HEADACHES

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20284, 28 August 1937, Page 25 (Supplement)

HEADACHES

emptied and then trained by diet and exercise to do this work properly. If the eyes are over-strained, proper glasses and rest and protection from the light will often prove efficient. Finally, the presence of a persistent or oft-recurring headache should always be the subject of a complete investigation. A hygienic and temperate life with reasonable care of the body's requirements should keep us free from headaches, but if simple measures fail, advice should be sought so as to get at the cause.

OAU6EB AND BYMPTOM9 SUGGESTED TREATMENT (Department of Health). 'Headache is certainly one of the most frequent complaints that human life is heir to, affecting alike all classes of the community. Headache Is a symptom and not a disease, and there is a plentiful supply of drugs that will relieve the symptom and thus postpone an Investigation for the true cause. For this reason, there is no warning or danger 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 j pain may present Itself, that no particular pathological condition can be said to cause any particular kind of headache—hence only the more common condition will be referred to In this article. A very frequent cause 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 or preliminary stage of many Infectious diseases, such as influen-zn, typhoid fever, smallpox, measles, etc. 'Constipation is also of importance, but constipation is seldom an Isolated cause. It is usually associated with j poor hygiene, i.e., lack of drinking; water and other faults of diet, lack of j sleep, and work at home as well as at J the place of business, nil contributing j to bring on general fatigue. Over-eating and improper eating tfre, of oourse, frequent causes of head pain. The so-called bilious headaches, often accompanied by stomach distress and vomiting, have sometimes little to do with bile, and may even be due to eye strain. Poi- I soning and Irritation from undigested i food, and not liver trouble, are the immediate cause. When the distress Is obviously in the stomach, the more quickly the stomach is emptied the more quickly the headache and general stress will be relieved. Eye Strain. Eye strain Is recognised as being a frequent cause of headache. In many cases, however, eye strain would have little effect without a background, of nervous insufficiency. By eye strain , is meant not only strain due to defects , of vision, but to over-use and improper j use oT the eyes—reading or sewing in i dim light or in a ton brilliant direct light, or facing the light. F.ye strain is a possible cause of children’s headaches, and should always he investigated. The provision of suitable glasses to correct the existing defect often converts a mentally dull and distressed child Into a being of normal and happy mentality. The nasal oavlties, like the air cavities, are very dose to the brain; thus pressure, ulceration, or infection in these cavities may touch extremely sensitive nerves. A nose headache is usually conffned to one side, but It may be looated In the baok of the head. Brow headache or cheekache, if accompanied by a discharge from the nostril on the same side, call for Immediate Investigation by a nose and throat specialist. The teeth also must not be forgotten as a .possible cause of headache, though the pain is remote from the affected tooth. Ajjypj !j Other Causes. The feet, while anatomically 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 included in the possible causes of headaches. Neurasthenic head pain Is a frequent symptom. I*t is usually relieved by rest and sleep. Drying the hair in a current of cold air may even bring on a headache, as well as wearing headdress or a hard-rimmed tight-fitting hat which compresses the scalp. When an acute headache is present more than a day, medical advice should be sought. When headaches persistently recur, a thorough physical overhauling, commencing with careful test of the vision, is called for. Very often eye-strain is associated with other physical d.efeots, such as enlarged tonsils or nasal or ear conditions, which aggravates the strain from faulty vision. It is not good practice, therefore, to rest content with the mere correction of a visual defect. All organs and functions of the body should be carefully examined to exclude every possible defect. In addition, the living habits must be carefully considered, especially with regard to diet, sleep, recreation, and ventilation. Close.ly allied to the common but loss severe headache is migraine. This, unlike many headaches, is not merely a symptom, but seems to be a clearly defined disease entirely characterised hv periodic paroxysmal attacks, accompanied by nausea or vomiting, it is an obstinate, one-sided form of headache, often beginning in early life, and resisting all ordinary forms of treatment until about the age of fifty, when attacks subside. There is frequently a family history of such troubles. General Advice. ] Mankind generally bears pain badly, .•ud for this reason people are apt to resort to drugs for treatment of headaches. Those drugs were first thought to be 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 headache powders, practically all of which contain powerful drugs. Many parents fail to realise the danger of giving drugs to ohlldren suffering from headaches. Frequent headaches in children indicate the necessity for medical advice as to the cause, and the steps to be taken to obtain a cure. To teach children to relv on drugs for the rebel of pain may be to court future disaster. On the other hand, many simple home remedies are available that arc absolutely without danger. For nervous forms of headache, rest and sleep in u darkened room are sufficient, without aid of drugs. For the congestive throbbing form of headache, a hot foot bath and an ice bag of cold compress to the head often proves effectual. Massage of Hie scalp and nerk may bring relief. When the bowels are at fault, they should be (Continued ia previous column.)