Headaches – Introduction
Headaches are one of the most common complaints. Yet despite this, the precise mechanism and cause of certain types of headache remains unclear.
The three main types of headache are
- Tension
- Migraines
- Cluster
Tension headaches – are characterised by constant pressure or tightness that affects both sides of the head accompanied by contraction of the neck muscles. They are the most common type of headache. The exact cause is unclear, but tension headaches have been linked to things such as stress, poor posture, skipping meals and dehydration.
Migraines – are typically characterised by a throbbing or pulsating pain. In addition you feel worse for physical activity and there often additional symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, sound and/or smells.
Cluster Headaches – are characterised by being very severe but generally lasting less than one hour. One characteristic of cluster headaches is that the pain is often centred on the eye, which may water. They are called cluster headaches because they can occur up to eight times in one day, for a few weeks or up to two months. Their cause is unknown but there is subjective evidence to suggest the triggers may include alcohol, strong smelling substances or extreme rise in temperatures.
Identifying which type of headache you have can be very difficult as tension headaches and migraines share many of the same traits.
Treating and preventing headaches depends on the individual and type of headache. It is often advisable to keep a diary in order to identify which type of headache(s), they experience and if there are specific triggers that can be avoided.
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In part 1, I introduced the concept of positive psychology. Positive psychologists say that it takes 21 days to re-program the brain. They also say that doing the following activities every day can allow you to see the positive in your life rather than looking for negatives, to reduce stress and anxiety.
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- Meditation helps you stop over thinking!
- Random acts of kindness - do at least one kind act a week, even if its just sending a text to say thank you.
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A surprising benefit of HIIT
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the standard approaches to slow the growth of colon cancer - but high intensity exercise can have the same positive effect - a new study has found. Even a short session of high intensity interval training (HIIT) can induce changes in blood cells that slow the growth of colon cancer cells or even kill them off completely. These positive effects were seen after just one exercise session, although the colon cancer patients went on to complete 12 HIIT sessions over a month. Even after the first session, blood samples showed an increase in markers of inflammation, and when cancer cells in the lab wehre exposed to these samples they started dying, researchers at the University of Queensland have discovered. Although earlier studies have shown that intesntive exercise can dlow the growth of cancer cells, the researchers were surprised to see it was also reducing the number of cancer cells, suggesting they were beign killed off. Reference James L. Devin, Michelle M. Hill, Marina Mourtzakis, Joe Quadrilatero, David G. Jenkins, Tina L. Skinner. Acute high intensity interval exercise reduces colon cancer cell growth. The Journal of Physiology, 2019
Sleep – So you aren’t sleeping well, what can you do?
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