Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1893 — Sick Headache. [ARTICLE]

Sick Headache.

Attacks of sick headache could often be avoided if the cause of them were known. In many instances the cause is a disordered condition of the stomach. In such cases there is often a regular recurrence of the attacks, the person in the meantime feeling perfectly free from the complaint. Here it will often be found that by some error of diet the patient is gradually accumulating in his system some noxious substances, which it takes a special effort of nature to throw off. Then the whole internal machinery refuses to do its ordinary work. The stomach, the intestines, the liver and other organs which produce the digestive juices almost entirely cease their regular task of rendering the food taken into the mouth fit for absorption into the system at large. Sometimes habitual overeating will produce this result. Or a person who has been constantly actiye may continue to eat his usual amount of food after exchanging his occupation for some more sedentary one. In either case the result is the same; the overburdened organs become partially paralyzed, the undigested food acts as an irritant, aud headache and general disorder in the digestive tract prevail. A person who has no symptoms of stomach disorder, or who has been taught by his physician to avoid indiscretions which formerly resulted in trouble, and who still has regularly recurrent attacks of sick headache, must look to some other than these, the most common causes of such attacks. One not uncommon cause of sick headache is irregularity of the cornea, or some other eye derangement. Th» skilful oculist will be able to detect any such irregularity, and to judge whether or not it insufficient to cause the trouble. A curious case of sick headache was lately reported, in which the cause was found to be the absorption of a certain proportion of lead which was contained in a kind of “composition” hat-band. A change to a leather band was followed by an entire cessation of the symptoms. Sick headache is very apt to occur in school-children from leaning forward over books, from imperfect digestion, or from too little exercise in the open air, and not unfrequently from a combination of these unhygienic conditions. A child who suffers from sick headaches should be promptly relieved from such unwholesome influences.—[Youth’s Companion.