Headaches: When Should You Visit a Doctor?

Headaches, mild or severe, can be a great nuisance, annoyance and irritation. In headaches, the pain may be located above eyes or ears, back of the upper neck, or behind the head.

Headaches are of two types—primary headaches and secondary headaches. Tension headaches, migraine headaches and cluster headaches are the types of primary headaches. Secondary types of headaches are caused by other medical conditions.

Migraine Headaches

A migraine headache is the most common kind of vascular headache. Migraines start with neurological symptoms. Migraine patients may face visual disturbances. Pain from migraines may last for one to two days. There are different types of migraine headaches—hemiplegic migraine, basilar migraine and headache-free migraine. Vomiting, diarrhea, visual disturbances and constipation are some of the symptoms of the headache-free migraine.    

Causes of Headaches

Most of the time, the cause of a headache can be determined. Causes associated with common problems may include drinking too much alcohol, sleeping for too long, or stress due to any family problem. However, if the headache is not normal and may be caused by other factors, it is important to know the cause of the headache and get relief soon.

Consulting a doctor helps determine the exact cause and severity of the problem. Causes of primary headaches does not include other medical conditions, whereas causes of secondary headache is associated with other causative factors. Meningitis, brain tumor, caffeine withdrawal, subarachnoid hemorrhages, strokes or discontinuation of analgesics may cause headaches.

When You Should Go to Doctor?

• If your head is hit by a heavy thing.
• If headaches are frequent.
• If you are experiencing paralysis.
• If other symptoms accompany the headache, such as blurred vision, seizure, memory loss, etc.
• If the headache is interfering with quality of life.
• If no relief was found from other remedies.

In such situations, you should go to doctor even when you are not experiencing the pain and seeking relief. There are different types of headache, and it is difficult even for a doctor to diagnose the condition properly.

However, it is not recommended to rush to the doctor every time you have a headache that can easily be treated using home remedies. Around 90 percent of headaches are not caused by serious diseases and can be treated with natural remedies. Home remedies can provide relief from headaches.

Over-the-counter medicine can be an effective remedy to get relief. An easy and simple remedy is to apply ice packs on the head to get pain relief. Proper rest during a headache can be the foremost remedy for pain relief.

Massaging the neck and head can also be a good remedy. Another potentially useful pain-relief remedy is regular physical therapy exercise. 

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