Headaches in History

As long as there have been headaches in history, there has been a headache specialist trying to provide cures. We use the term 'specialist' loosely as we look through headache relief history. We can only imagine what prehistoric headache pain relief looked like. Rudimentary mortar and pestle begins our tour of headaches in history, as sufferers 'rack their brains' so to speak, in curing uncomfortable sensations of the cranial variety.

In America it was the Native Americans who first looked to nature to cure our throbbing, stabbing and various dull aches of the head. The bark of the White Willow Tree was used in primitive cultures as headache pain relief. Various methods of boiling, pulverizing and soaking were used to create a tea or edible substance that most likely did help, due to salicin, a natural component in the bark which is similar to aspirin. Though slower and weaker than aspirin, chewing on a tree was probably the first option in headache relief history.

The ancient Chinese took this all a step further by digging up the plants and confiscating the roots. Ginseng and Licorice root have been used to provide headache relief, cough cures and pretty much anything else that ails a human. When it comes to your headache pain, something is always better than nothing. The Ancient Chinese were also proponents of cupping the skin with small cups to create a vacuum effect on the skin. This may have gotten the blood flowing, but likely one's head was still pounding.

The ancient Greeks and Romans used various herbal teas still popular today. Chamomile has long been used for a soothing, relaxing result as tea. Peppermint and Rosemary leaves are popular headache cures with its proponents touting mellow moods and calm feelings. Peppermint and Rosemary are also used as an insecticide. Instead of those, back then one would simply apply something to the head such as an onion or cabbage. The Ancient Greeks and Romans found this handy, but not extremely effective.

Early Indian tribes drank wild basil tea and then poured some over the patient's head, providing the first dual action cure. There is no secure evidence that any of these ancient historical headache remedies actually worked, but they are interesting to look back on and see where headache relief stemmed from. It is, however, a good thing we don’t use these types of headachecures today.

While some of the earliest forms of headache relief may have prevented a patient's total despair, none provides the actual cures that a real headache specialist like Dr. Rayl dispenses. In this modern day in age, headache and TMJ specialists like Jeffery Rayl have more advanced technology to treat your headache or TMJ pain. If you have severe or mild headache pain and are looking for help, call the Denver Institute of Headache, TMJ and SleepDisorder Relief today! We can treat any pain you may have an can guarantee your treatment will be much more effective than what the ancient Chinese or Greeks came up with!

Headaches and Your Diet

Research has shown a link between headaches and the types of food that headache sufferers ingest on a regular basis. If you tend to suffer from frequent headaches and your diet contains foods that are considered to be “headache triggers”, changing your diet could possibly help you to get relief. Certain foods are among the most common causes of headaches and knowing these foods will help sufferers avoid the ones that could cause them pain.

Some studies done on diets and headaches suggest that foods containing tyramine, which is a chemical that is found naturally in some foods, could be a major contributor to headaches. Tyramine is a compound that is found in foods that have been aged. Cheese, alcohol, certain condiments and fruits and vegetables that are overripe can all contain this compound. Eating foods with tyramine in them could trigger migraines and other headaches.

When considering headaches and your diet, it is essential to actually consider individual foods as opposed to a general diet overview. One or two foods included in your diet could be the culprit and eliminating these foods could provide significant relief from headache pain. As a general rule, foods and beverages that contain high amounts of caffeine should be avoided. Caffeine itself is a natural headache trigger which may provoke that mid-day headache everyone dreads while at work. Chocolate, coffee, some teas and other foods that contain caffeine could be causes of headaches in many sufferers.

MSG or Monosodium Glutamate is another food additive that is closely linked to headaches. Studies have shown that up to 15 percent of people who eat foods containing this additive suffer from chronic headaches. MSG is a common ingredient in soy sauce and other condiments. Those who are looking to eliminate headaches should concentrate on avoiding foods that contain many different preservatives. Natural foods are a much better choice for obvious health reasons. Given the link between diets and headaches, it simply stands to reason that avoiding processed or preserved foods could help many who suffer from stress headaches and migraines to live healthier and happier lives.

