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Treatments for Headaches 5 Questions to Ask

Headache pain occurs over the eyes or ears, in the back of the head , or behind the upper neck. There are two major groups of the headache. These are primary headaches and secondary headaches.

Primary headaches are migraine headaches, tension headaches, or cluster headaches
A migraine is neurological condition that affects more women than men. Migraine headaches are severe and alter bodily perceptions. People become very sensitive to light and sound.

A tension or tension-type headache is the most frequently occurring type of primary headache. A tension headache can have radiating pain from the eyes, neck and back, Typically tension headaches last 4-6 hours.

Cluster headaches are not very common, but they are immensely painful. Men are more commonly effected. While primary headaches are not linked to a particular disease, secondary headaches are caused by diseases like brain tumors or meningitis.

A headache is one the most common places for pain in the body and has many causes. Treatments for migraines include shots of Imitrex or pain killers. Many people also find relief by visiting a chiropractor. Spinal misalignments put pressure on different muscle groups and nerves in the body. 

By paying close attention to your symptoms you can describe your condition as precisely as possible to a doctor or a chiropractor. You should come prepared to answer these types of questions in a much detail as possible.

5 Headache Questions

1. Where is it located?
2. How long does it last?
3. How severe are they?
4. What is the nature of the headache?
5. What seems to trigger the headache?

A chiropractor eliminates the headaches by repositioning the first cervical vertebrae, removing pressure that passes through it.

Seeing a chiropractor can be a time commitment. You may need be treated over several weeks with numerous visits. Most people are free from symptoms after four to six treatments. These treatments should also include adjustment and massages.

Reflexology, is another technique that has been proven to bring relief from migraines. This technique in combination with chiropractic visits has allowed some people to treat their symptoms with less medication. The pressure points in the hands and feet are capable of releasing pressure in other parts of the body.

Practitioners of reflexology believe you become aware of more of your body giving your signals that might help you sense the small things that indicate a migraine is about to occur. They also believe reflexology helps improve general well-being and improves natural energy levels.

Depending on how often and severe the type of headaches your are having are, you may have to try a combination of strategies for treatment. Certainly, whether you seek the care of a doctor, chiropractor, or practitioner of reflexology, you should spend the time to document your symptoms thoroughly.  That way you can give the most accurate description to the person that will be treating you.

You may find that one type of treatment is sufficient but don’t give up if you have trouble getting relief at first. It may take a combination of approaches to deal with your symptoms appropriately.

Tags: back pain, chiropractor, headaches, herniated disc, neck pain, pain

Spine Stretching Exercises For Better Posture

Poor posture can cause a lot more problems than just back pain. It can cause pain in your neck, your legs, your hips and even headaches as well as back pain. Poor posture can lead to an upset stomach and even digestive issues. Our bodies are made to sit and stand up straight, not slumped over. Poor posture disrupts the natural alignment of the body and causes pain, stiffness and discomfort throughout your body. Your posture makes a difference to every part of your body - even your internal organs.

If there is one unfortunate thing when learning how to improve posture, it’s this: Correcting poor posture is more of a challenge the longer you’ve been standing and sitting improperly. You can relearn your posture, but you’ll need to work at it for a while - poor posture weakens the muscles of you back, abdomen and neck. Stretching the spine and all of the muscles which are directly attached to it is the best way to restore proper posture.

There are many programs designed to help you attain good posture. However, most neglect the importance of stretching the spine. Because the root of the problem is never corrected, the problem is rarely fixed in the long term. If you want success in correcting your poor, painful posture, then spine stretching is imperative.

The spine is the center of your body. Not only is the spine the support for every movement you makes, the spine also protects the nerve fibers which carry signals to and from the rest of the body. The spine is made up of small bones called the vertebrae. Between each of these bones is a disc of tissue which keeps the bones from grinding on each other. The spine is connected to the muscles of your back.

Keeping your spine in good shape is essential to having good posture, which is an important element of good health overall. Your muscles, joints and internal organs all rely on proper posture.

Muscle tension in your back can pull things out of alignment and exacerbate poor posture and cause pain. This tension can cause pain almost anywhere in your body, make you less flexible, cause headaches, fatigue and even lead to digestive issues.

Stretching is a good way to relieve the tension of tight muscles. It lengthens them while relieving the tightness and helping the reach the correct length for your body. When your spine is supple and strong, the other muscles in the body do not have to work so hard.

This alleviates muscle pain and reduces tension as well as allowing you to have a wider range of motion. Every part of your body is better able to carry out its natural functions when you stretch regularly - you’ll have more energy and sleep better as well. Stretching is a simple cure and preventative measure for the many different problems which poor posture and the muscle tension which come with it can cause.

Stretching is a vital part of any exercise program aimed at improving posture. An effective program will include posture exercises, spine stretching exercises, strength training, relaxation and more. If you find a program which works well for you and perform your exercises consistently, you’ll achieve better posture and get rid of your back pain in a hurry.

