue
· Dental pain
How Is Sinusitis Diagnosed?
To diagnose sinusitis, your doctor will review your symptoms and give you a physical examination.
The exam may include the doctor feeling and pressing your sinuses for tenderness. He or she may also tap your teeth to see if you have an inflamed paranasal sinus.
Other diagnostic tests may include a study of the mucus culture, nasal endoscopy (see below), X-rays, allergy testing, CT scan of the sinuses, or bloodwor
What Is Nasal Endoscopy?
A nasal endoscope is a special tube-like instrument equipped with tiny lights and cameras used to examine the interior of the nose and sinus drainage areas.
A nasal endoscopy allows your doctor to view the accessible areas of the sinus drainage pathways. Your nasal cavity may first be numbed using a local anesthetic (some cases do not require any anesthetic). A rigid or flexible endoscope is then placed in position to view the middle bone structure of the nasal cavity.
The procedure is used to observe signs of obstruction as well as detect nasal polyps hidden from routine nasal examination. During the endoscopic examination, the doctor also looks for any structural abnormalities that would cause you to suffer from recurrent sinusitis.
How Is Sinusitis Treated?
Treatment for sinusitis depends on the severity.
· Acute sinusitis. If you have a simple sinus infection, your health care provider may recommend treatment with decongestants like Sudafed and steam inhalations alone. Use of nonprescription decongestant nasal drops or sprays may also be effective in controlling symptoms. However, these medicines should not be used beyond their recommended use, usually four to five days, or they may actually increase congestion.If antibiotics are administered, they are usually given for 10 to 14 days. With treatment, the symptoms usually disappear and antibiotics are no longer required.
· Chronic sinusitis. Warm moist air may alleviate sinus congestion. A vaporizer or inhaling steam from a pan of boiling water (removed from heat) may also help. Warm compresses are useful to relieve pain in the nose and sinuses. Saline nose drops are also safe for home use. Use of nonprescription decongestant nasal drops or sprays might be effective in controlling symptoms, however, they should not be used beyond their recommended use. Antibiotics may also be prescribed.
Other Treatment Options
To reduce congestion, your doctor may prescribe nasal sprays (some may contain steroid sprays), nose drops or oral decongestant medicine. If you suffer from severe chronic sinusitis, oral steroids might be prescribed to reduce inflammation -- usually only when other medications have not worked. Antibiotics will be prescribed for any bacterial infection found in the sinuses (antibiotics are not effective against a viral infection). An antihistamine may be recommended for the treatment of allergies. Antifungal medicine may be prescribed for a fungal sinus infection. Immunoglobulin (antibodies) may be given if you have certain immune deficiencies.
Will I Need to Make Lifestyle Changes?
Smoking is never recommended, but if you do smoke, you should refrain during treatment for sinus problems. No special diet is required, but drinking extra fluids helps to thin secretions.
Is Sinus Surgery Necessary?
Mucus is developed by the body to moisten the sinus walls. In the sinus walls, the mucus is moved across tissue linings toward the opening of each sinus by millions of cilia (a hair-like extension of a cell). Irritation and swelling from an allergy can narrow the opening of the sinus and block mucus movement. If antibiotics and other medicines are not effective in opening the sinus, surgery may be necessary. Also, if there is a structural abnormality of the sinus such as nasal polyps, which can obstruct sinus drainage, surgery may be needed.
Surgery is performed under local or general anesthesia using an endoscope. Most people can return to normal activities within five to seven days following surgery. Full recovery usually takes about four to six weeks.
A procedure called a "turbinectomy" may also be performed to permanently shrink the swollen membranes of the nose. This is done in the doctor's office and takes only a few minutes. The anesthetic used is very similar to that used in routine dental procedures.
What Happens If Sinusitis Is Not Treated?
Delaying treatment for sinusitis will result in suffering from unnecessary pain and discomfort. In rare circumstances, untreated sinusitis can lead to meningitis or brain abscess and infection of the bone.
Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Department of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine.
Showing posts with label Medics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medics. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
6 Serious Medical Symptoms!
6 Serious Medical Symptoms!
Some medical symptoms are warnings that you need immediate care. Learn to recognize these six.
By Jeanie Lerche DavisWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Like red-light warnings on the dashboard, the human body sends out a flare when something's awry. Chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness -- those are some familiar medical symptoms.
But other problems can creep up on you, too -- aches and pains, lumps and bumps. When are they important, when are they not?
In his book, Your Body's Red Light Warning Signals, Neil Shulman, MD, provides a head-to-toe owner's manual for the human body. His book lists hundreds of medical symptoms that could mean life or death, or serious disability.
