In trying to cope with the pounding headache, some people just lie down, pop a pill and grin and bear it until the pain stops. All they hope for is pain relief. Yet, there really is a better alternative. After all, the pain is likely to return once the medication wears off.

Research findings show that spinal manipulation, as provided by doctors of chiropractic, is an effective treatment for tension headaches and those headaches that have their origin in the neck. Spinal manipulation is able to provide significant, long-term improvement for headaches that originate in the neck, with little or no side effects. When compared with the results of commonly prescribed medication, the long-term results of spinal manipulation are even more encouraging.

Study after study corroborates the employment of spinal manipulation as an effective treatment for tension headaches. After a mere four weeks of chiropractic care, headache sufferers report sustained therapeutic benefit – a benefit that stands in stark contrast with the temporary results of medication-based care.

The Causes of Headaches
There are many triggers that can induce a headache. Environmental factors such sounds, stress, and off-putting lights can be triggers for some and allergic reactions to certain types of foods may affect someone else. Other triggers can stem from everything from insomnia, too much exercise, or blood sugar fluctuations. Of all headaches, around 5 percent of them are indications of some other physical problem.

The majority of headaches are known as primary headaches, which are not disease-related. That is, they can be tension, migraine, or cluster headache. In these cases, the headache itself is the problem. Most primary headaches are linked with muscle tension in the neck region. As a result of sedentary activities and lifestyles, more hours are spent in fixed postures and/or positions. As such, joint irritation and muscle tension in the neck, upper back and scalp may occur. This leads to the type of headaches most people experience.

To prevent headaches before they even start, here are a few tips:

If you spend a good amount of time in front of a computer, driving, or generally sitting down for extended periods (i.e. in a fixed position);

• Make sure to stretch every half an hour or so. These stretches should include turning your head in various positions.
• Make sure to exercise, but avoid overdoing it. Low-impact types of exercise are helpful because they relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. Heavy exercise routines, however, can worsen dull, throbbing headaches. Low-impact activities such as walking and moderate aerobics are especially recommended.
• Do not clench your teeth! Unless you are swallowing, your upper teeth should never touch your lower one. Gritting your teeth brings stress to the temporomandibular joints (TMJ). These two joints connect the jaw to the skull. When they are stressed, the TMJ may become irritated, prompting an onset of a tension headache.
• Make sure to drink at least eight glasses of water (8-ounce glasses) per day. This helps prevent dehydration, which is also known to cause headaches.
• Refrain from slouching, reading with a bent neck, and working on the computer for prolonged periods without breaks. Instead, take frequent breaks from sitting down, keep your computer or reading material at eye level, and watch your posture.
• Eat a low-fat, high-complex carbohydrate diet. Studies show that these diets can lower the intensity and frequency of migraine headaches.
• Stretch your neck as often possible.

The Role of Chiropractic Care

If you suffer from primary headaches on a recurring basis, your doctor of chiropractic may do the following:

• Perform chiropractic adjustments (spinal manipulation) to help improve spinal function and reduce the overall stress on your system.
• Offer tailor-made nutritional advice, with dietary recommendations. Taking B complex vitamins may also be helpful.
• Provide you with a gamut of precise tips on posture, ergonomics (work postures), exercise, and relaxation. This should help reduce joint irritation and tension in the upper back and neck muscles.

Doctors of chiropractic are trained experts. Their range of expertise gives them ample knowledge on how spine tension relates to problems in other parts of the body. Chiropractic doctors also have the knowledge tools to relieve those problems.

Today however we have a class of drugs known as triptans which can be very effective for many sufferers. Triptans are chemically very similar to a natural neurotransmitter produced in the body which is known as serotonin and which it is now believed plays a key role in many headaches, including migraines.

Triptans are designed to sit on the very same receptors where serotonin would normally be found but are also designed to act slightly differently to normal serotonin and to alleviate the symptoms of a headache.

Like most drugs of course their effect varies from one individual to the next but they are generally effective and are particularly so in people who lack skin sensitivity. This said, they can also be useful for people who do experience skin sensitivity during an attack but, in this case, they need to be taken as soon as an attack starts.

Triptans were first introduced in the 1990s under a variety of different names such as sumatriptan but have now been replaced by a second generation of triptans, such as zolmitriptan and rizatriptan, which are much more effective than the original drugs.

Most importantly this second generation of triptans can stop a migraine in its tracks before it evolves into an intensely painful and throbbing headache and do not need to be taken at the onset of symptoms. They also tend to work for a much longer period of time, which is important for those sufferers whose migraines can go on for a considerable length of time. Triptans are also very helpful in relieving some of the symptom which typically accompany migraine headaches such as nausea and vomiting.

