BPS 1101 Lecture : Headache.docx
Document Summary
Used to be believed that headaches were caused by demons. Used to stick head in oven, hot needles in head, cut hole in head, cut tissue around head to. Brain does not feel pain (neurons in brain don"t cause pain) Thin layer of tissue around head causes pain. Muscle band around head contacts (caused by stress) Toxic (caused by poison), vasodilation (blood vessels get bigger and squished) Msg when added to food make food taste better (magnifies flavour) Was believed to give people headaches but it doesn"t. Monosodium glutamate (msg) is 5% of body (it"s an amino acid) Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor (makes blood vessels smaller -> opposite of vasodilation) Treat toxic headache -> anything other than tylenol for hangovers (could cause liver damage); caffeine may help; aspirin, advil. 18% of women and 6% of men get migraines. Phase 1: vasoconstriction (blood vessels get smaller) -> aura phase. Phase 2: vasodilation (blood vessels get bigger) -> this causes pain.