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A headache due to allergies is typically triggered by food or environmental factors. Your pain can range from mild to debilitating, from occasional to constant. Sometimes over-the-counter meds let you get on with your day. Other times the headaches stop you in your tracks for hours or weeks.
Half the people in this country experience headaches at least once a month. Chronic headaches tend to occur more often between the ages of 10 and 40. Many different types exist, often identified as primary headaches or secondary headaches. In most cases, diagnostic testing is used to discover if your recurring pain is triggered by allergies. The best allergy headache treatment is then determined by your individual symptoms and conditions.
If you suffer from persistent headaches, consult a pain management neurologist like Dr. Mark Cohen at Neuro Injury Specialists. Based in the New York City area, Dr. Cohen is trained in the latest diagnostic tools to determine the best allergy headache treatments for you.
If you have a headache due to allergies, the pain is typically accompanied by a variety of symptoms.
It’s vital that you seek the advice of a headache specialist, however, because the signs often resemble symptoms of a common cold or flu virus, and may include:
Typically, when you have an allergic reaction, it brings on symptoms in the throat, head, stomach or skin. Sometimes this issue also triggers breathing problems for people with asthma. Provide your doctor with a detailed description of the circumstances around your pain. This gives him valuable clues to arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
Sometimes, your pain is due to other headache types, such as migraines, sinus or tension. If you suffer from two or more headaches every week, or if your headache worsens over time, that’s one of the clearest clues you should seek treatment from a headache specialist.
What Are the Causes of an Allergy Headache?
Usually, the cause of an allergy headache is traced to either food or the factors in the environment. The most common environmental triggers are everywhere. Sometimes, you realize you have allergies when you’re young, but some allergies don’t surface until later in adulthood.
Environmental triggers may include:
Another category of headache triggers is food. While you may not go into shock when you eat or drink various substances, they still can cause a reaction in the form of an allergy headache.
The most common foods that cause headaches include:
Sometimes your allergy headache is triggered by more than one factor. Determining what causes your pain may take time and patience. Your NYC headache specialist helps you find the culprit so you can reduce or eliminate the trigger in the future.
Once your doctor has determined the baddie that brings on your headaches, he recommends steps you can take to win the battle with this specific allergen.
Lifestyle changes that may reduce the severity and frequency of your allergic reactions may include:
The best advice is to avoid triggers as much as possible. Once your headache doctor has diagnosed the cause of your headache, he recommends a course of action. This customized treatment plan is designed to reduce or eliminate the problem with combined efforts in lifestyle changes and specific allergy headache treatment.
Your doctor may advise you to manage allergy headaches with one or more remedies at home.
In addition to eliminating triggers to prevent an allergy headache, other steps you can take at home may include therapies such as:
While these remedies provide relief, they can also be problematic. You may not tolerate some treatments or medications. Antihistamines often cause drowsiness.
Your headache specialist may recommend a reliable and lasting remedy such as:
If you live in the New York City or New Jersey area, contact the professionals at Neuro Injury Specialists. Dr. Cohen is trained in the latest diagnostic tools and allergy headache treatments. He helps you find a way back to your pain free life.