Headaches

Why is my head aching?

Most people can get headaches from time to time. Some people are unlucky enough to get a headache nearly every day. Headaches can be caused by a number of different reasons, including lack of sleep or stress. They can also come about after consuming the wrong food or drink, or too much, or too little, of either.

More serious headaches occur very rarely and are generally the result of an injury, such as a fall or knock to the head. This, in turn, causes bleeding in an area of the brain that leads to a build up of pressure. Headaches associated with these types of injuries are often very severe and are generally accompanied by other symptoms, such as loss of consciousness.

Severe headaches may be a sign of a serious condition such as a brain tumour. These types of headaches cause intense pain and are often preceded by other symptoms like seizures, changes in vision or loss of strength in the arms and legs.

Somewhere in between these two extremes are headaches resulting from sinus pain, such as when you have an infection, a cold or influenza. When the sinus cavities fill up with infected liquid, sudden head movements often cause a deep throbbing pain.

If you get headaches frequently, then you need to seek advice from a health professional. Your community pharmacist can help you identify situations that cause your headaches. Often it may be as simple as avoiding the activity that causes the headache – some people get a sharp headache after eating ice cream, others from over exertion. In both these cases, avoidance is the best treatment.

Some people are unfortunate enough to suffer from migraines. There are many effective treatments available to treat and prevent migraines. Ensure you get your condition diagnosed by your doctor and follow their advice about treatment options. You can also talk to your community pharmacist about managing your lifestyle to lessen the effects of these conditions.

Treating most headaches is generally simple. If the pain is so severe that you do not believe that a simple pain relieving medicine will fix the problem, then get medical help immediately. Pain relieving medication, such as paracetamol, will ease most headaches. But if you have tried paracetamol, and it hasn’t helped, then your pharmacist will be able to advise you on the next step to take to resolve your symptoms.

If you are unsure of the cause of your headache, and don’t know whether or not to get help from a doctor, then talk to your local community pharmacist. They will be able to guide you to a likely cause and give clear advice about whether treating the headache, or the cause of the pain, will be enough.

Swallowing difficulties (dysphagia)

Causes of swallowing difficulties

Swallowing difficulties can happen at any age. There are a wide range of causes for them, including:

some medicines, such as antipsychotics
heartburn and acid reflux
cancer, such as mouth or throat cancers
nervous system or brain disorders
muscle disorders
blockages or structural issues with your mouth, throat or oesophagus.

Symptoms of swallowing difficulties

Symptoms of swallowing difficulties may include:

coughing or choking when eating or drinking
bringing food back up, may be through your nose
the feeling that food is stuck in your throat
having issues chewing your food
problems with dribbling.

Swallowing difficulties can cause weight loss, dehydration and chest infections.

Diagnosing swallowing difficulties

Let your healthcare provider know if you have swallowing difficulties. They will ask you about your symptoms and check if any other health conditions you have may be the cause.

Your healthcare provider may refer you to a specialist for tests. These may include a:

gastroscopy—a camera is passed down through your mouth to look at your throat and stomach
swallowing study—your throat and stomach are x-rayed as you swallow small amounts of food.

Treating swallowing difficulties

How your swallowing difficulties are treated depends on the cause and how severe it is. Treatments may include:

medicines to treat acid reflux
swallowing therapy with a speech and language therapist
making changes to what you eat and drink, such as softer foods and using thickener in drinks
using special spoons, plates and cups
surgery to widen your oesophagus.
using special medication lubricants eg Gloup to help make it easier to swallow tablets etc. For more information click here.

Self care for swallowing difficulties

As well as seeing your healthcare provider, the following tips may help you to get food or liquids into your stomach.

Sit upright in a chair—at a table is best.
Have regular small meals instead of the main large meals.
Eat or drink small mouthfuls at a time.
If your voice is gurgly when you eat or drink, give a small cough to make sure your airway is clear.
Wet food will be easier to swallow as dry food can catch in your throat.
If your food has 2 consistencies, such as fruit in juice and cereal in milk, try to mix it into 1 consistency, or eat the solid and liquid portions separately.
Concentrate on eating and avoid talking.
Hot, ice-cold or fizzy liquids are easier to swallow than room temperature liquids.
If you are told to have thickened liquids, avoid ice-cream and jelly as they thin before swallowing.
Drink from the top half of you cup to avoid tipping your head back.

Have a look at our range of Gloup medication lubricants here which can help with difficulties swallowing tablets...

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