Shulman, a professor of internal medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, has authored numerous medical books and scientific papers.
It's serious stuff, stuff he likens to "terrorists inside our bodies," he tells WebMD. The symptoms are "killing way too many people. There's tremendous suffering and horrible death which could be avoided, but people don't know that something's wrong."
In fact, it happens all the time, a symptom is missed -- and it leads to a tragic ending. Or it's caught just in time, and a life is saved. Quite literally, it's that dramatic, Shulman tells WebMD.
Here are "six flags" -- six medical symptoms -- you should keep in mind:
1. If you have unexplained weight loss and/or loss of appetite , you may have a serious underlying medical illness.
"If you're on a diet, you're expecting this to happen. But if you're eating the same way -- and now have to adjust your belt a few notches tighter -- you could have a serious problem," Shulman says.
"With ovarian cancer , the opposite is true," he says. "Fluid builds in the abdomen, and women think they are gaining weight. But if you have been at the same weight range for years, and doing nothing different, see a doctor."
2. Slurred speech, paralysis, weakness, tingling, burning pains, numbness, and confusion are signs of a stroke , and you should get to an appropriate emergency center immediately. Early treatment may prevent permanent damage to the brain or even save your life.
Slurred speech can often go unnoticed, says Shulman. However, you might have a blood clot in a blood vessel in the brain or bleeding of a blood vessel.
3. Black, tarry stools may indicate a hemorrhage from an ulcer of the stomach or the small intestine. It is important to stop the bleeding and to rule out cancer as a cause.
What you eat changes the color of stools. But black, tarry stools mean there may be bleeding higher in the digestive tract, says Shulman. It could be a sign of a bleeding ulcer or cancer.
4. A headache accompanied by a stiff neck and fever is an indicator of a serious infection called meningitis .
In fact, if you can't put your chin on your chest, that's a sign you may have bacterial meningitis, says Shulman. With bacterial meningitis, you need antibiotics immediately to kill the bacteria before it infects and scars the brain.
5. A sudden, agonizing headache, more severe than any you have felt before, could mean you are bleeding in the brain. Go to an emergency room immediately.
A brain aneurysm is rare, but it can happen -- even in people under 40. "It can be very disastrous if it's not treated," says Shulman. If you have a severe, crushing headache, you may have an aneurysm, which is a blood-filled pouch bulging out from a weak spot in the wall of a brain artery. If treated before it bursts, it could save your life.
6a. For women: Vaginal bleeding after menopause is a warning sign of possible cancer.
Some women are in denial when they discover postmenopausal bleeding. "Others think it's a little cut, or something in their urine," says Shulman. But bleeding after menopause is a symptom of uterine cancer , which is treatable if caught early.
6b. For men: A lump in your testicle with or without a small lump in the groin could be serious. Testicular cancer is more commonly found in testicles that did not naturally descend from the abdomen to the scrotum.
Guys, when you take a shower, check yourself, says Shulman. "That doesn't mean you have to do it every day, but once in awhile. It's so simple, simpler than washing your hair. It becomes an automatic thing, then it's easier to remember. If you know what 'normal' feels like, then you'll know when it feels abnormal."
'Squeaky Wheel' Works
It's an old, old saying: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. But it's vitally important in medicine, says Shulman. If you know something's not right with your body -- if you've got that severe, crushing headache, but doctors aren't taking it seriously -- stand up for yourself.
Tell doctors you know it could be a problem -- "I want you to rule this out," you should say. If they balk, here's your line: "I want you to write on the chart that you refused to do proper tests." Doctors are human; they get tired and distracted. It helps to get extreme, to get their attention, says Shulman.
"Sometimes you have to make a scene," he tells WebMD. "The one person most likely to be concerned about whether you live or not is you. You have the greatest empathy for yourself."
All adults -- from senior year of high school and up -- should be familiar with standard medical symptoms, to help them preserve their good health.
Some medical symptoms are warnings that you need immediate care. Learn to recognize these six.
By Jeanie Lerche DavisWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Like red-light warnings on the dashboard, the human body sends out a flare when something's awry. Chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness -- those are some familiar medical symptoms.
But other problems can creep up on you, too -- aches and pains, lumps and bumps. When are they important, when are they not?
In his book, Your Body's Red Light Warning Signals, Neil Shulman, MD, provides a head-to-toe owner's manual for the human body. His book lists hundreds of medical symptoms that could mean life or death, or serious disability.
Shulman, a professor of internal medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, has authored numerous medical books and scientific papers.
