Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Lets Talk About Headaches


Headache in Ancient Times



Og Tells Bitsi That His Head Hurts
If you take a really good look at the human brain and then think about the things we do to ourselves and to others it really is not a surprise that we have all experienced the discomfort of a headache, and so did our ancestors. During the Neolithic Era trepanning (the removal of a segment of bone from the skull) was widely performed even as early as 7000 BC. 
Hippocrates – in 400 BC – was the first to describe visual symptoms of migraine. He described a shining light, usually in the right eye, followed by violent pain beginning in the temples and eventually reaching the entire head and neck area.


In 1672, Thomas Willis introduced the term “neurology” and Willis accurately observed   many causes of migraine attacks, including heredity, changes of season, atmospheric states, and diet. Headaches have long been connected to digestive disturbances

Then in the late 1770s, Erasmus Darwin (the grandfather of Charles Darwin), believing that headaches were caused by vasodilatation, proposed the theory of treatment by centrifugation, spinning the patient around in a centrifuge to force the blood from the head to the feet.

In 1873, Edward Liveing published  his theory that migraine was a brain dysfunction caused by “nerve storms” originating in the brain. Liveing also believed the relationship of migraine to epilepsy was obvious, both being caused by central nervous system discharges. These views differed greatly from the vascular theory.
In 1888 Gowers published the most influential textbook of neurology at the turn of the century, “A Manual of Diseases of the Nervous System”. In his passage on the treatment of migraine, Gowers emphasized the importance of a healthy diet. His headache treatment became known as the “Gowers mixture”, a solution of nitroglycerin in alcohol combined with other agents. Gowers advocated marijuana to relieve the acute attack of headache.


In the late 1930s, Harold Wolffe was the first person to study headache in the laboratory, performing many laboratory experiments which supported the vascular theory of headache.
Research into migraine and other headaches began at The Prince Henry and Prince of Wales Hospitals in Sydney in the 1960s and rapidly achieved international recognition. Peter Goadsby had undertaken research into the way that the brain controlled blood flow to the scalp and to the brain itself. These studies helped to explain why the arteries open up in migraine and cause severe headaches to throb with each pulse.


There are four major types of headache:


Tension headaches


This is the most common type of headache. It feels like there is a vice squeezing your head. Caused by the contraction of muscles that cover your skull, this pain runs from one ear to the other, around the front of your head. It’s often caused by stress and lack of sleep.

Cluster headaches

Vascular headaches include "cluster" headaches and migraines. Cluster headaches  cause repeated episodes of intense pain, and headaches resulting from high blood pressure. Muscle contraction headaches appear to involve the tightening or tensing of facial and neck muscles, Cluster headaches, which affect more men than women, are recurring headaches that occur in groups or cycles. They appear suddenly and are characterized by severe, debilitating pain on one side of the head, and are often accompanied by a watery eye and nasal congestion or a runny nose on the same side of the face.
The cause of cluster headaches is unknown, but there may be a genetic component.


Sinus headaches

When a sinus becomes inflamed, often due to an infection, it can cause pain. It can be accompanied by a fever and can be diagnosed by symptoms or the presence of pus viewed through a fiber-optic scope.


Rebound headaches


Overuse of painkillers for headaches can, ironically, lead to rebound headaches. Culprits include over-the-counter medications like aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), as well as prescription drugs.


Migraine headaches


vascular, muscle contraction (tension), traction, and inflammatory. The most common type of vascular headache is a migraine. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head, nausea, and, at times, disturbed vision. Women are more likely than men to have migraine headaches. A migraine may be foreshadowed by aura, such as visual distortions or hand numbness.


Traction and inflammatory headaches are usually symptoms of other disorders, ranging from stroke to sinus infection.
 Like other types of pain, headaches can serve as warning signals of more serious disorders. This is particularly true for headaches caused by rapidly stretching or rupturing weakened blood vessels (aneurysms), those caused by infection (infectious meningitis) as well as those resulting from diseases of the sinuses, spine, neck, ears, and teeth.


 More than 32 million Americans, 70 percent of whom are women, suffer from migraines, and many sufferers progress to a chronic condition, experiencing headaches more than 15 days per month. It is estimated that approximately 40,000 people in the U.S. do not respond to existing treatments, and many may be candidates for alternative therapies.
 Alternative Therapies and Home Remedies can be close to endless, but they are also producing positive results. They are often inexpensive, non invasive, Wholistic and pleasant with little to no adverse side effects.  You can also do many of them yourself.


Reflexology is not just for the feet, we also do it on the hands, face and ears. Here is a self help step by step how to use Reflexology to relieve your headache. This technique is using reflexology on the hands, it is so much easier to work your own hands than other body areas, and you can do it anywhere, at that meeting, in the grocery line, in the Dr’s waiting room etc. Also compared to other reflex points on the body the hands actually provide a larger area for head/brain reflexes.


