HEALTH NOTES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5367, 21 December 1928, Page 4

HEALTH NOTES.

HEADACHES. CAUSES AND TREATMENT. (Contributed by thq Department of Health.) Headache iss certainly one of the most frequent complaints that human life; is heir to, effecting alike ajl clashes of the community. Headache is a symptom and not a and there is a plentiful supply of drugs that will relieve the symptoms and thus postpone an investigation for the true; cause. For this reason there is no warning or clanger signal so frequently neglected as a headache. There are so many factors entering into the causation of headaches, and so many different ways in which the paint may present itself, that no particular pathological condition can oe said to cause any particular kind of headache; hence onfly the more common condition will be referred to in this article. A very frequqnt c,ause is the onset of an acute infection, usually of the upper respiratory tract, such as the “common cold;” Headaches are a usual symptom of the prodromal of preliminary stage of many infectious disqas,es, such as influenza, typhoid fever, smallpox, measles, etc. Constipation is also of importance, but conjstipation is seldom an isolati ed cause. It Is usually associated with pcjor hygiene—d.e., lack of drinking water and other faults of diqt, lac,k of sleep, and work at home as well aq at the place of business —all contributing to bring on genial fatigue. IMPROPER EATING. Over-eating and improper, eating, of course, frequent causes o.f head pain. The so-called bilious headaches, often accompanied] by stomqch distress and vomiting .have sometimess little to db with bile, and may eyen be due to, eye strain. Poisoning and irritation from undigested food, and not liver trouble, are the immediate causft When the distress is obviously in the stomach the more quickly the stomach is emptied thq more quickly will the headache and general stress be relievedl EYE STRAIN. Eye strain is recognised as being a frequent cause of hec;(jache. In many cases, however, eye strain) would have little effect without a background of nervous insufficiency. By eye strain is meant not onjy strain due to defects of vision, but to over-use bqd improper use of the eyes—reading or sewing in dim light or in to.o brilliant direct light, or facing the light, in this respect advice as to th« protection of the eyes ihas already been given in a previous article of this series, “Care of the Eyes.” Eye strain is a possible of children s headaches, and should always be investigated. The provision of suitable glasses to correct the existing defect often converts a meoitallv dull and distressed child into a being of normal and happy mentality. The nasal cavities, like the air cavities, are s very close to the brain ; thq pressure, ulceration, or infection in these cavities may touch extremely sensitive nerves. A nose-headache is usually confined to one sjde, but it may be located in the back of t.ie head. Brow headache br dheekacjhq, if accompanied by a discharge from the nostril on thfe same side, calls for. immediate Investigation by a nose and throat specialist. The teeth alsp mu'st not be forgotten as a possible qause of headache, - though the pain is. remote from the affected topth. OTHER CAUSES. The feet, while anatomatically remote: from the head, may, nevertheless, give rise to severe 'headaches. Fallen arches lead, to leg pain, back pain, and head pain. Tight shoes, tight corsets, and tight collars must be includeji in thje possible causes of headaches. Neurasthenic head pain is a frequent symptom. It is usually relieved by rest and sleep. When the acute hecsd'ache is present more than a day medica advice should be sought. When headaches persistently recur, a thorough physical overhauling, commencing with careful tests of the vision, is calleji for. Very often eye strain; is associated with other physical defects, such hs ( en-i larged' tonsils, or nasal or ear conditions, which aggravates the strain from faulty vision, it is not good practice, therefore, to rqst' content with the mere . correction of the visual effect. All organs and func-; tions of the body should! be carefully examined to exclude ejvery possible defect, in addition, the living habits must be carefully copjsiidlered, especially with regard to diet, sfeep, recreation, and ventilation. MIGRAINE. Closely allied to the common but less severe headache is migraine. This, unlike many headac’hes, is not merely f. symptom, but seoms to be a clearJy defined disease entirely .sed by periodic paroxysmal attacKs, accompanied by nausea or vomiting. It is an obs.tinate, one-si led form bf headache, often, begin.nli.ng in early life, and resisting all ordinary forms of treatment until the age of fifty, when attacks subsidlq. There, is frequently a family history of such troubles. GENERAL ADVICE. Mankind generally bears pain badly, and for this reason people are apt to resort to drugs for treatment of heads acheB. These drugs wqre first thought to he harmless,, but cases of death from over-doses and from heart depression have been reported!, and there is every reason to believe that the repeated and continuous use of such remedies has a weakening effect on the circulation. There; is ample justification, therefore, to warrant the issue of a warning against the indiscriminate use of headachy powders, practically all of which contain powerful drug's. Many parents', fail to realise the danger of giving c,hil-. dren suffering from headaches drugs such as phenacetin and aspirin. Frequent headaches in children indicate the necessity for medical advice as to the cause and the steps to be tali'.en to obtain a. cure. To teach childr en

to rely bn drugs for the relief of pain may be to court future; disaster. On the other, hand, many simple home remedies are invaluable that are absojutqly without danger. For nervous forms of headache rest and sleep in a darkened room are sufficient, without aid of drugs. Far the congestive, throbbing form of headache a Abt foot-bath and an ice bag or cold compress to thq head often proves effectual. When the bowels are at fault they should be emptied and then trained by diet and exercisq to do, this work properly. If the eyes arq o,ver-strained, proper glasses and res t< and protection from the light will often prove efficient.

Finally, the presence of a persistent and oft-recurring headache should always be the subject of a complete investigation. It is often the premonitory, and for some time often the onjy, symptom of serious brain disease, such as brain tumour, inflamhar tion of the coverings of the brain, and other conditions that lead to an increased pressure on the contents of the skull; no persistent or recurring headache should ever be neglected.