Forwarded message regarding headache pain:



Exercise: Headache Pain

Most headaches result from tension. Tension produces pain in the neck
and shoulders resulting in constriction of the blood vessels and
blood circulation resulting in headaches. Stress, guilt, fear, anger,
depression, and rage are all contributing factors to tension
headaches. Underlying health problems can also result in headaches.
Everything from sinusitis to nutritional imbalance, spinal
misalignment to PMS, poor circulation to TMJ are all culprits. Food
allergies and additives, cigarette smoke, air pollutants, poor
ventilation, certain drugs, chemicals, and overexposure to sun are
also factors. Proper diagnosis of the particular headache makes
treatment much more specific and easier to diagnose.

Migraines are the result in an abnormal flow of blood to the brain.
Pain can last for several hours to several days. Migraines are
frequently related to food and environmental allergies. They may also
be brought on by poor circulation, chemical sensitivities, changes in
humidity, stress or underlying illness. If you get frequent or
unusually severe headaches, medical attention must be sought.
Typically, migraines bring severe, one-sided throbbing pain (in 40
percent of cases, however, the pain occurs on both sides). Often this
is accompanied by nausea and vomiting and perhaps tremor and
dizziness. Some people also experience premigraine warning symptoms,
including blurred vision, "floating" visual images, and numbness in
an arm or leg.

Migraines Without Aura This accounts for 85% and presents with
pulsating, throbbing, unilateral headache that can last 1 to 2 days
and is aggravated by routine physical activity, maybe accompanied by
nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound or visual
disturbances such as hallucinations of stars, sparks or flashes of
light.

Migraines With Aura This usually has similar symptoms as above but
with the additional visual or neurological symptoms that preceed the
headache. The aura seems to deveolp in 5 to 20 minutes and lasts less
than an hour.

Exercises:

With a Tennis Ball, lay on the floor and place the tennis ball under
you in the points between and under the shoulder blades. Massage the
area by gently rocking over the tennis ball. Move the ball around to
different trigger points on your back. The trapezius muscles at the
base of the neck, at the base of the skull, and even in the dimples
of the buttock, for here is where we hold a lot of tension that
crawls all the way up the spine to the behind the shoulder blades
which in turn burn up to the base of the skull. Let your body relax
over the tennis ball until the tension dissolves.


A simple kinesiology technique can relieve many non-sinus headaches.
The technique works very quickly and is one you do for yourself.

The Gall Bladder Meridian
This technique works on headaches located anywhere on the upper part
of the head -- in the forehead, temples, or down the back of the head
and neck. The meridian (energy flow) involved is called the gall
bladder meridian. It covers the upper part of the head, then flows
down the back of the neck, down the sides of the torso and legs, and
eventually ends on the fourth toe of each foot.
Headaches are generally caused by a build-up of energy in this
meridian -- energy that for some reason gets blocked in the head
area. To relieve this blocked condition, you simply have to massage a
point further down the meridian to encourage the energy to flow out
of the head and neck area.

This massage point can be found by standing and letting your arms
hang loosely at your sides. About where your middle finger touches
your thigh (on both sides of the body), you will find a spot that is
very tender or even painful to touch when you are having a headache.
This spot might be a little above or below, or a little to the front
or to the back of the point where your middle finger touches the
thigh, but you will find it somewhere close by.

Technique For a non-migraine headache
Massage these spots with as much pressure as is comfortable for 10
seconds, let off for 10 seconds, massage for another 10 seconds, let
off for 10 seconds, and massage one more time for 10 seconds.
Remember to breath slowly and evenly as you massage. You will
probably notice by the time you are done massaging that the headache
is beginning to go away, and within two or three minutes the headache
will disappear completely.

Technique for a migraine headache
Don't massage the point on your thigh, but lightly brush it with your
finger tips instead. Follow the same pattern of brushing for 10
seconds, staying off for 10 seconds, and so on. Remember to breathe
slowly and evenly. Again, relief should come very quickly.


Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.
Peacefulmind.com

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