It's serious stuff, stuff he likens to "terrorists inside our bodies," he tells WebMD. The symptoms are "killing way too many people. There's tremendous suffering and horrible death which could be avoided, but people don't know that something's wrong."
In fact, it happens all the time, a symptom is missed -- and it leads to a tragic ending. Or it's caught just in time, and a life is saved. Quite literally, it's that dramatic, Shulman tells WebMD.
Here are "six flags" -- six medical symptoms -- you should keep in mind:
1. If you have unexplained weight loss and/or loss of appetite , you may have a serious underlying medical illness.
"If you're on a diet, you're expecting this to happen. But if you're eating the same way -- and now have to adjust your belt a few notches tighter -- you could have a serious problem," Shulman says.
"With ovarian cancer , the opposite is true," he says. "Fluid builds in the abdomen, and women think they are gaining weight. But if you have been at the same weight range for years, and doing nothing different, see a doctor."
2. Slurred speech, paralysis, weakness, tingling, burning pains, numbness, and confusion are signs of a stroke , and you should get to an appropriate emergency center immediately. Early treatment may prevent permanent damage to the brain or even save your life.
Slurred speech can often go unnoticed, says Shulman. However, you might have a blood clot in a blood vessel in the brain or bleeding of a blood vessel.
3. Black, tarry stools may indicate a hemorrhage from an ulcer of the stomach or the small intestine. It is important to stop the bleeding and to rule out cancer as a cause.
What you eat changes the color of stools. But black, tarry stools mean there may be bleeding higher in the digestive tract, says Shulman. It could be a sign of a bleeding ulcer or cancer.
4. A headache accompanied by a stiff neck and fever is an indicator of a serious infection called meningitis .
In fact, if you can't put your chin on your chest, that's a sign you may have bacterial meningitis, says Shulman. With bacterial meningitis, you need antibiotics immediately to kill the bacteria before it infects and scars the brain.
5. A sudden, agonizing headache, more severe than any you have felt before, could mean you are bleeding in the brain. Go to an emergency room immediately.
A brain aneurysm is rare, but it can happen -- even in people under 40. "It can be very disastrous if it's not treated," says Shulman. If you have a severe, crushing headache, you may have an aneurysm, which is a blood-filled pouch bulging out from a weak spot in the wall of a brain artery. If treated before it bursts, it could save your life.
6a. For women: Vaginal bleeding after menopause is a warning sign of possible cancer.
Some women are in denial when they discover postmenopausal bleeding. "Others think it's a little cut, or something in their urine," says Shulman. But bleeding after menopause is a symptom of uterine cancer , which is treatable if caught early.
6b. For men: A lump in your testicle with or without a small lump in the groin could be serious. Testicular cancer is more commonly found in testicles that did not naturally descend from the abdomen to the scrotum.
Guys, when you take a shower, check yourself, says Shulman. "That doesn't mean you have to do it every day, but once in awhile. It's so simple, simpler than washing your hair. It becomes an automatic thing, then it's easier to remember. If you know what 'normal' feels like, then you'll know when it feels abnormal."
'Squeaky Wheel' Works
It's an old, old saying: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. But it's vitally important in medicine, says Shulman. If you know something's not right with your body -- if you've got that severe, crushing headache, but doctors aren't taking it seriously -- stand up for yourself.
Tell doctors you know it could be a problem -- "I want you to rule this out," you should say. If they balk, here's your line: "I want you to write on the chart that you refused to do proper tests." Doctors are human; they get tired and distracted. It helps to get extreme, to get their attention, says Shulman.
"Sometimes you have to make a scene," he tells WebMD. "The one person most likely to be concerned about whether you live or not is you. You have the greatest empathy for yourself."
All adults -- from senior year of high school and up -- should be familiar with standard medical symptoms, to help them preserve their good health.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Slipped Disc.
Slipped Disc
To discuss what slipped disc means, it would be best to, first, define what disc is. Disc is what is inside the vertebrae. Inside the discs are the tissues with central portion that is soft-gel in texture.
This gel-like property of this part is what promotes flexibility of the spine. When this soft-gel portion bulges its way out to the spinal cord is when the so-called slipped disc occurs. Slipped disc occurs more often in the back part (in the lower back, specifically) and very seldom in the chest and neck parts.
