What Nurses Know...Headaches

Headaches are one of the most common medical complaints. Nearly everyone gets a one at some point in their lives and over 45 million Americans suffer with chronic headaches each year. Headache disorders are a major contributing factor to disability and lost-work time world-wide. Altogether, diagnosis and treatment of headaches make up 20% of all visits to neurologists. Headaches affect people of all ages, often throughout life.

What Nurses Know...Headaches is written by a nurse who has experienced having headaches all of her life. Some risk factors, like genetics, cannot be changed. But other "modifiable" risk factors can be altered by making lifestyle changes that reduce stress, avoiding dietary headache triggers, and refraining from the overuse of medications. Educating and motivating patients plays a key role in preventing headaches and reducing headache frequency. Other preventive strategies include using complementary and alternative therapies and practicing mind-body techniques such as deep relaxation, visualization, and biofeedback to help people gain control over headaches.

What Nurses Know...Headaches includes:

• Headache Basics--Living With Problem Headaches
• A Review of Complementary & Alternative Therapies
• Discusses over a dozen headache types based the upon International Headache Society (IHS) classifications
• Headache care, including coping measures, support strategies,and future treatments onthe horizon
• A list of common headache triggers, including those related to diet, the environment, sensory over-stimulation, and more