Allergy Headache and Allergy Headache Symptoms

Headaches are actually one of the most complained about pains of Americans. It’s even the most common reasons for Americans to see their medical professional. Allergy headaches are painful and annoying, but, most of all, they are preventable and treatable. Headaches are painful, disruptive and sometimes difficult to treat because there are so many different types of headaches and numerous things that can cause them.

Some types of headaches do have an allergic root, but most do not. Before you see an allergist for assessment and treatment of your headaches, you should first visit your medical professional to rule out the possibility of other more common causes of your headaches.

In some cases, a thorough assessment of allergy evaluation may pinpoint the allergy-causing substance or allergen that is causing your headaches.

What is an Allergy Headache?

An allergy headache is a headache that is caused by allergies. There are three different types of headaches that can be caused by an allergic disease. These are the following:

1. Sinus Headaches – the main symptom of a sinus headache is facial pain (pain behind your eyes, cheekbones, forehead and nose).

2. Migraines – Migraines can vary from mild to severe. They are usually accompanied with throbbing pain, pain on one side of your head, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, vomiting, etc. Sometimes migraine headaches run in families. There are two different types of migraine headaches: common and classic. A classic migraine is severe and the duration is long. There are usually signs of a classic migraine coming on, such as an aura, which can be partial loss of vision, a funny odor or strange sound. Common migraines are usually not as severe as classic migraines. The duration of a common migraine is usually shorter than that of a classic migraine as well. However, it can be just as disabling as a classic migraine. There are also no auras that precede the common migraine.

3. Cluster Headaches - Cluster headaches begin suddenly and are more common in men than in women. A cluster headache usually lasts about forty-five to ninety minutes, but can be a few minutes or even hours. They also usually happen at the same time every day for several weeks, which is known as a cluster period. The cluster period usually lasts about four to eight weeks and can take place every three or four months. Cluster headaches are accompanied by pain around one eye. The painful eye and that side of your nose can become red, runny and swollen. Because of the pain and attempts to relieve the pain, cluster headaches can frighten you and those around you. You can also feel restless with cluster headaches.

How Are These Headaches Related to Allergies?

Food allergy could be a trigger of recurrent, persistent migraine headaches in a few people, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s allergy headaches are caused by a food allergy. If your headaches are caused by a food allergy, only a few foods usually trigger migraines and by limiting or avoiding them, you can experience complete or highly noticeable relief without having to take any medications. If you have a solid diagnosis of migraine made by a medical professional in the diagnosis and treatment of migraine headaches, it may be best to keep a diary of the foods you eat and their relation to your headaches. Then you should request a consultation with an allergist for evaluation and probably specific allergy testing.

There are a number of people who have respiratory or seasonal allergies (sometimes known as hay fever) that contribute to or cause headaches. This type of allergic headache takes place from your nasal passages or sinuses. An examination and diagnostic tests can isolate and specifically help to resolve these problems for most of you.

Food additives or naturally occurring food chemicals such as monosodium glutamate, which is usually added to oriental food and packaged foods, can aggravate some migraines. Another cause could be tyramine, which is found in many cheeses or phenylethylamine, which is found in chocolate, or alcohol. The artificial sweetener, aspartame, has also been reported as a migraine trigger in some people.

If you have more questions, your allergist-immunologist will be happy to answer them.