Expert Advice on Preventing Headaches

How to Prevent Headaches - ABC News Hot Topics: Powerball Winner?$590 Million Jackpot?Youngest Manson Follower HomeU.S.WorldPoliticsVideoInvestigativeHealthEntertainmentMoneyTechTravelHealth HeadlinesFor a Healthier Diet, Go WildAlcohol Could Get Nutrition Labels Expert Advice on Preventing HeadachesNew Hope for Kids With Food AllergiesLawyers Push for Transplant Rule...WATCH VIDEO: Health »Obese Woman Tattoos Weight Goal on...H&M CEO: Our Models Are Too...More Health Headlines'Low-T' Testosterone Ads Leading to...Michael Douglas' Throat Cancer Tied to...The 'Prancercise' Craze and Other...Eye Lift Payments Raising EyebrowsSaudi Teen Contracts Deadly Virus Home> Health>ABC News OnCall+ Wellness CenterHow to Prevent HeadachesBy HALLIE LEVINE SKLAR
Health.comJune 5, 2013

ABCNEWS.com

Ninety-nine percent of us will endure a headache at some point—no shocker to migraine sufferers or anyone who has wanted to pull off her throbbing head after a stressful day. "Women are more likely than men to get migraines specifically, possibly because of hormonal triggers," says Stewart Tepper, MD, a headache medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Happily, there's new information out there about triggers and cures. Follow this expert advice and that pesky pain will no longer be such a...headache.

How to Prevent HeadachesTension Headache

The Lowdown

Blame stress—which can cause muscle tightness and pain in your neck and head—for this most common kind of headache. Fatigue, a lack of exercise and even infrequent eating can also make your body stiffen up. Experts say some sufferers with overactive pain receptors may be more prone to discomfort.

What It Feels Like

A dull pain that stretches across your forehead and/or the sides and back of your head. Pain often increases gradually, beginning around midday. Luckily, says Dr. Tepper, "it's rarely debilitating."

The Fix

Pop a pain reliever, like Advil or Tylenol, at first symptoms, but not more than 10 times a month (you can develop rebound headaches from overuse). To prevent tension pain, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, eat small, frequent meals and practice relaxation techniques, like yoga. Research shows massage eases tension headaches: Rub tender spots on your forehead and scalp with thumb and fingertips, suggests Boulder, Colo., massage and spinal-reflex therapist Maureen Moon. If nothing works, a headache specialist may recommend an antidepressant to regulate pain receptors.

What Kind of Headache Do You Have?

How to Prevent HeadachesMigraine

The Lowdown

About 18 percent of women get migraines—the most crippling kind of headache—per the National Headache Foundation. They can be tied to the start of your period; about 60 percent of female migraineurs (as they're called) experience them then, due to a plunge in hormones, says Mark Green, MD, director of headache and pain medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Most women report that their migraines go away or weaken postmenopause.

What It Feels Like

An intense, one-sided, throbbing pain that may or may not be accompanied by nausea, vomiting or sensitivity to bright lights and sounds. It often worsens with physical activity. The pain can last for days and be so severe that you may be reduced to lying in the dark. (If your pain is shorter-lived, you may actually have a cluster headache, especially if your eyes also tear up.) About 20 percent of sufferers have an aura—visual disturbances such as flashing lights and blind spots. Common triggers include dehydration; beer and red wine; aged cheeses; chocolate; skipping meals; strong smells such as perfume; or changes in sleeping patterns.

The Fix

A neurologist may suggest drugs called triptans—the first line of prescription treatment for migraines, Dr. Tepper says (and for cluster headaches). Once you have a medical plan, a doctor may have you keep a headache diary to pinpoint triggers, and recommend over-the-counter supplements, like magnesium (deficiencies have been linked to migraines) or the anti-inflammatory butterbur. If you get migraines more than twice a week, consider talking to your doctor about trying a beta-blocker.

