The Ultimate Natural Pain Therapy Solution

Migraines are chronic headaches that can cause sig­nif­i­cant pain for hours or even days. Symp­toms can be so severe that all you can think about is find­ing a dark, quiet place to lie down.

Some migraines are pre­ceded or accom­pa­nied by sen­sory warn­ing symp­toms or signs (auras), such as flashes of light, blind spots or tin­gling in your arm or leg. A migraine is often accom­pa­nied by nau­sea, vom­it­ing, and extreme sen­si­tiv­ity to light and sound.

Although there’s no cure, med­ica­tions can help reduce the fre­quency and sever­ity of migraines. If treat­ment hasn’t worked for you in the past, it’s worth talk­ing to your doc­tor about try­ing a dif­fer­ent migraine med­ica­tion. The right med­i­cines com­bined with self-help reme­dies and lifestyle changes may make a tremen­dous dif­fer­ence.
Migraines usu­ally begin in child­hood, ado­les­cence or early adult­hood. A typ­i­cal migraine attack pro­duces some or all of these signs and symptoms:

* Mod­er­ate to severe pain, which may be con­fined to one side of the head or may affect both sides
* Head pain with a pul­sat­ing or throb­bing qual­ity
* Pain that wors­ens with phys­i­cal activ­ity
* Pain that inter­feres with your reg­u­lar activ­i­ties
* Nau­sea with or with­out vom­it­ing
* Sen­si­tiv­ity to light and sound

When untreated, a migraine typ­i­cally lasts from four to 72 hours, but the fre­quency with which headaches occur varies from per­son to per­son. You may have migraines sev­eral times a month or much less frequently.

Not all migraines are the same. Most peo­ple expe­ri­ence migraines with­out auras, which were pre­vi­ously called com­mon migraines. Some peo­ple have migraines with auras, which were pre­vi­ously called clas­sic migraines. Auras can include changes to your vision, such as see­ing flashes of light, and feel­ing pins and nee­dles in an arm or leg.

Whether or not you have auras, you may have one or more sen­sa­tions of pre­mo­ni­tion (pro­drome) sev­eral hours or a day or so before your headache actu­ally strikes, including:

* Feel­ings of ela­tion or intense energy
* Crav­ings for sweets
* Thirst
* Drowsi­ness
* Irri­tabil­ity or depression

Although much about the cause of migraines isn’t under­stood, genet­ics and envi­ron­men­tal fac­tors seem to both play a role.

Migraines may be caused by changes in the trigem­i­nal nerve, a major pain path­way. Imbal­ances in brain chem­i­cals, includ­ing sero­tonin — which helps reg­u­late pain in your ner­vous sys­tem — also may be involved.

Sero­tonin lev­els drop dur­ing migraines. This may trig­ger your trigem­i­nal sys­tem to release sub­stances called neu­ropep­tides, which travel to your brain’s outer cov­er­ing (meninges). The result is headache pain.

Migraine trig­gers
What­ever the exact mech­a­nism of the headaches, a num­ber of things may trig­ger them. Com­mon migraine trig­gers include:

