Splitting, Is It?

IF ONLY SCORCHING SUMMERS were about sweat and bad tans. For many of us these hot months bring added headaches. Literally. While migraines a...

IF ONLY SCORCHING SUMMERS were about sweat and bad tans. For many of us these hot months bring added headaches. Literally. While migraines aggravate with sea-son change and a burning sun, other milder forms of headaches also occur on a regular basis all through sum-mer. Here8217;s an expert guide.

Migraine This one, of course, you have heard of, even if you are among the lucky ones who have never experienced a migraine attack. Migraine is a severe and the commonest headache type and can have a considerable impact on the everyday life of sufferers. Estimates say about 17 per cent of women and six per cent of men suffer migraines. 8220;It8217;s most common in young women,8217;8217; says Dr Anshu Rohatgi, consultant neurologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. At-tacks last from four to 72 hours and the pain can ei-ther be unilateral on one side or pulsating. In severe cases, it is aggravated by routine activities. Patients are free of any kind of symptoms between attacks. Accompa-nying symptoms are fatigue, the need to lie down, photophobia extreme sensitivity and aversion to light, phonophobia extreme sensitivity and aversion to noise, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, numbness and 8220;word salading8221; mixing up words.

Exertion or Tension Headache It occurs periodically in about 50 per cent of the population. Is only mild to moderate. And mostly hurts both sides of the head. This headache type is about your head feel-ing tight, like it8217;s being squeezed. 8220;Emotional or phys-ical stress could trigger off such a headache. It can oc-cur once in six months, and there8217;s generally no treatment for this,8221; says Dr Rohtagi. Chronic Daily Headache This nag gets you at least 15 days in a month. It can happen over a six-month period or longer. During the attack, however, this headache generally happens every day. Has the general symptoms of migraine but is also accompa-nied by stiffness in the neck.

Cluster Headache This frequent short-duration headache, typically recurs every six to 12 weeks. 8220;Usually once during the day, mostly late in the night when a patient suddenly wakes up in pain,8221; says Dr Rohtagi. This headache affects at least one man in 1000 and one in 6000 women; most of whom are in their twenties or older. The pain lasts for about 15 minutes to an hour, can occur between one to eight times a day, and is accompanied by red and watery eyes, running or blocked nose. Cold Food Headache The young and the mid-dle- aged are prone to this: as a short piercing pain, like a flash of lightning. It lasts from seconds to min-utes and may occur several times a day. Cold foods usually trigger the pain. Sometimes the patient has multiple attacks per day.

Facial Headache, Or sinusitis, is caused by infec-tion of one or more of the cranial skull sinuses. Acute si-nusitis lasts upto three weeks. The site of the pain varies according to the location of the infection. Max-illary sinusitis pain is mostly in the cheek, gums, teeth and upper jaw. When it hurts between and around the eyes, it8217;s ethmoidal sinusitis. Frontal sinusitis pain at-tacks the forehead and sphenoidal sinusitis the crown of the head.

Just painkillers should do when headaches occur. 8220;If they are frequent, then preventive treatment must be taken. Migraine and sinusitis have specific treat-ments,8221; says Dr Rohtagi. 8220;For tension-type headaches, though, a psychological evaluation might be required to get to the root of the problem.8221;

TRIGGER FACTORS

raquo; Emotional or physical stress

raquo; Missed meals

raquo; Smoke and strong odours

raquo; Too much or too little sleep

raquo; Weather changes

raquo; Hormonal changes: menstruation, oral contracep-tives, pregnancy.

raquo; Eye strain, head injury,

raquo; Food/ingredients. Alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, ma-ture cheese, monosodium glutamate, nitrates in cured meats, sugar, sulphites.