Headaches occur to most everyone and can vary from mild to severe. They can occur on different parts of the head, or neck. Primary headaches include tension, cluster and migraine. Secondary headaches are those that the problem IS the headache. If you have severe or lasting headache pain than you need to see a medical specialist immediately as headaches can also be serious or life threatening.

The term "headache" is used to describe pain that occurs in one or more areas of the head, face, or neck. Headaches can be occasional, chronic, recurrent, mild or severe. Headaches can involve the network of nerves, tissues, muscles, and blood vessels located in the head and at the base of the skull.

90% of all headaches are primary which means they are symptoms of a disease or condition. Conditions may be trauma from a fall or blunt trauma to the head. Disease can be colds, flu, bacterial - viral - or fungal infections.

A tension headache is the most common of all headaches, with the migraine coming in second.

Secondary headaches are associated with other conditions such as a cerebrovascular disease, head trauma, infection, tumor, or a metabolic disorder such as diabetes, thyroid disease. You can also get head pain from syndromes of the eye, ear, neck, dental problems, sinuses and as a result of medications taken.

A headache that comes on suddenly, is severe, interferes with your normal ability to function, results in confusion, disorientation, convulsions, dizziness, loss of consciousness, pain in the eye, ear, or where fever is involved should be treated by a doctor immediately.

Those who suffer from asthma, diabetes, and heart disease can also suffer from headaches that are chronic, or recurring.

There are over 28 million migraine suffers each year. Tension headaches occur in women more than in men. Tension headaches are associated with anxiety, arthritis in the neck or spine, degenerative bone or disk disease of the neck or spine, depression, and also temporomandibular joint disorders.

Drugs that dilate or constrict blood vessels and alcohol can cause cluster headaches. Researchers also believe that endorphins may cause frequent, severe, or chronic headache pain. Endorphins usually act like painkillers found in the brain.

Environmental triggers may also cause headaches such as barometric pressure and altitude including bad weather such as heavy rain, storms, snow, or high winds.