

What is the difference between a headache and a migraine?
Well, for starters, they’re both a pain in the head and elsewhere! There are several different types of headaches, and all can cause a great deal of distress to sufferer significantly impacting their ability to function, perform optimally, and reducing quality of life..
The causes, symptoms and treatment of headaches are multifaceted, often associated with various intracranial and extracranial factors. Irrespective of the causative agent, the primary consequence is pain, which can vary from dull to sharp, from throbbing to non-pulsatile, with a range of sufferer-specific experiences in between.
Besides being classified by their pain descriptions, headaches are also categorised by their duration, e.g. acute, chronic and/ or transient, as well as by their nature, e.g. tension or stress headaches, sinus headaches, cluster headaches, and migraines. The most common headache is probably tension headache, which often develops in response to stress and manifests as pressure and a dull ache.
TENSION HEADACHES
There is no one specific cause of tension headaches, since triggers vary widely from person to person. However, there is general consensus that the most recognised triggers include stress, or a relative imbalance between negative stress (distress) and positive stress (eustress). Other contributing factors include emotions, such as anxiety, worry, depression, and anger; muscular spasms or tension, whether from trauma, ergonomics or other causes; eye strain; ear, nose and throat infections; dehydration; lack of exercise; irregular sleep; and substance use or abuse.
General body and/or bowel toxicity, as well as an over-acidic body state, can also be responsible for headaches. Although not conventionally accepted as triggers, food or environmental allergens, including natural or chemical odours, and stimulant beverages like coffee and alcohol, feature prominently as prime headache inducers in the complementary and alternative medicine literature. Nutritional deficiencies such as low magnesium levels are other culprits. For many women, missing meals can lead to hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), which can cause headaches, as can hormonal imbalances and fluctuations, such as menstrual cycle/PMS-related headaches.
CLUSTER HEADACHES
It’s fortunate that cluster headaches, a type of vascular headache, are uncommon, since they cause such extreme pain that they are known as ‘suicide headaches’. Although no definite cause has been identified for these debilitating and exhausting headaches, the symptoms tend to follow a classic pattern. They are episodic, usually occurring several times a day and often over several days, i.e. in a cluster. The pain escalates within 5 – 10 minutes of starting, and lasts for anything from 10 minutes to 3 hours before abating. Symptoms are unilateral ocular pain (i.e. around one eye), or pain in the temple region. The pain is often described as initially dull but becoming deep and piercing, and it can spread to the entire affected side of the face (and even the teeth).
Other symptoms may include extreme sensitivity to light, the eye on the side of the pain watering and becoming bloodshot, nasal congestion followed by a runny nose, flushing of the face, excessive sweating, pupil constriction, eyelid droop, and temporal arterial enlargement. Cluster headaches are difficult to treat because they do not respond well to conventional medication, which focuses on palliative pain treatment.
Unlike migraine, in cluster headaches no aura precedes the pain and there is no concomitant nausea; the pain is also not relieved by darkness or reduced activity. Although lying down often helps other types of headaches, it actually increases cluster-headache pain. These headaches are often triggered by alcohol consumption, and are ten times more common among men (typically between the ages of 20 and 40) than women.
MIGRAINES
Migraine is another vascular type of headache, but unlike cluster headaches it is more common in women than in men. Migraines can be divided into two main categories: common migraine, i.e. without ‘aura’, and classic migraine, which is migraine with aura (about 10 – 30% of migraines are with aura). Either way, migraine is usually an intense, throbbing headache that starts on one side of the head, in the temple, eye, jaw, ear or forehead, before spreading further. It is often accompanied by nausea or vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light, sound, smells and movement. Migraines typically last anywhere from 2 to over 70 hours, averaging 12 – 18 hours, and can be totally incapacitating.
