Yesterday we talked about fatigue and the random, yet serious things that can cause it. One serious side effect of fatigue is chronic headaches.
Chronic headaches are not uncommon, especially in today’s fast-paced work and home environment. But chronic headaches are a serious problem and can lead to neck and back pain.
Many people turn to aspirin and other pain reducing medications but if you are one of the thousands of people who suffer 2-3 headaches a week, taking that much medication a week is not good for you either.
Here is where holistic medicine comes in, well its not really medication as much as therapy - massage.
Here are the three most common types of headaches and some recommended therapy option:
- Migraines. These occur when blood vessels in the brain become dilated, usually due to a chemical reaction (such as food allergies or stress).
- Tension headaches. This type is caused by poor posture, jaw problems and neck pain - stress also exaggerates the severity.
- Mixed headaches. When a tension headache leads to a migrain. Typically, the tension starts first and the chemicals produced from the pain create the perfect storm for a migraine. The best way to avoid the onset of a migraine is to treat the tension headache.
Therapies:
- Swedish massage. This massage type promotes relaxation and relieves muscle tension (they don’t call them tension headaches for nothing). So if you are prone to tension headaches opt for a Swedish massage. When muscles become tight due to stress or poor posture, they eventually adapt a chronically shortened state. Swedish massage teaches the body how to let go of muscle tension and resets muscle tone.
- Deep Tissue. Chronically tensed muscles maintain tension even after a stressful event has passed. Deep tissue techniques free the connective tissue glue, creating a new way for those muscles to function.
- Reflexology. This treatment works by moving energy blockages in the body. By stimulating points on the feet that correspond to organs in the body, reflexologists can promote relaxation, reduce pain, and restore energy flow. Several scientific studies have shown that reflexology is a viable treatment for migraines.
Do you suffer from chronic headaches? Would you use massage therapy as an alternative to medications?
Tags: headaches, Massage, migraines, Sweedish massage, tension headaches
my friend jeanine is a massage therapist and when i get a migraine my medicine is her. she rubs these spots that sooth away the pain. If she incorporated the scandle candle, i don’t think she would be able to make me leave. I may even buy her one to keep around just for me, ready in had for my migraines.
Great, I’m glad to hear you enjoy our product. Massage therapy not only helps with headaches but has many other great natural remedies. We have done a lot of posts on the health benefits regular massage has.