The Headache Healer’s Handbook. Jan Mundo

and needles on one side of the body or face, numbness, and speech disturbances. Aura symptoms are completely reversible but can be alarming, especially before you are diagnosed, because they are so unusual.

      Additionally, migraine can have premonitory symptoms (also called the prodrome phase) that occur two to forty-eight hours before an episode. These symptoms include neck stiffness; sensitivity to light, sound, and odors; fatigue; elation; depression; unusual hunger; particular food cravings; yawning; and pallor.

      Symptoms can also manifest during the resolution or recovery phase of the migraine. Although this phase, called the postdrome, is not included in the ICHD-3 beta, many patients report a distinct phase following their migraines. It can last from six to twenty-four hours and has nonheadache symptoms similar to those of the other phases, including most frequently fatigue and neck pain, also light, sound, and odor sensitivities, disorientation, and appetite loss.²

      Two important subtypes of migraine are menstrual migraine, which occurs just before or at the beginning of the menstrual cycle, and menstrual-related migraine, which presents at other times during the month in addition to the menstrual migraine pattern.³ (There’s more about migraine and hormones in chapter 8.)

      Migraine sufferers seek the stimulus-free environment of a dark, quiet room. They are sensitive to light, odors, sound, and touch; and they have visual field disturbances and mood changes. Even the slightest movement can set off a wave of associated symptoms, including nausea and vomiting. These symptoms can feel just as debilitating as the head pain.

      When complicated by other factors, such as muscle tension or medication overuse, a migraine can last for weeks or months, turning it into a chronic condition. Migraine is diagnosed as chronic when episodes occur more than fifteen days per month over a period of three months, provided they are not caused by medication overuse.

      Headaches Formerly Known as Mixed

      Many people get symptoms of tension headache along with their migraine. This headache type was previously termed coexisting migraine and tension-type headache and prior to that was known as the mixed headache syndrome.

      In ICHD-3 beta, this combination of symptoms is no longer classified as a distinct headache type; instead, the symptoms associated with tension-type headache are folded into the diagnosis of chronic migraine. These headaches often begin in tight, painful points or contracted areas in the lower skull, neck, shoulders, or upper back (commonly in the same spot each time). The pain migrates to the entire head or to specific areas in the forehead, temples, and face, where it escalates into pulsing, pounding pain, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and other migraine symptoms.

       Medication-Overuse Headache

      Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is caused by regular and extended use of medication — whether prescription, nonprescription, or a combination of both. It is diagnosed when a headache is present on fifteen or more days per month. These headaches can be caused by taking one or more acute or symptomatic treatment drugs ten times per month, or about two days per week, for three months.

      This headache type is considered secondary because it is caused by something more — in this case, use of medication. Formerly called rebound, drug-induced, or medication-misuse headache, this condition has become so common, due to the growing preponderance of medications taken to treat headache and migraine, that these diagnostic categories were created in response.

      In addition to headache frequency, diagnosis of MOH is determined by the class of medication that is being overused, including ergotamine, triptan, analgesic, opioid, a combination of acute-use medications or analgesics, and other medication not specifically taken for headache. Pain-relief preparations that combine analgesics, barbiturates, or opioids with caffeine are designed for short-term use, and if overused or taken over time, they can transform episodic, occasional migraine into a chronic condition.

       Cluster Headache

      Known as the most painful primary headache, cluster headache is most prevalent in men and is the least common type. Its name refers to the frequency of attacks, which occur in clusters of time. Episodes often persist for weeks or months, disappear for months or years, then reappear. Each attack can last from fifteen minutes to three hours, and attacks can occur up to eight times per day, although less frequent occurrence, such as every other day, is also common. Patients tend to have episodes during the same season or month each year, so there has been speculation that cluster headaches are linked to circadian rhythms. The published clinical research by Lee Kudrow, Sr., MD, showed the positive results of oxygen therapy,⁴ which makes me wonder if breathing exercises could provide relief.

      Cluster headache pain and its unique symptoms are different from those of migraine and characterized by sharp, stabbing pain in one eye, with watering of the same-side nostril. Patients become agitated and are known to pace the floor and bang their heads against the wall for relief. (Contrast that with migraine sufferers, who must lie down in darkened rooms and remain still.) Cluster headache pain is so relentlessly intense that it has been linked to incidence of suicide, resulting in the nickname “suicide headache.” Extremely painful headaches of other types can be mistakenly diagnosed as cluster headaches, even though the symptoms might not fit.

      Because very few clients in my practice have had a diagnosis of cluster headache, this book does not devote special attention to it. Among that group, those who reported combined symptoms of tension, migraine, and cluster headache — neck pain, nausea, throbbing, and stabbing in one eye — were able to overcome them by completing the program.

       When Headache Is a Danger Sign

      If you are experiencing a sudden-onset headache with severe, constant pain — the worst ever — or a recurrence and worsening of an intensely painful headache or migraine, it can be a sign of something more serious, such as an infection, meningitis, a virus, flu, concussion, brain tumor, or brain aneurysm. Migraine can signal life-threatening complications during and following birth, including preeclampsia, eclampsia, thrombosis, and brain hemorrhage.

      If you have unusual symptoms along with your headache, including fever, dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, numbness, chills, or loss of balance, contact your doctor right away. Was this particular headache brought on or made worse by exertion, sexual activity, coughing, or straining? Pay attention to these signals, especially if your first headache strikes when you are forty or older.

      Is it the worst headache of your life? Even with a previous diagnosis, this symptom can signal that your headache is a secondary symptom of a serious health condition that needs immediate medical attention. Especially if your headache is sudden and different, it is always wise to err on the side of caution. Whether you already have a diagnosis or not, if you have any of the above symptoms, immediately contact your doctor or go to the emergency room!

       Headache or Migraine?

      A lot of the information in this book applies to tension-type headache, migraine, and combinations thereof. So for brevity’s sake, I often use the word headache to include them all, without naming each one. Of course, they are different, and I would never confuse or conflate them — nor would I minimize a migraine by calling it “only a headache.”

      Rest assured that when a specific therapy, practice, or technique is meant for a particular headache type, especially in the case of migraine, I will make that distinction. For example, some people can relieve their tension headaches by exercising, but that would be a horrible remedy for someone in the midst of a migraine who can barely move, much less exercise.

       3 Your Personal Headache Profile

      Let’s add the most important ingredient: you!

      Starting on the next page, you will fill out the Headache History Questionnaire and record information about your typical headaches, possible triggers, food and exercise habits,