Robert Deveau

I am a twenty plus year headache sufferer. Like you probably are, I was nearly at the end of my rope. After consulting with my neurologist, I decided to begin a headache journal. Once I started keeping a headache journal, my headaches improved almost immeasurably. I want to give you a few reasons why you should start keeping a headache journal as well.

It is not always easy to remember the severity and frequency of our headaches. How to do you remember whether you had a mild or a moderate headache on a Tuesday. In addition, in order to properly monitor your headaches you will also need to remember what you ate for breakfast and even whether or not you took any pain relievers the previous day.

These things are impossible to keep proper track of without a journal. Did you know that you will only remember ten percent of the thoughts that cross your mind? What does this mean to you? You won’t necessarily remember everything that you ate, the pills you may have taken, even how much sleep you managed to get the night before.

If you have not already seen a medical practitioner about your constant headaches, the first thing she is going to want to know is the frequency, severity, and your use of pain relievers. It would be much easier for her to help you manage it with this information.

If you take pain relievers for your headaches, then I can almost guarantee that you take more than you realize. Pain relievers are considered by many neurologists as the number one cause of headache pain. They refer to it as a rebound headache and many believe that a rebound headache can occur from as few as 6 pain relievers a week.

In case you believe that this is not a lot, then please remember that it is only 2 pills, 3 times a week. This is easy to take, especially if you are not keeping track.

Finally, you will need to keep a headache journal because you will want to see positive results. If you have identified a food or a faulty sleeping pattern that is causing your headache, then you will want to be able to look back at your journal and think, ” that is when my headaches started getting better.”

Hopefully, you will begin to see some of the reasons why you get constant headaches.

At some point in our lives, some of us acquire the illness tinnitus. It can be a nuisance but poses no serious problem. Once it interferes with daily activities, it may require medical or surgical treatment. It is important to determine the underlying cause…

Tinnitus is usually treated by a doctor before home treatment. Treatment is done based on the cause of the problem.

• Some treatments include anti anxiety or antidepressant medication that helps block out the sound of the noise.
• Use of ear plugs is also advised. For those bothered in their sleep, radios or fans help relieve the problem from the noise.
• Stress relaxation tips are helpful.
• Avoid caffeine as it can worsen symptoms.
• Most importantly, avoid loud noises and use proper protection

Others may acknowledge relief of symptoms.

• Home based treatment such as removing ear wax build up
• Acupuncture and hypnosis
• Traditional Chinese medicine and a state of focused concentration is effective in treating the illness
• Medications such as zinc or magnesium supplements
• Herbal preparations such as ginkgo biloba are helpful in treating the disease
• Dental treatment can relieve symptoms because muscle and nerves in the jaw are connected to the ear
• Relaxation techniques like biofeedback helps in managing stress
• Surgery is necessary in cases of tumor. Sometimes, tinnitus goes away without any medication at all. Excessive ear wax can be cleaned by a doctor with a special instrument like curette or gently cleaned by warm water
• Ear drops and antibiotics can prevent ear infection
• Audiometric tests are done to measure subjective tinnitus
• Aromatherapy can be used in those with blood circulation problems or pulsatile “tinnitus”.
• Masking devices, devices that play sounds to mask the noise coming from the internal ear. Tinnitus Retraining therapy( TRT ) a technique used to determine abnormal neuronal activity, makes noises less burdensome by making low level sounds that match the pitch of the patient`s noise through a device inserted in the ear.
• Schedule regular hearing tests with your doctor.
• Minimize smoking and drinking alcohol.
• Exercise regularly. It improves blood circulation to the ear
• Maintain a healthy weight. Obese adults are more susceptible.
• More and more ways can be done beating this illness.

Careful understanding of the disease is necessary.It is wise to talk first to your doctor before using any of these treatments. More importantly, hearing protection is the most important intervention. We all know that prevention is better than cure.