If you suffer from headaches and none of the
standard treatments help, do not despair. Some
people find that their headaches disappear once they
deal with a troubled marriage, pass their certifying
board exams, or resolve some other stressful problem.
Others find that if they control their psychological
reaction to stress, the headaches disappear.
"I had migraines for several years," says one
woman, "and then they went away. I think it was
because I lowered my personal goals in life. Today,
even though I have 100 things to do at night, I
don't worry about it. I learned to say no."
For those who cannot say no, or who get headaches
anyway, today's headache research offers hope. The
work of NINDS-supported scientists around the world
promises to improve our understanding of this
complex disorder and provide better tools to treat
it.
angiography-an imaging technique that
provides a picture, called an angiogram, of blood
vessels.
aura-a symptom of classic migraine
headache in which the patient sees flashing lights
or zigzag lines, or may temporarily lose vision
basilar artery migraine-migraine,
occurring primarily in young women and often
associated with the menstrual cycle, that involves a
disturbance of a major brain artery. Symptoms
include vertigo, double vision, and poor muscular
coordination.
benign exertional headache-headache
brought on by running, lifting, coughing, sneezing,
or bending.
biofeedback-a technique in which
patients are trained to gain some voluntary control
over certain physiological conditions, such as blood
pressure and muscle tension, to promote relaxation.
Thermal biofeedback helps patients
consciously raise hand temperature, which can
sometimes reduce the number and intensity of
migraines.
cluster headaches-intensely painful
headaches-occurring suddenly and lasting between 30
and 45 minutes-named for their repeated occurrence
in groups or clusters. They begin as minor pain
around one eye and eventually spread to that side of
the face.
computer tomography (CT)-an imaging
technique that uses X-rays and computer analysis to
provide a picture of body tissues and structures.
dihydroergotamine-a drug that is
given by injection to treat cluster headaches. It is
a form of the antimigraine drug ergotamine tartrate.
electroencephalogram (EEG)-a
technique for recording electrical activity in the
brain.
electromyography (EMG)-a special
recording technique that detects electric activity
in muscle. Patients are sometimes offered a type of
biofeedback called EMG training, in which they learn
to control muscle tension in the face, neck, and
shoulders.
endorphins-naturally occurring
painkilling chemicals. Some scientists theorize that
people who suffer from severe headache have lower
levels of endorphins than people who are generally
pain free.
ergotamine tartrate-a drug that is
used to control the painful dilation stage of
migraine.
hemiplegic migraine-a type of
migraine causing temporary paralysis on one side of
the body (hemiplegia)
inflammatory headache-a headache
that is a symptom of another disorder, such as sinus
infection, and is treated by curing the underlying
problem.
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-an
imaging technique that uses radio waves, magnetic
fields, and computer analysis to provide a picture
of body tissues and structures.
migraine-a vascular headache
believed to be caused by blood flow changes and
certain chemical changes in the brain leading to a
cascade of events - including constriction of
arteries supplying blood to the brain and the
release of certain brain chemicals - that result in
severe head pain, stomach upset, and visual
disturbances.
muscle-contraction headaches-headaches
caused primarily by sustained muscle tension or,
possibly, by restricted blood flow to the brain. Two
forms of muscle-contraction headache are tension
headache, induced by stress, and
chronic muscle-contraction headache, which can
last for extended periods, involves steady pain, and
is usually felt on both sides of the head.
nociceptors-the endings of
pain-sensitive nerves that, when stimulated by
stress, muscular tension, dilated blood vessels, or
other triggers, send messages up the nerve fibers to
nerve cells in the brain, signaling that a part of
the body hurts.
ophthalmoplegic migraine-a form of
migraine felt around the eye and associated with a
droopy eyelid, double vision, and other sight
problems.
prostaglandins-naturally occurring
pain-producing substances thought to be implicated
in migraine attacks. Their release is triggered by
the dilation of arteries. Prostaglandins are
extremely potent chemicals involved in a diverse
group of physiological processes.
serotonin-a key neurotransmitter
that acts as a powerful constrictor of arteries,
reducing the blood supply to the brain and
contributing to the pain of headache.
sinusitis-an infection, either
viral or bacterial, of the sinus cavities. The
infection leads to inflammation of these cavities,
causing pain and sometimes headache.
sumatriptan-a commonly used
migraine drug that binds to receptors for the
neurotransmitter serotonin.
status migrainosus-a rare,
sustained, and severe type of migraine,
characterized by intense pain and nausea and often
leading to hospitalization of the patient.
thermography-a technique sometimes
used for diagnosing headache in which an infrared
camera converts skin temperature into a color
picture, called a thermogram, with different
degrees of heat appearing as different colors.
temporomandibular joint dysfunction-a
disorder of the joint between the temporal bone (above
the ear) and the lower jaw bone that can cause
muscle-contraction headaches.
tic douloureux-see
trigeminal neuralgia
traction headaches-headaches caused
by pulling or stretching pain-sensitive parts of the
head, as, for example, when eye muscles are tensed
to compensate for eyestrain.
trigeminal neuralgia-a condition
resulting from a disorder of the trigeminal nerve.
Symptoms are headache and intense facial pain that
comes in short, excruciating jabs.
vascular headaches- headaches
caused by abnormal function of the brain's blood
vessels or vascular system. Migraine is a type of
vascular headache.
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