It is commonly known that one's diet can cause headaches depending on the foods that they ingest. If you are not completely sure that your diet is in fact causing your headaches, come in to see Dr. Rayl for a professional diagnosis. Your diet may not even be a factor of your headache pain. Come in to the Denver Institute for Headache, TMJ and SleepApnea Relief to seek professional, medical help and find out the cause of your headaches once and for all. Call us today!

Are Headaches Normal?

Millions of people in today's society have become more perplexed with the sensations of abnormal or normal headaches; they find it to be difficult in determining the difference between the two. This provokes us to ask questions such as "are headaches normal?" When this question is posed, the answer is automatically dependent upon certain circumstances. There are different considerations one must take in order to determine whether headaches are to be considered normal. For instance, if an individual receives a sporadic headache, that most of the time is be considered normal. However, headaches such as cluster headaches are a totally different story.

A normal headache is an irritating pain that typically ranges from mild to severe. It is derived from many factors but an urgent health condition is not one of them. One of the causes of headaches is dehydration--can be fatal unless treated promptly. If an individual fails to intake a sufficient amount of water, then he or she could suffer a mild to severe headache, which is considered to be a normal headache. Normal headaches are easily cured or subsided by the intake of proper medication or configuring the issue and fixing it. The person(s) with the dehydration issue can proceed to consume 64 to 80 ounces of water per day, and it may result in a headache relief. Other causes of headaches may stem from a sinus infection, or even a menstrual cycle. Many would not have guessed that a woman's cycle could also be the cause of a headache but it is believed to be factual. If an individual cultivates a headache that stems from one the causes listed above, then that is considered a normal headache. 

If an individual is undergoing headaches that are resulting in excruciating pain and the intake of medicine is not resulting in headache relief, then that individual could be experiencing abnormal headaches. When an individual is experiencing abnormal headaches, they may encounter nausea, enlarged pupils, confusion, and blurred vision. When an individual develop these symptoms, they are far from normal headaches and one should seek medical attention promptly. This is when headache professionals like Dr. Jeffery Rayl and The Denver Instituteof Headache, TMJ and Sleep Apea come in to play. If any of these descriptions describe you, don’t hesitate to call Dr. Rayl today! Headaches are normal to have every once in a while due to the fact that we do not always properly care for our bodies. Some things can go wrong, and headaches are our body's way of warning us of our wrong doings. If a headache is accompanied by something other than pain surrounding the head area, then that would be considered an abnormal headache. Don’t wait to try and figure this out yourself; go to www.stopheadachesnow.org to get a professional diagnostic and treatment as soon as possible.

Types of Headaches

Medical researchers estimate that at least 20% of the population suffers from daily or weekly headache and common migraine pain.

A headache is one of the most common medical complaints. It occurs as a result of complex interactions between the brain, blood vessels and adjacent nerves. Headaches can be caused by; trauma to the head, sinus infections, hormonal changes, emotional stress, skipping meals, excessive drugs or alcohol use, second hand smoke and other environmental pollutants, certain foods, and sometimes more serious medical conditions. The most common cause of headaches is dental related. There are many types of headaches but the most common headaches include Tension, Cluster, Sinus, Hormone, Migraine, Acute headaches and Mixed headache syndromes.

Muscular tension headaches are also called chronic daily or chronic non-progressive headaches. They occur the most in adults and adolescents and often come and go over a long period of time. This type of headache is associated with mild to moderate pain. Muscular tension headaches account for 90-95% of all headaches experienced by patients. The majority of these muscular tension headaches are caused by tooth position to jaw joint position discrepancies (occlusion problems) or more commonly known as “Bad Bites”. Many patients will awake from sleep with bite related headache issues.

Cluster headaches are the most severe but least common of primary headaches. They are so called because of the grouping of attacks during a period of time. These periods may last between two weeks and up to three months with headaches occurring about three times a day. The pain is constant and described as burning, piercing and throbbing, staying posterior to one eye area without changing position. A person with cluster headaches is restless and paces during attacks.

Sinus headaches are usually associated with sinus infections and occur over the cheek bones, forehead and bridge of the nose. This pain is constant and worsens with sudden movement or straining of the head. 

