Headache Types

Migraine usually has an arterial component to the pain but can often be prevented by treating the muscle tension that causes the arterial pain. Arteries involved in migraine are often the superficial temporal arteries or occipital arteries and in more rare case the middle meningeal or smaller vein structures in the head and scalp.

All in all The Headache Clinic has is able to permanently prevent migraine in almost 90% of cases with out the use of drugs or medication or 'alternative' medicines. Please read the testimonials from patients whose migraines have been permanently cured after many years of continued suffering and addiction to headache medications.

By accurately diagnosing the underlying structures that are responsible for the migraine pain, The Headache Clinic is able to achieve success where medication has failed. Our diagnostic equipment is sensitive enough to make an accurate assessment even when the patient is not in pain.

Stress and tension headaches are four times more common than migraine and are treated with the use of a posture modifying procedure that equilibrates the muscle systems around the head, scalp and neck to their natural state of relaxation. This procedure is exclusive to The Headache Clinic and is patented both in South Africa and The USA. Patients that complete treatment have approximately 90% chance of living the rest of their lives free of headache pain and headache medications.

It was this breakthrough in the prevention of the muscle tension component of headaches that gave rise to The Headache Clinic in 1992 and which resulted in international acclaim for its inventor who was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from The International College of Cranio Mandibular Orthopaedics.

Research at The Headache Clinic shows muscle tension to be by far the greatest input into the full spectrum of headache pain. The main muscle groups responsible for tension headache pain include the craniomandibular muscles (connecting the head to the jaw) and craniocervical muscles (connecting the head to the neck and shoulders).

Chronic daily headache patients have persistent pain for 15 days or more per month. The Headache Clinic has cured countless chronic daily headache suffers with out the use of headache medication or 'alternative' therapies.

Medication use in chronic headache cases may be a double-edged sword. Prolonged use of medication may produce kidney or liver damage as well as other pain problems such as drug-rebound headache. Patients suffering with chronic daily headaches should visit The Headache Clinic immediately.

It is highly unlikely that chronic daily headache is an indication of any kind of brain tumour or other life-threatening situation. Even so patients suffering from chronic daily headache should visit The Headache Clinic immediately to restore their Quality of Life.

Chronic Daily headaches CAN be cured - permanently.

Hormonal influence in headache pain is born out by the fact women between the ages of menstruation and menopause are three times more likely to have migraines than men of the same ages. Also, many female suffers with chronic headaches notice enormous changes in the patterns of the headache pain with menstruation, during pregnancy, at menopause, and with the use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy.

Menstrual migraine is probably the most common headache problem for women. It has been estimated that about 60% of women with migraines can link them to their menstrual cycle. Usually there is nothing wrong with the woman's hormonal cycles, only with the way her body reacts to them. Successful treatment at The Headache Clinic will break the link between the hormonal fluctuations and the headache pain. By identifying and treating the underlying causes of the headache pain the natural hormonal cycle is allowed to continue uninterrupted.

That sinus can be a major input into headache pain can be understood in the light of the pain that can emanate from that region. Sinus problems generally serve as a trigger or an aggravating factor to headache pain, so treatment of the sinus alone will seldom prevent the headaches from recurring unless they can be directly linked to a sudden sinus infection.

It should be noted that the sinus area contains muscles, nerves, veins and arteries, so pain in the sinus area does not necessarily mean that there is a sinus problem or infection. However The Headache Clinic is associated with Ear Nose and Throat Specialists who will address any severe sinus input that is discovered during diagnosis

Optical problems can trigger or aggravate headache pain but are very seldom the underlying cause of the pain, or the pain centre. The muscles that control the movements of the eye and the arteries that supply it with blood are much more likely to be the cause of headache pain around the eye.

Problems with vision may contribute to or aggravate headache pain but are seldom the underlying cause of the pain. Remember that there are muscles, veins, nerves, and arteries in and around the eye socket, so pain in this area does not necessarily mean that the patients has an optical problem.

