Help for headaches

Whether it’s a niggling twinge or a blinding pounder, a headache is about as welcome as a Justin Bieber fan at a Slayer concert.

Sadly it’s one of the most commonly reported ailments – a Pfizer Australia survey revealed 84 per cent of us have experienced a “severe” headache in the past 12 months. And as temperatures rise in the lead-up to summer, so do your chances of getting a pounder. According to research from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the US, your headache risk jumps by eight per cent each time the temperature climbs 12.5 degrees.

Heat may make the blood vessels in your skull expand and press up against surrounding nerve endings. As a result, even normal blood flow can feel like a jackhammer drilling through your cranium, says neurologist Dr Alexander Mauskop.

But you can stop the throbbing, or even avoid it altogether. Read on...

THE PAIN TENSION HEADACHE
These zingers, which feel like a giant rubber band wrapped around your brain, affect around six million Aussies, according to Pfizer’s survey. “They come from stiffness in your neck, forehead, scalp and face,” says Dr Mauskop, as overly taut muscles irritate nerve endings, which relay pain signals to the brain. According to Gerald Edmunds, secretary general of Headache Australia, lifestyle is mainly to blame. “Think about how we spend our days,” he says. “Rushing around getting to work – air and noise pollution and the stress of being stuck in traffic. Lack of sleep, skipped meals, caffeine, dehydration. No wonder the analgesics market is worth more than $1 billion annually.”

TREAT IT Pop an OTC painkiller – aspirin, paracetamol or ibuprofen – at the first sign of scalp tightness. Try massaging a muscle-relaxing lignocaine-based gel (available at chemists) on your shoulders and neck, says Dr Mauskop. Even just a massage could help: a recent study from the University of Granada in Spain found that a 30-minute massage improved both the physiological and psychological state of patients with tension headaches.

PREVENT IT Get thee to the gym! Regular exercisers are 14 per cent less likely to get tension headaches than those who sloth about on the lounge. Exercise is a natural stress-buster that prompts your body to release pain-killing endorphins, explains neurologist Dr Merle Diamond. It also strengthens blood vessel muscles against headache-inducing inflammation.

THE PAIN SINUS HEADACHE
Anything that irritates your sinuses, like a cold, allergies or malodorous cologne, can inflame them, leaving you with painful pounding around your eyes. And sinus infections can make things worse. “The pressure inside your sinuses should naturally match the atmospheric pressure,” explains Dr Kenneth Mukamal, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. So if you’re already stuffy when a pressure-altering storm rolls in, your sinuses can’t readily adjust and you could end up with an even more intense hurt between your brows.

TREAT IT Place a warm, damp cloth over your eyes to relieve inflammation and use an OTC nasal spray to knock out congestion. If symptoms last longer than four days, see your doctor, says Dr Mauskop.

PREVENT IT If you’re prone to allergies, try using a neti pot (get one from neti.com.au) twice a week. Replace air-conditioner filters with HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) ones that screen out the pollen, dust, mould and airborne bacteria that can cause nasal inflammation. Or try a HEPA air purifier.

THE PAIN MIGRAINE
The mother of all noggin pain, migraines can be triggered by a variety of stimuli – stress, bright light, too much or too little sleep, hunger, chocolate, red wine – that engorge your brain’s blood vessels. The resulting nerve pain leads to a debilitating misery that can last from hours to days.

Headache Australia estimates that about three million Australians experience migraine. “And 60 per cent are women,” says Edmunds. Scientists are studying why some people are more susceptible to migraines, but think DNA is involved – a recent study from the International Headache Genetics Consortium found migraine sufferers were more likely to have a genetic variant known as a single nucleotide polymorphism. Yikes.

Not sure if it’s a migraine? Check if you meet two of the three criteria doctors use to diagnose: pain that keeps you from normal activities, sensitivity to light, and nausea.

TREAT IT OTC painkillers have little effect. An ice pack can offer some relief, but most sufferers use prescription meds called triptans, which work in part by constricting the blood vessels around your brain. They’re most effective if taken at the first sign of pain.

PREVENT IT Have your doc check your magnesium level – the mineral is closely tied to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates blood-vessel function; inadequate amounts of magnesium can hinder serotonin production and lead to inflammation.

Dietary changes can help, too: researchers from Griffiths University in Queensland found that vitamin B supplements can help to significantly reduce frequency, severity and disability of migraines.

Acupuncture is a great alternative – a 2009 study found it relieved migraines more effectively than some preventative drugs.

Suffer from chronic headaches or migraines? Sign up to the National Headache Register at headacheaustralia.org.au.