* Hor­monal changes in women. Fluc­tu­a­tions in estro­gen seem to trig­ger headaches in many women with known migraines. Women with a his­tory of migraines often report headaches imme­di­ately before or dur­ing their peri­ods, when they have a major drop in estro­gen. Oth­ers have an increased ten­dency to develop migraines dur­ing preg­nancy or menopause. Hor­monal med­ica­tions — such as oral con­tra­cep­tives and hor­mone replace­ment ther­apy — also may worsen migraines, though some women find it’s ben­e­fi­cial to take them.
* Foods. Some migraines appear to be trig­gered by cer­tain foods. Com­mon offend­ers include alco­hol, espe­cially beer and red wine; aged cheeses; choco­late; aspar­tame; overuse of caf­feine; monosodium glu­ta­mate — a key ingre­di­ent in some Asian foods; salty foods; and processed foods. Skip­ping meals or fast­ing also can trig­ger migraines.
* Stress. Stress at work or home can insti­gate migraines.
* Sen­sory stim­uli. Bright lights and sun glare can pro­duce migraines, as can loud sounds. Unusual smells — includ­ing pleas­ant scents, such as per­fume, and unpleas­ant odors, such as paint thin­ner and sec­ond­hand smoke, can also trig­ger migraines.
* Changes in wake-sleep pat­tern. Either miss­ing sleep or get­ting too much sleep may serve as a trig­ger for migraine attacks in some indi­vid­u­als, as can jet lag.
* Phys­i­cal fac­tors. Intense phys­i­cal exer­tion, includ­ing sex­ual activ­ity, may pro­voke migraines.
* Changes in the envi­ron­ment. A change of weather or baro­met­ric pres­sure can prompt a migraine.
* Med­ica­tions. Cer­tain med­ica­tions can aggra­vate migraines.
Sev­eral fac­tors make you more prone to hav­ing migraines.

* Hav­ing a fam­ily his­tory. Many peo­ple with migraines have a fam­ily his­tory of migraine. If one or both of your par­ents have migraines, there’s a good chance you will too.
* Being younger than 40. Half the peo­ple who suf­fer from migraines started get­ting them before they were 20 and migraines are most com­mon in peo­ple who are between 30 and 39 years old.
* Being female. Women are three times as likely to have migraines as men are. Headaches tend to affect boys more than girls dur­ing child­hood, but by the time of puberty, more girls are affected.
* Expe­ri­enc­ing hor­monal changes. If you’re a woman with migraines, you may find that your headaches begin just before or shortly after onset of men­stru­a­tion. They may also change dur­ing preg­nancy or menopause. Some women report that their migraines got worse dur­ing the first trimester of a preg­nancy. Though for many, the migraines improved dur­ing later stages in the preg­nancy.
Some­times your efforts to con­trol your pain cause problems.

* Abdom­i­nal prob­lems. Non­s­teroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibupro­fen (Advil, Motrin, oth­ers) and aspirin, may cause abdom­i­nal pain, bleed­ing and ulcers — espe­cially if taken in large doses or for a long period of time.
* Rebound headaches. In addi­tion, if you take over-the-counter or pre­scrip­tion headache med­ica­tions more than nine days per month or in high doses, you may be set­ting your­self up for a seri­ous com­pli­ca­tion known as rebound headaches. Rebound headaches occur when med­ica­tions not only stop reliev­ing pain, but actu­ally begin to cause headaches. You then use more pain med­ica­tion, which traps you in a vicious cycle.
* Sero­tonin syn­drome. This poten­tially life-threatening drug inter­ac­tion can occur if you take migraine med­i­cines called trip­tans, such as suma­trip­tan (Imitrex) or zolmitrip­tan (Zomig), along with anti­de­pres­sants known as selec­tive sero­tonin reup­take inhibitors (SSRIs) or sero­tonin and nor­ep­i­neph­rine reup­take inhibitors (SNRIs). Some com­mon SSRIs include Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil. SNRIs include Cym­balta and Effexor. For­tu­nately, sero­tonin syn­drome is rare.

Non­tra­di­tional ther­a­pies may be help­ful if you have chronic headache pain:

