Archive for the ‘muscles’ Category

Migraine Causes, Incidence and Risk Factors

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

A lot of people get migraines — about 11 out of 100. The headaches tend to first appear between the ages of 10 and 46. Occasionally, migraines may occur later in life in a person with no history of such headaches. Migraines occur more often in women than men, and may run in families. Women may have fewer migraines when they are pregnant. Most women with such headaches have fewer attacks during the last two trimesters of pregnancy.

A migraine is caused by abnormal brain activity, which is triggered by stress, certain foods, environmental factors, or something else. However, the exact chain of events remains unclear.

Scientists used to believe that migraines were due to changes in blood vessels within the brain. Today, most medical experts believe the attack actually begins in the brain itself, where it involves various nerve pathways and chemicals. The changes affect blood flow in the brain and surrounding tissues.

Migraine attacks may be triggered by:

* Alcohol
* Allergic reactions
* Bright lights
* Certain odors or perfumes
* Changes in hormone levels (which can occur during a woman’s menstrual cycle or with the use of birth control pills)
* Changes in sleep patterns
* Exercise
* Loud noises
* Missed meals
* Physical or emotional stress
* Smoking or exposure to smoke

Certain foods and preservatives in foods may trigger migraines in some people. Food-related triggers may include:

* Any processed, fermented, pickled, or marinated foods
* Baked goods
* Chocolate
* Dairy products
* Foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG)
* Foods containing tyramine, which includes red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and certain beans
* Fruits (avocado, banana, citrus fruit)
* Meats containing nitrates (bacon, hot dogs, salami, cured meats)
* Nuts
* Onions
* Peanut butter

This list may not be all-inclusive.

True migraine headaches are not a result of a brain tumor or other serious medical problem. However, only an experienced health care provider can determine whether your symptoms are due to a migraine or another condition.

Symptoms

Vision disturbances, or aura, are considered a “warning sign” that a migraine is coming. The aura occurs in both eyes and may involve any of all of the following:

* A temporary blind spot
* Blurred vision
* Eye pain
* Seeing stars or zigzag lines
* Tunnel vision

Not every person with migraines has an aura. Those who do usually develop one about 10-15 minutes before the headache. However, it may occur just a few minutes to 24 hours beforehand.

Migraine headaches can be dull or severe. The pain may be felt behind the eye or in the back of the head and neck. For many patients, the headaches start on the same side each time. The headaches usually:

* Feel throbbing, pounding, or pulsating
* Are worse on one side of the head
* Start as a dull ache and gets worse within minutes to hours
* Last 6 to 48 hours

Other symptoms that may occur with the headache include:

* Chills
* Increased urination
* Fatigue
* Loss of appetite
* Nausea and vomiting
* Numbness, tingling, or weakness
* Problems concentrating, trouble finding words
* Sensitivity to light or sound
* Sweating

Symptoms that may linger even after the migraine has gone away include:

* Feeling mentally dull, like your thinking is not clear or sharp
* Increased need for sleep
* Neck pain

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To Relieve Headaches, Be Proactive

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

Here’s an idea you may be happy to get your head around: Doctors have more ways than ever to relieve headaches. That’s just as well, considering that the National Institutes of Health estimates that 45 million Americans suffer chronic headaches.

Headaches result when muscles and blood vessels outside your skull put pressure on your nerves, sending a “pain message” to your brain.

Try these tips

Get A Good Night’s Sleep: Your nervous system requires sleep to function properly. A regular schedule of seven to nine hours of sleep a night will keep your body’s sleep-wake cycle in order. Changes to your sleep schedule can cause cluster headaches, which occur without warning and are characterized by a sudden, sharp pain that can reach maximum intensity within minutes of onset.

Reduce Tension: Muscles in the neck, shoulder and scalp tighten and contract as a response to stress. This anxiety-induced reaction can lead to tension headaches. I use breathing exercises to reduce stress. To rid your body of tension, try this: Take slow, deep breaths to clear your mind.

See Your Doctor: Go to the emergency room for headaches that start after a head or neck injury or cause difficulties with speech. If headaches occur at least three times a month, or you experience an abrupt, severe headache, see your doctor.

Save Money

If the cost of treating your headaches is adding to your tension, consider this: There’s a health care discount program that offers savings on prescriptions, vision care, dental care, complementary and alternative health care treatments, vitamins and supplements by mail and more than 1,500 fitness clubs nationwide. Called HealthSaver, the program is not an insurance product or service and it’s offered by Affinion Group, a leader in membership, insurance and loyalty marketing businesses.