There are various sources of slipped disc. Aging is one. Degenerating discs can be very painful for some cases and yes, aging is the natural process that promotes stiffness in the spinal discs. Slipped disc can also be acquired from physical injuries affecting spinal section, chest, or neck. Hard labor is one of the most common sources of slipped disc for men doing hard, physical labor such as civil construction and the like. This is so since much pressure in the disc causes it to bulge. Bulged discs are sometimes called herniated discs. You may not even believe that sneezing and coughing, when much, can cause the having of slipped discs. Unlike other illnesses, however, presence of slipped disc does not usually have apparent symptoms. Luckily enough, there are still breakthroughs in technology that are capable of detective which among the discs are slipped discs. Of these breakthroughs, CT Scan and MRI scan are the most popular.
Although symptoms of slipped disc are not always visible, there are serious symptoms which are experienced by some. These serious slipped disc symptoms include incontrollable bladder habit and numbness of the limbs. These symptoms, when present, should be consulted with the experts at once. Urgent treatments are highly encouraged due to the severity of pain slipped discs cause the patient. It is said, however, that pain experienced by people with slipped discs is often affected by the psychological factors associated with having this ailment.
Slipped disc is one of the cases where severe pain is experienced by the patient and yet surgical operation is not usually required. Primary treatments basically involve bed rest (i.e., flat bed rest) with minimum movement. Surgical treatments to slipped discs are taken when the case is repetitive and is becoming a threat to permanent malfunction of spinal column. Removal of pain in slipped discs cases can be a very gradual process that it may even take years. This, thus, apparently affects the patient’s relationship with family, especially in cases where getting along does not seem to be an easy task at all.
Having slipped discs is a serious matter. Whether severe or not, any case of this should be promptly treated to avoid further pain – both in the patient and in the family.
Slipped Disc Causes
Slipped Disc Symptoms
Slipped Disc Treatment
Exercises for Slipped Disc
Slipped Disc Surgery
To discuss what slipped disc means, it would be best to, first, define what disc is. Disc is what is inside the vertebrae. Inside the discs are the tissues with central portion that is soft-gel in texture.
This gel-like property of this part is what promotes flexibility of the spine. When this soft-gel portion bulges its way out to the spinal cord is when the so-called slipped disc occurs. Slipped disc occurs more often in the back part (in the lower back, specifically) and very seldom in the chest and neck parts.
There are various sources of slipped disc. Aging is one. Degenerating discs can be very painful for some cases and yes, aging is the natural process that promotes stiffness in the spinal discs. Slipped disc can also be acquired from physical injuries affecting spinal section, chest, or neck. Hard labor is one of the most common sources of slipped disc for men doing hard, physical labor such as civil construction and the like. This is so since much pressure in the disc causes it to bulge. Bulged discs are sometimes called herniated discs. You may not even believe that sneezing and coughing, when much, can cause the having of slipped discs. Unlike other illnesses, however, presence of slipped disc does not usually have apparent symptoms. Luckily enough, there are still breakthroughs in technology that are capable of detective which among the discs are slipped discs. Of these breakthroughs, CT Scan and MRI scan are the most popular.
Although symptoms of slipped disc are not always visible, there are serious symptoms which are experienced by some. These serious slipped disc symptoms include incontrollable bladder habit and numbness of the limbs. These symptoms, when present, should be consulted with the experts at once. Urgent treatments are highly encouraged due to the severity of pain slipped discs cause the patient. It is said, however, that pain experienced by people with slipped discs is often affected by the psychological factors associated with having this ailment.
Slipped disc is one of the cases where severe pain is experienced by the patient and yet surgical operation is not usually required. Primary treatments basically involve bed rest (i.e., flat bed rest) with minimum movement. Surgical treatments to slipped discs are taken when the case is repetitive and is becoming a threat to permanent malfunction of spinal column. Removal of pain in slipped discs cases can be a very gradual process that it may even take years. This, thus, apparently affects the patient’s relationship with family, especially in cases where getting along does not seem to be an easy task at all.
Having slipped discs is a serious matter. Whether severe or not, any case of this should be promptly treated to avoid further pain – both in the patient and in the family.
Slipped Disc Causes
Slipped Disc Symptoms
Slipped Disc Treatment
Exercises for Slipped Disc
Slipped Disc Surgery
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
6 Surprising Headache Triggers... and How to fix Them?
6 Surprising Headache Triggers... and How to fix Them?
WebMD Feature from "Shape" Magazine
By Hallie Levine Skylar
Feel better fast by making these simple adjustments to your routine.
Everyone knows a sinus infection or a major work project can make your head throb. But headaches can also be triggered by seemingly innocuous everyday activities like sleeping in on Saturdays or cleaning your apartment. With so many culprits, it’s no wonder that one in five women suffer from migraines and nearly half of women in their 30s endure tension headaches. But if you think popping a pill is the only way to ease the symptoms, you’re wrong. We consulted the experts, and they revealed some unexpected causes of headaches, as well as how you can stop the pain for good.