* Acupunc­ture. In this treat­ment, a prac­ti­tioner inserts many thin, dis­pos­able nee­dles into sev­eral areas of your skin at defined points. A num­ber of clin­i­cal tri­als have found that acupunc­ture may be help­ful for headache pain.
* Biofeed­back. Biofeed­back appears to be espe­cially effec­tive in reliev­ing migraine pain. This relax­ation tech­nique uses spe­cial equip­ment to teach you how to mon­i­tor and con­trol cer­tain phys­i­cal responses related to stress, such as mus­cle ten­sion.
* Mas­sage. Mas­sage may help reduce the fre­quency of migraines. And it can improve the qual­ity of your sleep, which can, in turn, help pre­vent migraines.
* Herbs, vit­a­mins and min­er­als. There is some evi­dence that the herbs fever­few and but­ter­bur may pre­vent migraines or reduce their sever­ity. A high dose of riboflavin (vit­a­min B-2) also may pre­vent migraines by cor­rect­ing tiny defi­cien­cies in the brain cells. Coen­zyme Q10 sup­ple­ments may be help­ful in some indi­vid­u­als. Oral mag­ne­sium sul­fate sup­ple­ments may reduce the fre­quency of headaches in some peo­ple, although stud­ies don’t all agree on this issue. Mag­ne­sium taken intra­venously seems to help some peo­ple dur­ing an acute headache, par­tic­u­larly peo­ple with mag­ne­sium defi­cien­cies. Ask your doc­tor if these treat­ments are right for you. Don’t use fever­few or but­ter­bur if you’re preg­nant.
Whether or not you take pre­ven­tive med­ica­tions, you may ben­e­fit from lifestyle changes that can help reduce the num­ber and sever­ity of migraines. One or more of these sug­ges­tions may be help­ful for you:

* Avoid trig­gers. If cer­tain foods seem to have trig­gered your headaches in the past, avoid those foods. If cer­tain scents are a prob­lem, try to avoid them. In gen­eral, estab­lish a daily rou­tine with reg­u­lar sleep pat­terns and reg­u­lar meals. In addi­tion, try to con­trol stress.
* Exer­cise reg­u­larly. Reg­u­lar aer­o­bic exer­cise reduces ten­sion and can help pre­vent migraines. If your doc­tor agrees, choose any aer­o­bic exer­cise you enjoy, includ­ing walk­ing, swim­ming and cycling. Warm up slowly, how­ever, because sud­den, intense exer­cise can cause headaches. Obe­sity is also thought to be a fac­tor in migraines, and reg­u­lar exer­cise can help you keep your weight down.
* Reduce the effects of estro­gen. If you’re a woman with migraines and estro­gen seems to trig­ger or make your headaches worse, you may want to avoid or reduce the amount of med­ica­tions you take that con­tain estro­gen. These med­ica­tions include birth con­trol pills and hor­mone replace­ment ther­apy. Talk with your doc­tor about the best alter­na­tives or dosages for you.

A heart attack (also known as a myocar­dial infarc­tion) is the death of heart mus­cle from the sud­den block­age of a coro­nary artery by a blood clot. Coro­nary arter­ies are blood ves­sels that sup­ply the heart mus­cle with blood and oxy­gen. Block­age of a coro­nary artery deprives the heart mus­cle of blood and oxy­gen, caus­ing injury to the heart mus­cle. Injury to the heart mus­cle causes chest pain and chest pres­sure sen­sa­tion. If blood flow is not restored to the heart mus­cle within 20 to 40 min­utes, irre­versible death of the heart mus­cle will begin to occur. Mus­cle con­tin­ues to die for six to eight hours at which time the heart attack usu­ally is “com­plete.” The dead heart mus­cle is even­tu­ally replaced by scar tissue.

Approx­i­mately one mil­lion Amer­i­cans suf­fer a heart attack each year. Four hun­dred thou­sand of them die as a result of their heart attack.

What causes a heart attack?

Ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis

Ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis is a grad­ual process by which plaques (col­lec­tions) of cho­les­terol are deposited in the walls of arter­ies. Cho­les­terol plaques cause hard­en­ing of the arte­r­ial walls and nar­row­ing of the inner chan­nel (lumen) of the artery. Arter­ies that are nar­rowed by ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis can­not deliver enough blood to main­tain nor­mal func­tion of the parts of the body they sup­ply. For exam­ple, ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis of the arter­ies in the legs causes reduced blood flow to the legs. Reduced blood flow to the legs can lead to pain in the legs while walk­ing or exer­cis­ing, leg ulcers, or a delay in the heal­ing of wounds to the legs. Ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis of the arter­ies that fur­nish blood to the brain can lead to vas­cu­lar demen­tia (men­tal dete­ri­o­ra­tion due to grad­ual death of brain tis­sue over many years) or stroke (sud­den death of brain tissue).

