A Pain in the Head
Headache is a symptom that most people are familiar with. Although more than half of Germany’s population suffer from it now and again, they rarely consult a physician; they treat themselves. Not all types of headache, however, can be dealt with using self-medication.
Most headaches are caused by tension and usually start occurring between the ages of 20 to 30, often becoming chronic as the sufferer gets older. Women are affected more often than men.
Instead of always reaching for traditional painkillers, patients need to find ways of reducing the tension in their lives, therefore ideally allowing headaches to become a thing of the past. Headaches can originate almost anywhere in the body; neurological, vascular and skeletal disorders can cause the pain in a variety of ways.
Some pain originates in the face or head and other pain is felt there, but due to the physiological phenomenon of referred pain, originates elsewhere. It is there that treatment should be focused.
Migraine
The other form of headache that has to be considered is migraine. This can start at any age, although ninety percent experience the first attack before the age of 40 and the majority whilst going through puberty. As 70 to 80 percent of sufferers have a family history of migraine, there seems to be a genetic influence.
Many factors can trigger migraine attacks, such as stress, changes in the sleep-wake cycle, irregular intake of meals and some forms of medication. Various types of bright light including sunlight and moving pictures on TV or at the cinema can cause symptoms to appear, as well as certain kinds of food and excessive noise. They are not the causes of migraine but can provoke an attack.
Approximately one-fifth of the sufferers experience aura, the warning associated with migraine, prior to the headache. Visual disturbances such as wavy lines, dots or flashing lights and blind spots begin from 20 minutes to one hour before the actual onset of migraine. Some people have tingling in their arm or face or difficulty speaking.
Jane Funke und Hannelore Gießen
Diesen Artikel finden Sie in DAS PTA MAGAZIN 09/2009 auf Seite 44 ff. oder als PDF-Download im Kasten oben rechts.
