Allergies are considered American’s most common disease of the abnormal-response immune system. They cause an overreaction to substances that are ordinarily harmless, called allergens, which affect 2 out of 10 Americans through environmental issues.  Allergies are characterized by an overreaction to a foreign protein substance (“allergen”) that is eaten, breathed into the lungs, injected, or touched.  This can be a one-time occurrence or exposure to that allergen over a period of time. This immune overreaction can result in symptoms such as coughing, hives, or another skill reaction, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, difficulty breathing, scratchy throat, and asthma. An estimated 50 million Americans suffer from all types of allergies. It is not just a kid illness anymore, with a high amount of people getting treated for allergies starting over the age of 30.

Headaches are unpleasant pains in your head that can cause pressure and aching. They can range from mild to severe pain and usually occur on both sides of your head. Some specific areas where headaches can occur include the forehead, temples, and back of the neck. A headache can last anywhere from 30 minutes to a week. Tension headaches aren’t the only type of headaches that occur. Other headache types include: Cluster headaches are severely painful headaches that occur on one side of the head and come in clusters. This means you experience cycles of headache attacks, followed by headache-free periods. Often confused with migraines, sinus headaches co-occur with sinus infection symptoms such as fever, stuffy nose, cough, congestion, and facial pressure. These headaches are intense or severe and often have accompanying symptoms in addition to head pain. Symptoms associated with a migraine headache include nausea, pain behind one eye or ear, pain in the temples, seeing spots or flashing lights, sensitivity to light and/or sound, temporary vision loss, and vomiting. A migraine headache will cause intense pain that may be throbbing and will make performing daily tasks very difficult.

As a middle-aged athlete trying to reverse the curse of overuse, injuries, and daily stresses of life and the workplace, I have encountered various bouts of lowered fitness due to pain. It is easier than not to just pop a pill and pray that it will take away the pain that you are experiencing. But not all pain medications are the same. This article will help you learn which kind and form is best. Most painkillers fall into two classes:  Acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).