Solutions To Headache Pain - By: Dr. Kevin Smith

Each year, millions of Americans suffer with headache pain. The headaches come in various forms including tension headaches, cluster headaches, migraines, post-trauma headaches, hormonal headaches and others. Regardless of the type of headaches people have, they are all searching for a way to get rid of the problems – permanently.

The most common approach to treating headaches is with some kind of medication. Be it an over the counter drug (such as Tylenol, Motrin or aspirin), or a prescription strength drug (such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s), anti-depressants, triptans, or even muscle relaxers, billions of dollars are being spent on the pharmaceutical approach to headache management.

While the drug approach is certainly the most common therapeutic avenue, is it necessarily the best choice? Do drugs even cure headaches, or merely mask the symptoms and without actually addressing the true cause of the problem? Is popping pill after pill the best choice or are there other better solutions to curing headaches?

What causes headaches in the first place? The primary cause of headache pain is stress. Stress comes in three primary varieties: traumas, thoughts and toxins.

Traumas come in the forms of micro-trauma and macro-trauma. Micro-trauma involves misaligned vertebrae, poor posture, poor ergonomics and other physical insults which by themselves don’t seem like much, but over time amount of a massive amount of accumulated stress. Macro-traumas come in the form of automobile accidents, sports injuries, slips & falls, work injuries and other mishaps.

Thoughts come in the form of emotional stress (financial problems, marital problems, relationship problems, etc.), anxiety, depression, bereavement, boredom, etc..

Toxins come from pollutants and other chemical stressors from our food, air and water. These include artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, MSG, pesticides, insecticides (which are sprayed on the produce we eat), sugar, gluten, alcohol, drugs (both pharmaceutical and recreational types), pollen, dust, dander, heavy metals (mercury, lead, aluminum, cadmium), etc. The list can go on and on.

As you can see, there are a lot of causes of stressors. It does make sense that the best way to deal with these problems is to eliminate the cause of the stress rather than to just mask the symptoms with some kind of numbing agent (a drug).

The solution to headache pain starts by eliminating your exposure to chemical and toxic stressors. We can’t completely eliminate all toxins from our lives. However we can significantly reduce our exposure by being more selective with our food choices. By eliminating processed foods, sugar, gluten and non-organic produce, we’re taking a step in the right direction. We should be drinking 8-10 glasses of filtered water each day to help flush out our systems.

Emotional stressors can be helped by vigorously exercising 4-5 times per week. Other helpful tips include getting 7-8 hours of restful, replenishing sleep per day, limiting our exposure to news and other tragic stories, doing daily meditation & other mental calming rituals, practicing yoga and also reducing how many projects we’re taking on at one time.

Reducing or eliminating physical stress should include getting your vertebrae and posture aligned by a doctor of chiropractic. Additional benefits are obtained by getting a periodic massage, exercising 4-5 times per week (cardio, strength training and stretching), flipping & rotating your mattress and using a properly fitted pillow (which matches the size & shape of your neck).

By incorporating a holistic approach to health, you have the greatest chance of eliminating headaches permanently and achieving true wellness and vitality.

About the Author

-- Dr. Kevin Smith Red Apple Wellness http://www.redapplewellness.net

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Dr--Kevin-Smith/61439

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