Headaches are actually quite complicated and not always a simple answer when it comes to causality. That is why some people continue to suffer from chronic headaches. There are different types of headaches, different reasons why they happen, and different types of treatments. The complexity of headaches lies in the fact that there are over 150 types.
The most common types of headaches include the following:
- Migraines: This pounding and throbbing pain can last for 3 to 4 hours or longer. They can also happen up to 4 times or more per month. A person becomes sensitive to light, might feel nauseous, lose their appetite, or become very sensitive to smells.
- Tension headaches: This is most common type of headache. They can cause mild to moderate pain and will go away over time.
- Cluster headache: This is the most severe type of headache. They tend to happen in groups, hence the name. They can happen multiple times per day and last anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours. The person might feel a piercing pain behind their eye with constant throbbing and pounding.
- Sinus headaches: The person feels a throbbing in their cheeks, bridge of the nose, and forehead. The person typically also has a runny nose, clogged ears, and a fever. They sinus cavities have become inflamed.
- Chronic daily headaches: This type of headache can last 15 days or more. Sometimes they are short and sometimes they can last 4 or more hours.
There are other types of headaches that are less common, but that doesn’t downplay their disruption to someone’s day. Exercise can cause headaches because the muscles in the head and neck and surrounding area need more blood. This can cause a pulsing pain. Post-traumatic headaches can also occur even up to 2 to 3 days after a head injury. Hemicrania continua is an ongoing headache that usually affects the same side of the face and head. Hormone headaches can occur as the hormones are shifting during menstruation or menopause.
The brain becomes overwhelmed by different signals coming from the brain, blood vessels, and nerves. Combine this will illness, stress, genetics, and environment, and one becomes at high risk for a headache. To this day doctors still do not know what exactly causes a migraine, making treatment difficult. Doctors might suggest a CT or MRI. Treatment depends on headache type, cause, and how often. There are of course pain management solutions such as a warm or cold compress, drinking herbal tea, lowering the lights, avoiding looking at screens, exercise, drinking plenty of water, avoiding certain foods, sleeping, massaging pressure points, for some people drinking coffee or soda can help, limiting alcohol, and avoiding certain smells and chemicals. Pressure is always difficult, especially to the head. Be patient and over time you will find an answer and a way to keep the headaches at bay.
Found just under the liver, sits the gallbladder. This pouch is a storage unit for the liver’s bile. This pear sized balloon is inflated before meals when it is filled with bile. After eating, the balloon then looks flat and deflated. This bile is used to help digests fats. When food is detected, the gallbladder releases bile into the small intestine. But wait…. don’t some people have their gallbladders removed?? Yes, because even though the gallbladder plays a role in digestion, it is not an essential organ. Once removed, the body seems to still perform its tasks. There are a number of a reasons someone might have this body part removed.
Certain health conditions and risks can complicate the gallbladder’s existence. Gallstones, like kidney stones, can crystalize the bile. When gallstones form, they can be painful, and the person becomes nauseated. Cancer can occur in the gallstones, but this is very rare. An infection called cholecystitis can occur. Gallstone pancreatitis can strike as well, by blocking the emptying ducts of the pancreas. When a person feels pain near their low back or has trouble keeping food down, it is important to find out the cause of their suffering. There are a few different tests a doctor can perform to diagnose gallbladder conditions. The most noninvasive and primary approach is to have an abdominal ultrasound or x ray can be performed. The ultrasound will check for gallstones. An MRI called a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography can take high resolution images for the doctor to see. An endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) can be used which requires a tube being inserted into the mouth down to the small intestine. The doctor can see through this flexible tube and inject dye into the bile. A HIDA scan can be used which is when a doctor injects the dye intravenously.
For an organ that doesn’t need to be there, it sure can cause pain and there are a few methods to treat a dysfunctional gallbladder. Antibiotics can be used to attempt to reduce the infection and prevent spreading. Gallbladder surgery, which is called cholecystectomy, can be done to remove the organ. If cancer to the area has occurred, chemotherapy can be used. There is an oral medication called ursodeoxycholic acid which can help dissolve the gallstones. This can also be done by injection of a solvent solution. Gallstones can be broken up using shock wave therapy which is called lithotripsy. Whichever method used, anytime the body communicates pain, there is a reason. When eating becomes difficult and digestion is pain -filled, the gallbladder just might be the culprit behind your suffering.
