Headaches account for a large pharmaceutical business every year and have for quite some time. It seems like the more we industrialize, the more modern we become; and the more stress we live with, the more headaches we have. Headaches like any kind of painful situation have a variety of causes.
The first of concern to most physicians should be; are there any kind of pathological process preceding those headaches, such as a brain tumor, aneurisms, or perhaps a pre-stroke condition? There are many things that can affect headaches, some that we are probably not even aware of. For instance, people that work in emergency rooms will tell you that there are some citizens in town that have multiple chronic migraine headaches. There are standing orders for narcotics at the hospital for those people. When one of them comes in with a headache you can expect that all of them will come in. They probably don't know each other but it seems there are other influences in our environment that cause people prone to certain kinds of headaches, to get headaches. These are an example of cyclic headaches.
Hormonal imbalances in women are something that can occur in life, especially later on in life; but can affect women at any age. These hormonal imbalances can, and usually do, translate into a source of migraine headaches. This is actually very common.
There are headaches caused by stress that are common. Some people have such poor stress coping mechanisms that they have headaches all the time and are constantly consuming aspirin or TYLENOL to mask the headache. Is the headache caused from a debauchery? Are they caused from being hit on the head?
The first approach to headaches would be to figure out what the cause is. Your doctor should do a neurological exam and see if there are any neurological findings that need to be ruled out. A person seeking answers to their headache should answer that problem first: whether there is something grossly wrong pathologically.
The conventional treatments of headaches using medications are narcotics that can block neuro endpoints. Different chemicals can be given. Headache medications work on several different principals: There are medications that vaso-dilate the cerebral arteries. Things like caffeine as well as several other pharmaceutical medications will vaso-dilate the cerebral arteries. I don't think the mechanism of aspirin is quite understood but aspirin does tend to diminish the sensation of discomfort surrounding a headache. Willow bark preparations work in the same way. Properly applied combinations of heat and cold (hydrotherapy) can redistribute blood from the brain down to the lower extremities. Hydrotherapy can be very specific for different kinds of situations.
In today’s fast pace life, there are a combination of treatment modalities that are very helpful in migraine situations. Acupuncture tends to be quite effective with a variety of headache types; however by itself it is not nearly as effective as it is with manipulation. Manipulation on its own can help a variety of headaches types but it’s not as effective as when in combination with other therapies. A lot of headaches in our society are from stresses in our fast paced lifestyle. You must address the underlying problem, which is usually neck tension. The neck tension then translates into the insertion points of the muscles of the Occiput, which then lock up the vertebra so that they don't move well. That subsequent nerve entrapment or irritation seems to cause a headache. People that are familiar with manipulation are quite aware that by manipulating the top vertebra in the neck they can relieve the headache, sometimes dramatically. If you have severe stress headaches and you haven't reduced your stress, your headaches will continue.
If you don't have acupuncture available, then herbal nervines such as Valerian Root or Kava Kava can be used. Stronger doses may be needed. A word of caution with Valerian Root; Valerian will tend to balance any sleep deprivations, regardless of the time of day. This can translate to a real caution when driving. If you suffer from a lack of sleep and take a lot of Valerian, you could fall asleep while driving!
Some of the most persistent headaches that I have seen are caused by metabolic processes that people had set up for themselves by the way they eat, or even a specific food they ate. By food allergy testing a person, sometimes you can uncover a food that is causing them to have their headaches. It usually ends up being a food that they eat every day, or at least as often as they have headaches. And it’s usually a common food, one that is easily available in our society.
For persistent headaches, please see your Health Care Professional!
A high quality source of Valerian Root, such as
Valerian Root 500 mg
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A high quality blended source of Kava Kava, such as:
Kava Kalm
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Herbs, Click Here.
A high quality, broad-spectrum digestive enzyme, such as:
DynamicZyme
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Enzymes Amylase, Lipase, and Protease, Click Here.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided for Educational Purposes Only and has NOT been designed to diagnose, treat or cure any health conditions. Please consult a qualified Health Care Professional with Nutritional Training to diagnose your health conditions and avoid self-diagnosis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have not evaluated statements about these health topics or any suggested product compositions.