Tags: back pain, improve posture, spine stretching exercises

CAUSES OF LOW BACK & LEG PAIN

Low back pain doesn't happen overnight and once understood, can resolve quicker than you realize. We have to look at our lifestyle, nutrition, how we think & feel, etc. to undo the ailment. You could take a pain reliever but still the underlying imbalance will be there after the relief is gone. The key word for low back pain is DEFICIENCY.

Causative Setting: Holistically speaking, our lifestyle and ability to manage it appears to be overstressing most of us whereas our circulatory systems are tight and obstructing thus preventing nutrients to nourish us and elimination of toxins. Our dietary preferences in the U.S. are excessive while empty of nutrients, full of preservatives, pesticides, hormones and processed with additives. This generation endures more stress, changes and emotions keeping us up later and/or deep sleep is not achieved. The result is we lack the necessary energy or life force to be our best. This further makes us irritable in our relationships which worsens all the scenarios described before.

As we break down our energy, immunity and support, our self image and esteem parallels our internal organs ability to weather the challenge. Specifically, our adrenals and kidneys have become depleted of energy or weak, necessitating our attention to re-establishing our essence, life force and our quality of living.

To begin, we need to construct successful strategies in the areas of nutrition, sleep, and lifestyle. This resource is designed to provide some winning solutions so you can quickly re-engage living rather than aging or dying too soon.

The source of deficiency stems from 4 main areas: 

• LEFT KIDNEY DEFICIENCY
• RIGHT KIDNEY DEFICIENCY
• KIDNEY ENERGY DEFICIENCY
• EXTREME CHRONIC FATIGUE

FOOD THERAPY: LOW BACK PAIN 

This issue may involve not only low back pain but also sciatic pain complicated by other syndromes such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, Epstein Barr, etc. Four causes of low back and leg pain.

There are several categories based on Chinese medicine nutrition and Traditional Chinese herbs that support and correct low back pain:

LEFT KIDNEY (yin) DEFICIENCY:
Characteristics: Heat symptoms, dizziness, ringing in the ears, dry throat, dry mouth, fever, low backache, weak legs, involuntary seminal emission, spontaneous sweating, red tongue, emaciation, deep shiny red tongue

Foods: millet, barley, tofu, string bean, black bean, black soy bean, mung bean, mung bean sprouts, kidney bean, azuki bean, and most other beans, kuzu root, watermelon and most others, blackberry, mulberry, blueberry, huckleberry, water chestnut, wheat germ, potato, seaweeds, spirulina, chlorella, black sesame seed, sardine, crab, clam, eggs, pork, cheese
Herbs: marshmallow root, rehmannia root, Asparagus root, aloe vera gel, colloidal silver (If the constitution is cold and/or most or low back & sciatic is cold and/or moist then choose from the groups below)

RIGHT KIDNEY (yang) DEFICIENCY:
Characteristics: cold symptoms in the body such as cold extremities, weakened knees, weakened lower back, avoidance of cold environments, pale skin, depression, lethargic thinking, deficient libido, intermittant menstruation and clear vaginal fluid

Foods: walnuts, black beans, onion family (onion, garlic, chives, scallions, leeks), quinoa, chicken, lamb, trout, salmon
Spices: cloves, fenugreek, fennel seeds, dried ginger
Avoid cooling foods, fruit, raw foods, excessive salt, use seaweed cautiously.

KIDNEY ENERGY (qi) DEFICIENCY:
Characteristics: deficient energy constitution with lower back pain, lack of knee strength, tongue (pale), cold areas of the body. Urinary problems: incontinence, dribbling, frequent urination, unable to urinate, involuntary seminal emission as well as other urinary/seminal problems.

Foods: wheat berry, sweet rice, parsley
Herbs: rose hips, oyster shell, clam shell, schizandra berry, raspberry and blackberry leaves, gravel root

EXTREME CHRONIC FATIGUE (Jing Deficiency):
Characteristics: deficiency of the essence such as ear ringing, hair loss, lower back weakness, knee pain, lightheadedness and loose teeth

Food: micro-algae (chlorella, spirulina, wild blue-green), fish, liver, kidney, brain, bone and its marrow, human placenta, cereal grasses, wheat grass,solomon seal, almonds, ghee (clarified butter), goat’s milk, nettle leaves, royal jelly, bee pollen, Doddler seeds, millet, wheat, black sesame seeds, soybeans, chestnuts, mulberries, raspberries, strawberries, seitan, walnuts
Herbs: deer antler, deer horn velvet, Deer Placenta, Lycium fruit, Polygonum multiflorum root, Eucommia bark, Dendrobium stem, Cinnamon bark, white ginseng, semen cuscutae, astragali seed (complanati), cordyceps, astragalus, codonopsis, reishi, morinda, eleuthero root, paeonia , gambir, gecko, cibot rhizome, tianshan snow lotus, tibet carthami

For final decision on which foods to choose for your condition, please consult a trained master herbalist with in-depth knowledge of Traditional Chinese herbs and food therapy, American herbology and other nutritional systems.

Tags: adrenal deficiency, alternative, back pain, chinese herbs, chinese medicine, Chronic Fatigue, herbal herbs, herbs, kidney deficincy, leg pain, low back pain, nutrition, sciatic pain, sciatica, traditional chinese herbs, weakness