Stay Ahead of Headaches

If you have a head, you’ve had a headache.

So universal is the common headache that it has worked its way into our vernacular: “This project is a real headache.” “Holiday traffic? Oh man, what a headache.” Heads pound against bad news, a bad boss or a bad night’s sleep. When an otherwise fine day is tripped up by an emotional or physical stumbling block, we may feel that miserable squeeze.

Leading researchers today believe that it is the disruption itself—an abrupt change that is troublesome to the mind or body—that is fundamentally to blame for the pain. If the experts are right, maintaining healthy daily routines may loosen that vice on your temples.

On your nerves

Dr. David Biondi of Boston’s renowned Massachusetts General Hospital has been studying headaches for over 12 years.

“The primary cause is thought to be changes in the way the nervous system reacts,” he explains. “What we see in MRI studies is that during attacks, there will be changes in electrical activity coming from the cortex of the brain.” The activity moves across the brain in waves from back to front and eventually irritates the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for all sensation to the head and face. You don’t want to be on the trigeminal’s bad side. It hurts.

“The brain and the trigeminal nerve like consistency and stability,” says Biondi. “Anything that breaks the constancy is a potential trigger.”

Cure and prevention

So, how do we quiet these electrical brain storms? Certainly over-the-counter medications containing acetaminophen or ibuprofen are very good options for treating the common, or tension-type, headache. However, frequent sufferers need to be careful. Overuse of OTCs can tweak the brain chemistry to make it more likely to have headaches referred to as “rebound headaches.”