Your Health In Mind with Michael Storm and Dr. Dean Lloyd, November 11, 2026 Hour 1
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“100 Reasons for a Headache”
For today, I want to discuss how we catagorize Headaches. They are generally divided into primary headaches (caused by overactivity of or problems with pain-sensitive structures in the head and neck, not linked to an underlying disease) and secondary headaches (symptoms caused by an underlying medical condition or physical process).
Remember: When you don’t understand and insist you understand, you are controlled by your ignorance—the biggest headache of all!
Dean Lloyd
With a little help from AI1.Primary Headache Causes & Physical Triggers Primary headaches occur on their own and involve chemical activity in the brain, surrounding nerves, or blood vessels, along with muscle tension.
• Muscle Tension & Posture: Tightness in the muscles of the neck, shoulders, scalp, or jaw often leads to tension-type headaches. Poor posture or prolonged screen time can physically strain these areas.
• Vascular Changes & Exertion: Migraines and cluster headaches involve changes in blood vessels and nerve signals in the brain. Strenuous physical exercise can also provoke exertion headaches due to swelling or strain in head and neck blood vessels.
• Physiological & Lifestyle Triggers: • Dehydration: Insufficient fluid intake can temporarily shrink brain volume slightly or alter stress hormone and fatigue levels.
• Sleep Changes: Lack of sleep or oversleeping disrupts rest cycles and triggers fatigue-related head pain.
• Hunger & Blood Sugar Drops: Skipping meals or fasting can cause low blood sugar and frontal headaches. • Substances: Alcohol (especially red wine), caffeine withdrawal, or nicotine use/exposure can alter blood flow and trigger attacks.
2. Secondary Headache Causes (Underlying Physical Conditions) Secondary headaches act as a warning sign or side effect of a distinct medical issue that activates pain-sensitive nerves: • Infections & Inflammation: Acute sinusitis, middle ear infections, colds, the flu, COVID-19, or serious brain infections like meningitis and encephalitis.
• Head & Neck Injuries: Concussions, post-traumatic whiplash, or minor head trauma. • Dental & Jaw Issues: Temporomandibular joint (TMD) disorders or severe tooth/gum problems. • Vascular & Intracranial Conditions: High blood pressure (hypertension crises), brain aneurysms, arterial tears (dissections), blood clots (venous thrombosis), or increased pressure inside the skull.
• Structural or Mass Lesions: Brain tumors or Chiari malformations. • Medication Overuse: Frequent use of pain-relieving medication (“rebound headaches”)
Different types of headaches feel distinct in their pain quality, location, intensity, and accompanying symptoms:
• Tension Headaches: Feel like a dull, aching sensation or a tight, squeezing band wrapped around both sides of your head (forehead, temples, or back of the head). The pain is usually mild to moderate and non-throbbing.
• Migraine Headaches: Feel like a moderate-to-severe throbbing or pulsing pain, typically on one side of the head. They often cause sensitivity to light, sound, or smells, and frequently trigger nausea or vomiting. Some people experience visual disturbances (an aura) before the pain starts.
• Cluster Headaches: Feel like excruciating, piercing, burning, or stabbing pain concentrated around or behind one eye or temple. They come in rapid, severe “clusters” and are often accompanied by eye redness, tearing, a drooping eyelid, or nasal congestion on the same side.
• Sinus Headaches: Feel like deep, dull pressure or pain in the front of your face—specifically across your forehead, cheeks, and around the bridge of your nose. They often worsen when you bend over and may come with nasal drainage or a fever. • Thunderclap Headaches: Feel like an instant, explosive, and severe pain that reaches peak intensity in under a minute (often described as the “worst headache of your life”). This is a medical emergency that can signal bleeding in the brain.
• Ice Pick Headaches (Primary Stabbing): Feel like short, sharp, intense stabbing sensations that last only a few seconds. • Cervicogenic Headaches: Feel like a steady pain originating in the neck or base of the skull that radiates up into one side of the head or face, often accompanied by a stiff neck.
Hummmmmmmmmin, Dean 🌎
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