We’re here for you to help relieve your pain with an acute headache or migraine, and we’re also here to help you prevent future headaches.
Visit one of our locations when you need help with your headache on the day you are struggling with symptoms, and schedule an appointment with our sister organization, Spire Health Pathways, if you want to take the steps to prevent and lessen your headaches naturally, by treating the root cause of your condition.
Headaches and migraines are painful and make it hard to concentrate, leading to missed time from work and from the activities we love. Let us help guide you to an individualized treatment plan that can reduce your headache frequency and even eliminate them completely with lifestyle changes and natural supplements including vitamins and minerals.
Headaches can sometimes be mild, but in many cases, they can cause severe pain that makes it difficult to concentrate at work and perform other daily activities. A migraine is a type of headache that is characterized by mild to severe episodes of headache and other associated symptoms like nausea, sensitivity to sound, light, and head movement.
Causes
Depending on the cause, headaches can be divided into primary and secondary types.
Primary headache
In primary headache, the pain itself is the main problem and is not a symptom of any underlying medical condition. There are various categories of primary headaches including cluster headache, tension headache, and migraine.
Secondary headache
Secondary headaches are those that are due to an underlying medical condition like a brain tumor, or pain that originates in the neck or shoulders.
Diagnosis
Headaches are usually diagnosed after taking a thorough medical history. In more rare cases, advanced diagnostic tools and techniques are used to identify the source of headache pain. These techniques are more helpful for diagnosing secondary headache pain. These include:
- Blood draws to look for abnormal electrolytes, hormone abnormalities, or signs of inflammation
- Computer tomography (CT) scan to look for internal structural abnormalities
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can also look for abnormalities.
- Spinal tap to evaluate for infections in or near the brain
Headache and migraine triggers
Headache and migraine triggers are defined as any physiological or environmental factors that can elicit headaches or migraine.
Environmental factors
Environmental triggers like light, noise, strong odor, and excessive sensory stimuli can provoke migraines and headaches. Painful stimuli that provoke migraine usually occur in the head and neck region.
Food factors
There are numerous food triggers for migraines which include caffeine, chocolates, vinegar, and some nuts. Byproducts of food aging like cheese, red wine and yeast can also stimulate migraine.
Physiologic factors
Stress is the common trigger for headaches and migraine. Other physiologic stress factors like hunger, anxiety, exercise, and even pain can provoke migraine. Excess sleeping is also associated with migraine.
Migraines are commonly triggered by hormone changes, like a decrease in estrogen levels before the menstrual period or after menopause.
Treatment Plan
Some common over the counter (OTC) medications for headaches and migraines are ibuprofen, aspirin, and acetaminophen. These OTC medications will relieve pain within a few minutes, but if the pain gets worse, then medical care may be necessary.
Various prescription drugs are used to address headaches, depending on the type. Some examples are triptans like sumitriptan, anti-nausea medications, and even oxygen.
It is important to note that triptans can suppress symptoms, but when taken frequently can worsen the situation by causing rebound symptoms that are more intense than the original manifestation.
Contact us
In case of urgent medical care assistance, AfterOurs Urgent Care offers immediate telemedicine services, where medical providers are available to offer assistance. Anyone who experiences signs and symptoms requiring urgent medical attention can simply book their appointment with AfterOurs Urgent Care to directly talk to an expert. If your medical issue is not appropriate for telemedicine, we will let you know and refer you to an in-person facility.
When to visit a doctor:
If you experience a severe headache, you should see a medical provider in order to avoid possible serious complications.
Treatment of headaches and migraines is available at AfterOurs Urgent Care.