Montgomery News

As experts find an increasing correlation between headaches and allergy-induced inflammation, doctors from Washington, DC-based allergy clinic Capitol Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers highlight the various treatments for the discomfort.

Headaches are extremely common, and some are caused by allergies. Healthline research shows that approximately 70 to 80% of people experience headaches, while 50% have them at least once a month. 

“You're doing your spring cleaning, and you breathe in a bunch of dust,” Dr. Manish Khanna told Montgomery News. “This inflammatory process clogs those little tiny openings, and when those openings are clogged, the mucus that the sinus lining is producing just hangs around in the nasal passages. That's a nice culture medium for bacteria to overgrow and lead to a sinus infection. It can also lead to really thick post-nasal drip that patients feel and lead to a lot of throat clearing, and they start to feel that mucus in the back of their throat. So that's a common symptom of patients who have allergies.”

Dr. Manish Khanna | Capitol Breathe Free

The allergies most commonly attributed to headaches are: allergic rhinitis (popularly known as hay fever), food allergies and histamine, which is derived in response to an allergic reaction and can potentially decrease blood pressure, according to Healthline. 

Though the form of treatment for the headaches should be discussed on a case-by-case basis with a medical professional, Capitol Breathe Free doctors advise various forms of preventive and over-the-counter medications for headaches from allergies. For those who feel the condition may be interfering with their daily activities, they may want to see a doctor and find out if they could benefit from other treatments.

“You can use medications like nasal steroids sprays, humidification, moisture steam. Keeping things nice and warm in the sinus cavities certainly helps. Then you get into medications like antibiotics and oral steroids at times, which can be necessary to really get rid of an acute sinus infection, which is causing a wicked headache,” Khanna said. “But as a preventative for patients who get recurring sinus headaches and pressure, balloon sinuplasty is a very reasonable, viable option.”

Balloon sinuplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that can be performed right at the clinic, not at the hospital. Patients usually have very minimal side effects and a very short recovery time. This relatively new treatment has been proven safe and effective for patients with chronic sinusitis or other chronic allergy conditions.

The Capitol Breathe Free clinic created a Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz to help patients better identify their symptoms and determine their next steps.