In many peo­ple, ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis can remain silent (caus­ing no symp­toms or health prob­lems) for years or decades. Ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis can begin as early as the teenage years, but symp­toms or health prob­lems usu­ally do not arise until later in adult­hood when the arte­r­ial nar­row­ing becomes severe. Smok­ing cig­a­rettes, high blood pres­sure, ele­vated cho­les­terol, and dia­betes mel­li­tus can accel­er­ate ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis and lead to the ear­lier onset of symp­toms and com­pli­ca­tions, par­tic­u­larly in those peo­ple who have a fam­ily his­tory of early atherosclerosis.

Coro­nary ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis (or coro­nary artery dis­ease) refers to the ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis that causes hard­en­ing and nar­row­ing of the coro­nary arter­ies. Dis­eases caused by the reduced blood sup­ply to the heart mus­cle from coro­nary ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis are called coro­nary heart dis­eases (CHD). Coro­nary heart dis­eases include heart attacks, sud­den unex­pected death, chest pain (angina), abnor­mal heart rhythms, and heart fail­ure due to weak­en­ing of the heart muscle.

Ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis and angina pectoris

Angina pec­toris (also referred to as angina) is chest pain or pres­sure that occurs when the blood and oxy­gen sup­ply to the heart mus­cle can­not keep up with the needs of the mus­cle. When coro­nary arter­ies are nar­rowed by more than 50 to 70 per­cent, the arter­ies may not be able to increase the sup­ply of blood to the heart mus­cle dur­ing exer­cise or other peri­ods of high demand for oxy­gen. An insuf­fi­cient sup­ply of oxy­gen to the heart mus­cle causes angina. Angina that occurs with exer­cise or exer­tion is called exer­tional angina. In some patients, espe­cially dia­bet­ics, the pro­gres­sive decrease in blood flow to the heart may occur with­out any pain or with just short­ness of breath or unusu­ally early fatigue.

Exer­tional angina usu­ally feels like a pres­sure, heav­i­ness, squeez­ing, or aching across the chest. This pain may travel to the neck, jaw, arms, back, or even the teeth, and may be accom­pa­nied by short­ness of breath, nau­sea, or a cold sweat. Exer­tional angina typ­i­cally lasts from one to 15 min­utes and is relieved by rest or by tak­ing nitro­glyc­erin by plac­ing a tablet under the tongue. Both rest­ing and nitro­glyc­erin decrease the heart muscle’s demand for oxy­gen, thus reliev­ing angina. Exer­tional angina may be the first warn­ing sign of advanced coro­nary artery dis­ease. Chest pains that just last a few sec­onds rarely are due to coro­nary artery disease.

Angina also can occur at rest. Angina at rest more com­monly indi­cates that a coro­nary artery has nar­rowed to such a crit­i­cal degree that the heart is not receiv­ing enough oxy­gen even at rest. Angina at rest infre­quently may be due to spasm of a coro­nary artery (a con­di­tion called Prinzmetal’s or vari­ant angina). Unlike a heart attack, there is no per­ma­nent mus­cle dam­age with either exer­tional or rest angina.

Ath­er­o­scle­ro­sis and heart attack

Occa­sion­ally the sur­face of a cho­les­terol plaque in a coro­nary artery may rup­ture, and a blood clot forms on the sur­face of the plaque. The clot blocks the flow of blood through the artery and results in a heart attack (see pic­ture below). The cause of rup­ture that leads to the for­ma­tion of a clot is largely unknown, but con­tribut­ing fac­tors may include cig­a­rette smok­ing or other nico­tine expo­sure, ele­vated LDL cho­les­terol, ele­vated lev­els of blood cat­e­cholamines (adren­a­line), high blood pres­sure, and other mechan­i­cal and bio­chem­i­cal forces.

