Sinus headache, tension headache, or cluster headache

Do you have a bad sinus headache, tension headache or a cluster headache? Regardless of the label the pain is being triggered by your delayed food sensitivity. If your head hurts, does it really matter what you call it? Yes, says headache specialist Dr. Eric Eross, associate consultant in neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. While people spend a great deal of money on over-the-counter "headache" remedies, they get little relief until they get proper diagnosis and treatment. The odds are it is really a migraine headache.

Dr. Eross and his colleagues advertised a free evaluation to people suffering from "sinus headache". After signing up the first 100 people and giving them a rigorous 1.5 hour evaluation, they determined that 90 of the 100 patients were really suffering from migraine headaches. The results of this evaluation lead us to ask - how do you get a proper diagnosis for a headache. To help answer we first must learn - what is a sinus headache

A sinus headache is caused by inflammation of sinus tissue, either due to bacterial infection or delayed allergic reactions, such as those caused by foods and the pain is usually a dull ache, it can become intense. A sinus headache is usually being triggered by something you ate in conjunction with an active sinus infection.

From this study, we can conclude that neurologists are currently the most likely to make a correct diagnosis of a migraine headache in this complex headache population. Yet they are the least frequently consulted. Conversely, allergists and otorhinolaryngologists are most likely to diagnose a migraine headache as a sinus headache. Additionally, there exists considerable room for diagnostic improvement when it comes to migraineurs being mistaken as "sinus headache" sufferers.

Tension headaches on the other hand, are caused by muscle contractions around the neck, scalp and jaw. The pain from a tension headache often is described as a dull pressure, or as if a tight headband were strapped around the head. Unlike migraines, a tension headache generally causes pain only on one side of the head. A tension headache affects both sides of the head.

A cluster headache is unusual: it is one of the few types that affect men more at women. A cluster headache causes severe pain around the eyes, temple, forehead and cheeks. Attacks last between 30 to 90 minutes, and can occur one to six times a day. A cluster headache can occur for weeks or even months at a time, and suddenly stop, only to reoccur months later. The consumption of particular foods appear to worsen the symptoms of cluster headaches in heavy smokers.

If you find yourself in a state of confusion over sinus headache versus migraine headache or tension headache versus cluster headache, maybe now it is time to consider the underlying cause of your headache and be tested for delayed food sensitivities.

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