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Esgic For Neck Pain

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Get Headache Pain Relief with Esgic Plus

Buying discount Esgic Plus online is an innovation, like generic drugs, that will keep prescription drug costs down. And it’s so safe, simple and discreet. Now you can buy Esgic Plus, Prozac, cheap Cialis, weight loss medication or any of your prescription drug needs without leaving home. Without spending long hours getting prescriptions filled or sitting in a chilly waiting room.

Esgic Plus is combination fever reducer (Acetaminophen), relaxant barbiturate (Butalbital) and blood vessel dilator (caffeine) used to treat tension headaches and other forms of pain.

Headaches Caused by Muscle Contraction (Tension Headaches)

This type of headache begins in the back of the NECK or head and develops into what is usually described as a non-throbbing, tight, cranial band that puts pressure on the head. Health professionals agree that these headaches are the result of excessive tone or contraction of the muscles in the face, head and NECK areas. They are by far the most common type of headache and Esgic Plus is often prescribed. This condition varies from mild severe discomfort in pain levels and afflicts men and women equally.

There are a number of underlying causes of the muscle contraction and tension that lead to these headaches. They can be related to spinal misalignment that often starts with poor posture that comes from sitting in uncomfortable positions for long periods. Other causes include fatigue or stress that causes contraction or excess tone in various muscle groups. Pelvic irritation, poor dental health, misaligned mastication or anything else that results in stress in the muscles of the face, skull, shoulders and upper back can all lead to chronic tension headaches. Any of these things can lead to muscles that are constantly contracted and suffering from a reduced oxygen supply. Muscles with low oxygen levels become fatigued, which leads to a buildup of histamines and other chemicals, which accumulate and trigger neurons, creating pain.

Smoking, irregular sleep patterns, bitterness, grief, anger, depression, fear and heightened levels of anxiety can all trigger tension headaches. Poor diets, high caffeine intakes, strong light, or illness can also play a role and sufferers know that once tension headaches start, Esgic Plus or other therapies are often needed to stop the cycle.

That’s because at the first sign of a tension headache, patients develop heightened levels of fear, producing muscle tension that creates anxiety and so on. That’s why it is important to take Esgic Plus at the first sign of a headache.

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Skull Pain And Esgic Plus

Monday, June 2nd, 2008

Headaches Caused by Muscle Contraction (Tension Headaches)

This type of headache begins in the back of the neck or head and develops into what is usually described as a non-throbbing, tight, cranial band that puts pressure on the head. Health professionals agree that these headaches are the result of excessive tone or contraction of the muscles in the face, head and neck areas. They are by far the most common type of headache and Esgic Plus is often prescribed. This condition varies from mild severe discomfort in pain levels and afflicts men and women equally.

There are a number of underlying causes of the muscle contraction and tension that lead to these headaches. They can be related to spinal misalignment that often starts with poor posture that comes from sitting in uncomfortable positions for long periods. Other causes include fatigue or stress that causes contraction or excess tone in various muscle groups. Pelvic irritation, poor dental health, misaligned mastication or anything else that results in stress in the muscles of the face, SkULL, shoulders and upper back can all lead to chronic tension headaches. Any of these things can lead to muscles that are constantly contracted and suffering from a reduced oxygen supply. Muscles with low oxygen levels become fatigued, which leads to a buildup of histamines and other chemicals, which accumulate and trigger neurons, creating pain.

Smoking, irregular sleep patterns, bitterness, grief, anger, depression, fear and heightened levels of anxiety can all trigger tension headaches. Poor diets, high caffeine intakes, strong light, or illness can also play a role and sufferers know that once tension headaches start, Esgic Plus or other therapies are often needed to stop the cycle.

That’s because at the first sign of a tension headache, patients develop heightened levels of fear, producing muscle tension that creates anxiety and so on. That’s why it is important to take Esgic Plus at the first sign of a headache.

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Tension Headache Causes

Monday, May 19th, 2008

Experts continue to debate the causes and even the name of tension headaches. Over the years, as different theories emerged about the origins of this type of headache, it was known by names such as muscle contraction headache, psychogenic headache, depressive headache, essential headache and ordinary headache.

The exact cause or causes of tension headache are unknown. Until a few years ago, many researchers believed that the pain of tension headache stemmed from muscle contraction in the face, neck and scalp, perhaps as a result of heightened emotions, tension or stress. But many researchers have questioned this idea.

More recent research discredits this theory. Studies using a test called an electromyogram, which records the electric currents generated by muscle activity, haven’t detected increased muscle tension in people diagnosed with tension headache. In addition, people with migraine have as much muscle tension as do people with a tension headache, if not more.