Most people at some points of their life have been prescribed antibiotics by their doctor. This medicine helps fight against bacterial infections. They function to either kill or keep bacteria from reproducing. For best results, one should continue the use of antibiotics until the cycle is complete, even if they are feeling better. This medication will not help and should not be used to treat the flu, common cold, soar throat, or for a cough because these are not bacterial infections. The actual word “antibiotic” means “against life”. It is a drug that kills germs. This medication was discovered in the 1920s and prior to that time, people actually died from illnesses like strep throat. By the 1940s, antibiotics became more widely available and used, making surgeries safer and helping people live longer. Now, antibiotics are used to treat skin infections, dental infections, ear and sinus infections, strep throat, bladder and kidney infections, and whooping cough.
Our bodies are full of bacteria, both good and bad. Therefore, sometimes the use of antibiotics can cause digestive problems. The gut contains both the good and bad bacteria and taking antibiotics can cause nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. This could mean that you are allergic to a particular antibiotic. It is also important to note that antibiotics can disrupt the efficiency of those who take birth control. Another downfall of this medication is that they are often readily over-prescribed and overused. Bacteria can adapt and resist this medication over time. It is always important to not skip doses, only take them when your doctor has prescribed them, take them for the full number of days prescribed, and don’t save them for later or lend them to someone else.
There are 7 main types of antibiotics. These include penicillin’s, cephalosporins, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, tetracyclines, and aminoglycosides. Most of the time they have a trade name and brand name. A doctor will determine which to prescribe based on cost, dosing schedule, side effects, type of infection, and might even perform laboratory tests to decide which is best. Upon picking up the prescription it is important to read the directions and correctly store the medication.
Although antibiotics can do wonders, they are readily overused. The rate of prescribing can be somewhat disturbing. For example, the highest rate of prescriptions is 1.237 per person in West Virginia. In doing so, bacteria are learning how to ward of antibiotics. The CDC has now tracked nearly 20 strains of bacteria that have become resistant. Sometimes we have to let our own body fight the good fight and when symptoms become unmanageable, then the use of antibiotics can step in. The body is resilient and does not need to rely on extra help all the time. We must pick and choose our battles.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disorder in which a person has re-occurring thoughts (obsessions) and compulsions (behaviors) that the person repeats over and over. There is an urge for this repetition. These obsessions, compulsions, or both, can disrupt a person’s’ life, interfering with relationships, careers, school, and social life. Diagnosis is typically determined by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). This disorder is quite common, and many people finally are diagnosed around the age of 19.
The exact cause of OCD is unknown. However, genetics might play a part, possible abnormalities in certain parts of the brain may be at fault, or this could occur as a result of a person’s environment (sexual abuse or physical abuse).
There are several signs and symptoms to look out for. Some people may only experience obsessions, others might only experience compulsions, and some experience both. Obsessions deal with repeated thoughts that cause anxiety. A person might have a fear of germs, they might need things in a specific order, or that might have unwanted taboo thoughts. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that might include cleaning, handwashing, double checking things, or counting.
In general, everyone does some of these actions every now and then. The difference is that a person with OCD is not able to control this. At the very least, one hour of their day is consumed by these thoughts and behaviors. They do not check the door four times to make sure it is locked or count the number of cracks on the sidewalk for pleasure. Rather, the ritual is necessary to relieve anxiety. These thoughts and behaviors disrupt life. Persons with OCD might isolate themselves and try to avoid situations they know will interfere with rituals or might be noticeable to others.
