Common Causes of Headaches
by pjharrislmp

Many of my Seattle treatment massage clients complain of headaches. So I am writing today to let you know some of the most common causes:

  • Dehydration

  • Tension in the jaw, neck, upper back, or shoulder muscles

  • Alcohol, caffeine, or other drug use or withdrawal

  • Lack of sleep

  • Emotional stress

  • Exposure to chemicals including carbon monoxide or chemical sensitivity

  • Eye strain

  • High blood pressure

  • Sinus infections due to colds or allergies

  • Cold, the flu, or fever

  • Premenstrual syndrome

  • Dental issues for example pain from grinding the teeth or from a root canal

  • Eating or drinking cold foods and fluids AKA Brain Freeze (slang)

  • Drop in blood sugar

    • I know a few tricks that might help with some of these causes.

    • Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. When you have a headache, drink a glass or two of water. Many times when your headache goes away by taking aspirin it is the glass of water you took to swallow the aspirin with that helps the pain more so than the aspirin.

    • Muscle tension. Hmmmm wonder what I'm going to suggest here? You guessed it, Massage. Let your massage therapist know you are having headaches, where the pain is, how often you are feeling it, what decreases the pain, what makes the pain worse and any other information you might think is pertinent. Stretching and breathing are always good things to try to alleviate muscle tension.
    • There is a acupressure point known as the Hoku point between the thumb and index finger if given firm pressure can relieve headache pain. This is not recommended for pregnant women.

      • Press and hold firmly for 15 to 60 seconds

    • The American Optometric Association recommends a visit to your eye doctor every year or two for optimum vision correction. http://www.aoa.org/x5502.xml

    • For grinding teeth there is a handy little invention known as a mouth guard. If you think grind your teeth ask your dentist for more information about that.

    • Reoccurring sinus infections can sometimes get relief from nasal irrigation. Nasal irrigation is an ancient Ayurvedic practice which uses water to cleanse the sinuses. The practitioner uses a neti pot to perform the irrigation. Always check in with your physician before trying any new treatment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation

    • Naturapathic Physicians are always a wonderful resource. Give them a call they would love to help you out.

    If you have any questions about these headache relief tips feel free to ask in the comment section below. Thank you. PJ Harris LMP. http://www.pjharris.com/                                                           http://pjharrislmp.wordpress.com/

    Submitted by pjharrislmp (view blog) on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 3:55pm
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