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There are many new migraine headache
treatments available that can be both safe and effective. Natural
treatments for migraine headaches are usually safer and cheaper
than traditional pain medications. And in many instances they
can relieve pain just as well or even better than prescription
or non-prescription drugs. The possibility of a negative reaction
to a safe and natural
migraine headache treatment is still there, but it is less
with most natural treatment methods than it is with pain-relieving
medications.
Every person on the face of the
earth is unique. Their body chemistry is different than anyone
else's. One person may find relief from their migraine headaches
with one type of treatment while someone else may try that same
treatment and find no relief at all. No two people will experience
the same reaction from the same treatment. But why is that?
Every body is made up of a mixture
of chemicals. Every person produces certain chemicals in their
body so that they will be able to function at their best. Histamines
will increase gastric secretion and dilate the capillaries. Insulin
is secreted by the pancreas and helps regulate the blood sugar
levels. Hormones are produced by the body for many different
functions. Adrenaline (epinephrine) is produced in response to
stress. Every body is unique and produces different chemicals
in differing amounts. When a person takes aspirin (a chemical)
for their migraine headaches it changes the chemical make-up
of that person's body.
You've always heard that when two
chemicals, in the same amounts, at the same temperature, etc.
are mixed together they will cause the same reaction. That may
be true, but when one chemical (such as aspirin) is taken by
two separate people their reactions will never be exactly the
same because no two people have identical chemicals in their
body. One person taking aspirin will not have the same reaction
as someone else taking aspirin. And it's the same with natural
migraine headache treatments. Since no two people are identical
no two people will respond exactly the same to a treatment method
for migraine headaches.
So just because one migraine headache
treatment does not work for one person does not mean it won't
work for your migraine headaches. There are many effective alternatives
to taking medications when it comes to relieving migraine headaches.
You just have to try one for yourself to see if it will work
for you.
One natural and popular treatment
method for migraine headaches is chiropractic care, or chiropractic
manipulations. Studies have shown that over 80% of headache patients
find some type of relief for their headaches with chiropractic
treatment. And chiropractic treatment has been shown to be extremely
safe. Spinal problems cause headaches and when these spinal problems
are treated by chiropractors a high percentage of their patients
experience relieve from their pain.
Another natural way to relieve migraine
headaches is biofeedback. This is a safe and potentially
effective way to eliminate pain. Biofeedback is not actually
a treatment, but a training program designed to help a person
develop the ability to control their autonomic (involuntary)
nervous system. Functions that are normally automatic in the
body, such as blood pressure regulation or heart rate can be
controlled voluntarily. This technique makes it possible for
a person to control their own heart rate, blood pressure, skin
temperature or relaxation of their muscles.
It's no secret that stress causes
muscle tension. And nobody will deny that muscle tension causes
pain and headaches. And it's also a fact that by relaxing this
muscle tension, especially in the neck and head, it is possible
to relieve the migraine headaches or neck pain that is being
caused by the tension. With biofeedback the machinery is not
always necessary. Once the biofeedback technique is learned there
is no longer any need for the equipment. The patient with migraine
headaches can now produce the desired effect at any time. A person
that has been trained with biofeedback can control some of their
bodily functions, such as muscle relaxation, which can help relieve
their headache pain.
Another cause of headaches can be
the intake of too much salt. Some people just can't get enough
of it. They pour it onto their food with wreckless abandon. And
too much salt can and does cause headaches. What's the solution?
Simply lessening the salt intake can sometimes prevent the headaches
from occurring.
Food sensitivities have also been
shown to cause migraine
headaches in some people. Foods such as cheese, alcohol,
MSG (monosodium glutamate - a food additive), yeast, wheat, nuts,
avocados, beans, bananas, oranges (and other citrus fruits),
pork, vinegar (and pickled foods), dairy products, caffeine,
chocolate, onions and others can cause migraines. Foods that
cause migraine headaches are called "migraine triggers."
People who experience migraine headaches because of food allergies
can reduce or eliminate their pain by eliminating the foods that
cause the headaches.
It sounds simple, but it takes a
little detective work to figure out which foods, if any, are
causing the migraine headaches. So how can you determine which
foods are the culprits? The logical way is to keep a diary of
what you eat and when. Get a small notebook, with each page representing
one day, and make three columns on each of the pages. The first
column on the left side of the page will contain the hours in
the day. The second column down the middle of the page will be
a list of the foods eaten that day. And the third column on the
right side of the page will list the symptoms (headaches) that
you experience.
Here's how the food diary works:
if you had an orange, cereal and milk for breakfast at 8 AM you
would write "orange, cereal, milk" in the middle (food)
column directly to the right of 8 AM in the left (time) column.
Make a note of everything that you eat on this list and at what
time you ate them.
Next, whenever you experience a
migraine headache write "migraine headache" or "headache"
in the right (symptoms) column that corresponds with the time
(in the left column) your headache began. For example, if you
started feeling pain from one of your migraine headaches at 2
PM you would write "headache" in the right (symptoms)
column directly across from 2 PM in the left (time) column.
Once you've had enough time to experience
a few migraine headaches you will be able to examine your food
diary to determine which foods you ate shortly before you began
experiencing your pain. For example, if you had 3 migraine headaches
over a one-month period, and you had milk shortly before each
of the migraine attacks, milk may be the culprit. It may take
a few weeks or even a few months to come to any conclusions,
but over time, by figuring out which foods or ingredients in
these foods, are causing your pain, you will be able to eliminate
these ingredients and relieve your pain caused by these foods.
Probably the most common cause of
headaches is just plain old stress. People who experience tension
in their lives can get headaches from their increased tension.
Stress can be caused by many things including work-related stress
or family-related stress. And although it's not always possible
to eliminate the cause of the stress it is often possible to
relieve the muscle tension and pain that originates from the
stress.
Biofeedback training (as explained
above) is one way to help reduce stress. Other ways are taking
a warm bath or shower, lying down and relaxing in a quiet dark
room, having someone massage your neck and head (temporal region)
muscles to help relieve your tension and muscle spasms or placing
something cold (ice) on the back of the neck (at the base of
the skull). When using ice it should not be placed directly on
the skin. Some wet paper towels that have had the water wrung
out of them should be placed between the ice and the skin. Regular
exercise can also, over time, reduce tension.
We have discussed 5 natural treatment
methods that are available to migraine headache patients. They
are all considered safe and are effective for many people. There
are many other natural treatment methods out there for you to
try. If you have headaches it may be beneficial for you to try
some of these treatments or search for others on your own. But
as a word of advice, it is always a good idea to talk with a
chiropractor or medical doctor before treating yourself for a
health condition.
Dr. Larry A. Johnson, D.C. has examined
and treated many patients with migraine headaches. He has patented
a unique neck cushion that was designed to relieve migraine headaches.
For more information visit http://www.soothe-a-ciser.com
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