As a result, The International Headache Society uses the term “tension-type headache” instead of “tension headache,” calling attention to the fact that muscle tension may not be the main cause of this kind of head pain.

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What Are Migraine Triggers?

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Examples of triggers include stress, sleep disturbances, fasting, hormones, bright or flickering lights, odors, cigarette smoke, alcohol, aged cheeses, chocolate, monosodium glutamate, nitrites, aspartame, and caffeine.

For some women, the decline in the blood level of estrogen during the onset of menstruation is a trigger for migraine headaches.

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Stress Can Cause Migraine

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Yes, stress is the most common trigger of headache.
Some things you can do to help prevent or reduce stress include doing relaxation exercises, Yoga and getting enough sleep

How is migraine headaches prevented ?

There are two ways to prevent migraine headaches: 1) by avoiding factors “triggers” that cause the headaches, and 2) by preventing headaches with medications (prophylactic medications).

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Female Hormones and Migraine

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

Hormones may also trigger migraine. Some women who suffer from migraine headaches experience more headaches around the time of their menstrual periods. Other women experience migraine headaches only during the menstrual period. The term “menstrual migraine” is used mainly to describe migraines that occur in women who have almost all of their headaches from two days before to one day after their menstrual periods. Declining levels of estrogen at the onset of menses is likely to be the cause of menstrual migraines. Decreasing levels of estrogen also may be the cause of migraine headaches that develop among users of birth control pills during the week that estrogens are not taken.

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Have a Headache?

Monday, May 5th, 2008

Here’s what you should do

In today’s world, almost anything could give a person a headache. The term “headache” is used and often overused to describe a reaction to life’s general frustrations. For those people who suffer from headache-related pain, identifying it as “I have a headache” is not specific enough to find relief. To find the appropriate treatment to alleviate headache pain, it is critical to delve deeper and identify a specific headache type.

Determining what type of headache a person suffers from is the first step to finding appropriate treatment. According to a recent survey by the National Headache Foundation, 73 percent of headache sufferers reported experiencing more than one type of headache. For this majority, it is essential to determine headache type to develop a specific treatment regimen. While migraine was the most common and well-known type of headache in the survey, with 60 percent of respondents claiming it as a type they suffer from, it is important to get a diagnosis by a healthcare professional to determine what type of headache you actually have.

Seventy-three percent of NHF survey respondents reported taking initiative to determine their headache type and learn more about their condition. Of this group, 57 percent took matters into their own hands, and conducted personal research via the Internet and reading healthcare magazines. Of the 86 percent of respondents who consulted a healthcare professional on this issue, 59 percent were successful in gaining a diagnosis of a specific headache type.

“Educating yourself on different types of headache is important,” said Dr. Lisa Mannix, NHF board member and practicing physician. “However, it is best to make an appointment with your healthcare professional to obtain an accurate diagnosis and to establish the appropriate treatment plan.”

Healthcare professionals can educate the 41 percent of survey respondents who reported not knowing that medication and non-medication treatment options are available for headache symptoms. Thirty-eight percent of respondents use the simplest non-medication treatment available to alleviate their headaches: sleep. Massage is another example of a non-traditional treatment option used by 16 percent of the survey participants. Healthcare professionals may also recommend medication treatments such as the over-the-counter pain relievers used by 48 percent of respondents or prescription medications used by 15 percent of the respondents.

Additional survey results:

* After migraine headaches (60 percent), the next most common type among respondents was tension-type headaches with 37 percent.

* 28 percent of the survey participants suffer from chronic daily headache.

* 23 percent of respondents reported suffering from sinus headaches.

The 21 percent of survey respondents who reported not knowing what type of headache they suffer from represent headache sufferers nationwide who could benefit from prevention and treatment options that come from determining their headache type.

The following list of characteristics of common headaches can help keep you keep track of your symptoms, which you can share with your healthcare professional.

Characteristics of common headaches:

* Migraine headache is characterized by any or all of the following symptoms: pulsating or throbbing pain typically on one side of the head, nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light or sound, and visual disturbances. The attacks may last 4-72 hours.

* Tension-type headache is the most common form of headache with symptoms of dull, aching and non-pulsating pain that affect both sides of the head, and can vary in frequency and severity.

* Chronic daily headache is often characterized by a headache that occurs more than 15 days a month for a period of at least three months.

* Sinus headache symptoms may include tenderness over the sinus, a deep dull ache exaggerated by head movements or straining accompanied by nasal discharge, ear sensation or fullness, and facial swelling.

NHF suggestions to determining headache type:

* Keep a headache diary. Identifying patterns among headache triggers, timing, duration, pain level and location offers useful information to share with your healthcare professional to help determine the headache type you are dealing with.

