Q: I am a 35 years old man suffering from chronic frequent headaches since long. The sinus and x-ray scans have come out normal. The doctor is of the opinion that the headache could be due to stress or allergy. Is it so?

A:Chronic daily headaches have many causes, but as you have associated upper respiratory symptoms and a definite association with consumption of cold drinks, the possibility of allergic origin is most likely. You should observe any more associations like humidity, strong smells / perfumes / old dusty places/ pollution / oily or fatty food /sour food etc and if any of these are associated with headache, avoid them. You may want to try a 5 day course of some simple anti allergic like cetirizine (10 mg once daily) and observe if your headache responds to it. This drug may cause drowsiness. If you still have headache, a neurological examination and an MRI scan of brain may be required for further evaluation.