HEADACHE HOME CARE SOLUTIONS
POSTURAL HABITS
Poor posture runs high on the list as a major cause of Tension Headaches and of spinal imbalances. Keeping the body in a certain position for a prolonged period of time, especially when positioned poorly, will increase the frequency of your headaches. Your mother was right about insisting that you develop good postural habits at home, at school and at work.
Today, with the extensive use of computers in all areas of life, it pays to use the right chair, the right table height, the right monitor height, the angle of your wrists and elbows, etc.
EXERCISE
Physical activity, including sex, has two short term benefits:
1-Releases endorphins, the body's natural pain relievers.
2-Stress reduction and anxiety release.
The benefits of being able to regularly reduce your stress and produce some natural pain relievers can help the tension headache and muscle contraction headaches sufferer manage their pain. Since it has been determined that tension headaches are frequently experienced by vascular and migraine sufferers it makes sense that regular sessions of physical activity (your choice) is a good non-drug method of managing your headaches.
NUTRITION
Balance your nutritional needs based on every 24 hours. Avoid those foods listed under your headache types. Don't skip meals or consume anything in excess. Vitamin B6 and the trace mineral Magnesium are helpful for vascular headaches, including migraines. Find herbs that relax you for tension headaches.
ACUPRESSURE
Acupressure has been useful in relieving trigger points that contribute to the
tension / muscle contraction headaches.
Acupuncture and Reflexology have been reported to be effective for
migraine and other headaches by treating dysfunction of organs.
Applied kinesiology approaches the treatment of organic and muscle
imbalances by holding light pressure on specific neuro-lymphatic receptor points
on the body. Health food stores and bookstores of higher consciousness
will carry books or reference charts for these techniques.
ICE & HEAT USE
There is just the right place and use of heat and ice:
Hot pack at the back of the head, neck and shoulders for tension headaches
Ice packs on the back of the head and neck for migraines
Ice packs on the forehead for sinus headaches
Ice packs on the top of the head for most other types
Ice is most effective if used as soon as the headache starts, and before it gets too
severe.
RELAXATION
There several ways to relax and reduce stress and the tension that comes from our physical, emotional and mental challenges.
There is physical activity, mental imagery, getting enough sleep and of course massage. However you chose to unwind, be sure to focus on your breathing. The whole idea is to give the body an abundance of oxygen and to give the mind a rest.
The following is a list of the therapeutic benefits of massage:
Massage acts as a "mechanical cleanser" pushing along lymph and hastening the elimination of wastes and toxic debris.
Massage relaxes muscle spasms and relieves tension.
Massage may have a sedative, stimulating or even exhausting effect on the nervous system depending on the type and length given.
Massage improves the general circulation and nutrition of tissues. It is accompanied or followed by an increased interchange of substances between the blood and tissue metabolism. Massage stretches connective tissue, improves its circulation and nutrition and so breaks down and prevents the formation of adhesions and the danger of fibrosis.
BIOFEEDBACK
Those patients who have tried everything else but are unable to find relief will be referred for biofeedback. This technique can be best described as Mind Over Body
and works by using an instrument to help you focus on relaxing. The purpose is to help the patient reduce the patients' need of medication.