18 Signs You're Having a Migraine

How to Prevent HeadachesSinus pain

The Lowdown

Swelling and inflammation of your sinuses—the small, hollow spaces around your eyes, cheeks and nose—can lead to facial and head pain, especially during allergy seasons. That swelling, called sinusitis, can also stem from bacterial or fungal infections or, most often, the common cold. Surprisingly, what most people think of as sinus headaches are migraines about 90 percent of the time, one study suggests.

What It Feels Like

"There's heaviness in your sinuses that stays until the infection or blockage is relieved—it doesn't come and go, like a migraine or tension headache," explains Scott Stringer, MD, chair of the department of otolaryngology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. You'll also have a stuffy or runny nose with yellow or greenish gook, and, if it's a bacterial infection, a fever.

The Fix

Antibiotics can put an end to bacterial sinusitis, or you can pick up over-the-counter decongestants and saline nasal sprays to relieve symptoms. Chronic sinusitis—lasting for more than 12 weeks—can usually be treated with a prescription steroid nasal spray; if it's allergy-related, treatments like antihistamines and allergy shots can help, says Dr. Stringer. If those don't work and your symptoms are severe, you may need surgery to correct a structural problem like nasal polyps or to enlarge your sinus openings.

Products to Help You Find Sinus Relief

This article originally appeared on Health.com.

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Headache-Proof Your Home

11 Surprising Headache Triggers

Get Headaches? Smart Ways to Deal

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Jolie's Double Mastectomy Still Debated

Angelina Jolie says she has no regrets about going public with her very private decision to have a preemptive double-mastectomy to slash her risk of developing breast cancer.

"I'm very happy to see the discussion about women's health expanded. That means the world to me," Jolie told "Good Morning America" Sunday as she walked the red carpet with boyfriend Brad Pitt at the London premiere of his new film, "World War Z."

Angelina Jolie: 'Really Grateful for All the Support'

This was the actress' first public appearance since penning a New York Times essay explaining how she had both breasts removed after being diagnosed with a rare mutation of the BRCA gene that put her risk of developing breast cancer at nearly 90 percent.

In revealing her medical choices to the world, experts say she instantly created global awareness for genetic screening and preemptive medical procedures.

Dr. Michael Cowher, a breast cancer surgeon with the Cleveland Clinic, said the hospital's breast services clinic has not been tracking exact statistics but there has been a noticeable increase in patient inquiries about BRCA screening.

Join our Breast Cancer Prevention Tweet Chat Today at 1 p.m. ET

"Personally, I haven't had a new patient who hasn't asked about genetic testing in the past few weeks since Jolie's announcement," he said.

Dr. Laura Corio, an OB-GYN at Mt. Sinai in New York City, agreed.

"We've been offering genetic testing for a while but now patients are asking for it more often and when they do, they seem more informed about their choices," she noted.

While the experts generally agree that Jolie has handled herself admirably and has provided valuable information to the public, they worry there is also a downside to her revelations.

According to the American Cancer Society, a case like Jolie's is relatively rare. Only about 5 percent of breast cancer cases can be linked to a faulty BRCA gene.

Jolie's Double Mastectomy Not Always a Lifesaver

"Not every woman needs to be tested and not every woman who tests positive for a BRCA gene mutation should have a double mastectomy," said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society. "My concern is that not everyone reading what she wrote will understand this."

According to Brawley, only women with a strong family history of breast cancer where close relatives have been diagnosed with the disease at a young age are good candidates for genetic testing. Jolie lost her mother and her aunt to breast cancer.

"I think we need to do a careful job explaining who should and who shouldn't be tested," Cowher said. "I've had several patients who have asked to be tested and who have not met criteria, to their dismay."

Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, a consultant in the breast diagnostic and high risk breast clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said that even a woman who undergoes genetic testing might not get the answers she is looking for.

"If they don't test positive this might lead to a false reassurance that they have nothing to worry about when they could be positive for some other genetic mutation we don't know about yet," she said. "Or testing positive for a mutation with unknown significance can create even more uncertainty and anxiety."

Pruthi said women who do test positive for a high-risk BRCA gene might be able to lobby for better health insurance coverage for mammograms and other surveillance tests, but might also have a harder time getting life insurance.

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