Headache is one of the most common human illness. A headache is a pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The pain is caused by disturbance of the pain-sensitive structures around the brain. There are a number of different types of headaches.

Types of Headache

Common Headache: A variety of causes can lead to headache, like fever, injury, anxiety, long hours at work, lack of sleep, common cold and so on. Headache in such cases can vary in severity from a mild discomfort to a pain which makes you unable to work. It occurs for a limited duration with no side effects and is usually relieved with common medications like Aspirin (Disprin), Paracetamol (Calpol).

Migraine: The main characteristics of a migraine headache are that it occurs in children and young to middle-aged adults. It is a dull ache; causing nausea or vomiting; occurs usually on one side of the head and lasts for 1-2 hrs. It is usually relieved with sleep, a dark room, and relaxation.

Tension headache: It usually affects both side of the head, or the neck. It persists continuously throughout the day and night without any relief in between. It may occur under conditions of emotional crises or intense worry.

Symptoms of headache

• Headache can be mild, moderate or severe pain that affects the whole head, a part of the head, forehead or the eyes
• Nausea
• Difficulty in sleeping
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling of uneasiness

Causes Of Headache

• Sinusitis
• Hypertension
• Constipation
• Over work
• Mental stress
• Indigestion
• Acidity
• Sleeplessness
• Fever
• Excessive consumption of tea, coffee, aspirin or nicotine is also known to contribute to headache
• Nervous weakness
• Anemia
• Deficiency of oxygen in the blood
• Reading with insufficient light

Remedies for Headache

• Take clove, cinnamon and almond in equal quantities and grind together with a little water to make a paste. Apply paste on the forehead.
• Mix a quarter teaspoon of clove powder in one teaspoon of cinnamon oil. Apply mixture to the location of pain.
• Take a few drops of ghee on your palm. Mix 3 or 4 pieces of saffron in it, and rub it for two minutes. The saffron does not dissolve in the ghee, but its qualities are absorbed. Remove saffron and put two drops of this ghee in each nostril.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of milk and half teaspoon of ginger powder and put drops in each nostril.
• Wrap a wet cloth around the neck.
• Oil massage on the scalp also relieves tension and headache. Sesame oil, almond oil, mustard oil can be used for massage.