Hand Reflexology Headache Relief Technique


  So lets start by with some water, a nice big glass please. Water really helps with the transporting of waste and toxins out of your body. Also a well hydrated body moves qi and blood flow more efficiently.
Step 1
Rotate your wrists in large circles in both directions and back and forth. Stretch your fingers in all directions. This will be reflexing to the many bones in the skull, jaw, neck and shoulders. This step of the reflexology headache relief technique sends energy, increased blood circulation and relaxation to all bones in the skull.

Step 2
Hold your thumb near the base joint (where thumb and hand connect) and rotate the thumb in a big slow gentle circle, one way and then the other. Do this at least 5 times each direction, nice, full, big circles. You may find it easier if you place your hand on your tummy, see which feels best to you.
This is a very relaxing technique, after doing 5 full circles do it again but this time pull on the thumb to stretch it at the same time.
Step3

Now move up to the next joint (middle of your thumb ) gently rock that joint side to side-slowly- and then rotate in a circular motion one way and then the other. Support thumb from behind so that you are only moving it at that one joint at a time.
Step 4

Repeat on all fingers, note that the fingers have one more joint than the thumb- so that’s a full rotation on the joint closest to your hand and then gentle side by sides and circles on all other joints. Go slow and methodical. 
Step 5
Now with a gentle but firm squeeze go up and down the thumb on all sides, then do same on fingers, one by one and slow. Take your time, be relaxed, be present and remember to breath.
Step 6
Now do exactly the same thing on your other hand.
Cool Huh?
Reflexology will improve your blood circulation and promote harmony within your body whilst it deeply relaxes you.


REFLEXOLOGY TREATMENT FOR MIGRAINE HEADACHES

Unpublished report available from FDZ Research Committee, Denmark

Of 100 applicants, 23 of the worst cases were selected for the study. These patients had frequent migraine headache attacks, usually for several years, and had been treated with morphine, ketogan and albergin medications. Three patients withdrew from the study, and the remaining 20 participants received 240 foot reflexology treatments, an average of twelve sessions per patient. The results of the study were based on the patient\'s evaluation of their own condition. Nine persons (45%) no longer had headaches; 6 persons (30%) felt considerable improvement; 2 persons (10%) felt a little better and 3 persons (15%) felt no improvement.


To read more reports please click here

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Acupressure Massage
This ancient Chinese healing method involves applying pressure to certain points on the body to relieve pain. The most famous point is in the connecting valleys which are located on the webbing between the thumb and forefinger of both hands Press on this point with moderate pressure for 30-60 seconds of each hand. Place your finger in the depression between your first and second toe and press firmly for 3 to 5 minutes. There are also points on the head, face, and at the base of the back of the skull which can relieve a headache.


Indian Head Massage


You may find an Indian Head massage session with me extremely helpful. Indian head massage is based on the ayurvedic system of healing which has been practiced in India for over a thousand years. The aim of Indian head massage is to release the stress that has accumulated in the tissues, muscles and joints of the head, face, neck and shoulders. Relax whilst I use a range of different movements including  deep kneading and compression movements over the neck, shoulder and scalp areas. In addition, I will also gently stimulate and stroke reflexology and pressure points on the face.
Indian head massage helps increase joint mobility and flexibility in the neck and shoulders, improves blood circulation and lymphatic flow, frees knots of muscular tension, relaxes connective tissue, and aids in the elimination of accumulated toxins and waste products.  Indian head massage is especially good for relieving stress, tension, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, migraine and sinusitis. Clients report that the experience is deeply calming and relaxing, leaving them feeling energized and revitalized and better able to concentrate.

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Call today to make an appointment with me      907 317 1331 Brenda Camai Healing Wholistic Reflexology
CranioSacral Therapy


CranioSacral Therapy  has been used successfully to relieve a variety of sensory and/or motor neurological dysfunctions. In addition to headaches, neck and back pain, it's been used effectively on jaw dysfunction, chronic fatigue, muscle coordination difficulties, depression, eye problems, hyperactivity, central nervous system disorders and many other conditions.

With migraines, of course, there can be multiple causes. Virtually anything that interferes with the autonomic nervous control of the blood vessels in the head can result in migraine. In general, CranioSacral Therapy does a very good job of normalizing autonomic nervous activity. It effectively mobilizes the membrane system within the head to take pressure off either the nerve that is controlling the blood vessel, or the blood vessel that may be causing the headache. It is also an effective stress reducer, which makes it particularly effective with migraines since they're often precipitated or triggered by stress.

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Call today to make an appointment with me      907 317 1331 Brenda Camai Healing Wholistic Reflexology


The medical information provided here is an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.

Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.


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