Headaches

More than 10 million people a year visit a doctor or an emergency department because of headache. With a complete history and physical examination, a doctor can correctly diagnose and treat a great majority of headaches. Tension headache is the most common type of headache.

About 69% of men and 88% of women develop a tension headache sometime during their lives. Tension headache can occur at any age but most commonly begins during adolescence or young adulthood, with the highest frequency among those aged 20-50 years. More than 300 known medical disorders can produce headaches.  

People with chronic tension-type headache may also have imbalances in neurochemicals. In fact, depression may be an underlying cause in some people with chronic tension headaches. Depression and some sleep disorders are linked to serotonin. Tension Headache Symptoms In general, a tension-type headache may cause diffuse (spread out, not in one place) pressure or tightness. Sometimes, muscles surrounding the head are tender. The pain may be on both sides of the head, or it may cause an aching or squeezing sensation located in the forehead, temples, or back of the head with radiation to the neck and shoulders.

 Pain is usually moderate in intensity, not severely disabling, and not associated with the typical symptoms of migraine, such as nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to sound or light. The onset of pain is usually gradual and not associated with any prodrome or period in which a person can feel a headache coming on. People may associate the onset of a tension-type headache to periods during or after stress and usually toward the latter part of the day. If the tension-type headache is present for more than 15 days a month or longer than 6 months, it is considered chronic rather than episodic.

Certain headaches may indicate a more serious underlying problem. In these cases, the person should seek immediate medical attention at a hospital emergency department. People who may or may not have a history of headache and feel they are experiencing the worst headache of their life should seek emergency help, especially if the headache feels "explosive" and came on suddenly. This may suggest bleeding within or around the brain. The sudden onset, not necessarily the severity of the pain, is a signal that people with such headaches should be checked. People with headache and other associated symptoms, such as loss of vision in one eye, weakness on one side of the body, slurring or garbled speech, or inability to understand and follow commands, should be evaluated at once.

Self-Care at Home: Most people with tension-type headache find relief with over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen, and other non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Certain people may require prescription-strength pain relievers for particularly severe episodes. Frequent use of medications to treat symptoms of headache may actually cause episodic tension-type headache to become chronic in nature.

Aromatherapy Treatments:

There are many essential oils which can be used for headaches. The most popular are Lavender, Peppermint and Rosemary. Lavender essential oil can be rubbed onto the temples neat or made into a cold compress and applied to the temples, forehead or back of the neck.

A mixture of Lavender and Peppermint essential oils in equal proportions can often be more helpful. It is worth noting that Peppermint is a stimulant and Lavender is more of a sedative. If the headache is caused by catarrh or sinusitis then inhaling with Lavender, Peppermint, Rosemary or Eucalyptus can sometimes help to relieve the symptoms.