Unlike exer­tional or rest angina, heart mus­cle dies dur­ing a heart attack and loss of the mus­cle is per­ma­nent, unless blood flow can be promptly restored, usu­ally within one to six hours. While heart attacks can occur at any time, more heart attacks occur between 4:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. because of the higher blood lev­els of adren­a­line released from the adrenal glands dur­ing the morn­ing hours. Increased adren­a­line, as pre­vi­ously dis­cussed, may con­tribute to rup­ture of cho­les­terol plaques.

Approx­i­mately 50% of patients who develop heart attacks have warn­ing symp­toms such as exer­tional angina or rest angina prior to their heart attacks, but these symp­toms may be mild and discounted.

Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious. What is stressful to one person is not necessarily stressful to another.

Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension or fear. The source of this uneasiness is not always known or recognized, which can add to the distress you feel.

Alternative Names

Anxiety; Feeling uptight; Stress; Tension; Jitters; Apprehension

Considerations

Stress is a normal part of life. In small quantities, stress is good — it can motivate you and help you be more productive. However, too much stress, or a strong response to stress, is harmful. It can set you up for general poor health as well as specific physical or psychological illnesses like infection, heart disease, or depression. Persistent and unrelenting stress often leads to anxiety and unhealthy behaviors like overeating and abuse of alcohol or drugs.

Emotional states like grief or depression and health conditions like an overactive thyroid, low blood sugar, or heart attack can also cause stress.

Anxiety is often accompanied by physical symptoms, including:

* Twitching or trembling
* Muscle tension, headaches
* Sweating
* Dry mouth, difficulty swallowing
* Abdominal pain (may be the only symptom of stress, especially in a child)

Sometimes other symptoms accompany anxiety:

* Dizziness
* Rapid or irregular heart rate
* Rapid breathing
* Diarrhea or frequent need to urinate
* Fatigue
* Irritability, including loss of your temper
* Sleeping difficulties and nightmares
* Decreased concentration
* Sexual problems

Anxiety disorders are a group of psychiatric conditions that involve excessive anxiety. They include generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social phobia.

Common Causes

Certain drugs, both recreational and medicinal, can lead to symptoms of anxiety due to either side effects or withdrawal from the drug. Such drugs include caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, cold remedies, decongestants, bronchodilators for asthma, tricyclic antidepressants, cocaine, amphetamines, diet pills, ADHD medications, and thyroid medications.

A poor diet – for example, low levels of vitamin B12 — can also contribute to stress or anxiety. Performance anxiety is related to specific situations, like taking a test or making a presentation in public. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a traumatic event like war, physical or sexual assault, or a natural disaster. People with generalized anxiety disorder experience almost constant worry or anxiety about many things on more than half of all days for 6 months. Panic disorder or panic attacks involve sudden and unexplained fear, rapid breathing, and increased heartbeat.

In very rare cases, a tumor of the adrenal gland (pheochromocytoma) may be the cause of anxiety. The symptoms are caused by an overproduction of hormones responsible for the feelings of anxiety.
Home Care

The most effective solution is to find and address the source of your stress or anxiety. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. A first step is to take an inventory of what you think stressmight be making you “stress out”:

* What do you worry about most?
* Is something constantly on your mind?
* Does anything in particular make you sad or depressed?
* Keep a diary of the experiences and thoughts that seem to be related to your anxiety. Are your thoughts adding to your anxiety in these situations?

Then, find someone you trust (friend, family member, neighbor, clergy) who will listen to you. Often, just talking to a friend or loved one is all that is needed to relieve anxiety. Most communities also have support groups and hotlines that can help. Social workers, psychologists, and other mental health professionals may be needed for therapy and medication.

Also, find healthy ways to cope with stress. For example:

* Eat a well-balanced, healthy diet. Don’t overeat.
* Get enough sleep.
* Exercise regularly.
* Limit caffeine and alcohol.
* Don’t use nicotine, cocaine, or other recreational drugs.
* Learn and practice relaxation techniques like guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, tai chi, or meditation. Try biofeedback, using a certified professional to get you started.
* Take breaks from work. Make sure to balance fun activities with your responsibilities. Spend time with people you enjoy.
* Find self-help books at your local library or bookstore.

