Healing Headaches

HEADACHE FROM A COLD: Rosemary Tea*

MIGRAINE: A migraine is a severe headache caused by the dialation of blood vessels in the head. Pain is usually throbbing sharp pain. The brain tissues itself has no sensory nerves, therefore feels no pain, but the lining of the brain, the scalp, the blood vessels and the muscles are stretched and/or tensed when the dilation occurs, thus causing the pain. The pain can be frontal or uni/bilateral and last for 1-4 days (Common Migraine), unilateral and lasting a few hours (Classic). Complicated Migraines have are unpredictable in their symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common. Oftentimes, the precursor to a migraine is seeing auras or halos around objects and feeling dizzy or nausea.

Causes: Food allergies, alcohol, chemicals (like nitrates and NSG), withdrawal from caffeine and other drugs that constrict the blood vessels, stress, emotional trauma or stress, hormonal fluctuations, too much sleep, exhaustion, muscle & joint stress caused by poor posture, fluctuations in weather, eyestrain, bright sunlight, Vitamin C deficiency, Vitamin B6 deficiency, Magnesium deficiency, TMJ (Temporaoandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome).

The best way to manage a migraine is to prevent it. Migraines are often caused by food sensitivities (for example, aged cheeses like blue or cheddar, Monosodium Glutmate (found in Soy Sauce and other foods) and red wine. If you get migraines frequently, start keeping a little pocket journol of what you eat. It may be less painful to eliminate the foods that are common offenders, then after a week of avoiding them, start adding them back one a week. If you choose to use this method, make sure you still keep the journol in case you still end up with a migraine, there may be a food that is causing them that you didn't think about eliminating. Also, keep a short narrative of the day. Were you unusually stressed, depressed, etc.?

Feverfew: In the 1970's, feverfew was studied clinically and was found to reduce migraines more than 70% when used over a six-month period. Also, 43% of the patients in the study felt other beneficial side-effects like restful sleep and arthritis relief.** For an adult migraine sufferer, eat 3 to 5 fresh leaves between a slice of bread every day to reduce migraines. Eat NO MORE than this. Because feverfew is bitter tasting, you may want to add it to a sandwich or salad. Mint and/or parsley are said to reduce the bitterness. Brush your teeth and rinse well as soon as your done. Feverfew can cause ulcers in the mouth (like tomatoes do). Feverfew is also sold in capsule form at health food stores.

Other Treatments:
Biofeedback: Studies show this to be AS effective as conventional drugs with no side effects.
Acupuncture: has had some success in reducing the frequency of migraines, but the success is hard to gauge because the studies have not been blind, and those that were, were not followed longer than 2 months to rate long term effectiveness.
Meditation
Yoga
Eye Exam
Stress reduction
Homone evaluations and treatment
Chiropractic Care

TENSION HEADACHE: Typically the pain is at the base of the neck and radiates upwards to behind the eyes. We exhibit our stress in a variety of ways that can and do cause killer headaches. Clenching or grinding teeth, tensing the muscles of the neck, shoulders and back and erratic or abnormal breathing can all attribute to quite a nasty headache. The best way to manage these types of headaches is to change your habits. Meditation is a great way to relax the body and mind and regulates breath, and let the tension flow from your body both before and after symptoms manifest.

Yoga is a form of active meditation that not only has the benefits of passive meditation, but can stretch and strengthen the muscles that can give you headaches if neglected. If you don't want to take the time and dedication it takes to practice yoga, you can still benefit from a few easy stretches to help you release the tension that builds in the neck, shoulders and back:

1. Sit up straight in a chair or stand firmly. Close your eyes and breath evenly and slowly through your nose. Relax your shoulders, letting them fall naturally. Relex your arms and your back. Relax your face, jaws, eyes, forehead, mouth, etc. Gently drop your head to the right. Don't force it or push/pull it with your hands. Keep your hands at your sides or in your lap if you are sitting. Acknowledge the stretch you feel in the left side of your neck. Hold for 5-10 seconds. Straighten your head, then repeat on the other side. Streaigthen and GENTLY drop your head back. Don't force it, just let it fall gently and naturally backward. Relax in this state, then GENTLY drop your head forward. Don't force it...let it fall naturally. You may feel a stretch in your neck, upper back, or you may feel it stretching all the way down to your middle to lower back, depending on how tense you are and your level of flexibility. Return your head to it's natural state and then repeat once or twice more. This takes no more than 5 minutes and you can even do it at your desk or in the restroom at work.

