By tracking your headache episodes through your headache diary, you may be able to identify specific foods that trigger your headaches.

Not only can specific foods trigger a headache, but dietary habits can also play a role. Fasting, dehydration or skipping meals may cause headaches in some people.

Headache Triggers

There are many different foods and beverages that can contribute to headache episodes. Some of the most common foods, beverages and additives associated

You have the right and responsibility to know what medications are being prescribed for you. The more you know about your medications and how they work, the easier it will be for you to control your symptoms.

You and your doctor are partners in developing, adjusting and following an effective medication plan. Make sure that you understand and share the same treatment goals as your doctor. Talk about what you expect from medications so you can know if your treatment plan is

Any kind of pain that you feel is your body’s way of warning you about an injury or illness. Although headaches are rarely the symptoms of a serious illness, occasionally they may indicate a serious medical condition such as a tumor or aneurysm (blood vessel rupture). It is important for you to become familiar with your personal headache symptoms, and those that require immediate medical attention.

Alarming Headache Symptoms

So, what headache symptoms should cause concern?

There are options for headache treatments that don’t require prescriptions or over-the-counter medication. Here are some tips for treating headaches yourself:

Apply an ice pack to the painful area of your head. Try placing it on your forehead, temples or the back of your neck. Take a warm bath or shower. Take a nap. Take a walk. Ask someone to rub your neck and back, or treat yourself to a massage. Apply gentle, steady rotating pressure to the painful area of your head

With the exception of physical therapy, many of the headache treatment approaches discussed below represent nontraditional therapies being used to manage head pain in the United States. Since most physicians today are open to consideration of alternative treatments, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor about referring you to a qualified alternative health practitioner.

Alternative Headache Treatments

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a medical discipline that

Caffeine can be a double-edged sword for those with a headache: it can serve as a treatment or in some cases can cause withdrawal or a phenomenon known as “rebound” headache. The important thing to remember is that with education and moderation, caffeine can be one of the most effective treatments for headache.

Caffeine as a Headache Treatment

Caffeine is a common ingredient in many prescription and over-the-counter headache medications. Because analgesics work more quickly

What Kind of Headache Do You Have?

In order to treat a headache properly, you must first know which type of headache you suffer from. The primary types of headaches are:

TensionClusterReboundMigraine Tension Headaches

Tension-type headaches usually feel like a dull ache on each side of the head.

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are rare and usually strike men. They produce sharp pain around one eye and are dubbed "cluster" headaches since they usually occur in

When you exercise, or exert yourself physically, the muscles of the head, neck and scalp need more blood to circulate. This causes the blood vessels to swell, which can lead to a condition called exertional headaches.

Headaches that most frequently occur due to exercise or over-exertion include jogger's headache and orgasmic headache (sex headache). While these may occur in isolation, they are most common in patients who have an inherited susceptibility to migraine (one or both

Why is it Important to Diagnose a Headache?

The correct diagnosis is needed to begin an effective treatment plan. Early visits to your doctor are made to establish what type or classification of headache you have. Describe your headache symptoms and history as completely as possible.

History of Headache Treatments

A history of prior headache treatments is also an important part of the headache evaluation. Provide your doctor with a history of prior treatments

A comprehensive headache classification guide was established by the International Headache Society and includes more than 150 diagnostic headache categories. However, there are two major types of headaches: primary headaches and secondary headaches.

Primary Headaches

Primary headaches are not the result of another medical condition. Include tension, migraine, mixed headache syndrome and cluster headaches.

Tension headaches: the most common type of primary

The Best Ways To Care For Skin As You Age

Your skin changes with age. It becomes thinner, loses fat and no longer looks as plump and smooth as it once did. Your veins and bones can be seen more easily. Scratches, cuts or bumps can take longer to heal. Years of sun tanning or being out in the sunlight for a long time can lead to wrinkles, dryness, age spots and even cancer. But there are things you can do to help your skin.

Wrinkles

Over time, skin begins to

With new skin products introduced daily, the differences among the products can be hard to understand. View the listing below to learn more about the ingredients in your favorite skin products, as well as those that aren’t familiar to you. Always check with your dermatologist before starting a new skincare regimen.

Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHAS)

Over-the-counter skin care products containing alpha-hydroxy acids have become increasingly popular over the last five years.

Dermatologists, or skin care doctors, have expertise in the care of normal skin, as well as in the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of skin diseases, including skin cancers.

Dermatologists can also diagnose and treat patients with disorders affecting the hair and nails. In addition, dermatologists are knowledgeable in the management of cosmetic disorders of the skin (such as hair loss and scars).

What Do Dermatologists Do?

Dermatologists often perform

We expose ourselves to the sun every day, which can cause damage to our skin without us even knowing. We need to protect ourselves from sun damage, because it can wear our skin down, cause wrinkling or sunburn and, in extreme cases, skin cancer.

Does the Sun Have Benefits?

You may have been taught as a child that you need sunlight for your body to make vitamin D, because vitamin D is not found naturally in most foods. Milk is fortified with vitamin D as well as other foods

Keeping your skin healthy in the elements can be the easiest first step to protecting your skin. Excessive dryness can damage skin over time, and being out in the sun all afternoon can hurt your appearance. By focusing on these aspects of skin health, you can have a good starting point to looking younger and staying cancer-free.

Dry Skin Care

Dry skin is defined as flaking or scaling when there is no evidence of inflammation of the skin. It is most prominent on the shins,

The Basics

Skin is the largest organ on our body, made up of components like water, protein, lipids and different minerals and chemicals. It takes a lot to protect you, too: your skin weighs just about six pounds and regenerates itself approximately every 27 days. Proper care and treatment is essential to maintaining the health and vitality of this crucial protection.

What Your Skin Demands Daily

It’s easy to skip that glass of water during the haste of your daily

Younger women generally do not consider themselves to be at risk for breast cancer. However, breast cancer can strike at any age, and women should be aware of their personal risk factors for breast cancer.

What Is Different About Breast Cancer in Younger Women?

Diagnosing breast cancer in younger women (under 45 years old) is more difficult because their breast tissue is generally denser than the breast tissue in older women. In addition, breast cancer in younger women may

Women with a genetic risk for breast cancer account for five to ten percent of all women with the disease. Having a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) with breast cancer poses the greatest risk to other female members of the family – three to five times that of the general population.

Several characteristics may suggest that a woman has a breast cancer gene:

Diagnosis of breast cancer before age 40 Several family members diagnosed with breast and/or

More than ever before, women are taking an active part in their breast health. At the center of this change is our growing concern and understanding of breast cancer, the second most common form of cancer among women in the United States.

What is Breast Cancer?

Cells in the body normally divide (reproduce) only when new cells are needed. Sometimes cells will divide for no reason, creating a mass of tissue called a tumor. Tumors can be benign (not cancerous) or malignant

Screening for Breast Cancer

There is no doubt that the best chance for curing breast cancer is through early detection. Early detection relies on a program of screening, which involves breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination and mammography.

Women who have not had any breast problems should probably have their first baseline mammography examination at age 50. Screening intervals should be individualized and at least every other year between ages