* Educate yourself about headache.

* Educate yourself about treatment options; both medication and non-medication. Treatments can have varying results from patient to patient so it is important that a sufferer understands how each option may work for them on an individual basis.

* See your healthcare professional. Make an appointment to specifically discuss your headaches with your healthcare professional.

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Cutaneous Allodynia Linked to Headache Type and Frequency

Sunday, May 4th, 2008

The exquisite skin pain and sensitivity of severe cutaneous allodynia during headaches may be more common with transformed migraine, researchers found.

Cutaneous allodynia affected three to four times more patients with transformed or episodic migraine than those with other chronic daily headaches or severe tension headaches, reported Marcelo E. Bigal, M.D., Ph.D., of Albert Einstein College of Medicine here and Merck Research Laboratories in Whitehouse Station, N.J.

“Our data suggest that cutaneous allodynia maps onto the migraine biology,” Dr. Bigal and colleagues in the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Group wrote in the April 22 issue of Neurology, on the basis of a population study.

Aside from shedding light on pathophysiology of the condition, which may trigger pain by the touch of a single strand of hair, these findings might have some impact on preventive treatment, Dr. Bigal and colleagues noted.

“Identifying factors that map onto disease biology as well as risk factors for clinical and anatomic progression for diseases have emerged as a very important public health priority because it may provide a foundation for more aggressive preventive intervention,” they wrote.

Most patients in clinical trials have reported allodynia during migraine attacks, and oversensitivity appears to be a risk factor for migraine progression as well.

To determine the relative prevalence with headache types, the researchers analyzed allodynia responses in the study, which was designed mainly to determine risk factors for progression to chronic daily headache.

The analysis included 16,573 respondents who reported at least one severe headache over the prior year in the nationally representative general population survey.

Among them, 11,094 had episodic migraine (15 or fewer days a month), 1,491 had probable migraine, 1,151 had severe episodic tension-type headaches, 643 had transformed migraine (15 or more days a month), 152 had other chronic daily headache, and 2,042 had unclassified headaches.

Allodynia prevalence during headache, defined as a score of three or higher on the 12-item Allodynia Symptom Checklist, was highest with transformed migraine compared even with the next runner up, episodic migraine (68.3% versus 63.2%, P<0.01).

Both types of migraineurs were more likely to report allodynia than those with probable migraine (42.6%, P<0.001), other chronic daily headache (36.8%, P<0.001), or severe tension-type headache (36.7%, P<0.001).

Mild and moderate allodynia were “remarkably similar” in frequency across headache type.

However, severe allodynia defined by an Allodynia Symptom Checklist score of nine or greater varied by headache group. Transformed migraine patients again had the highest prevalence at 28.5% followed by episodic migraine (20.4%), probable migraine (12.3%), other chronic daily headaches (6.2%), and finally severe episodic tension-type headache (5.1%).

Cutaneous allodynia was more common among women than men in all the groups except those with non-migraine chronic daily headache.

The prevalence ratios for women versus men were:

* 1.7 for episodic migraine (95% CI 1.55 to 1.82)
* 2.95 for probable migraine (95% CI 1.98 to 4.4)
* 2.68 for severe tension-type headache (95% CI 1.37 to 5.22)
* 1.71 for transformed migraine (95% CI 1.00 to 2.91)

Patients with higher disability scores were also significantly more likely to have allodynia with prevalence ratios of 1.98 to 2.87 for Midas IV versus I in the transformed, episodic, and probable migraine groups. Allodynia prevalence also rose with headache frequency and body mass index.

Allodynia scores were also higher for patients with major depression across headache types even after accounting for headache frequency. The impact rose with depression severity from a prevalence ratio of 1.22 in mild depression (95% CI 1.10 to 1.35) to a ratio of 1.62 in severe depression (95% CI 1.34 to 1.96).

The authors noted that the data must be interpreted with caution for several reasons.

“Although we used a questionnaire that has been validated for the assessment of cutaneous allodynia in the population, the validation happened in migraineurs only.”

“The Allodynia Symptom Checklist classification of severity of cutaneous allodynia has not been compared with classification based on quantitative sensory testing. Although quantitative sensory testing is the gold standard for determining whether a patient has allodynia at a particular point in time, it is subject to temporal sampling error.”

The study was sponsored by the National Headache Foundation through a grant from Ortho-McNeil Neurologics (OMP). Dr. Bigal and a co-author reported grant support from OMP for research projects other than this study, being on the advisory board for the company, and giving lectures supported by it. Dr. Bigal reported current employment with Merck Research Laboratories.

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