One other very important factor with many of the modern triptans is that they now come in a variety of forms including a wafer which simply dissolves on the tongue and as a nasal spray. In both cases this means that the drug can be absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream and work much faster than conventional pills.

Many symptoms can be treated by natural home remedies. For headaches there are several practical and easy to use natural remedies for migraines and other related aches. These natural headache remedies may surprise you as they are common items that you probable have in your house.

Home Remedies for Headaches

1. Cherries
   Cherries contain compounds that can relieve headaches naturally. Melatonin is found in tart cherries; this can make you sleep better at night and be more wakeful in the daytime. 20 cherries are 10 times stronger than aspirin. So take 20 the next time you have a headache!
2. Bay Leaves
   Aromatic Bay Leaf has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy for headaches. It contains chemical compounds called parthenolides, which have proven useful in the treatment of migraines. These leaves are best steeped as a hot tea.
3. Almonds
   Eating 12 almonds instead of taking aspirin for a headache. Almonds contain salicin, the active ingredient in aspirin.
4. Chamomile
   Best used as an aromatherapy solution, add some drops of chamomile oil to an essence burner. Chamomile also makes a great tea that will help soothe and calm your head.
5. Ginger
   Ginger in either the powder form or raw is believed to relieve headaches. Mix the powder in water to drink. Apparently ginger is great for front of the head headaches.

Sinus Headache Relief
Sinusitis can be an extremely painful headache many times confused with migraine headaches. Both give pain in the nasal and sinus areas of the face. While both sinusitis and migraine headaches result in excessive mucus and congestion, Sinus headaches are more likely to be felt around the eyes. Migraines result in light sensitivity and sound and sometimes nausea occurs. Sinus headaches can last for a few weeks if not treated, but migraines generally last a day or 2 at most. A quick aid in sinus headache relief may be as simple as using a nasal strip to open the nasal passages. Although this is not a cure, nasal strips may offer a welcomed natural sinus headache relief.

Most people when faced with a migraine or the onset of a migraine either reach for some pain killer or some prescribed medicine from the doctors. The problem with these apart from the possible side effects is that they are only treating the symptoms and not the cause. But there are more natural treatments available.

If you’re serious about lessening or even eliminating migraines the first place to start is your diet. You need to start getting more omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids can be found in oily fish such as mackerel, Flax seeds. Olive oil and many more foods. Omega 3 works as an anti inflammatory and has been proven to lessen the inflammation in nerve ending in the brain. So can be valuable in reducing the severity of migraines

Another good dietary tip is to take Vitamin b complex. Vitamin b has been shown prevent narrowing of the arteries and can also prevent blood platelet clumping which often occurs during a migraine.

Lastly I would recommend starting to take Fever few and white willow bark herbal supplements. These Herbal supplements have been trialed and shown that over a 60 day period it can reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines in sufferers. Fever few works as a serotonin inhibitor and white willow bark works in a similar way to aspirin.

There are many more herbal and natural remedies for migraines and it would be wise to start with these and then trial others as and when the need arises. The real benefits of Natural migraine treatments are that they work on the cause of the problems and so prevent the migraine occurring in the first place. Whereas conventional medicine only works to relieve the pain.

As with all Herbal supplements if you are on any form of medication or suffer from medical conditions other than migraines it is always recommended that you talk to your doctor about it before undergoing a herbal treatment. Also for maximum benefit of any herbal remedy to get the best effect it is critical to get the dosage right for you. The best way to do this is to arrange a consultation with your local Herbalist.

Generally speaking getting a mild headache a few times a year, while annoying, is usually not serious. However, some people experience a headache a couple times a month, or weekly, or even daily and this is definitely not normal. Sometimes a headache can be felt in the back of the head just above the neck or in the temple areas, or at the forehead or around the eyes. Since headaches affect so many people I’d like to give you ideas to reduce the effects of headaches, so that you can have a happier, healthier life.

First, headaches can be caused by stress on our neck. Having poor posture for our head and neck or allowing our head and neck to be in an awkward position for long period of time can contribute to headaches. Make sure to utilize good posture for your head and neck when you’re up and about and, just as equally, when you’re sitting and sleeping.

Second, some headaches are caused by triggers such as food, dehydration, activities or circumstances.

• Look for certain food and beverages like cheese, chocolate, coffee, and wine to see if they are associated with the onset of your headache.
• Make sure you drink plenty of water all through the day as dehydration can cause headaches for some of us.
• Also see if your headache comes on at certain times of the day.

If your headache is present in the morning upon awaking maybe your pillow isn’t giving your neck proper support.

If you’re headache comes during the afternoon or evening perhaps you’re not getting enough sleep. Some headaches can be caused by sleep deprivation.