1. TRIGGER
KICKING BACK ON THEWEEKENDS
You put in 14-hour days Monday through Friday, only to wake up midmorning on Saturday with pounding pain in your temples. “So many of my patients tell me that they can work all week in a high-stress environment without a problem, but the minute they start relaxing,they get a migraine,” says Lisa Mannix, M.D., medical director of Headache Associates in Cincinnati. The reason? As tension dissipates, levels of stress hormones,such as cortisol and or adrenaline, decrease. This causes a rapid release of neurotransmitters,the nervous system’s chemical messengers. These send out impulses to blood vessels,making them constrict and then dilate, in addition to releasing other pain causing chemicals.
Head it off
Although it’s tempting to sleep in on weekends, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. In a survey conducted by the National Headache Foundation, 79 percent of headache sufferers reported that they wake up with a headache after snoozing for more than eight hours. Also, if you enjoy an 8 a.m. cup of joe during the week, try to have coffee at the same time on the weekend. Caffeine withdrawal also causes blood vessels to dilate, which can give you a “grande”-size headache. You should try to factor decompression time into your workweek, too. If you don’t have a consistent fitness program, start one now, aiming for at least 30 minutes of exercise three times a week. One study found that this amount of activity reduces headache frequency by 50 percent. “Exercise buffers the effects of stress and releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, which help prevent the chemical changes that trigger a migraine,” says David Buchholz, M.D., associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University and author of Heal Your Headache.
Also consider incorporating relaxation techniques into your schedule, such as meditation, yoga, or biofeedback, which teaches you to control involuntary body responses like muscle tension and heart rate. Studies show that using these therapies, either alone or in combination, can improve symptoms in up to 80 percent of patients suffering from headaches, says Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director of the New York Headache Center.
2 TRIGGER
SELF-TREATING YOUR HEAD PAIN
Taken too frequently (more than two or three times a week on a regular basis), the over-the-counter acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen you depend on to quell the throbbing may be hurting you instead of helping. It can cause rebound headaches, a condition estimated to affect 2 percent of all adults. “A woman may start taking pain relievers a few times a week to treat her tension headaches,” says Alan Rapoport, M.D., clinical professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Soon the headaches become more frequent, so she starts taking these medicines more often. Before long, she has headaches every day.”
These drugs affect the pain-control systems in the brain and can lower levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin, explains Rapoport. Young women also seem to be more susceptible showed that about 75 percent of rebound-headache sufferers are women, most commonly in their 30s.
Head it off
Occasional use of OTC medicine is fine, but be sure to follow the label instructions exactly. Taking a higher than suggested dose increases the odds of getting a rebound headache.
If you suspect that your pain is related to self-medicating, ask your primary care physician to refer you to a headache specialist. The only solution is to stop taking your OTC pills, a remedy that may be painful at first. “I wean patients off them gradually,” says Merle Diamond, M.D., associate director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. “For example, if a woman is taking eight pills a day, I’ll advise her to take six a day the following week, and four a day the week after that.”
To help you through this withdrawal period, your doctor may prescribe temporary measures like triptans, a class of powerful migraine drugs that stimulate serotonin receptors, resulting in reduced inflammation and constriction of blood vessels in the head. The frequency and intensity of your headaches should improve in one to three weeks, but it may take up to three months before your brain's pain control system returns to normal.
3 TRIGGER
YOUR PERIOD
About 60 percent of all female migraine sufferers experience their migraines just before or at the start of their periods, according to the National Headache Foundation. “These hormonally driven headaches typically occur with the drop of estrogen levels right before menstruation, which affects your body’s serotonin levels,” explains Diamond. The frequency and severity usually improve during pregnancy, when hormone levels stabilize, and worsen during perimenopause, when estrogen levels start fluctuating even more.
Head it off
Many doctors, including Rapoport, will treat menstrual-related headaches with a prescription triptan, such as Frova. Your doctor may recommend taking triptans either a couple of days before your period starts or continuously during your period, depending on the severity and frequency of your migraines
A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen, taken every day for the five to seven days around your period may also help reduce headache frequency. Experts used to believe that the birth control pill made migraines worse, but they’ve since concluded that the higher estrogen content of oral contraceptives a decade ago may have been to blame. Today’s pill may actually help. “Research shows that when female migraine sufferers take the pill, about one-third report an improvement in symptoms, one-third a worsening, and the other third no change,”says Mannix.