Hormone headaches are usually seen in women and are due to fluctuating hormonal levels occurring during menstruation, pregnancy or menopause. They may also occur in women taking hormonal birth control pills. 

The cause of migraines is not fully understood but recent research again points to dental relationships between the malposition of the teeth and jaw joints. Neurological research has isolated the temporalis muscle and trigeminal nerve as the primary centers of tension headache pain, and possibly common migraine pain. Unfortunately, both the temporalis muscle and trigeminal nerve are overlooked as causative factors for headaches and migraine. Recent medical research however clearly indicates that most headaches are caused by irritation to the trigeminal and facial nerves, as well as blood flow changes of the carotid artery. The trigeminal nerve is the cranial nerve related most to dentistry. Another explanation is the neurovascular theory; different signals cause abnormal brain activity which in turn causes changes in blood vessels in the brain. Genetics may also play a role in the moderate to severe throbbing pain of migraines. Common symptoms of migraines include; sensitivity to light, odors or sounds, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. 

Acute headaches occur suddenly in children or adolescents and often subside shortly as well. They are usually due to a respiratory or sinus infection when there are no neurological signs.

Mixed headache syndromes, also called transformed headaches, occur in both children and adults and are a combination of migraines and tension headaches.

It may seem that headaches are very debilitating and indeed some are, but once evaluated and accurately diagnosed, an effective treatment plan can be started. If you have any of the above headache types, get professionally diagnosed as soon as possible. Call Dr. Rayl and his staff at the Denver Institute of Headache, TMJ and Sleep Disorders today.

Can Braces Really Cause Headache and TMJ Issues Later in Life?

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, more commonly known as TMJ, refers to a condition where an individual experiences various levels of head and neck pain, discomfort and headache when moving the jaw joints and muscles of the jaw. The temporomandibular joint is responsible for performing actions requiring the opening and closing of the mouth i.e. chewing, biting, talking, yawning, etc., and for creating the necessary up, down movement, and side-to-side motion. This particular joint bridges the lower jaw (mandible) to the temporal bone (side of head). As an individual opens and closes their mouth, a complex series of muscle and cartilage within and surrounding the joint aids in proper jaw movement and bite position.

The painful symptoms of headache and TMJ dysfunction occur when the normal alignment of the joint structure

disrupts or compromises a person’s natural biting motion and jaw placement. When the natural chewing motion is off-balance, the surrounding muscles and joints of the jaw overcompensate, causing muscular pain as well as migraines and headaches. This may be a result of trauma to the jaw, and in some cases, the result of past orthodontic treatment. The process for implementing orthodontic braces utilizes a constant measure of forced pressure on the teeth over a length of time while readjusting an individual’s natural bite path or jaw placement. So yes, braces and other orthodontic work done in your pre-teens or teens can ultimately be the reason why you are now having headaches or TMJ pain now, later in life. Because the process involves the realignment of the temporomandibular joint structure, it is imperative to be under the care of a skilled orthodontic, headache and TMJspecialist trained in TMJ and its causes.

Dr. Rayl specializes in the field of headache and TMJ dysfunction diagnosing, treating and relieving TMJ pain and discomfort while implementing remedies for long term TMJ prevention. By utilizing state of the art techniques and advanced oral appliances, Dr. Rayl makes pain relief simpler and offers remedies for preventing TMJ later in life. While realigning and stabilizing an individual’s muscle alignment, a headache and TMJ specialist secures proper bite balance during and after the implementation of orthodontic braces. When under the care of a skilled headache and TMJ specialist such as Dr. Rayl, patients obtain helpful post-treatment techniques and therapy for long-term relief of headache and TMJ symptoms. After achieving proper joint realignment, patients learn therapeutic concepts for maintaining an optimal jaw position, ultimately creating a future free of joint pain, headache and TMJ suffering. So if you are someone who has had braces or other orthodontic procedures done earlier in your lifetime and are currently having headaches or jaw pains that you can’t explain, come in to see Dr. Rayl at the Denver Institute for Headache, TMJ and Sleep Disorders so you can be accurately diagnosed  and receive the pain relieving treatment you’ve been looking for. Visit our headache and TMJ website at www.stopheadachesnow.org.