The Y-Factor with Christian McLean

The Headache

Sure it could be a residual hangover from New Year's Eve, but more than likely it is something else. Whether it is an ice cream headache or a migraine, headaches plague almost everyone. Knowing the symptoms of the particular pain in your noggin can be really helpful in getting rid of it.

The most common of all headaches is the tension headache. If you suffer from them, then I probably don't have to describe what it feels like. But for those who are lucky enough to avoid them, tension headaches are general headaches that are dispersed throughout the skull. Normally moderate in pain, many sufferers say it is akin to having a band tightened around their head. When these aches come on, the quick fix is usually to pop a few Tylenols, but it shouldn't be. You are simply numbing the pain and not defeating the cause.

The cause of your common headache has been argued for decades. Some claim the pain comes from muscular tension, others say it is psychological, stress, depression, etc. So not surprisingly, most doctors will prescribe exercise, massage and stress relieving techniques to help prevent the headaches from coming on in the first place.

You generally hear about women getting migraines and statistically they are almost three times as common in women (estrogen can be a trigger), but men are not free of this crippling pain. Migraines usually don't come solo and are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and an acute response to light or sound. Sometimes they are introduced by a flash of light or seeing blind spots. While you may think the only cure for this is to crawl under you blankets and hope to be struck by lightning, there have been strides in treatment. Besides over-the-counter medications such as Excedrin Migraine, prescription drugs have been proven to help ease the suffering of an attack. Triptans tend to be the go-to drug these days, but ergots are also still prescribed, though aren't usually as effective. On occasion if nothing else works, codeine is used, though this is rather dangerous because it can be habit forming.

While women may have claim to the migraine, men seem to suffer more from cluster headaches. These little gems seem to only focus on one side of the face and are sometimes described as a hot burning pain behind the eye. Besides the excruciating pain, these headaches are usually accompanied by tearing of the eyes or a runny nose. They come on with almost no warning. If you end up with a cluster headache, normal over-the-counter medicine probably won't help. If it is your first attack, there is no way of preventing it, but once you experience it, you should visit your doctor because there are several ways of treating/alleviating the next one. While in the thick of it, a cold compress might help, but household remedies aren't going to get you far. Luckily, cluster headaches are rare and most people will never have to deal with one. Just thought you should know they are out there.

The majority of sufferers seek Advil, Tylenol or aspirin as a solution to their head pain and typically find pretty good results. Fighting headaches only this way can sometimes lead to what is known as a rebound headache. If you take too much medication for your headaches (more than three days a week) your body becomes accustomed to the medication and if you stop taking them, then you will start getting a headache again. Sadly, the only way to get rid of rebound headaches is to stop taking headache medicine for an extended period of time. This method of getting off the over-the-counter drugs will surely be filled with more headaches, but once you get through the withdrawal process, things should be on the up and up. Excessive use of headache medicine can also lead to liver complications and stomach ulcers, so even if you don't have rebound headaches, you shouldn't take these drugs unless needed.

On the lighter side, the ice cream headache has plagued children and adults for decades. This is why - the ice cream runs along the palate and the freezing temperature alters the blood flow in your brain, triggering the headache. Despite the sharp pain, it usually subsides rather quickly and there is nothing to worry about.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to headaches, and sadly the list goes on and on. While the occasional onset is probably nothing, if dramatic headaches occur or chronic pains haunt your daily life, visit a doctor.

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