Discover Natural Headache Relief

Pursuing natural headache relief can help you find life without headache pain and disability. While medication can temporarily help, many people look for ways to solve the underlying reason for their headaches. It can be difficult to treat a headache naturally, because most headaches occur from a variety of triggers. Yet an accurate headache diagnosis and understanding of headache triggers provide a map to natural headache relief. 

What triggers a headache?

Headaches have many causes, or “triggers.”  These may include foods, environmental stimuli, (noises, light, stress, etc.) and/or behaviors (insomnia, excessive exercise, blood sugar changes, etc.). A thorough discussion and physical examination with a health professional will help to uncover those underlying triggers, which is the first step to natural headache relief.

About 5% of all headaches are warning signals caused by a serious physical problems. Whereas the other 95% of headaches are primary headaches, such as tension, migraine, or cluster headaches.  These types of headaches are not caused by another disease.  The headache itself is the primary concern.  The greatest majority of primary headaches are associated with muscle tension in the neck.  Today, people engage in more sedentary activities than they used to, and more hours are spent in one fixed position or posture.  This can increase joint irritation and muscle tension in the neck, upper back and scalp, causing your head to ache.

understanding triggers will allow for natural headache relief
Artist: Richard MacCormack, “Silent Scream”

7 ways to natural headache relief

  • If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as in front of a computer, on a sewing machine, typing or reading, take a 2 minute micro-break and stretch every 20-30 min.  The stretches should take your head and neck through a comfortable range of motion.
  • Low-impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches.  However, if you are prone to dull, throbbing headaches, avoid heavy exercise.  Engage in activities such as walking, cycling, or rowing.
  • Avoid teeth clenching.  The upper teeth should not rest against the lower teeth, except when swallowing.  This results in stress at the temporomandibular joints -the two joints that connect your jaw to your skull. TMJ problems lead to irritation and a form of tension headaches.
  • Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to help avoid dehydration, which can lead to headaches.
  • Avoid slouching and practice proper workplace posture.
  • If your not sure about posture, you can check yourself to be more mindful.
  • Research shows that chiropractic adjustments – the primary form of care provided by doctors of chiropractic – is an effective treatment option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck.

Your doctor of chiropractic can naturally alleviate stress, tension, and the aches and pains that often accompany them. Ask your doctor about advice on exercise and nutrition, so you can enjoy a healthier, happier life.

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