Root Canal Triggers Headache

I found an interesting article the other day written by a Chiropractor and describing how myofascial trigger points can mimic signs and symptoms of a neurological disease. The case describes the patient as the following. “A 44-year-old female, an office manager for a dentist for eight years, was referred by an EENT specialist with a chief complaint of headaches (HA), with a six- to eight-year history of HA and facial pain. Although all of her symptoms were usually on the right side of the face and head, the HA occasionally became bilateral when very intense. The facial pain was always located on the right. Once started, her symptoms lasted anywhere from four to ten hours. The only thing she remembers that may have triggered the onset was dental work done within six months of the start of the symptoms-several fillings … Read more

Pheochromocytoma

I am not sure how many of you who have headache problems have heard of pheochromocytoma, it is a tumor of the adrenal gland. This can cause the following symptoms: Headaches (severe) Excess sweating (generalized) Racing heart (tachycardia and palpitations) Anxiety / nervousness (feelings of impending death) Nervous shaking (tremors) Pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen Nausea (with or without nausea) Weight loss Heat intolerance It is rare and typically is not even found until an autopsy after death. If you believe you may have a pheochromocytoma than I would strongly recommend a 24 hour urine test to test for catacholamines. This test measures different types of adrenaline to see if they are out of normal levels. I personally had this test done but all of my catacholamines were within normal ranges. You could also get an MRI … Read more