Tag: Ways

Seven Ways To Avoid Headache

 

In today’s busy and stressful life, more and more people have experienced a severe or debilitating headache.

Migraine treatment
Migraine treatment

Using pain medications is a quick way that many choose to relieve headache symptoms. However , this method is not effective completely because it only works for a short period of time. Moreover, if you overuse these medications during weeks, it will lead to rebound headaches.

Here are 7 ways without using drugs that help you to avoid a headache or better manage it if it occurs.

1 . Drink plenty of water

One of reasons for having a headache is dehydration. You are advised to consume at least eight glasses of water or other fluids a day to ward off dehydration. When your head begins hurting, you should drink a glass of water to ease the pain. People who often suffer a headache are told to drink an additional 1 . 5 litres of water a day for 12 weeks.

2 . Snack on nuts and seeds

Lack of food can trigger headaches but there are some foods can cause it such as chocolate, red wine, aged cheeses, processed meats and more. So you need watch what you eat to alleviate your headache. You can replace those foods with nuts and seeds that are an excellent source of magnesium. This mineral, which acts as a muscle relaxant, can be found in large amounts in oats, green leafy vegetables, beans, peas, etc .

3. Wear your hair down

Wearing a tight-fitting hat, plait, chignon and Alice band is another reason for headaches because your hair is pull back, straining the connective tissue in the scalp. So the best way to avoid a headache is keeping your hair down instead of sporting a ponytail.

4. Massage your scalp, neck and earlobes

Massage therapy is a nice way to help you relieve tension and improve circulation. It also helps relax the tense muscles and cause them to place less pressure on the nerves and blood vessels. So you should massage your scalp and earlobes by yourself and have someone else massage your neck and back if possible. Make sure you press the areas lightly and use tiny circular movements while you keep massaging.

5. Exercise regularly

Another way to prevent a headache is doing exercise regularly because it helps improve the production of endorphins, the brain’s natural painkillers. Besides, practicing relaxation techniques can be remarkably effective in addressing your headache. Relaxation exercises will manage your pain well. They are easy to learn and implement, too. Meditation and deep breathing are among the most common options to beat a headache. Practicing yoga is another way to keep you refreshed and stress free.

6. Stick to a sleep schedule

Sticking to a sleep schedule can help you avoid pain. Headache sufferers are advised to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Therefore , you should take a nap or sleep the number of hours you need to feel alert and rested. Make sure you have a comfortable pillow, peaceful and quiet environment to get a good night’s sleep.

7. Manage your stress level

Stress is the number one cause of headaches, so it is important to eliminate it to keep your mind, body and spirit relaxed. You can get into an exercise program, go for a walk, read a book or go shopping if that works for you. You can also delegate your work to others to reduce stress and pressure .

8 Triggers of Migraines and 6 Ways to Kiss Your Headache Goodbye

“A migraine is like a tornado; it attacks fast without any warning and wreaks havoc. ”

Migraines usually start during the teenage years or early in adult life, affecting more women than men with a ratio of three to one. Migraines are caused from constricted (tightening) arteries that supply blood flow to the brain. When the arteries constrict, blood flow to the brain is reduced as well as the brains oxygen supply. The brain reacts by dilating (enlarging) arteries to meet the brain’s need for energy. The dilation spreads to the arteries in the neck and scalp and is the culprit of the pain in migraines.

If you live with migraines, make sure to have your Doctor rule out an underlying illness or other medical conditions that mimic migraines with the appropriate tests: for example , x-rays determining sinus infection, EEG for seizure activity or a CAT scan to detect blood clots or a brain tumor. Your Dr . may determine a drug to help ease your pain.

Eight Migraine Triggers

1 . Cerviogentic Headache:

Some people who have a tender neck and suffer from sore bone and joint problems are diagnosed with this type

2 . Temporomandibular Migraine:

Triggered by teeth grinding

3. Sinus Migraine:

Triggered by allergies and caused by excessive mucous and often accompanied by a fever. If you have this type of migraine, you may experience pain around both eyes and also may feel nauseated and sensitive to light.

4. Genetic Migraines:

Studies have lined a gene to people affected with migraines. Often when the gene for migraines is passed on to the next generation, the recipient will also experience headaches around the same age as the person who passed on the migraine.

5. Stress Migraine:

Stress can be a major contributing factor to the onset of a migraine. Type A personalities are more likely to experience migraines. Type A is ambitious, bright, perfectionist, emotionally repressed, cautious and has a decreased ability to manage stress. However , this is the easiest type of migraine to treat because a type A personality can acquire the skills necessary to manage stress.

