Understanding Migraine And Other Headaches

Headaches are very common. However, most headaches only last a short time and often have a known cause. These types of headache are not usually of great concern to the sufferer as the underlying cause is apparent. Sometimes headaches do not have such an obvious origin, which can lead to a great deal of concern and anxiety. Fortunately, in most cases, the headaches are not the result of anything sinister. This book should help you to understand the cause of your headache and assist you in controlling your symptoms.

Health & SICKNESS -- Consumer Health . In the United States, eighteen percent of women, six percent of men, and four percent of children suffer from migraine headaches. All races are affected, although, for reasons which are unknown, whites are more likely than African Americans to be afflicted with the condition, and Asian Americans are least often migraine sufferers. Migraine is an inherited condition-many families can trace it back for generations-and it has enormous economic and social consequences, both to individual sufferers, and to the society as a whole. The cost to the U.S. society alone is in excess of $13 billion per year in lost productivity and in health care. Understanding Migraine and Other Headaches provides up-to-date information on the causes and diagnoses, as well as current preventive measures, effective treatments, and surgical procedures. The book gives an overview of every major type of headache, including the debilitating, nausea-inducing forms of migraine, episodic tension-type headaches (the most common form), chronic daily headaches, and more obscure head-aches such as trigeminal neuralgia and cluster headaches. This book is intended for those who are burdened by headaches as well as for their families, coworkers, employers, and friends. As such, it is written in a lucid and simple style that is accessible both to lay readers and medical professionals. In the last two decades, revolutionary new migraine-specific medications have been developed. This book undertakes a comprehensive look at medications for acute as needed treatment of headaches and for preventing the onset of an attack. It offers guidelines for assessing headache pain, the level and type of medication needed, possible side effects, and drug effectiveness. Stewart J. Tepper is director of the New England Center for Headaches in Stamford, Connecticut.

"English," wrote Virginia Woolf, "which can express the thoughts of Hamlet and the tragedy of Lear, has no words for the shiver and the headache ... let a sufferer try to describe a pain in his head to a doctor and language at once runs dry. Despite Woolf's astute observation and the apparent dearth of writings on such subjects, editor Kathleen O'Shea has managed to gather a wide selection of helpful excerpts, chapters, poetry, and even a short play in this anthology-all with a view toward increasing our understanding and ending the stigma attached to migraines and migraine sufferers. Unlike clinical materials, this anthology addresses the feelings and symptoms that the writers have experienced, sometimes daily. These pieces speak freely about the loneliness and helplessness one feels when a migraine comes on. The sufferer faces nausea, pain, sensitivity to light, and having the veracity of all these symptoms doubted by others. O'Shea, a professor of literature and a migraine sufferer herself, also includes an original essay of her own reflections. Offered as an alternative not only to medical writing but also to self-help books and internet blogs, So Much More Than a Headache addresses a real omission in the available works on migraine, provides a resource for those who may have under-estimated the depth and range of writing on this subject, and challenges the cultural bias that dismisses migraine as "just a headache".

Twelve percent of the world's population is affected by migraines, tallying up to more than 35 million people in the US alone. The World Health Organization lists it among the top ten most disabling conditions. But even with those numbers, why are we still plagued with this disorder and what can we do, in our daily lives, to manage this devastating and demoralizing brain illness? Understanding Your Migraines: A Guide for Patients and Families addresses, in clear prose: · The impact migraines can have on your life, and your family's; · How to communicate and work with your medical team to make sure nothing is overlooked in your quest to conquer your migraines; · Non-medicinal and new experimental ways to reduce migraine symptoms; · The special and important cases of dealing with migraine during pregnancy, in children, and in adolescents; · How you can find online and community resources for learning more. Understanding Your Migraine: A Guide for Patients and Families brings together the expertise of two eminent headache neurologists, Dr. Morris Levin and Dr. Thomas Ward, who have each been caring for headache patients for more than 35 years. Peppered with patient cases to show how to successfully deal with a variety of headache issues, the authors address common concerns in an easy-to-read and comprehensive manner, making this a must-have on every bedside table.

The book is geared toward the patient and their families and is written in a style that is easily understood; Provide advice on how to select a doctor and what information to provide to the doctor; Provides specific examples of all types of headaches and a real feeling for the condition; Takes a systematic approach to alternative treatments and provides evidence to support how these treatments can help alleviate headache symptoms. Table of Contents Section 1: Managing Your Headaches 1- Introduction: Why Is Headache So Important? 2- Pain, Disability, and Stigma in Persons with Headache 3- The History of Headache 4- Headaches Requiring Urgent Medical Attention 5- Managing Headaches, an Overview Section 2: Primary Headache Disorders 6- Migraine: Causes and Triggers 7- Treating Migraine with Medication 8- Alternative and Behavioral Treatments for Migraine 9- Migraine in Kids 10- Managing the Conditions That Often Coexist with Migraine 11- Tension-Type Headache 12- Cluster Headache 13- Unusual Primary Headaches Section 3: Secondary Headaches and Neuralgias 14- Sinus Headache and Nasal Disease 15- Disorders of the Neck 16- Post-Traumatic Headache 17- Atypical Facial Pain 18- Trigeminal Neuralgia Glossary Appendix - Resources for Patients with Headache Disorders Index.

There are two crucial issues in the treatment and management of headache patients: More than 50% of individuals experiencing headache have only been treated symptomatically, with no appropriate diagnosis established; and history and neurologic examination are essential to establishing a diagnosis, and thus selecting appropriate therapy. Headache and Migraine Biology and Management is a practical text that addresses these issues, featuring contributions from expert clinical authors. The book covers in detail topics including chronic and episodic migraine, post-traumatic headache, sinus headache, cluster headache, tension headache, and others. Chapters are also dedicated to treatment subjects, including psychiatric and psychological approaches, medication overuse, inpatient treatment, and pediatric issues. This book is an ideal resource for researchers and clinicians, uniting practical discussion of headache biology, current ideas on etiology, future research, and genetic significance and breakthroughs. This resource is useful to those who want to understand headache biology, treat and manage symptoms, and for those performing research in the headache field. A practical discussion of headache biology, current ideas on etiology, future research, and genetic significance and breakthroughs Features chapters from leading physicians and researchers in headache medicine Full-color text that includes both an overview of multiple disciplines and discusses the measures that can be used to treat headaches

In its different presentations, headache is one of the most commonsymptoms seen by family practitioners. The difficulty is indiagnosing the cause of the headache so that the appropriatetreatment is provided, or if referral to a specialist is therecommended course of action. The ABC of Headache helps with this dilemma and guidesthe healthcare professional to look for the possible causes ofpresenting symptoms. Based on real case histories, each chapterguides the reader from symptoms through to diagnosis andmanagement. This new ABC is a highly illustrated, informative, andpractical source of knowledge. With links to further informationand resources, it is a valuable text for healthcare professionalsat all levels of practice and training.