The causes of migraine are not clear, though researchers tend to agree that changes in blood flow are key. Genetics probably play a role, since there is a clear family history in about 75% of sufferers, and low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin have also been implicated. (Taking a substance called 5-HTP, which is a precursor to serotonin, can raise serotonin levels and prevent migraines in some patients.) Low levels of the body’s natural opiate, endorphin, may be responsible for altered pain responses. In addition, changes in oestrogen levels appear to influence migraine attacks. Migraines are common after stressful events, such as at the end of a working week, or when ‘letting go’.
Other common triggers include temperature and weather fluctuations, flickering or very bright lights, certain foods, beverages and medications, cigarette smoking, allergies, erratic meals or fasting, and too little or too much sleep. Migraines can therefore often be prevented by controlling or avoiding individual, predictable triggers. Conventional medicine treats migraine with either medication that prevents an attack or medication that relieves symptoms.
TREATING HEADACHES
There are many natural therapies available for the treatment of headaches. These include acupuncture and shiatsu, aromatherapy, biofeedback and hypnotism, chiropractic, osteopathy and/or cranio-sacral therapy, exercise and yoga therapy, herbal medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy (hot and cold packs), meditation and other stress reduction therapies, nutritional therapy and reflexology.
Gentle massage, and other techniques that address the anatomical and physiological aspects of headache, can redress and/ or relieve causes such as blood vessel and muscle function. For example, in tension headaches the cascade of events begins with muscles in the head, neck and shoulders becoming tense, followed by blood vessel constriction in the head. If one is aware of this and keeps the muscles relaxed, blood vessel constriction and consequently the pain cascade can be prevented. Blood vessels in the head behave differently when it comes to migraines, however, as they first constrict and then expand, which causes the typical vascular-type pain so specific to migraine headaches.
Acupuncture and other modalities that work with the body’s energy channels apply different treatment approaches, such as unblocking energy channels to permit free flow of energy or ‘chi’ through the body’s meridians or subtle energy systems.
SELF-HELP TIPS
Massaging certain acupressure points on the head, hands and feet can relieve headaches, but if you are inexperienced in this discipline you should seek treatment from a qualified acupuncture or acupressure/shiatsu practitioner.
Aromatherapeutic treatment, useful for tension headache in particular, is both easy and pleasurable. Pulse-point treatments can be used in the workplace, while more leisurely baths and massages can be applied at home. Peppermint and lavender are the two essential oils most commonly associated with headache relief, although there are many more. Peppermint is a powerful analgesic which simultaneously helps with nausea, while lavender calms and relaxes the nervous system. ‘Spot treatment’ with a scant drop of either of these oils on the temples, nape of the neck, and/or forehead can often stop a headache in its tracks.
NB. Keep essential oils away from the eyes. Professional aromatic medicine treatments are able to address many of both the overt physical stressors and the underlying subtle stressors that exacerbate tension headaches, and pain in general, in a safe and effective manner. Aromatic self-help, using top-quality essential oils, coupled with regular aromatherapeutic treatments from a qualified practitioner, is one of the most delightful, healthy addictions imaginable! Consulting a registered therapeutic aromatherapist is another option, since s/he can formulate individual treatment protocols.
Many herbs have proven beneficial effects for headache treatment. A safe and easy way to self-medicate is with herbal teas or tisanes such as chamomile and passionflower (feverfew is also effective, though very bitter). Alternatively, consult a registered phytotherapist for individualized treatment.
CONCLUSION
The holistic treatment perspective involves both establishing and eliminating the agents causing the headaches, in as non-invasive and non-toxic a manner as possible. The integrative and naturopathic medicine approach also subscribes to the belief that pain is the body’s way of alerting us to imbalances or problems that need attention. Since each person is a unique individual, a specific, individualised, holistic remedial programme offers one of the best options for headache management and treatment.
There is no right or wrong method when it comes to pain control. Whatever works for the individual person is good enough.
Editor's note: Let us have a look at the nutritional components to headaches. This is an article bu Hannah Kaye Nutritional Headache Management
Get Social