Health and Spirituality

Health

Headaches: Types, Causes, Treatment and Prevention.

I've been having headaches almost non-stop for the past 2 days...don't know why, so decided to find out everything I need to find about this common health issue...for those in the same category with me at the moment, here's a little tip on how to take care of your headaches.

A headache (cephalgia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. It ranks amongst the most common local pain complaints.

Types

There are five types of headache: vascular, myogenic (muscle tension), cervicogenic, traction, and inflammatory.

Causes

Common causes are tension, migraine, eye strain, dehydration, low blood sugar, and sinusitis. Much rarer are headaches due to life-threatening conditions such as meningitis, encephalitis, cerebral aneurysms, and brain tumors. When the headache occurs in conjunction with a head injury the cause is usually quite evident. A large percentage of headaches among females are caused by ever-fluctuating estrogen during menstrual years. This can occur prior to, during or even midcycle menstruation.

Treatment
Not all headaches require medical attention, and respond with simple analgesia (painkillers) such as paracetamol/acetaminophen or members of the NSAID class (such as aspirin/acetylsalicylic acid or ibuprofen).

In recurrent unexplained headaches, healthcare professionals may recommend keeping a "headache diary" with entries on type of headache, associated symptoms, precipitating and aggravating factors. This may reveal specific patterns, such as an association with medication, menstruation or absenteeism or with certain foods. It was reported in March 2007 by two separate teams of researchers that stimulating the brain with implanted electrodes appears to help ease the pain of cluster headaches.

Prevention
Some forms of headache, such as migraine, may be amenable to preventative treatment. On the whole, long-term use of painkillers is discouraged as this may lead to "rebound headaches" on withdrawal. Caffeine, a vasoconstrictor, is sometimes prescribed or recommended as a remedy or supplement to pain killers in the case of extreme migraine. This has led to the development of paracetamol/caffeine analgesic. One popular herbal preventive treatment for migraines is Feverfew. Magnesium, Vitamin B2, and Coenzyme Q10 are "natural" supplements that have shown some efficacy for migraine prevention.

Spirituality

The Rosary: Beads

Yesterday, an accident victim was brought out alive from his car...which was damaged beyond recognition...around his neck was a rosary bead!

I was brought up in a strict catholic home and one of the things my mum thought all of us is the importance of the Rosary...not just praying it, but having a Rosary bead on us 24/7.

Not every Catholic believes in it. I was one of those who didn't think praying or wearing the Rosary was important. I never kept all the hand Rosaries my mum gave and insisted I wear all the time. I always found a place to hide them. At that time (Secondary school days), I didn't think it was hip to have a rosary round your wrist or neck...

It just wasn't my thing until five years ago when an aunt claimed to have survived an accident because she had a Rosary bead in her car. The following day I agreed to wear a blessed hand Rosary, two months later, five years ago, I dropped the hand Rosary and started wearing the ring Rosary, it's been with me 24/7 since then. It's on my fourth finger, right hand...and I'll wear it forever!

I have one in my car and another in my office. For some reason, I feel like it protects me, there are so many evil things on the way that just never touches me, there have been close calls that were averted, bad things that were supposed to happen that didn't happen.

I don't know, I just feel it's extremely important to have one of God's prayer bead on you at every point in time. If Catholic, then a Rosary or Scapula is recommended, if not Catholic, find a prayer bead your church believes in...or maybe just have a bible close to you all the time. I get the feeling this things really work. Not only do you have a guardian angel in your heart, you have it following you around to protect and giude you.

If you've never carried a prayer bead around with you...try it and see the difference.