When it comes to eating and exercise, OCD can influence a person’s behaviors. Many of the symptoms associated with obsessive compulsive disorder are related to binging and purging and food restriction. Two thirds of people with eating disorders have an anxiety disorder, specifically OCD that contribute to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (Kaye WH, Bulik CM, Thornton L, Barbarich N, Masters K. Comorbidity of anxiety disorders with anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Am J Psychiatry. 2004;161(12):2215-21. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.161.12.2215). Certain types of foods might be avoided, eliminated, or even excessively eaten. Counting and calculating become extreme. Eating in public can be difficult or non-existent. This can also transcend into exercise habits. The person can try to exercise until they feel they have negated what they have consumed. Body image is the underlying issue coupled by the need to control or fix what the person perceives and intolerable. What the person sees in the mirror and what everyone else sees are very different images.
The person can be stuck on how much food or when they have to eat or what they have to eat to the point that daily living is greatly disrupted by these obsessions. Preparing or shopping for “safe” foods takes priority. Binges can lead to such physical discomfort to the point that the person can’t move for the rest of the day. Hours on end can be devoted to exercise such as reaching as certain calorie count, time, or certain amount of working out. Obsessions have taken over and this lifestyle has become dangerous. The person is trying to control their body with obsessions, but really, they have lost control of their health in the process of doing so. The nature of OCD is too much or not at all. Healthy eating and healthy exercise can become unhealthy when they cause anxiety and non-stop attention. How can a person maintain a job, family, or relationships living this way? The answer is they learn to function until it is too late and without help life can’t go on this way.
There is help. One can use therapy or medication, or both. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used to treat OCD. Understanding the side effects and interactions with other drugs is important. Children often use psychotherapy, specifically cognitive behavior therapy, to help with behaviors. Symptoms may come and go. Some grow out of this disorder; others aren’t struck until adult life. Having OCD can be debilitating for some people because they are not able to function efficiently due to the burden of their constant and chronic obsessions and compulsions. A person with OCD is aware of their predicament but doesn’t feel in control to find peace with their actions. Seeking help is necessary to regain the enjoyment of everyday life, which is very possible.
When the body’s immune system starts to attack itself, disorder erupts. There are up to 80,000 different autoimmune disorders ranging in severity. The immune system falls on a spectrum of very low functioning to being overly active. When the immune system is deficient, the body is unable to protect itself to ward off infections. When the immune system is hyperactive, the body starts to attack and damage its very own tissues. The immune system is meant to fight off infections, but with an autoimmune condition, the body starts to produce antibodies.
Doctors don’t exactly know the root cause of autoimmune disease. The most common symptoms include fatigue, achy muscles, hair loss, and skin rashes. Flare ups decide when they want to occur. Women do acquire this condition 2 to 1 compared to men. The disease usually begins in childhood and teenage years. Many types run in families such as multiple sclerosis and lupus. Researchers believe environmental factors may be the culprit since the rate of these diseases are on the rise. Eating high fat, high sugar, and processed foods also wreaks havoc on the immune system. An anti-nuclear antibody test (ANA) can be performed to confirm diagnosis.
Some of these conditions are more common than others or terms you have heard of before. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the body produces antibodies that attack the joints. This causes pain, inflammation, and swelling to the areas of the joint. Multiple sclerosis is when the immune system attacks the nerve cells. Muscle spasms are a common symptom. Inflammatory bowl syndrome (IBS) occurs when the immune system starts to attack the lining of the intestine. As a result, bowel movements can become uncontrollable, diarrhea can occur, as well as rectal bleeding. Type I diabetes is also an autoimmune condition that occurs when antibodies attack the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. Thyroid diseases are also in the autoimmune class. Grave’s disease, also known as hyperthyroidism, is when the antibodies produce excess amount of the thyroid hormone. Hashimoto’s has the opposite effect, taking place when the antibodies destroy the cells that produce the thyroid hormone. Lupus is when the antibodies attack different tissues in the body such as the lungs, joints, and kidneys.
There are different steroid drugs and medications to suppress these conditions. Many of the symptoms overlap so diagnosis can be difficult as well as treatment. Blood testing is the most informative tool a doctor can use to help address the pain. The idea is to suppress the overactive immune system. Living with an autoimmune condition can be debilitating, so seek treatment, practice self-care, and do all that you can to keep yourself in the best health possible at all times.