A Real Headache!

BY: Neighbors’ Consejo|

Cephalgia is what we know as a recurrent headache and is perhaps the most frequent suffered by people in their day to day. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) half to three quarters of adults aged 18-65 years in the world have had a headache in the last year, and among those individuals, 30% or more have reported migraine. A headache on 15 or more days every month affects 1.7- 4% of the world’s adult population [1] .

According to the Portal Osmosis,[2]  there are two types of headaches: primary and secondary. This latter are those that appear because of the consumption of medications, a physical illness or a brain injury (hangover, brain tumor, dehydration, etc.), can occur at any age, and are persistent until the cause is treated [3] .

The primary ones, often beginning in adolescence, have their own and independent characteristics. The causes are diverse: hyperactivity, sleep disorders, nervous tension, stress, the existence of areas sensitive to pain (blood vessels, muscles and nerves in head and neck) or by changes in chemical activity in the brain [4] .

Migraine and tension-cephalic are in this last group, and is the most common, which can manifest itself with moderate pain, but can also be very intense and cause discomfort and limitation without being disabling like a migraine.

The Mayo Clinic [5]  describes migraine pain as a crushing headache on both sides of the head, which radiates to the neck and shoulders. It does not have a clear cause but it is more frequent in people with bad posture habits, problems of sleep, overwork, financial problems, disorders such as anxiety and depression. It can be a result of a situation of nerves or stress.

A headache is usually treated with medications associated with caffeine. However, rest and relaxation techniques have been shown to be quite effective, as have acupuncture and physical therapy, herbal and nutritional health products, cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnosis [6] .

This problem is a real headache! That, if it is not treated in time, will not only affect our physical health, but will also cause serious situations in our emotional well-being. It is important to seek support from professionals on the subject to solve it.

References

 [1] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/headache-disorders#:~:text=Half%20to%20three%20quarters%20of,of%20the%20world’s%20adult%20population.

 [2]https://www.osmosis.org/answers/cephalgia#:~:text=Cephalgia%2C%20more%20commonly%20known%20as,underlying%20disease%20or%20structural%20abnormality.

 [3]https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/headache/basics/causes/sym-20050800#:~:text=Primary%20headaches,symptom%20of%20an%20underlying%20disease.

 [4]https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/headache/basics/causes/sym-20050800#:~:text=Primary%20headaches,symptom%20of%20an%20underlying%20disease.

 [5]https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/symptoms-causes/syc-20360201#:~:text=A%20migraine%20is%20a%20headache,sensitivity%20to%20light%20and%20sound.

 [6]https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323992#relaxation

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