Got Headache?
The Migraine Toolchest
October 15, 2007
Take it from someone who knows, severe headaches are no picnic. But neither are they inevitable, and over the past year I’ve uncovered several non-pharmaceutical solutions that can stop an oncoming migraine in its tracks and prevent them from recurring.
Doctors say these painful headaches result from blood vessels in the head pooling with too much blood. The full spectrum of triggers for the condition include heat from the sun or other parts of the body, muscle tension, food triggers an insufficient serotonin - a natural chemical that affects the vessels’ ability to constrict and dilate. That’s why a range of tools may be effective in treating the condition, without the need to resort to medication. Here are the ones I've compiled so far: (Note: for best results, treat a headache as soon as you feel it coming on, since the longer you wait, the more entrenched it gets.)
ACUTE CARE
When a headache hits, try a few of these:
Trip to ER. If you’re not accustomed to migraines, or it feels like the worst headache you ever had in your life, you should seek care from a physician immediately. That's because you may not haave a headache at all but rather a blood clot, tumor or other life-threatening situation that requires quick attention. Whenever blood circulation is cut off even for a short time, organ damage can result. While this diagnosis is the exception rather than the rule, it does happen, so don’t be shy about getting help.
Head/Neck Massage. Briskly massage the back of your neck and entire scalp to stimulate the blood flow. The technique actually resembles scratching. Curl and stiffen your fingers, then scratch with your fingertips. It’s the vessels that carry the blood that are most often implicated in headache pain.
If your head feels hot, cool it off ASAP. Depending on the cause:
Eat. If you haven’t eaten enough or recently, heat in your body may rise into your head. If this is the case, put some food into your stomach pronto.
Cool Down in Hot Weather. If it’s a sunny afternoon or hot out, stick your head under the faucet or an outdoor hose. Avoid going outside at high noon.
Other treatment options:
Folk Remedy. Stick your feet in a bowl of hot water and an ice pack on the back of your neck and head to relieve the pain, stimulate blood flow and alleviate any heat in your head. If you have any mustard powder, add a spoonful to the hot water.
Coffee. If you have low or normal blood pressure and your health provider doesn’t prohibit it, have a cup of coffee or caffeinated tea. A headache sometimes hits because the electrical current moving through your body gets stuck. If the headache is not too far along, the caffeine will improve your blood circulation, along with what acupuncturists call the chi, which is the same as electrical energy. If you already drink coffee everyday, this remedy tends not to be as effective, but you can try one cup in the a.m. and one in the late afternoon. Drink it while you're someplace quiet and can relax. However, once a migraine gets lodged and starts throbbing, coffee may make you feel worse, so try something else instead
Bending Over. If you’re in good enough shape to do so, try bending forward, dangling your arms so that they touch the ground. This unblocks chi and improves circulation. For even better results, do some weeding in the garden while you’re bending and don’t forget to breathe.
Rest. If you think your headache was triggered by overwork or lack of sleep, after trying one or more of the techniques already listed, lay down for awhile and get some Z’s.
Release Tense Muscles. Although muscle relaxation techniques work better as a preventative for headaches, you may be get some relief from acute discomfort if you act before the pain gets lodged in your head. See the instructions below for progress relaxation and concentrate on your jaw and facial muscles. This also turns out to be very helpful in relieving nausea and chills.
Avoid Food Triggers. Until you get past the acute stage of a headache, avoid all the foods mentioned below and keep to a bland diet of whole grains and high fiber food like salad.
Acupuncture. If the pain becomes bearable, a few well placed needles by a saavy acupuncturist can bring relief. If you have trouble making an emergency appointment, there's always try Chinatown, where many practitioners accept walk-ins.
PREVENTATIVE CARE
An accurate diagnosis will obviously help you reverse the pattern of events that trigger a migraine. It could be vision problems, an unergonomic work station, stress or other mental health issues, a bad diet, a neurological problem (e.g. a pinched nerve), or even a serious life threatening situation. Hence, the following suggestions:
Get a Physical. This is a no-brainer. Two heads are better than one in solving a quandary, so find a health professional to help you sleuth out the source of your headaches.
Progressive Relaxation. This is a technique first introduced in 1929. Lie down on your back and take deep breaths, then start tensing different areas of your anatomy, one after the other (i.e. feet, legs, hips and rear, abdomen, chest, arms, shoulders, neck, jaw and head). After tensing for seven seconds, release that tension completely as you exhale. You may be surprised to discover how much tension we hold in our jaws and the muscles attached to our eyes. Aerobic activity and even Yoga may not even touch, which is why this exercise can prove a godsend to people who suffer chronic headaches.
Eliminate Food Triggers. Scientists have found that a variety of foods containing Tyramines can stimulate a migraine in a matter of minutes or hours, so eat them in moderation . They include cured or fermented foods cheese (except cottage and goat), alcohol that contains sulfites, chocolate, cured meats and anything fried or deep fried. You can find a more complete list with a Google search.
Improve Digestion. An old wives tale says that a migraine is simply indigestion that goes into the head. There’s certainly a link there, according to many researchers, so pay attention to what your stomach likes and doesn’t like. Don’t eat the same food every day, since that causes a food sensitivity (similar to an allergy). You may also want to incorporate Brenda Watson’s H.O.P.E. formula, an elixir for almost any chronic health problem. The acronym stands for High fiber, Omega 3 oils (found in wild fish and other sources), Pro-biotics (healthy bacteria found in yoghurt, sauerkraut, miso soup) and Enzymes (found in raw vegetables and green salads).
Feverfew Tea. Research studies have proven the efficacy of this age-old remedy because Feverfew supplies serotonin to your blood vessels. You can buy the loose leaves locally at Rainbow Grocery, or the teabags at other natural food stores. Drink a few cups a week to help build up your serotonin levels.
Exert your Vocal Chords. If you’re a quiet, low-key, introverted sort of person, you might find that an acting class or singing lessons may help relieve some of that stuck energy around your larynx. Many physicians say the neck figures prominently in a headache, perhaps causing blood vessels to initially constrict. Whatever the connection, learning to project your voice through song or speech will help dispersing energy from your body that might otherwise mutate into a nasty cannonball of pain inside your head.
Improve Circulation. If you're sitting down for extended periods and too busy to take a break, try doing 25-50 jumping jacks to get your blood and chi circulating. It only takes a minute. If you have access to a pool, swimming can be a transformative experience for those who carry tension in their shoulders, neck and head.
Vision Exercises. The Bates Method, as it's called, offers simple techniques for relieving stress around the eyes and improving vision. These include doing easy and relaxed circles and V-8s, looking up and down, then side to side, all the way, breathing in and out. Try closing your eyes and pointing them at the sun. The warm sunlight rejuvenates all the cells therein. (Never stare into the sun with your eyes open, however.)
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Remember, these are just some insights for further inquiry. I’m a patient, not a doctor, and share this info because it helped me turn around a pattern ofheadaches that plagued me for three decades. You should always consult a health care provider before embarking on any preventative regiment or using any acute remedy such as those described here. Good luck. -- The Editor.
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