By Barbara Bronson Gray
WHEN YOUR head hurts, nothing seems
right. Yet experts say new approaches can
make a big difference in preventing headaches and reducing their impact on daily life.
For some, headaches are mild and rare.
For others, they’re frequent and truly debilitating. But more than 90 percent of people
get headaches of some kind, says Dr.
Elizabeth Loder, president of the American
Headache Society and
chief of the division of
headache and pain at
Brigham and Women’s
Hospital in Boston.
What is a head-
ache? “It’s pain in the head or the face,” says
Loder. “It’s unclear where the problem lies,
but it seems certain brain cells are very easily
stimulated by a trigger of some kind.”
Most headaches are not a sign of a serious
medical condition, says Dr. Jason Rosenberg,
director of the Johns Hopkins Headache
Center in Baltimore. “As long as you return to
normal in between attacks, that is extremely
reassuring,” he says. “But still, if your head-
aches are frequent and disabling, you should
see your primary health provider.”
Here’s a look at the several different types
Migraines. About 12 percent of people— 36 million Americans—get migraines.
Migraines are the third most common medical disorder on the planet and the seventh-highest cause of global disability, according to
Rosenberg. While children and seniors can
get migraines, these headaches typically
appear in the late teens or early 20s and tend
to get better in the 50s and 60s, Loder says.
Sinus. Sinus headaches, caused by sinus
congestion, are actually quite rare. “More
than 90 percent of people who report they
have sinus headaches actually have migraines,”
Tension-type. The most common are
tension-type headaches: a dull pressure or
band-like pain on both sides of the head.
Despite their name, these headaches are not
actually caused by stress. Most are treated
effectively with over-the-counter medications
such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Combinations. Some people get different
types of headaches. Susanne Stadler, a hair-stylist in San Luis Obispo, California, sometimes develops a tension-type headache
across her forehead; the headache goes away
after she takes an aspirin or even just a nap.
But sometimes a mild headache morphs into
a migraine. “I say I’m getting a ‘funny head’; at
first it just feels like face pressure and then it
starts concentrating on one side,” she says.
“Then it starts getting worse.”
Several nonprescription medications
tend to be effective for migraines if taken as
soon as early symptoms develop. Rosenberg
says 400 to 800 milligrams of ibuprofen will
Stadler finds that taking medication at
the beginning of a migraine helps. Sometimes
she takes the prescription medication zol-mitriptan (Zomig),
then takes a nap, and
within 45 minutes or
so she feels almost
normal. “It’s changed
my life, just knowing
A new approach with sometimes dramatic success for those who suffer migraines
almost every day involves Botox (botulinum
toxin) injections to the forehead, back of the
The Costco Connection
Costco members will find a wide range
of prescription and non-prescription
products to help with their headaches
at Costco and on Costco.com.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 30
It’s unclear where
lies, but it seems
cells are very
by a trigger
of some kind.”
—Dr. Elizabeth Loder,
president of the
American Headache Society