Headaches & Migraines 🤯

Reducing Your Risk of Heart Complications
Recurrent headaches can be caused by many different factors.  Controlling stress helps, but for migraine sufferers the solution is not so easy.  The right supplements and herbs can help...

Who hasn’t had a headache?  Headaches can have origins in the physical, mental or emotional sphere.  They can be very debilitating and difficult to cure.  Tension headaches are the most common type of headache and result from muscular tension.

Including supplements & herbs in your headache protocol can offer a safe and effective alternative to conventional pain relievers and drugs.

What you can do to help
• Control stress with exercises like yoga and tai chi
• Take B Vitamins;  they help the body cope with stress effectively
• Take supplements to improve blood vessel tone in the brain
• Identify and eliminate potentially Allergenic Foods
• Keep your blood sugar stable by eating regular meals & by taking the right supplements

Did you know? (headache facts)
• At one time headaches were thought to be caused by evil spirits
• Hormonal fluctuations can cause headaches

Causes of Headaches
Migraines are also common and may be due to vascular changes in the brain.  Some other common headache types are caffeine, cluster, hangover, menstrual and sinus headaches.  In cases of prolonged or recurrent headaches, see your practitioner for an evaluation.

A variety of medical concerns can also lead to headaches for example aneurysm, arthritis, dehydration, food allergies, hypoglycemia, hypertension, trauma and TMJ disorders.  The most important thing about treating a headache is to figure out its origin.  Then natural remedies can be tailored to that cause.  This article will focus on migraine and tension headaches.

Migraine headaches have one-sided throbbing pain.  Nausea, vomiting, cold hands, dizziness and sensitivity to light and sound are often present.  Some migraine sufferers experience auras that precede the headache.  They can include visual disturbances, odour disturbances or numbness.  Tension headaches have constant pain in one area or over the entire head.  Trigger points in sore muscles can cause headache pain when they are stimulated.

Conventional Treatments
There are a few conventional treatments for headaches that treat the symptoms, however these will not treat the underlying cause for the pain. Over time, painkillers like acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen can disrupt the brain’s capacity to effectively handle whatever might be causing the headache. For migraine sufferers, a drug called Imitrex can be useful in increasing serotonin levels to affect vascular tone. Imitrex has side effects such as hypertension, heart palpitations and tightness in the neck, jaw or chest. Sometimes migraines can be related to hormone fluctuations; in this case a health care professional may prescribe contraceptives. 

Read more natural solutions for headaches on NationalNutrition.ca