Headache cannot be tolerated

The gray matter of the brain begins to atrophy, and overloaded neurons die.

How often do we throw phrases like “my head is splitting”, “I don't understand anything”, “my brain is melting” on the fly, and we do not even suspect that in some cases we are dealing with an overloaded brain.

      Scientists believe that with prolonged chronic pain, constant irritation of certain parts of the brain leads to the death of overloaded neurons. The brain, of course, does not melt in the literal sense of the word, but something similar happens when the gray matter in the brain begins to atrophy. That is why doctors use all methods to remove pain and restore the functions of the damaged brain.

Indeed, headaches are a huge burden on people around the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every third visit to a neurologist is due to a headache; due to this fault, the states of developed countries lose tens of millions of working days annually. Recently, there are specialists in the treatment of headaches in the developed countries. 

     Doctors of the specialized Pain Clinic CELT Alexey Grigorievich VOLOSHIN and Larisa Vaganovna NOVIKOVA agreed to talk about this important problem.

   According to statistics, 98% of people have experienced a headache at least once during the year. And although we talk about it almost every day, using all the wealth of our native language, we are far from all aware of this problem. And the enemy, as they say, must be known by sight! Because brain diseases are one of the most severe, our experts say.

So, there are over 200 forms of headache. Some of its types, for example, tension headache, are more common, some less often. And it is difficult to understand not only what is the reason, but also what we are faced with. Some stories are like a mystical thriller.

Here is one of them. A 34-year-old young man (let's call him Sergei) has recently started having strange, inexplicable seizures. The head began to ache several times a day, and very badly. The pain came unexpectedly for an hour or two, then just as suddenly receded. And at night she returned again. The attacks were so severe that the man could neither sleep, nor work, nor be in public during those few hours. At the same time, the rest of the time he felt completely healthy. True, there was not enough vigor, good mood, as he began to fear the coming of the night, when the attacks were simply unbearable. The patient was scared and suspected the worst thing. After his visit to the CELT Pain Clinic, it became clear that Sergei was suffering from the so-called cluster headache. A specific species, attacking mainly men 30-40 years old. And yet, to the general joy,

Sergei was prescribed a certain drug series, oxygen inhalations and a targeted injection of a special medicine into a deep nerve node. The man, who was already thinking about suicide, was cured in just half an hour. We cite this story here only to show that even the most inexplicable and acute attacks of headache can and should be treated until they are transformed into those that will be much more difficult to cure.

                        "Men are less likely to endure pain."

- To paraphrase a well-known saying, we want to say: one head is good, and if healthy, even better. But I must say that men are less likely to endure pain. They suffer from any discomfort much more and the sooner they find themselves at the doctor. Another thing is the beautiful half of humanity. The weaker sex is only by definition weak. A woman's patience is amazing. Calming themselves that the head hurts always and for everyone, patients often come to us not only with chronic headaches, but also with complaints about other body functions, which were hit by constant intake of drugs and pills "from the head". Tons of drugs eaten, thousands of rubles thrown out and not an ounce of restored health.

Another story: a patient of Balzac age, Marina Leonidovna, turned to the Pain Clinic. At first, her head hurt, as they say, at times. And there was always a logical explanation. In some cases, "something with pressure" - the weather, rain, snow, hail are to blame ... In others, constant stress - at work, at home, repairs at neighbors, bad sleep ... Gradually, the woman began to notice that in a month already there are many more days when the head is cracking than there are days when it feels good. Although Marina Leonidovna took pills constantly. I drank the medicine “from friends”, “from colleagues”, “from advertising on TV,” after which I decided to consult a doctor. Not a pain expert, but a general therapist. The therapist found those drugs that our sufferer had not yet taken, but with them the pain returned again.

Then the patient was recommended to exclude the “worst thing”: to do an MRI of the head and ultrasound of the vessels. While collecting research, the condition worsened to intermittent vomiting and constant nausea. The anxiety of the patient's family members prompted her to abandon experiments and seek serious specialized help. In general, a woman came to the CELT Pain Clinic not only with unexplained headache, vomiting, liver and stomach problems against the background of prolonged use of drugs, but also in the most depressed emotional state. Our patient had a classic migraine.

 But the worst thing is that the so-called abusal headache (pain in the head associated with prolonged or excessive use of drugs) was also superimposed. It sounds strange, but sometimes the pain relievers themselves are the cause of the headache. It turns out to be a vicious circle. Headache - we take painkillers - the head starts to hurt even more. And there seems to be no way out. I must say that CELT has a whole arsenal of injections that help relieve pain for a long time, sometimes even without pills (blockade of nerves and nerve nodes, botox, etc.). And besides these methods, even psychotherapeutic techniques are used to treat stress-induced headaches. We can relieve pain with a certain injection for months, and the therapist will consolidate the success, and the pain will never return.

 At the CELT Pain Clinic, specialists are gathered under one roof. All treatment can be done at once, without wandering around the city first in search of a good neurologist, then an injection, and then a psychotherapist. Now our long-suffering patient Marina Leonidovna has recovered. Now he goes to our specialists for consultations on other issues in order to prevent, because the cost of compromised health is too high.

 Migraine is a "privilege" of women

 Many experts tend to think of migraines as a hereditary disease. And indeed it is. In more than half of the patients, the parents suffered from this disease, mainly the mother. By the way, women are more likely to have migraine attacks. So, if you got this "difficult legacy", you need to know how to manage it.

 During a migraine attack, the patient goes through several stages of the disease each time. Migraine begins with harbingers. For no apparent reason, the person's mood suddenly deteriorated, anxiety and anxiety appeared, his hands began to sweat, the feeling of hunger suddenly worsened, he wants to sleep all the time ...

 REFERENCE "MK"

 According to statistics, about 80 percent of the entire population of the planet experiences recurrent headaches, about 70 percent suffer from headaches.

 However, almost any headache is now treated, and migraine in particular. There are drug methods that have not been canceled, our doctors have effective techniques and treatment scenarios that allow the patient not to take unnecessary medications. But in addition to drugs and massage, there are modern methods that have been widely tested in world practice. These include, in particular, botulinum therapy. A method that has proven itself in the treatment of chronic migraine. As everyone knows, Botox has long been used in cosmetology to correct mimic wrinkles. But in the 90s of the last century, cosmetologists noticed that patients using Botox had less headache. Since then, a huge amount of research has been done on the effect of botulinum toxin on migraine pain.

 To date, special schemes for its administration have been developed, allowing the doctor to use this agent as efficiently and safely as possible. The introduction of Botox can significantly reduce the intensity of migraine pain, reduce the frequency of attacks, reduce the number of medications taken or reduce dosages, and in some cases completely abandon drug treatment.

 ... Don't let headaches rule your mood, your life, experts advise. It can and should be treated. Don't be afraid to take the first step to a pain expert. And be healthy!