Millions of Americans suffer from headache pain every year. There are many types of headaches: cluster headaches (tension headaches), migraines, post-trauma headaches (hormonal headaches), and others. No matter what type of headaches you have, everyone is looking for a permanent solution. Most headaches can be treated with medication. Whether it is an over-the-counter drug or a prescription-strength drug such as non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID), anti-depressants (NSAID’s), triptans, or muscle relaxers.
Let’s see…
Billions of dollars are spent on the pharmaceutical approach for headache management. Although the most popular treatment option, is it the best? Are drugs effective in treating headaches? Or do they merely mask the problem? Are pills popping out like a flood the best option or are there better ways to cure headaches? What is the root cause of headaches? Stress is the main cause of headache pain.
Stress
There are three main types of stress: thoughts, traumas and toxins. Traumas can be classified as micro-trauma or macro-trauma. Micro-trauma is caused by misaligned vertebrae and poor posture. Macro-traumas can be caused by automobile accidents, sports injuries slips & falls, workplace injuries, and other mishaps. Toxins are caused by chemicals in our food, water and air. These include artificial colors, MSG, pesticides and insecticides (which can be sprayed on produce), sugar, gluten (both recreational and pharmaceutical), pollen, dust, heavy metals (mercury/lead, aluminum, cadmium), and many others. You could go on.
Stress Causes
There are many reasons for stress. It makes sense that it is better to address the root cause of stress than to mask symptoms with a drug or numbing agent. Your exposure to toxic and chemical stressors is the first step to reducing headache pain. Although we can’t eliminate all toxins completely from our lives, we can reduce our exposure to them. We can reduce our exposure by being more careful about what we eat.
We are making a positive step by reducing our intake of processed foods, sugar, gluten, and other non-organic produce. To flush out our bodies, we should drink 8-10 glasses of filtered water per day. You can reduce emotional stress by exercising vigorously 4-5 times per week. Other useful tips include getting 7-8 hours of restful, replenishing, sleep each night, limiting our exposures to tragic stories, practicing daily meditation and other mental calming rituals, yoga, and reducing the number of projects we take on at once.
Conclusion
A chiropractor can help you align your vertebrae, spine, and posture to reduce or eliminate physical stress. You can also get a regular massage, do some strength training, cardio, stretching, flipping and rotating your mattress, and use a pillow that is properly fitted to your neck.