6. Hormonal Migraine:

Fluctuating hormones in women are often the cause of migraines and can happen during menstrual cycles.

7. Cigarette Migraine

An equal opportunity source of migraines is because the nicotine alters blood vessels. High carbon monoxide levels in a person who smokes or even inhales second hand smoke can lead to a migraine.

8. Food Migraines

Food allergies are another factor that leads to migraines. However , migraine sufferers are able to eat chocolate without falling prey to a migraine. Some patients actually report relief from eating chocolate.

Foods that Can Cause Migraines

1 . Aged cheese such as Roquefort, Stilton and Sharp Cheddar
2 . Fermented Dairy such as Sour Cream, Buttermilk and Yogurt
3. Citrus: Oranges or Grapefruit, including juice
4. Nuts: Peanuts, Walnuts or Pecans
5. Legumes: Peas, Beans and Soy product 6. Onions and Garlic
7. Bananas
8. Pickled foods: picked herring is the most common instigator
9. MSG found in Chinese food
10. Alcohol

Now that you know the common triggers, also note that skipping meals also causes migraines. Skipping meals causes your blood sugar to drop, which in turn causes a migraine.

Six Ways to Kiss Your Migraine Goodbye

1 . Medicine

Medicines have been used for centuries to treat migraines. Today Dr’s prescribe Beta Blockers to treat migraines by maintaining adequate dilation of blood vessels. Antidepressants: The brain chemical ‘serotonin’ plays a role in migraine attacks because the levels of serotonin may cause or relieve migraine and that’s why Drs sometimes prescribe antidepressants for migraines. Antidepressants reduce migraine frequency by regulating serotonin levels in the brain. Other drugs are triptans available as an injection or nasal spray. This type of drug shuts down the inflammation and transmission of migraine pain.

2 . Surgical Treatment

Nerve stimulators have been used to control back and muscle pain and in 2003 a nerve stimulator was successfully used to treat chronic headaches. With nerve stimulation, one end of a wire is connected to a nerve that controls pain and the other is connected to a small battery powered generator. The patient controls the generator via a remote device. Once turned on, it disconnects the pain signal.

Not only do chronic migraine suffers face agonizing physical disabilities, they also have the psychological fear of not being able to earn a living or manage their home life because daily activities can suddenly become unbearable with the onset of a migraine.

3. Holistic Intervention

Rarely are people offered a non drug approach to treating migraines. Treating a migraine holistically not only can treat the migraine at onset but can also act as prevention.

Create a headache diary listing the 5 W’s.

A. Who were you with?
B. Where? Did someone irritate you? At work with glaring lights?
C. What? What medications were you on?
D. When? When did the headache start?
E. Why? Did some particular food or drink aggravate the situation? Did you get enough sleep?

4. Review your diary after 30 days and see if you can isolate the trigger.

5. Use heat to help dilate the blood vessels in the body. This must be done at direct onset of your migraine. Soak your hands in hot water for 20-30 minutes. As the migraine progresses and the blood vessels enlarge, apply ice to the back of the neck and forehead to help constrict capillaries that are pressing against the nerves.

6. Relaxation techniques

You can use relaxation techniques to manage stress. Research has found that people who consciously practice yoga daily for 30 – 45 minutes can learn to positively manipulate involuntary bodily responses like migraine pain. Studies have shown that relaxation practiced on a regular basis achieves a 45 to 80% reduction or elimination in both migraine severity and frequency. Yoga triggers a boost in the brain chemical serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is involved with your body’s anger, pain, sleep and migraine and can be a cure for headaches.

Frequent headaches are a sign that you are stressed out and it’s your body’s way of saying slow down and take care of me. Especially if you are a type A personality. My type A patients often say they can’t sit still and have a difficult time with the relaxation/mediation part of yoga. My reply? What’s more difficult to live with. Meditating daily or living with a migraine, a stroke or a heart attack? These are very real situations that afflict people with constricted arteries and that’s why it’s vital that you make time for your health.

Unfortunately for my patients, I often meet them after they’ve suffered from a condition of vascular abnormality. They are very motivated to participate because they have experienced what happens when blood flow to the heart or brain is compromised. Consequently they practice my techniques daily to reduce a recurrence.

Why not make time now? There are 1440 minutes in a day. 45 minutes a day practicing yoga is a wise investment in your health that offers a positive life style with increased energy without the use of toxic drugs polluting your liver and fewer Doctor visits which equals fewer co-payments. Yoga Chi for Energy DVD includes medically engineered relaxation techniques with an 11 minute meditation by a crackling fireplace.