Call your health care provider if

Your doctor can help you determine if your anxiety would be best evaluated and treated by a mental health care professional.

Call 911 if:

* You have crushing chest pain, especially with shortness of breath, dizziness, or sweating. A heart attack can cause feelings of anxiety.
* You have thoughts of suicide.
* You have dizziness, rapid breathing, or racing heartbeat for the first time or it is worse than usual.

Call your health care provider if:

* You are unable to work or function properly at home because of anxiety.
* You do not know the source or cause of your anxiety.
* You have a sudden feeling of panic.
* You have an uncontrollable fear — for example, of getting infected and sick if you are out, or a fear of heights.
* You repeat an action over and over again, like constantly washing your hands.
* You have an intolerance to heat, weight loss despite a good appetite, lump or swelling in the front of your neck, or protruding eyes. Your thyroid may be overactive.
* Your anxiety is elicited by the memory of a traumatic event.
* You have tried self care for several weeks without success or you feel that your anxiety will not resolve without professional help.

Ask your pharmacist or health care provider if any prescription or over-the-counter drugs you are taking can cause anxiety as a side effect. Do not stop taking any prescribed medicines without your provider’s instructions.
What to expect at your health care provider’s office

Your doctor will take a medical history and perform a physical examination, paying close attention to your pulse, blood pressure, and respiratory rate.

To help better understand your anxiety, stress, or tension, your doctor may ask the following:

* When did your feelings of stress, tension, or anxiety begin? Do you attribute the feelings to anything in particular like an event in your life or a circumstance that scares you?
* Do you have physical symptoms along with your feelings of anxiety? What are they?
* Does anything make your anxiety better?
* Does anything make your anxiety worse?
* What medications are you taking?

Diagnostic tests may include blood tests (CBC, thyroid function tests) as well as an electrocardiogram (ECG).

If the anxiety is not accompanied by any worrisome physical signs and symptoms, a referral to a mental health care professional may be recommended for appropriate treatment.

Psychotherapy such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to significantly decrease anxiety. In some cases, medications such as benzodiazepines or antidepressants may be appropriate.

References

Muller JE, Kohn L, Stein DJ. Anxiety and medical disorders. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2005 Aug;7(4):245-51.

White KS, Farrell AD. Anxiety and Psychosocial Stress as Predictors of Headache and Abdominal Pain in Urban Early Adolescents. J Pediatr Psychol. 2005.

Lubit R, Rovine D, Defrancisci L, Eth S. Impact of trauma on children. J Psychiatr Pract. 2003; 9(2): 128-138.

Grants have been intended to further research in all realms, most notably the cancer world, although the past 40 years have demonstrated an obvious decrease in grant funding, leading to fewer research breakthroughs in the industry. Top federal cancer officials have noted that the grant system needs to be changed because of the cautious steps, which the many cancer institutes take when funding research, but steps have yet to be implemented to curb this fact.

Many top scientists and researchers have come up with novel ideas that can either lead to developing more drugs to combat cancer, or lead to a further understanding of the causes of cancer. However, many grant programs refuse to fund such endeavors because they don’t contribute wholeheartedly towards winning the fight against cancer. Many of these industries are still hoping to discover an overarching cure for cancer, and devote more time and money to this single endeavor. Additionally, even some of the studies that can prove to be helpful in the cancer world are denied because of the lack of further research; these scientists cannot receive the proper research without grants and many are therefore caught in this catch-22 of sorts.