If you’re already on the pill,ask your doctor about taking it every day of the month (i.e.,skipping the placebo pills and starting a new pack immediately) to keep estrogen levels steady. A recent study published in the journal Headache found that women who used a continuous method had less severe headaches than those who stuck to the traditional 28-day pill cycle.
4 TRIGGER
HARBORING ANGER
Bottling up your feelings won’t do anyone—especially you—any favors. In fact, according to a study at Saint Louis University, this is the biggest emotional cause of headaches, even more so than depression or anxiety.
“When you’re angry, all your muscles tense up, including those in the back of your neck and scalp,” explains Allen Elkin, Ph.D., director of the Stress Management and Counseling Center in New York City. The prolonged contraction of the head and neck muscles causes a tight band-like sensation around your head, which is a classic sign of a tension headache.
Head it off
The next time that you’re silently simmering, take in a larger than normal breath; hold it for three to five seconds while pressing together the thumb and index finger on one of your hands, suggests Elkin. Then exhale slowly through parted lips, until all the air has been drained from your lungs. Repeat two or three times. This soothing move stops you from tensing your neck and shoulder muscles, which has been shown to bring on a headache.
After you’ve cooled down, ask yourself how important the immediate issue is to you. Will you remember it in two months? Two days? The answer will help put the problem in perspective. “If you tell yourself to let it go for now, chances are even an hour later you’ll be able to deal with it better,” says Elkin. “Otherwise, you’ll just hold on to the anger all day and tense up even more.”
If you already feel a headache coming on, wrap a hot compress or a heating pad around your neck for a few minutes, making sure that it hits the base of your skull. This will relax your sternocleidomastoid muscles, which are key in tension headaches, says Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., medical director of the Fibromyalgia & Fatigue Centers, which have clinics throughout the United States.
5 TRIGGER
YOUR LUNCH
A turkey sandwich with a slice of cheddar, a diet soda, and a small piece of dark chocolate may make for a waistline- friendly meal, but for headache sufferers, it’s a decidedly unhealthy combo. All these foods contain chemicals with the potential to trigger migraines. (Cheddar, as well as other aged cheeses, like Brie and Stilton, contains tyramine, while chocolate has theobromine and phenylethylamine.) In diet sodas, the culprit is the sweetener aspartame. In a study of migraine sufferers conducted at the Montefiore Medical Center Headache Unit in the Bronx, New York, a little more than 8 percent of patients linked their head pain to aspartame. While researchers aren’t exactly sure why this chemical causes pain, one theory is that it alters neurotransmitter levels. “I’ve had patients whose migraines have decreased dramatically just by giving up their afternoon soda,” says Buchholz. Other possible food triggers:MSG (a preservative) and nitrate containing processed meats and fish.
Head it off
Keeping a food diary can be helpful in identifying potential headache triggers. Once you suspect a food may be to blame, try eliminating it from your diet and see whether it alleviates your symptoms. But be sure to eat regularly. “I tell my patients it’s more important that they eat than what they eat,” says Mannix. “If you skip breakfast, for example, you’ll have a drop in blood sugar, which can bring on a migraine.”
6 TRIGGER
YOUR CO-WORKER’S PERFUME
Even if you think it smells nice, just a little whiff can bring on head-splitting pain. In one study from the Headache Center of Atlanta, almost 50 percent of migraine sufferers attributed strong scents, such as perfume or household cleaners, to an attack. “Odors reach the center of your brain via direct nerve pathways from your nose,” explains Siddhartha Nadkarni, M.D., a neurologist at the New York University Medical Center. For scent-sensitive individuals, this causes a cascade of neurotransmitters that can initiate a migraine.
Head it off
Unfortunately, many scents are difficult to avoid. “You can’t live in a bubble,” says Buchholz. “No matter how hard you try to stay away from strong smells, you’ll still end up in an elevator next to someone wearing heavy cologne.” But there are a few ways to keep odors at bay. First, try to keep your home and work spaces as ventilated as possible. “A patient of mine who is a supermarket-deli manager got so fed up with her heavily perfumed customers that she set up a fan at the back of her work area so it would blow scent away from her,” says Buchholz. Also, in your own home, use fragrance-free cleaning supplies, such as EnviroRite, and keep all doors and windows open.
If these strategies don’t work, combat one odor with another. A German study found that applying a drop of peppermint oil to the forehead was as effective as OTC acetaminophen in relieving some headaches.
WebMD Feature from "Shape" Magazine
By Hallie Levine Skylar
Feel better fast by making these simple adjustments to your routine.
