What Causes Headaches? Most migraines are caused by restricted blood flow to the brain, but there are other types of headaches and perhaps deeper causes.
A sudden blinding headache accompanied by nausea and vomiting when previously headaches have been infrequent or non-existent, particularly in women between 20-50 years of age may signify a psuedotumor Cerebri, which can mimic a brain tumor. The causes of these types of headaches are thought to be hormonal changes, or intake of certain drugs and vitamins. Once these factors have been isolated they can be removed and the headache will generally disappear.
Smoking, alcohol, stress, anxiety, worry, depression, tiredness, dehydration or muscle tension can all cause headaches, both tension and migraine headaches.
As the name implies tension headaches are caused by tension. Chronic stress can lead to daily headaches and people who are susceptible to migraine may also suffer from an attack caused by stress. People unaccustomed to physical exertion may experience a tension headache if suddenly challenged physically. Although over-the-counter painkillers can be bought to handle the pain, it is advisable to find out what is causing the stress and treat the stress as a root cause.
Constantly taking painkillers, such as paracetomol, can further induce headaches when they attempt to stop taking the drug; these types of headaches are known as rebound headaches and are caused by withdrawal of the body from a substance to which it has become addicted.
Root canal headaches can be very painful and the cause is due to an infection in the root canal of a tooth.
Blocked sinuses can also cause headaches; this type of headache can be treated with painkillers or medication to unblock the sinuses. A natural approach to relieving the headache and blocked sinuses is to use steam inhalation techniques using essential oils such as eucalyptus, marjoram, or the traditional lavender.
Infrequent temporary headaches are usually not much to worry about and can be treated with a pain reliever such as aspirin or Tylenol. However, frequent, chronic pain may require a visit to the doctor. Most researchers believe that migraine headaches are caused by restricted blood flow to the brain usually casused by some of the factors mentioned above. Reducing stress, eating a healthy nutritionally balanced diet, taking some form of regular exercise and cutting down on the amount of alcohol and caffeine consumed, will go a long way to reduce the severity and frequency of headaches.
