Current research suggests there are 11 primary headache types, but classifying headaches is far from an exact science. All headaches, no matter how they are classified, are related, since they are all a response to underlying metabolic, structural, and/or emotional imbalances. The key to classification is to use the label to get to the underlying systemic disturbance rather than to narrowly define the headache itself.
Food allergies are believed to be a contributing factor in as many as 70% of all headache cases. Allergy/sensitivity headaches can take many forms, from migraine, cluster, or sinus-like pain to dull, aching, generalized pain. Attributed to just about any substance that can be eaten, breathed, touched, or worn, these headaches usually occur 4-12 hours after contact with or ingestion of the problematic substance.
These headaches are among the easiest to treat, since treatment consists of finding the offending substance, eliminating it, and repairing the body through detoxification and nutritional supplements. However, despite their apparent simplicity, eliminating these headaches often takes patience, since allergies or sensitivities can build up gradually over a period of prolonged exposure, requiring more time for the body to return to normal functioning.
Other allergy headaches can be triggered by poor digestion, yeast overgrowth, dysbiosis, and enzyme deficiencies. In this case, foods are improperly broken down and food fragments leak through the gut walls. This can lead to a flood of toxins in the bloodstream, where immune cells attack the food particles causing dangerous cross-reactions in the body.