Everyone knows a sinus infection or a major work project can make your head throb. But headaches can also be triggered by seemingly innocuous everyday activities like sleeping in on Saturdays or cleaning your apartment. With so many culprits, it’s no wonder that one in five women suffer from migraines and nearly half of women in their 30s endure tension headaches. But if you think popping a pill is the only way to ease the symptoms, you’re wrong. We consulted the experts, and they revealed some unexpected causes of headaches, as well as how you can stop the pain for good.
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KICKING BACK ON THEWEEKENDS
You put in 14-hour days Monday through Friday, only to wake up midmorning on Saturday with pounding pain in your temples. “So many of my patients tell me that they can work all week in a high-stress environment without a problem, but the minute they start relaxing,they get a migraine,” says Lisa Mannix, M.D., medical director of Headache Associates in Cincinnati. The reason? As tension dissipates, levels of stress hormones,such as cortisol and or adrenaline, decrease. This causes a rapid release of neurotransmitters,the nervous system’s chemical messengers. These send out impulses to blood vessels,making them constrict and then dilate, in addition to releasing other pain causing chemicals.
Head it off
Although it’s tempting to sleep in on weekends, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. In a survey conducted by the National Headache Foundation, 79 percent of headache sufferers reported that they wake up with a headache after snoozing for more than eight hours. Also, if you enjoy an 8 a.m. cup of joe during the week, try to have coffee at the same time on the weekend. Caffeine withdrawal also causes blood vessels to dilate, which can give you a “grande”-size headache. You should try to factor decompression time into your workweek, too. If you don’t have a consistent fitness program, start one now, aiming for at least 30 minutes of exercise three times a week. One study found that this amount of activity reduces headache frequency by 50 percent. “Exercise buffers the effects of stress and releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, which help prevent the chemical changes that trigger a migraine,” says David Buchholz, M.D., associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University and author of Heal Your Headache.
Also consider incorporating relaxation techniques into your schedule, such as meditation, yoga, or biofeedback, which teaches you to control involuntary body responses like muscle tension and heart rate. Studies show that using these therapies, either alone or in combination, can improve symptoms in up to 80 percent of patients suffering from headaches, says Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director of the New York Headache Center.
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SELF-TREATING YOUR HEAD PAIN
Taken too frequently (more than two or three times a week on a regular basis), the over-the-counter acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen you depend on to quell the throbbing may be hurting you instead of helping. It can cause rebound headaches, a condition estimated to affect 2 percent of all adults. “A woman may start taking pain relievers a few times a week to treat her tension headaches,” says Alan Rapoport, M.D., clinical professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Soon the headaches become more frequent, so she starts taking these medicines more often. Before long, she has headaches every day.”
These drugs affect the pain-control systems in the brain and can lower levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin, explains Rapoport. Young women also seem to be more susceptible showed that about 75 percent of rebound-headache sufferers are women, most commonly in their 30s.
Head it off
Occasional use of OTC medicine is fine, but be sure to follow the label instructions exactly. Taking a higher than suggested dose increases the odds of getting a rebound headache.
If you suspect that your pain is related to self-medicating, ask your primary care physician to refer you to a headache specialist. The only solution is to stop taking your OTC pills, a remedy that may be painful at first. “I wean patients off them gradually,” says Merle Diamond, M.D., associate director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. “For example, if a woman is taking eight pills a day, I’ll advise her to take six a day the following week, and four a day the week after that.”
To help you through this withdrawal period, your doctor may prescribe temporary measures like triptans, a class of powerful migraine drugs that stimulate serotonin receptors, resulting in reduced inflammation and constriction of blood vessels in the head. The frequency and intensity of your headaches should improve in one to three weeks, but it may take up to three months before your brain's pain control system returns to normal.
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YOUR PERIOD
About 60 percent of all female migraine sufferers experience their migraines just before or at the start of their periods, according to the National Headache Foundation. “These hormonally driven headaches typically occur with the drop of estrogen levels right before menstruation, which affects your body’s serotonin levels,” explains Diamond. The frequency and severity usually improve during pregnancy, when hormone levels stabilize, and worsen during perimenopause, when estrogen levels start fluctuating even more.
Head it off
Many doctors, including Rapoport, will treat menstrual-related headaches with a prescription triptan, such as Frova. Your doctor may recommend taking triptans either a couple of days before your period starts or continuously during your period, depending on the severity and frequency of your migraines
A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen, taken every day for the five to seven days around your period may also help reduce headache frequency. Experts used to believe that the birth control pill made migraines worse, but they’ve since concluded that the higher estrogen content of oral contraceptives a decade ago may have been to blame. Today’s pill may actually help. “Research shows that when female migraine sufferers take the pill, about one-third report an improvement in symptoms, one-third a worsening, and the other third no change,”says Mannix.