Cancer research was supposed to have been much more developed than it is when this type of funding originally began 40 years ago, though it was hard to predict the massive impact cancer has had through modern society. With the many different forms and many different mutations, it has become increasingly difficult to develop an overarching “cure” for cancer. Many of the breakthroughs in the industry have come about as a result of outside monetary funding and donors who contribute large amounts to specific causes. Most of the funding for major grant sites additionally come from walkathons and memorial donations rather than a larger industry. The grant review committees are also becoming increasingly cautious with their money because of the small amount of funds they have to submit for research; if they do not see noticeable promise in specific research ventures, they will reject the plan. This has hindered many further steps in cancer research because of the smaller projects that can help towards gaining a better insight into the susceptibility of cancer.

While there are many ventures throughout the nation that require more funds than the cancer industry does at a faster pace, there should at least be additional funding that supports these endeavors. For a disease, which has afflicted thousands of Americans over the past decades, we have yet to make the cancer industry a top priority in any government funding. This may not change any time soon, but recognizing the fact that research is not moving at a fast pace due to this lack of funds for grants is important towards gaining a better system to support this research.

This post was contributed by Megan Jones, who writes about the nursing colleges. She welcomes your feedback at Meg.Jones0310@gmail.com

How can you tell if that throbbing headache is really a migraine ? Only about 15-20% of migraine sufferers experience the classic "auras" - the visual, auditory, or olfactory perceptions or other neurological symptoms known to occur 15 to 30 minutes prior to an attack. While severe head pain is the hallmark of the condition, the manifestations of migraine may vary widely from individual to individual.

In general, symptoms of a migraine attack include:

• moderate to severe, throbbing head pain
• most commonly one-sided pain; less frequently both sides of the head are affected
• pain located near the eye on affected side
• pain that worsens with physical activity
• sensitivity to light and/or sound
• nausea or vomiting
• debilitating pain that hinders daily activities
• untreated attacks most commonly last from four to 72 hours, but may persist for weeks

Most experts now agree that the term migraine should be used to refer to a chronic, recurrent neurological condition resulting in periodic attacks of head pain rather than the headache itself. A recent review of the medical literature published in the British Medical Journal found that migraine sufferers were over twice as likely to experience a stroke than those who don't have migraine attacks, supporting earlier theories that the altered blood circulation in the brain during migraine attacks may lead to physiological damage.

The most common cause of headache in young adults, up to 25% of women in their mid-to-late thirties suffer from this condition. Over 28 million Americans have been diagnosed with migraine, which is three times more common in women than in men.

If you believe you may have migraine, you can help your doctor by keeping a diary of your head pain. Noting the time of day that head pain occurs, its duration, severity, and character, along with any accompanying symptoms or precipitating factors can help your doctor more accurately determine whether your headaches result from migraine disease.

# What do you do when you are injured ?

For all first aid and acute injuries, you want to Protect, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, and Support. There is simple acronym you can remember when you are hurt or are in pain: R.I.C.E. is the key to understand the four basic methods of speeding injury recovery:

Rest: The injured body part should be immobilized (kept stationary) for 3 to 6 days. This decreases internal bleeding and swelling to prevent the injury from becoming worse

Ice: This is the best method for soft-tissue injuries. It aids in reducing swelling, bleeding, spasms and pain. Apply within 24 hours of injury, using the 20-50 rule of 20 minutes on, 50 minutes off. With our Nature Creation pack™, you can both ice and heat. To activate, you simply chill in the freezer or heat in the microwave. Nature Creation also feature a soft “frost free” surface that protects your skin and non-toxic gel that’s biodegradable.

Compression: For a severe injury, immediate compression (pressure) is important to decrease bleeding and keep fluids from pooling in the area. Compression should be continued throughout the day and removed at night. The adjustable strapping on Nature Creation product makes it easy to ice and compress simultaneously.

Elevation: Elevating the injured area above the heart helps reduce internal bleeding and swelling.

# When should you use ice?
Cold therapy, or "Cryotherapy" should be applied within 72 hours following any type of acute injuries such as a knee sprain or an ankle sprain. get relief from muscle tension and soreness as well.

# How should ice therapy be used ?

To use cold therapy, alternate 20 minutes of ice therapy with a 20 minute break. Repeat this process 3-4 times daily. It is a good idea to wrap you cold pack in a towel, to prevent frost bite.


