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Shanna
A. Schultz
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Alternative
Therapy for Headaches
by Shanna A. Schultz
Approximately 45 million Americans suffer from chronic headaches each year . Many people rely on a daily basis on over the counter pain relievers to coutner headache pain, but over the years the use of these medications can harm your stomach, liver and kidneys. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, over the counter sales of teh five makor pain killers rose 90 percent between 1997 and 2005. Alternative therapies such as massage, acupressure, aromatherapy, reflexology and others can provide a viable alternative for those seeking a more balanced, holistic approach to controlling their headaches.
Headaches can be caused by many different factors. One of the primary causes of headaches is stress. Stress leads to elevated levels of certain "stress" hormones in the blood, causing increased muscle tension. When muscles become tight (particularly those in the neck and shoulder area) blood flow is restricted to the head, potentially causing a headache. In addition, anotomists have confirmed that specific muscles deep in the back of your neck link directly with the lining of the brain. When these muscles become tight, it puts direct pressure on your brain. Facial tension and jaw clenching can alse be a primary cause of headaches.
Chronically tight muscles can also lead to the formation of trigger points (very tight, painful spots within tense mucles that can radiate pain to other area of the body). Trigger points in the head and neck area can cause pain referrals to the head, thus creating a heacache.
This already complex problem is often compounded by the fact that many Americans do not drink enough water and due to poor diet, have insufficient levels of certain vitamins and minerals. Dehydration and vitamin deficiency can be a primary cause of headaches, but more frequently add to another problem to make the headache worse.
Any person who experiences frequent or severe headaches should concult with a medical doctor to rule out serious causes. Once these have been ruled out, I have had great success using alternative therapies such as massage, aromatherapy, trigger point therapy, reflexology, acupressure and others to relieve chronic headache pain.
These therapies work to relieve stress and muscular tension within the body, as well as restoring the proper flow of what Traditional Chinese Medicine calls "Chi", or the life force, which can become stuck or blocked within the body, causing many problems including headaches. Relaxation within the body lowers blood pressure, and slows the release of stress hormones within the body.
Deep tissue massage of the neck and upper back, utilizing trigger point thereapy to release any trigger points that are found, can greatly reduce or eliminate headache pain. In addition, pressure applied to acupressure points alone can make a headache go away (recently, a co-worker of mine had a bad headache. I held two pressure points on the back of her neck for a minute, and she reported afterwards that the headache was gone!)
Aromatherapy, either
combined with massage or used separately, can also be a useful treatment in
relieving headaches (to read the article that I wrote on exxential oil safety
for the lay-person, click here.) List
of oils.......may induce relaxation, and can be used in a bath or put onto
a cotton ball and be smelled directly. I can also utilize these oils in a
massage treatment, so that they may be absorned through the skin.
Reflexology causes a relaxation response to take place throughout the entire
body. Working the reflexes in the feet and hands balances the whole body and
brings it into a state of equilibrium. For treatment of headache pain, I would
also focus specifically on the head, neck and sinus reflexes for an even greater
result.
The last therapy that I am going to mention in relation to headache pain is geo-thermal therapy, or massage with heated and cooled stones. In relation to this therapy, I am only going to mention that many times, clients that have headaches find that cool stones feel good when used on the face, shoulders and neck, where the muscles are often ittitated and inflamed from chronic stress. If you are interested in more information about this particular therapy, more information can be found here.
In closing, there are many alternative treaments thatc an be utilized to relieve headache pain. I will repeat that anyone with severe or frequent headaches should consult with a doctor. Alternative therapies can be used alone or in conjunction with traditional medicine to relieve headache pain and improve your quality of life.
Last Updated: December 19, 2007