A headache once in a while is no big deal ... but chronic headaches are a problem.
These are the 🚩Red Flag🚩 Symptoms You need to Take note of Next time you get a Headache:
- Do you describe it as The WORST HEADACHE of YOUR LIFE?
- It's waking you up at Night?
- Is it associated to you having weakness or trouble moving 1 side of your body?
- Headache and having trouble with your Speach
Any of these, definitely seek medical attention immediately.
According to Dr. Alan R. Tepper, a neurologist and headache specialist, "Headache disorders are a group of conditions that cause significant discomfort and can severely impact quality of life, affecting daily activities and overall well-being."
If you get chronic headaches, can you test for a headache disorder?
Once Your Doctors rule out anything serious
How Do You Figure Out The Cause with these Tests.
To fix your headaches, you need to know what underlying issue might be causing them.
It Might Just Be A Sinus Headache - Take This Test
What if your headache isn't that serious and just means you're getting a cold? Here's a test for a sinus headache - nothing needed to be bought, just your 4 fingers. @motivationaldoc Doctor Mandell demo's it.
Can Certain Foods Trigger Headaches?
Some foods trigger headaches for people who are sensitive to them. What are they?
You can also use the thorough gut test Viome or the budget version by Ombre Lab is a budget gut test kit.
Check out our deep dive into gut biome tests gut microbiome tests.
Does Poor Sleep Cause Migraines?
Dr Maroon makes a case for how bad sleep can lead to very painful headaches.
Are There At-Home Tests for Chronic Headaches?
The best way to figure out your issue is as your own Scientist - you need to track. You could simply use a journal to note what you are eating, and when the headaches occur. What if you could just let a machine key tabs on the headaches?
Nerivio is a neural stimulator that you wear on your arm - it tracks your headache patterns and triggers electrical pulses through an app. A type of electro-therapy? It is FDA approved and could be covered by your Medical Insurance. Apparently Nerivio can also actually treat your Migraines with this device!
If you are just looking for a simple migraine tracker that you can keep tabs on where, when, and figure out the why you get Migraines with an easy to use interface is the iph0ne and android app called Migraine Buddy. It logs headache duration, intensity, where on the head, and what the triggers could be like lack of sleep or anxiety, or bad weather.
There is a paid plan that is only $79 for the year so could be useful, you can even connect all of the info with your doctor so that they are working with you on figuring it all out. Plus they have some AI features that I'm sure will be able to find the patterns when you get the Migraine attacks. You can try it for free now.
What if you actually want to work with Neurologist to get these Headaches Figured out?
Another headache tracking app that is considered great for tracking your headache triggers, duration, medication management and symptoms (like mood changes) is Neura Health and it lets you share your results seamlessly with a neurologist on the app. This includes video calls, medication delivered to you, and 1:1 coaching for you to figure out the solution.
Are Heavy Metals Making Your Head Hurt?
Now onto the scary one. What if heavy metals are causing your headaches? How do you test for those?
If you want to scare yourself with the results, and possibly solve your headache issues, here's the Heavy Metals test from MyLabBox.
What if Toxic Mold is Causing Your Headaches?
How do you test for mold toxicity?
She recommended Mosaic Labs MicoTOX Profile - I went looking to find an online lab that you can get it done and found:
TrueHealthLabs doing a urine test for $399 if you are paying cash. Or speak to your doctor to see if your insurance will cover it.
What Tests Can You Ask Your Doctor For?
The tests can include a full physical, imaging tests (MRI, CT Scan, sinus imaging, EEG), a spinal tap, allergy tests, a neurological exam and blood tests (like for hypothyroidism). There's one blood test finding in particular that's super common in headache sufferers. What is it?
(TC 0-1:23)
What's Sleep Got to Do With It?
Sleep quality and the position we sleep in is said to have a huge effect on headaches. Find out more in our article about testing your sleep quality.