Third, only a small percentage of headaches are due to an underlying disease or injury. A great majority of headaches are caused by irritation of the upper neck muscles and nerves. By removing irritation to the muscles and nerves, many people have found relief and even elimination of their headaches. In our office we have a number of procedures that aimed at this type of help.

The stress headaches occur, simply because of stress. More than fifty percent of people experience anxiety headaches; this problem is quite common among ladies. Usually the stress headaches begin with a less severe note throughout the afternoons. These types of severe headaches could be moderate and episodic. And also carry on from an hour or so to the whole day, discomfort lasts frequently.

Many people go through intense (or maybe persistent) anxiety headaches, which usually happens everyday or even more than 15 days per month. The signs of tension headaches can sometimes include frustration, regular faintness, exhaustion, alterations in resting styles, muscle mass pains, disrupted attention, level of sensitivity to sound or lighting as well as headaches beginning each morning.

Regrettably, it is not easy to learn the reason for tension headaches. Since the tension is un parameterized so is the headaches connected with it. Nevertheless, anxiety headaches are often induced through work, buddies, college, household and any inner or the environmental tension.

Dealing with Tension Headaches

Encouraged teenage life and the difficulties related. Tension headaches tend to be a part of becoming an adult. Once the muscle tissue on the the neck and throat abruptly tighten up, this would mean that you could be going through a tension headache.

It can be totally recommended to see a physician in the event that going through this type of pain because tension headaches might take place as a result of various factors and severeness. With a very painful headache, a medical doctor might make you adopt x-ray checkups, blood checks, head tests and other checks to find out the way to handle your stress levels headache.

When the discomfort gets just intolerable, it is best to consider over-the-counter ache remedies. Bear in mind, although, that medicines without having doctor prescribed might lead to belly bleeding, ulcer or additional possible unwanted effects.

In addition to the medications, specific measures used will surely assist you to prevent the tension headaches. Change in lifestyle like a healthy diet, increased daily water consumption as well as routine workouts are acknowledged to avoid tension headaches. Research has demonstrated that people who smoke will probably encounter severe anxiety headaches when compared with non-smokers. It is best to stop prior to getting persistent.

If you are constantly exhausted, not receiving adequate rest, control frustration, or even usually cranky and high-strung regarding tiny problems, you need to loosen up and rest to prevent head aches.

The are two basic types of these migraines; those which do later develop a headache and those which remain in the eyes and never have a headache attached.

There are difficulties with coping with both of these.

Firstly, if you know that your ocular migraine will develop into a headache as well then your stress levels are likely to rise and this will in turn affect your blood pressure and can actually make everything worse. The anticipation of the headache can be enough to become a self fulfilling prophecy and will actually cause the migraine.

Equally if you never get a headache and your migraine has purely ocular symptoms then you will find it much harder to diagnose and may also find that this leads to a panic that there is something much worse wrong with you.

Although there is no cure for migraines of any sort, there are effective ways, both with and without medication to cope with them. However, many ocular migraine sufferers don’t understand what is happening to them and as a result they do not know how to cope.

The important to accept with migraines is that there are usually triggers which over time you will need to learn to recognise and try to avoid or minimise. There will always be times when you are unable to prevent your migraine, so this is when you need to have a good range of techniques to draw on the help you cope.

• The first thing to understand when dealing with headaches of any form is that relaxation is key. If you are stressed then you body is working harder and faster and this will increase your symptoms. The flip side of this is that if you can learn to relax you will be able to reduce your symptoms.

• The second thing to bear in mind is your hydration levels. A dehydrated body will react faster and more dramatically to a stressful situation, where as a well hydrated body will cope better and will continue normal functioning for longer.

Even before you have learn your person ocular migraines symptoms there are relaxation exercises you can apply to help you cope.

It is estimated that around 60% of female migraine sufferers suffer from an attack during their period and during the rest of the month. Only 14% suffer from an attack during their period. Of all female migraine sufferers, 74% associate their period with their headaches. Medical science does not deny the connection but the reason is still unknown.

Many women who suffer from migraine later on in life reported that their pre-menstrual syndrome or PMS have become much more acute since the headache started. In the January 2006 issue of Headache, a study was featured confirming the apocryphal evidence. Women who participated in the studies reported experiencing more severe bloating, breast tenderness, weight gain, mood swings, abdominal cramps and back pain.

In the study, the women were given medication to induce temporary artificial menopause by stopping the action of the ovaries. The subjects still reported worsened PMS symptoms during the migraine attacks even in the absence of the hormonal ups and downs of regular periods.

