Familie Kontoret

Archive for August, 2011

Understand your burning headaches.

Maybe you are one of those people you suffers continually of this common pain called burning headache. Maybe you have them once in a while or maybe they last for days. The term ”burning headache” is not a recognized medical term. Although it is used every day by you won’t find it in any medical journal or clinical documents. You should know that there are various causes of burning headaches and people who suffers from this condition experience pain in different part of the head. Below you will find the most common causes of a burning headache.

Burning Headache happens in different part of the head

For most cases a burning headache is associated with sinusitis. The pain associated with “sinusitis” burning headache is usually located in the frontal part of the head. Parts like:

- Forehead

- Upper Cheeks

- Can even travel around the whole face

On the other hand a burning headache can be caused by fever. In that case, the pain will be located on both sides of your forehead.

What are the Causes?

As I already mentioned earlier the most common reasons for burning headaches are:

- Sinusitis

- Fever

- And even flu

In each case, the pain is severe and the burning sensation is constant. The first signs of pain usually originate from the side of the head but will propagate to other area of the head. Some people even experience thrust of extreme pain. Unfortunately there is no medical proof available to explain this sudden uprising of pain associated with burning headache. Some believe that the pain can be caused by pulsating nerves due to tension.

Burning headache can also be caused by more serious condition like:

- Tumors

- Growth in the head

For these particular cases, the pain affects the patient differently than the cases listed above. The pain is not constant, it comes on and off. The pain is usually violent and extremely severe, it is far stronger than the pain you experience during fever, sinusitis or flu and it also pulsates more often.

On top of that there are some proofs that toxins and chemicals can be the cause of acute and burning headaches. You have probably experienced this if you have been in a newly painted house. There are other types of toxins and food which can be responsible of causing a burning headache like alcohol and caffeine. Did you know that Alcohol and caffeine are suspected of being the cause of many serious cases of burning headache? The symptoms of such headaches are usually pretty strong, having your whole head to ache severely and your nerves being exceedingly tensed.

Have you heard of the term mood swings? What about manic depression? If you have, then it wouldn’t be difficult to explain what bipolar disorder means. All these terms mean the same thing. This is a serious mental illness and is categorized as bipolar type 1 and bipolar type 2.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by an abrupt change of moods from an energetic mania (and hypomania) to the lowest depressive state. Both bipolar disorder categories share the same characteristics in mood swing levels. However, the drawing line between the bipolar type 1 and the bipolar type 2 is on the varied episode levels of each mood swing.

Bipolar Type 1

The type 1 bipolar disorder is characterized based on the occurrence of at least one manic episode, with or without the occurrence of a major depressive episode. The mania in this diagnosis is full-blown. This abnormality would usually last for a week at the very least. But there are cases that the bipolar patient is required to be confined for more than a week if hospitalized.

Symptoms of this type include the following:

* Self-esteem is high and the patient possesses a great deal of confidence.

* Ambitious attitude is apparent in this state.

* There is the feeling of sleeplessness.

* The patient tends to talk excessively.

* The patient has a tendency to think more than the usual.

The danger of this type is that the patient may hallucinate, losing his grasp of reality. In some cases of bipolar type 1, the patient is diagnosed as psychotic. In some books about bipolar disorder, bipolar type 1 is also called the “raging” bipolar.

Bipolar Type 2

The bipolar type 2 disorder is characterized by the occurrence of at least one hypomania episode and one major depressive state. Sometimes, this type may even have occurrences of more depressive episodes.

In some cases, hypomania actually enables the individual to excel in their fields of expertise. The state of hypomania can be apparent in people that are top achievers in the work environment and at parties. The symptoms in hypomania are mostly positive and may run for about four days before it subsides.

Though its manifestation is obvious and can be observed clearly by other people, the “swinging” bipolar (as it is aptly called) doesn’t cause any disruption in normal functional settings. It doesn’t cause any hospitalization to a hyperactive person and doesn’t have psychotic tendencies.

Swinging Down To Depression

However, the same level of hypomania can swing back down into its depressive episode and its effect can be devastating to the person. Manifestations of this depressive state is apparent in broken marriage, badly-ended relationships, unfinished projects, public humiliation, and more.

But this type of bipolar disorder is difficult to treat because of the benefits the person enjoys from his achievements in the hypomanic stage. From a layman’s standpoint, the hypomania in bipolar type 2 doesn’t even seem to look like there’s any sign of mental illness at all.

Headaches can be such a nagging problem. As a symptom, it can be a cause of some serious ailments. Headaches that come with vomiting and nausea can be signs of migraine. The headache nausea that usually accompanies migraine can be effectively treated by some anti-nausea medication. But one should be more concerned about the headache that migraines cause.

Migraine is increasingly becoming a big problem for a growing number of people. Migraine headaches are brought about by the sudden shrinking and then swelling of blood vessels in the head that causes the pain. Migraine headaches can be triggered by a lot of things. Tension, for one, is one major trigger of migraines in a lot of people. Fatigue, hunger, bright lights and a variety of different foods and beverages can also be possible migraine triggers.

The onset of a migraine attack comes with some telltale signs. Nausea and vomiting may be felt before any actual pain or headache is experienced. Another sign of an incoming migraine attack is seeing flashing lights and colors all around. The body can also feel hot and weak on one side and may last for about 15 to 30 minutes and then followed by an intense headache. Other warning signs of migraines can also include the feeling of tiredness, depression, and/or restlessness that can go for two to three days before the headache is experienced.

Treatment for migraines includes taking a number of prescription medications which is usually effective when taken just as the headache starts. Non-medication treatment for migraines includes applying cold compress or splashing cold water on the face at the first sign of headaches. A migraine attack can also be alleviated by lying down in a quiet and dark room for several hours to sleep or meditate to relax the mind.

There are also other therapies that are being employed in order to help prevent migraines. This includes maintaining a proper diet by avoiding foods such as chocolate, caffeine or alcohol that can trigger a migraine attack. Living a stress-free life can also help in keeping migraine in check. Meditation and relaxation exercises such as Yoga can also help prevent further migraine attacks.

The use of biofeedback therapy has also been found helpful in trying to prevent migraine attacks by effectively helping relax the mind. Migraines do not have to be a very painful problem for many people. Knowing how to treat such an ailment as well as how to prevent them can help people lead a more normal life.