Dietary input into a patient's headaches is much easier for the patient to determine than the doctor. Dietary input is generally a trigger of the headache pain but not the underlying causes of it. Successful treatment at The Headache Clinic will break the link between the triggering food and the headache pain. Our 80 - 90% success rate is testimony to the many Headache Clinic patients who can often enjoy all the foods, drinks and activities that were previously denied them.

Successful treatment at The Headache Clinic is about restoring Quality of Life.

Also known as Suicide Headaches, Cluster Headache is reputedly the worst pain that a human being can suffer. Women that suffer with cluster headaches report it to be significantly more painful than childbirth. Suffers are known to bang their heads against floors or walls in an attempt to override what has been described as "absolute and unadulterated pain, awesome in its purity".

Research at The headache Clinic shows that the pain results from a multiple input scenario with each patient presenting a unique set of inputs: - muscle tension, arterial pain, specifically the internal maxillary artery in many cases, to name but a few. The Headache Clinic HAS CURED and CONTINUES TO CURE patients who suffer from both episodic and chronic cluster headaches. Testimonials are available for your perusal.

The Headache Clinic also specializes in rescue treatment for headaches. We have Pethidine on hand if we are not able to stop the pain but so far we have never had to use it.

The muscles of the head and neck are so closely connected and interwoven in the functions that they perform that a problem in one area can often lead to referred pain in another area.

Neck pain is a common companion to headaches and often stems from similar underlying causes. The Headache Clinic successfully treats the neck pain component of headaches using its USA and SA patented, muscle tension treatment regime. This is often highly effective in cases of whiplash, or headaches that stem from a previous neck or head trauma.

Studies have shown migraine sufferers to be twelve times as likely to suffer from epilepsy than non-migraine sufferers. The link is further shown by the fact that some drugs used for the control of epilepsy have been approved by the FDA for the purpose of treating migraine.

Not withstanding the link between migraine and epilepsy The Headache Clinic has successfully cured and prevented migraine in patients that suffer from Epilepsy with out the use of drugs or medication.

When you consider that the general public believe that headaches are not something to complain about, "every one gets them and deals with them", and you understand further that the severity of headache pain can cause people to lose their jobs, become estranged from their loved ones, and even commit suicide, then you start to get a bearing on this terrible and widely misunderstood phenomenon called Headache, from which so many continue to suffer in silence.

Research at The Headache Clinic and elsewhere shows that severe headaches that impact upon the quality of a person's life lead to both depression and anxiety disorders. Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, feelings of worthlessness, having mental blanks, being easily fatigued, and loss of interest or pleasure in activities are common indications.

At The Headache Clinic we believe that severe headaches can cause depression and psychological problems. The Headache Clinic does not believe headaches to be any more psychosomatic than cancer, appendicitis, or HIV/Aids.

Breakthroughs at The Headache Clinic mean that 80 - 90% of all headache sufferers can be cured or have pain levels permanently reduced without the use of drugs or medication. Read the testimonials section to witness the psychological effect on patients of relief from years of debilitating pain.

It is vital for parents to understand that severe headache pain in children is every part as serious as it is in adults. Children who suffer from severe headaches and are constantly accused of malingering risk suffering psychological damage. Parents who do not suffer from, or understand the implications of severe headache pain, are advised that simple over the counter medications can be useless against the pain of severe headaches. Parents are also encouraged to read the section on Headaches and Depression.

Fortunately though, research at The Headache Clinic has shown that severe headaches in children are easier to treat and cure than in adults. This is because the repetitive stress injuries to the structures of the head that are caused by years and years of suffering have not yet manifested.

Children suffering from severe headaches should be brought to The Headache Clinic immediately to restore their Quality of life during these very important formative years. To become more familiar with the extent to which headaches are affecting your childs life, assist your child in filling out the Quality of Life questionnaire.