BodyMind Dynamics: Mike's Essays:
Writings on Various Subjects:
All Mike's Essays:
Headache
There are people who have never experienced a headache - and then there are the rest of us. Whether it is the once-in-a-while dull banging of a tension headache, or the everyday sinus headache, most folks are familiar with them. Headache can affect people of all age groups and ethnic origins, and can manifest itself anywhere from a nagging minor discomfort, to debilitating pain so severe that nausea and vomiting, visual disturbances, numbness, or difficulty speaking properly can occur. If you have headaches frequently, you should be under the care of a physician.
Headaches can be emotional, metabolic, or structural in nature. A hard day at work, a fight with a family member or spouse, not eating properly, poor posture - all can induce a headache. If this sounds like a typical sort of day, you're right; the cause can be difficult to determine because stressors tend to overlap. Many factors can come into play; sensitivities to foods or chemicals, slouching at work or in front of the TV, eyestrain or a change in the weather, difficulty in school or a dysfunctional home life are all common stressors.
For the occasional headache, an over-the-counter pain reliever like aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen will work just fine. Always take medication according to the instructions on the label; more is not better, nor will it work any faster.
For frequent headaches though, it is much better to find the stressing factor involved. Pain, in a very real sense, is our friend. It tells us that there is something going on that needs to be addressed. By covering up this pain without looking for the cause is to ignore this warning signal. Think about what would happen if you ignored the oil warning light on the dashboard of your car - bad things are going to happen.
So what to do? You might start by keeping a headache journal. List when the pain starts, what you were doing just before it happened, what cosmetics or other personal care products you used, what you ate, the weather or the environment you were in, what the pain felt like, what made it better, did you have any warning that it was coming on - all and anything you can think of, even apparently unrelated things. Over time this will help you to identify your common headache inducers. Try to be as complete as possible, and remember that there may be overlapping stressors. As you identify commonalities, try to eliminate or modify them in your daily life. Some, like a new perfume or exposure to cigarette smoke, may be easy to find and get rid of. Others, like a poorly designed work station or trouble at home can be more difficult to address. Watch for chemical stressors, they are everywhere; off gassing plastics in the home and work place, exhaust fumes and other airborne pollution, additives and preservatives in food and water - these can be some of the trickiest factors involved, and the hardest to deal with.
Here are some simple natural remedies for the occasional headache.
- A light scalp and neck massage can do wonders to release tight muscles and reduce the pain.
- A warm or cool compress over the eyes and face, coupled with a short rest, can help relieve sinus headache or eyestrain.
- An alternating hot and cold shower can improve your circulation and help stave off a vascular headache.
- Ginger root has beed used by many people to reduce headache pain.Use it in food or just chew a bit of the fresh root.
- Chamomile tea is well known to be relaxing and emotionally stabilizing. There are many brands readily available.
- Try pressing on the accupressure point located in the web between the thumb and forefinger.(NOT if you are pregnant!) Do both sides, for about a minute each, one after the other. The more it hurts to press this point, the more chance that massaging it will help your pain.
DANGEROUS HEADACHES - These are cause to see a physician at once.
If you or someone you know has a headache of this nature, see your family doctor immediately! If your doctor can not see you right then, go to the nearest emergency room, or dial 911 for an ambulance.