Headaches affect many people on a regular basis; causing people to end events early, call in sick to work, cancel out on social engagements.  In addition, the
mood of the person suffering from the headache is effected.

What are the causes of
headaches?

Pelvis Instability:
Headaches can be a pain in the rear end.  Literally.  Sometimes headaches are caused by a pelvis rotation that effects the circulation of the spine; moving all the way up into the head.  Check in with a qualified bodyworker to help alleviate muscle spasms and spinal misalignments.

Digestive Heat:

Headaches can be caused by digestive heat.  The digestive organs are easily affected by spicy foods, preservatives, not enough fruits and vegetables, and/or a food sensitivity.  Look into an elimination diet to determine foods that
aggravate your system, or get tested for food allergies

Stress:

Stress is also a contributing factor.  Muscle tension in the shoulders, neck, jaw, and scalp, can spasm clamping down on nerves and blood vessels that keep
your brain healthy.  Lack of circulation to the head, neck and
shoulders contributes to headaches.

Dehydration:

Not drinking enough fluids is a contributing factor as well to headaches.  Believe it or not, it is very important to drink half of our body weight in water.  Glug
glug glug.  You might feel a bit water logged at first, but it will
help with those headaches.

How do you treat headaches?

This can be a complicated matter being the cause of the
headache is not always known.

Hot and Cold Therapy

A quick relief for a headache is an ice pack on the head with a hot pack on the belly or feet.  Drawing the blood away from the brain can help relieve
throbbing pain with an aura.

Hydrotherapy

Rotating between hot and cold water in the shower improves  circulation and is a quick pain relief to headaches.  Hydrotherapy helps to flush out any waste
products that have been congregating in the area.

Breathe:

Often times we don’t breathe effectively when we are stressed so take a little time to focus on your breath work.  You choose if will be taking a walk, bike
ride or practicing yogic pranayama.  Muscles need oxygen to function
normally and without oxygen they may spasm and cause painful or
nagging headaches.

Food Therapy:

Overindulgence can be the source of headache.  Try a detox diet in order to clean your system.  Just like your closet, your body needs an occasional cleaning. Citrus foods, garlic soup, steamed vegetables, grains in a broth are all
beneficial foods to help ease the detoxing your body in going through
to get back to normal.  Drink plenty of water, herbal tea and fruit
juice to aid the detoxification and rehydration.

Eliminate Potential Causes

Foot sensitivity’s can also cause headaches.  Talk with your Doctor about getting tested for allergies and try an elimination diet with a food journal to
understand more about how food affect your mood, and function’s of
the body.

Massage Therapy:

Massage is a great way to help alleviate a headache, reduce the frequency of headaches and make you feel all around better.  Find a skilled practitioner who has some experience with headaches or who has a strong foundation in anatomy and kiniesiology in order to get the most bang for your buck!

Exersice:

Find a low impact exercise to help get the blood moving and the muscles working.  Yoga, walking, swimming and Tai Chi can all be excellent choices for headache relief.  Try them all and see what works the best for you!