2. Twists help release tension in the spine, as well as toxins in the muscles and internal organs. Sit on the floor in a crosslegged possition. Istead of putting on leg on top if the other, put one leg in front of the other. Sit with your back straight, release the shoulders and hold the head straight. Inhale. Exhale and gently twist right. Put your left hand on the outside of your right thigh and your right hand on the floor behind you. Inhale, and lift the chest, exhale and twist a little deeper. Repeat for 3 to 5 breaths. Exhale and return to center. Repeat with the left side. Change the cross of the legs so the left leg is in front. Repeat the process, twisting to the left first.

A note on Yoga: A lot of the yoga poses are desigened to release toxins from the muscles and internal organs. It's important to drink plenty of water after a yoga workout to help your body rid itself of these toxins. Drink plenty of water for at least 24 hours after your workout.

Massage is wonderful stress releiver and there for helps manage and prevent stress and tension headaches. If you can't afford to have a professional massage once a month, and don't have someone at home to do it for you, you can still target the offending muscles yourself. Sit straight or stand in the shower. Relax the shoulders, the arms, the face and the back. Use your right hand to gently knead the shoulder muscle that runs from your neck to your shoulder. Reach back and run your hand firmly up along the side of the spine. Repeat with the left hand on the right shoulder and side of back. Gently drop the neck forward and rub in small circles with the finger tips of both hands all along the back of the neck and onto the shoulders. You can also place a tennis ball in between your back and the wall and gently roll it up and down the top of your back. Massaging the feet can also help a tension headache.

A note on massage: toxins often build up in your muscles. You may even feel knots as you're massaging, which may be pocket of these toxins. When you massage, you are releasing toxins that build up in the muscles into the blood stream. Make sure you drink plenty of water for the next 24-48hours to help your body effectively eliminate these toxins from your body.

Exercise is a renowned stress reducer. Typically aerobics tend to relieve stress better than weight training. Walking, running, aerobics class, dancing, hiking, biking, roller-blading, yoga and martial arts are some of the many aerobic activities you can do to reduce stress and increase overall health. Sometimes a 10 minute walk in the middle of the day can make all the differennce in the world.

Chamomile has a relaxing scent that helps sooth stressed minds and bodies when added to a bath or steam. Also, the tea when drank relaxes the body and destresses the mind.

Lavender tea and peppermint tea are also used to treat headaches. Lavender or peppermint oil may be used for aromatherapy with the same results.

SINUS PAIN: Your face may feel painful to touch under the eyes and across the nose. You probably feel pressure behind and under your eyes, and maybe in your ears. You may feel temporary relief while sneezing or blowing your nose. Sinus pain may accompany a cold or sinusitis. For this type of pain, treating the cause is the easiest way to relieve pain. Menhol or eucalyptus packs over the sinuses may help (BE CAREFUL to avoid irritation. Depending on the cause, ice packs on the sinuses may help. If you have sinusitis, local applications of hot towels may help promote drainage thus reducing pain. Discontinue if pain worsens without drainage. See Also: Sinusitis

OTHER HEADACHE CAUSES: While Caffeine is known to help rid you of a headache, too much caffeine can give you headaches. Take care to note the intake of coffee, tea, soda and other beverages with caffeine. If you normally consume caffeine, then drastically lower or cut it out cold turkey, you could get a headache from caffeine withdrawn, as well as nausea. If you do consume a lot of caffeine and wish to stop (not only can it make you jittery, cranky and give you emotional highs and lows, but it also depletes your body of the calcium it needs) you may want to gradually cut down on the caffeine to eliminate the withdrawal symptoms, or do it on a weekend when you can get plenty of rest. Usually the Caffeine withdrawal headaches last 1 to 3 days.

Lack of sleep or too much sleep.

Stress (physical, emotional or mental)

Eyestrain

Poor Posture

TMJ

Eating too much sugar: Common condition afflicting children around Halloween and the winter holidays! :) Too much candy or soda will give you a headache, lightheaded feeling and maybe nausea (also called a sugar rush).

Dehydration: Drink plenty of water!

Excessive Heat or Humidity

Wisdom Teeth

Eustacian Tube Disfunction