Primary headaches are one of the main types of headaches and could be further classified as tension headaches, migraine headaches and cluster headaches. The major culprit in the case of tension headaches tend to be either physical or mental stress. It is believed that almost 90% of all adults would experience tension headaches in their lives. Compared to men women appear to be more prone to experience tension headaches. Migraine headaches are also a frequent kind of headache with almost 12% of the US population (approximately 28 million people) experiences this kind of headache. Cluster headaches which affects only 0.1% of the people are somewhat uncommon though both these types tend to be experienced fairly frequently by most people. The exact cause of headache in both migraine related and cluster headaches are not presently known. None of those mentioned above however are fatal.

Although the cause of headache in primary headaches might not be life threatening, secondary headaches may signal a far more dangerous situation. Due to conditions like meningitis, brain tumors, strokes and encephalitis secondary headaches could come about. Therefore, it’s vital that you seek medical attention when your headaches are accompanied with symptoms such as seizures, continuing nausea and vomiting, and vision, speech and behavior changes. Another serious type of a headache is referred to as cranial neuralgia where swollen nerves in the head and neck tends to the reason for the headache. In addition to this, facial pains and other various headaches are also incorporated into this category.

It should be remembered that although many headaches may be temporary relieved by painkilling drugs such as paracetamol and asprin, it is vital to seek medical attention if the headache persists heavily. Additionally, the painkilling drugs including paracetamol should be used in the recommended doses as an overdose might have negative effects such as heavy liver damage which would sometimes prove to be life threatening.

Primary headaches are one of the major kinds of headaches and can be further categorized as tension headaches, migraine headaches and cluster headaches. The major culprit in the case of tension headaches tend to be either physical or mental stress. It is stated that nearly 90% of all adults would experience tension headaches in their lifetimes. Furthermore, women are more prone to tension headaches than men. Migraine headaches are also a common type of headache with nearly 12% of the US population (around 28 million people) experiences this type of headache. Cluster headaches which affects only 0.1% of the people are somewhat uncommon though both these types tend to be experienced fairly frequently by most people. The exact cause of headache in both migraine related and cluster headaches has not yet been identified. None of those mentioned above however are fatal.

Although the cause of headache in primary headaches might not be life threatening, secondary headaches might indicate a far more dangerous situation. Due to conditions like meningitis, brain tumors, strokes and encephalitis secondary headaches could come about. Therefore, it’s vital that one seeks medical attention when one shows headache associated symptoms like seizures, continuing nausea and vomiting, and vision, speech and behavior changes. There is also another type of headaches called Cranial neuralgia where the cause of headache is inflamed nerves in the head and the neck. In addition to this, facial pains and other various headaches are also included.

It’s very important that the you visit your physician if the headache persists in a severe manner though you might be able to get some relief in the short term through painkilling drugs like asprin or paracetamol. Additionally, the painkilling drugs including paracetamol should be used in the recommended quantities as an overdose may result in negative effects like heavy liver damage which would at times prove to be fatal.

The majority of headaches suffered can fit into the primary category. A primary headache is frequently brought on by emotional or physical stress, and has the most frequent rate of occurrence by far. Primary headaches are almost never life threatening, but are known to cause significant discomfort. This pain can hamper everyday enjoyment of life, making even basic functioning difficult. Although the exact causes remain something of a mystery, it is widely held that the symptoms are brought on by a tightening of the muscles that surround the base of the skull. This tightening comes on as a sensation of tightness at first in the patient’s cranial area.

Cluster and secondary headaches occur on a far less frequent basis, but are much more serious. To treat this kind of headache, serious medical attention is required. Cluster headaches are easily identifiable by the amount of pain they cause. Patients frequently describe cluster headaches as like having an icepick driven into the eye. Treatment includes powerful sedatives and pain medications. Secondary headaches can be a sign of deeper neurological issues.

A chronic tension headache should be treated with an eye toward stress management. Physical and emotional stress are both known to trigger chronic tension headache. Circumstances that trigger significant emotional stress can easily lead to chronic tension headaches. Prolonged physical stress is another potential cause of chronic tension headaches. Steps to manage both kinds of stress should be undertaken in order to reduce the occurrence of chronic tension headaches. If these steps do not succeed, then further treatment with more powerful pain medications may be necessary. Chronic tension headaches that occur on a regular basis should be a signal to see a doctor.

Migraines for instance affect approximately 10% of Americans (roughly twenty-eight million people) and afflict three times more women than men. And yet, although such a large section of the population suffers regularly from migraines, we still have little idea about just what causes them. There are of course several theories, the latest of which holds that they are caused by the interaction of chemicals within the brain like serotonin and the nerve cells of the brain, however we do not know for for certain whether or not this is the cause.

Cluster headaches, which are much rarer but also much more intense than migraine headaches, affect about one person in every three hundred and tend to afflict men far more than women. Once again however we only have a provisional idea about what leads to the stabbing pain that is frequently felt behind one eye in these especially painful headaches. A few people think that the cause could be a defect in the hypothalamus but, at this time, there is no sound evidence in support of this theory.

The most common type of headache is what we usually call ordinary or tension-type headaches and once again these are only partly understood. Here the list of possible causes is extremely long indeed and includes everything from the food we eat to the amount of stress we are under. Trying to isolate a specific cause has however as yet proved too difficult and exactly what produces the ordinary everyday headache is still a mystery.

Perhaps the only saving grace is that we do have a large number of medicines available to cope with the different forms of headache and most of these are safe and effective for most sufferers.

Migraine headaches have proved hard to treat for a long time and the ergot drugs once used to treat them had varying degrees of success. These were then replaced by triptans which proved to be more effective but which regrettably had several disadvantages. Now however a new generation of triptan drugs are proving to be safe, show fewer side effects and are effective for most sufferers.

We have also seen an increase in the use of preventive medicines for migraine headaches like calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, anti-seizure medications, anti-depressants and various other drugs which are commonly used to treat other well known conditions. For many people these medications will indeed stop headaches from occurring at all, while in other people they act to reduce the frequency with which headaches occur.

For everyday headaches traditional over-the-counter drugs like paracetamol and aspirin (which have been with us for over 100 years) and newer drugs such as ibuprofen offer safe and effective relief in the majority of cases. For people suffering from frequent headaches though care has to be taken as even the humble aspirin can have side effects if taken too frequently.

Even though there is still so much that we do not know about what causes headaches the simple fact that we can treat them effectively is a comfort to the many sufferers and especially to the large number of people who are afflicted by often very incapacitating migraine headaches. Surprisingly enough though only about half of all those who suffer from migraine headaches ever seek medical advice so that there are millions of individuals today who are needlessly suffering in silence.

If you are bothered by headaches and find that over-the-counter medicines like paracetamol or aspirin do not do the trick then, rather than sit and suffer in silence, drop in and see your physician who will almost certainly be able to help.