If you’re already on the pill,ask your doctor about taking it every day of the month (i.e.,skipping the placebo pills and starting a new pack immediately) to keep estrogen levels steady. A recent study published in the journal Headache found that women who used a continuous method had less severe headaches than those who stuck to the traditional 28-day pill cycle.
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HARBORING ANGER
Bottling up your feelings won’t do anyone—especially you—any favors. In fact, according to a study at Saint Louis University, this is the biggest emotional cause of headaches, even more so than depression or anxiety.
“When you’re angry, all your muscles tense up, including those in the back of your neck and scalp,” explains Allen Elkin, Ph.D., director of the Stress Management and Counseling Center in New York City. The prolonged contraction of the head and neck muscles causes a tight band-like sensation around your head, which is a classic sign of a tension headache.
Head it off
The next time that you’re silently simmering, take in a larger than normal breath; hold it for three to five seconds while pressing together the thumb and index finger on one of your hands, suggests Elkin. Then exhale slowly through parted lips, until all the air has been drained from your lungs. Repeat two or three times. This soothing move stops you from tensing your neck and shoulder muscles, which has been shown to bring on a headache.
After you’ve cooled down, ask yourself how important the immediate issue is to you. Will you remember it in two months? Two days? The answer will help put the problem in perspective. “If you tell yourself to let it go for now, chances are even an hour later you’ll be able to deal with it better,” says Elkin. “Otherwise, you’ll just hold on to the anger all day and tense up even more.”
If you already feel a headache coming on, wrap a hot compress or a heating pad around your neck for a few minutes, making sure that it hits the base of your skull. This will relax your sternocleidomastoid muscles, which are key in tension headaches, says Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., medical director of the Fibromyalgia & Fatigue Centers, which have clinics throughout the United States.
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YOUR LUNCH
A turkey sandwich with a slice of cheddar, a diet soda, and a small piece of dark chocolate may make for a waistline- friendly meal, but for headache sufferers, it’s a decidedly unhealthy combo. All these foods contain chemicals with the potential to trigger migraines. (Cheddar, as well as other aged cheeses, like Brie and Stilton, contains tyramine, while chocolate has theobromine and phenylethylamine.) In diet sodas, the culprit is the sweetener aspartame. In a study of migraine sufferers conducted at the Montefiore Medical Center Headache Unit in the Bronx, New York, a little more than 8 percent of patients linked their head pain to aspartame. While researchers aren’t exactly sure why this chemical causes pain, one theory is that it alters neurotransmitter levels. “I’ve had patients whose migraines have decreased dramatically just by giving up their afternoon soda,” says Buchholz. Other possible food triggers:MSG (a preservative) and nitrate containing processed meats and fish.
Head it off
Keeping a food diary can be helpful in identifying potential headache triggers. Once you suspect a food may be to blame, try eliminating it from your diet and see whether it alleviates your symptoms. But be sure to eat regularly. “I tell my patients it’s more important that they eat than what they eat,” says Mannix. “If you skip breakfast, for example, you’ll have a drop in blood sugar, which can bring on a migraine.”
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YOUR CO-WORKER’S PERFUME
Even if you think it smells nice, just a little whiff can bring on head-splitting pain. In one study from the Headache Center of Atlanta, almost 50 percent of migraine sufferers attributed strong scents, such as perfume or household cleaners, to an attack. “Odors reach the center of your brain via direct nerve pathways from your nose,” explains Siddhartha Nadkarni, M.D., a neurologist at the New York University Medical Center. For scent-sensitive individuals, this causes a cascade of neurotransmitters that can initiate a migraine.
Head it off
Unfortunately, many scents are difficult to avoid. “You can’t live in a bubble,” says Buchholz. “No matter how hard you try to stay away from strong smells, you’ll still end up in an elevator next to someone wearing heavy cologne.” But there are a few ways to keep odors at bay. First, try to keep your home and work spaces as ventilated as possible. “A patient of mine who is a supermarket-deli manager got so fed up with her heavily perfumed customers that she set up a fan at the back of her work area so it would blow scent away from her,” says Buchholz. Also, in your own home, use fragrance-free cleaning supplies, such as EnviroRite, and keep all doors and windows open.
If these strategies don’t work, combat one odor with another. A German study found that applying a drop of peppermint oil to the forehead was as effective as OTC acetaminophen in relieving some headaches.
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