Menstrual migraines is the term used to describe the headaches felt by the 14% of women who only suffer from migraines during their periods. There is hope for these women. For some of them, taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen several days before their period as well as the first few days of it can prevent menstrual migraine. If you would like to try this course of action, discuss it with your doctor first.
There are no guarantees that your migraines will leave forever.

How does one get rebound headaches? Some people just try a little too hard to find relief from their migraine pain that they end up worse than before they took the medication. Here is how it often occurs: A sufferer feels pain and takes some medication. He still feels some pain after wards and takes some more medication.

Medication overuse is the main cause of rebound headaches. It is distinguished from migraine or other forms of headache because it stems after taking medications. It is basically the original headache that has worsened. The pain is felt when the body is finally clear of all the medication.

The intensity of the rebound migraine differs. Sometimes the pain is just like the original headache. In other cases, the pain can be more intense. While rebound headaches can be very painful, it does not come with other symptoms of migraine such as nausea and photo-sensitivity.

Any drug can cause rebound headaches but two of the most notorious from bringing it about are aspirin and acetaminophen. Other substances that can cause rebound headache include caffeine, opiates, prescription combination medications like midrin, codeine, ergotamine titrate, and drugs that contain barbiturates.
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Following are some of the indications that you could be suffering from rebound headaches.

* Experiencing headaches daily or every other day.

* Medications do not anymore provide relief the way they used to.
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* Use of prophylactic medication.

You can break the cycle of these headaches with the help of your doctor. But you must realize that you may not find a cure but merely suppression of the condition. There is a lot of on-line help available… find details below.

A ‘premonitory’ phase occurs in up to half of people with migraine. You may feel irritable, depressed, tired, have food cravings, or ‘just know’ that a migraine is going to occur. You may have these feelings for hours or even days before the onset of the headache.

The aura phase (if it occurs).

The headache phase.

The resolution phase when the headache gradually fades. During this time you may feel tired, irritable, depressed, and may have difficulty concentrating.

Less common types of migraine

There are various other types of migraine which are uncommon, and some more types which are rare. These include:

Menstrual migraine. The symptoms of each attack are the same as for common migraine or migraine with aura. However, the migraine attacks are associated with periods. There are two types of patterns. Pure menstrual migraine is when migraine occurs only around periods, and not at other times. This occurs in about 1 in 7 women who have migraine. Menstrual-associated migraine is when migraines occur around periods, and also at other times of the month too. About 6 in 10 women who have migraine have this type of pattern. Treatment of each migraine attack is the same as for any other type of migraine. However, there are treatments that may prevent menstrual migraines from occurring. See separate leaflet called ‘Migraine Triggered by Periods’ for more detail.
Menstrual Migraine – Google Books Result
Abdominal migraine. This mainly occurs in children. Instead of headaches, the child has attacks of abdominal (tummy) pain which last several hours. Typically, during each attack there is no headache, or only a mild headache. There may be associated nausea (feeling sick), vomiting or aura symptoms. Commonly, children who have abdominal migraine switch to develop common migraine in their teenage years.

Ocular migraine. This is sometimes called retinal migraine, ophthalmic migraine or eye migraine. It causes temporary loss of all or part of the vision in one eye. This may be with or without a headache. Each attack usually occurs in the same eye. There are no abnormalities in the eye itself and vision returns to normal.

Hemiplegic migraine. This is rare. In addition to a severe headache, symptoms include weakness (like a temporary paralysis) of one side of the body. This may last up to several hours, or even days, before resolving. Therefore, it is sometimes confused with a stroke. You may also have other temporary symptoms of vertigo (severe dizziness), double vision, visual problems, hearing problems and difficulty speaking or swallowing.

Basilar-type migraine. This is rare. The basilar artery is in the back of your head. It used to be thought that this type of migraine originated due to a problem with the basilar artery. It is now thought that this is not the case, but the exact cause is not known. Symptoms typically include headache at the back of the head (rather than one sided as in common migraine). They also tend to include strange aura symptoms such as temporary blindness, double vision, vertigo, ringing in the ears, jerky eye movements, trouble hearing, slurred speech, dizziness. Unlike hemiplegic migraine, basilar-type migraine does not cause weakness. There is an increased risk of having a stroke with this type of migraine.

Do I need any tests?

Usually not. There is no test to confirm migraine. A doctor can be confident that you have migraine if you have the typical symptoms. However, some people with migraine have non-typical headaches. Sometimes tests are done to rule out other causes of headaches. Remember, if you have migraine, you do not have symptoms between attacks. A headache that does not go, or other symptoms that do not go, are not due to migraine.

Tension headaches are sometimes confused with migraine. These are the common headaches that most people have from time too time. Note: if you have migraine, you can also have tension headaches at different times to migraine attacks.