Exercise: Headache Pain

October 20, 2006

Good Morning!

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

Alternative medicine and therapies

for healing mind, body & spirit!

October 21, 2006

thank you very much for this letter! I have had daily headaches the last 20

years (wake up and go to bed with them). Nothing has helped and medical Dr.

chalk it up to stress and depression and give corresponding drugs. At this point

no drug helps. I have had therapy and that is only temporary. Will try your

method. (am also on all herbal meds now -- got fed up with Dr.s!) Helen

Slaughter

yogiguruji <yogiguruji

Friday, October 20, 2006 7:09:59 AM