Say goodbye to cluster headaches with these 5 remedies

By MiNDFOOD

Say goodbye to cluster headaches with these 5 remedies
Combat those common cluster headaches this summer with these practical remedies.

Headaches rank among the most common local pain complaints. The vast majority of headaches are benign with common causes being tension, fluctuating hormones, eye strain, dehydration, low blood sugar, and sinusitis. Less commonly headaches can also be due to life-threatening conditions such as meningitis, encephalitis, cerebral aneurysms, extremely high blood pressure, and brain tumours.

Headaches associated with specific symptoms may warrant urgent medical attention, particularly sudden, severe headache (often referred to as a thunderclap headache) or a headache associated with a stiff neck; headaches associated with fever, convulsions or accompanied by confusion or loss of consciousness; headaches following a blow to the head, or associated with pain in the eye or ear; persistent headache in a person with no previous history of headaches; and recurring headache in children.

Common cluster headaches

Summer is also a common time for people to experience cluster headaches. Cluster headaches occur close in proximity and often throughout a day, on average, lasting 30 minutes to three hours. A cluster headache may be accompanied by symptoms such as eye-watering or swelling or nasal congestion on the side of the head experiencing pain.

Dr Brian M. Grosberg, director at Montefiore Headache Center and associate professor, Clinical Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University recommends the following to help prevent the onset of symptoms and help minimise the severity of pain:

  1. Avoid drinking alcohol or smoking during cluster headache periods.
  2. Consider taking the hormone melatonin which can help regulate sleep-wake cycles.
  3. Consider the use of breathing in 100% (pure) oxygen for 10-15 minutes to treat an attack of cluster headache. Studies have found that high-flow oxygen inhalation therapy can help relieve cluster headache symptoms within a short period of time.
  4. Ask your doctor about medications. Calcium-channel blockers can be effective in cluster headache pain relief.
  5. Speak with a headache specialist about alternative remedies.

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