The best way to treat headaches

A large number of people are looking for the best ways to treat headaches without painkillers, as it causes some problems if used incorrectly.

What makes people look for ways to treat headaches without painkillers is that it is one of the safest methods for health and does not expose the body to some of the side effects caused by drugs and painkillers.

types

of headaches, primary headaches and secondary headaches, and they each have different subtypes depending on the cause.

 The following are the different types of headaches:

headache

Primary headaches are caused by overactivity of the head and neck muscles, blood vessels, or a specific area of ​​the brain, or by a change or disturbance in chemicals in the brain. Its types include:

Tension

headache Tension headache is a headache caused by tension in the muscles of the neck and scalp, and it is one of the most common types, and often occurs as a result of incorrect position of the head and tension.

Migraine headaches

cause severe and throbbing pain to the patient, the pain is usually concentrated on one side of the head, and occurs in the form of attacks of varying duration and intensity. This type is also divided into several types, it can affect both children and adults.

The causes of right and left migraines are still unknown, but many factors can contribute to triggering migraines, such as fluctuating hormone levels in the body, which are more common in women than men.

Cluster headaches Cluster

headaches cause attacks of pain in the patient, and these attacks are repeated several times a day for a week or more, followed by a long period of time that may reach years in which the patient does not have headaches. 

As for the causes of cluster headaches, the main cause of cluster headaches is still unknown, but it is believed that the hypothalamus gland located at the base of the brain may be responsible for its occurrence, as a result of its sudden release of histamine and serotonin in the brain.

Secondary headaches Secondary

headaches are associated with a specific medical condition that causes headaches, such as a head injury, and its types include:

• Sinus headache: Pain that occurs as a result of inflammation or swelling of the tissues lining the sinuses.
• Myelofibrosis: It occurs as a result of slow leakage of cerebrospinal fluid, usually after a spinal tap, spinal or epidural anaesthesia.
• Headache of tumor and cerebral hemorrhage: the skull does not have a large space inside, so the growth of benign or malignant tumors, or the pooling of blood inside the skull causes pressure on the brain tissue, causing a feeling of headache.
• Cervical headache: This is caused by damage to the discs between the vertebrae of the spine, causing pressure on the spine. This disc degeneration usually causes neck pain and headache.
• Thunder headache: is severe pain that appears suddenly without warning and lasts for up to five minutes, this type can indicate a problem with the cerebral blood vessels, and often requires emergency medical care.
• Meningitis headache: Meningitis occurs as a result of injury to the membranes surrounding the spinal cord and the brain that line the skull. These membranes are known as the meninges.
• Headache after trauma to the head or neck: Head and neck injuries from accidents such as falls and car accidents can cause headaches.
• can cause aspirin headaches when these medications are reduced or stopped.

Headache treatment 

In fact, there are many treatments that can be used for immediate control of headache when a person feels it.

It should be noted that many of the medicines used to treat headaches are available in the form of tablets or capsules, and the available types can be used in the form of nasal sprays or can be given by injection in cases where a person suffers from nausea and headache, which prevents him from swallowing tablets or capsules . 

In cases where a person suffers from headache attacks, it is recommended to use over-the-counter pain relievers, for example: Paracetamol , which is the first-line treatment for headaches.

can be used Ibuprofen Or aspirin , these treatments are effective, safe and comfortable, and some may resort to using a mixture of pain relievers that contain caffeine to get more painkillers, and to get the best effectiveness, it is recommended to use painkillers immediately after the headache begins.

And the types of medicines that contain pain relievers can be used in combination with sedatives or codeine, and it is worth noting that these types are considered effective and safe if they are used according to the instructions, with the need to inform the doctor of other medical conditions that the person suffers from, some of which may constitute an obstacle to the use of these Medicines, some of which may not be suitable for children.

Also, avoid using pain relievers to prevent headaches, and preferably keeping the option to use them for the days when a person suffers from severe headaches. 

Paracetamol interactions with other drugs are few, but it is worth avoiding it with alcohol or hypnotic drugs such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines.

 Liver diseases; Such as hepatitis or cirrhosis, it is useful to avoid giving aspirin to children and adolescents.

In rare cases, aspirin may cause a serious condition known as Reye's syndrome, and it is also advised to avoid the use of aspirin or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug in cases where a person suffers from gastritis, ulcers, kidney disease, or bleeding disorders. 

It should be noted that the use of over-the-counter pain relievers for dispensing should be under certain controls, including avoiding their use for more than two or three days a week 

as using them more frequently than doctors recommend may lead to the development of a condition known as Rebound headache, also known as medication overuse headache.

This condition is represented in the body getting used to painkillers, so that a person suffers from headaches on the days when painkillers are not used. Exactly, and in severe cases, the person may be admitted to the hospital and stay in it for several days in order to control the symptoms that appear when stopping the use of the drug frequently, effectively and safely, or the so-called withdrawal symptoms from the drug.