Migraine headache symptoms vary and may occur with or without a warning sign called an aura. People who get an aura, which usually begins within 30 minutes before the headache starts, may see spots, wavy lines, or flashing lights. Some people have numbness or a “pins-and-needles” sensation in their hands, arms, or face during the aura. However, most people do not have an aura before they get a migraine headache. Read the rest of this entry »

Cluster headaches are severe, one-sided headaches that recur in groups, or “clusters,” over a period of weeks to months. While common headaches can be painful, cluster headaches can be debilitating. Although cluster headaches can be temporarily disabling, they do not cause permanent damage.
Cluster headaches are relatively rare, and they are one of the few types of headaches that affect men more often than women.
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Although a bad migraine might make you wish for the end of everything, headaches are not usually life threatening. However, a severe headache can signal something much more serious, requiring emergency attention such as stroke, aneurysm, and meningitis. These are not terribly common, but it’s worth watching for a headache that feels markedly different from normal—even if normal is agonizing. Signs to watch for: Read the rest of this entry »

Eyes Wide Shut film

It’s critical to identify which type of headache you suffer from—tension, cluster, sinus, rebound, or migraine—so that the correct treatment can be prescribed. In one 2004 study, 80% of patients with a recent history of self-described or doctor-diagnosed sinus headache—but none of the signs of sinus infection—actually met the criteria for migraine. And two-thirds of those patients expressed dissatisfaction with the medications they were using to treat their headaches. Here’s a cheat sheet to help you put a name to your pain. Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb move Why it matters: Many foods, especially those that contain tyramine (the product of an amino acid breaking down), can trigger migraines in people who are susceptible to them. Tyramine, for example, is thought to contribute to the constriction and dilation of blood vessels. Read the rest of this entry »

Why do some people suffer from the agonizing head pain of migraines—and the nausea and sensitivity to light that can accompany them—while others don’t? The answer, at the biochemical level, is complicated, but probably boils down to this: Migraine sufferers’ brains are simply more sensitive to outside stimuli than are other people’s brains. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s critical to identify which type of headache you suffer from—tension, cluster, sinus, rebound, or migraine—so that the correct treatment can be prescribed. In one 2004 study, 80% of patients with a recent history of self-described or doctor-diagnosed sinus headache—but none of the signs of sinus infection—actually met the criteria for migraine. And two-thirds of those patients expressed dissatisfaction with the medications they were using to treat their headaches. Here’s a cheat sheet to help you put a name to your pain. Read the rest of this entry »