# What does Cold Accomplish ?

Cold Therapy produces vaso constriction, which slows circulation decreasing inflammation, swelling, muscle spasm, and pain. When you use cold therapy, you do this for less than 15 minutes. The effect of cold is known to last longer than heat. Cold therapy should never be applied directly to the skin. A barrier, such as a towel, should be placed between the cold pack and the skin's surface to prevent skin and nerve damage. If your ice pack gets punctured, throw it out immediately as the chemical agent/gel will burn skin.


# What conditions are treated with ice ?

* Sprains (ex Knee sprains)
* Strains
* Contusions
* Dislocation
* Subluxations
* Hematoma (acute)
* Bursitis
* Tendinitis
* Post Surgery
* Myocardial disorders- muscle spasm, muscle tension, muscle soreness.


# What are the contraindications to cryotherapy ? When Should Cold Therapy not be used?

* Frostbite/Chilblains (mild frost bite; no tissue destruction)
* Decreased or increased sensation
* High blood pressure/ circulatory problems


# What does heat therapy accomplish?

Heat therapy or Moist Heat should be used for chronic conditions such as muscle discomfort and stiffness. It promotes vasodilation or drawing blood into the tissues where it is needed. This increased blood flow delivers needed oxygen and nutrients, and removes cell wastes. The warmth decreases muscle spasm, relaxes tense muscles, relieves pain, and can increase range of motion. Superficial heat is available in many forms including hot and moist compresses, dry or moist heating pads, hydrotherapy, and commercial chemical/gel packs. Hot packs in any form should always be wrapped in a thick towel to prevent burns. Any type of puncture in the hot pack should be immediately discarded, as the chemical agent/gel will burn skin.


# How should you use hot therapy?

The best way to apply moist heat is to alternate 20 minutes of heat therapy with a 20 minutes break. Repeat this process for 3-4 times daily until stiffness and soreness decreases. It is important when using heat therapeutically, to always have enough barrier between the skin surface and the heat pack.


# What the contraindications for using using Heat Therapy ? When should you not use Heat?

* Decreased sensation
* Diabetes Mellitus
* Infection
* Inflammation / Swelling/ Edema
* Encapsulated or enclosed infections
* Metallic implants
* Growth centers
* Moist dressings
* Heart conditions (changes of pulse or pressure)

What is a Tension Headache?

Also known as: Tension-type headache

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. They usually cause a mild to moderate dull, achy pain. The pain can feel like a tight band around the entire head or occur in a specific area, such as the back of the neck or the base of the skull. Accompanying symptoms may include tenderness in the scalp, neck, and shoulders, fatigue, irritability, and difficulty sleeping.

A number of factors can trigger tension headaches, including stress, insomnia, changes in sleep routine, depression, anxiety, skipping meals, poor posture, certain medications, physical inactivity, clenching or grinding teeth, or being in an uncomfortable body position for a prolonged time.

In addition, conditions affecting the muscles or joints of the neck and shoulders and hormone fluctuations related to pregnancy, menstrual periods, or menopause can trigger headaches.

Occasionally, headaches may indicate a severe medical condition such as a brain tumor or rupture of a weakened blood vessel, called an aneurysm. That's why if you are experiencing headaches, it's important to see your doctor for an evaluation.

Natural Remedies for Tension Headaches

Complementary and alternative therapies are popular among people with headaches. In a survey published in the journal Headache, 110 people with chronic tension headaches were interviewed about their use of complementary and alternative therapies. Forty percent of people had used a natural therapy in the past, the most popular being chiropractic (21.9 percent) followed by acupuncture (17.8 percent) and massage (17.8 percent). Only 41.1 percent of those interviewed, however, perceived complementary and alternative therapies as being beneficial.

Although studies have been conducted on acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage, there haven't been enough well-designed placebo-controlled studies to be able to conclude that any of these therapies are effective for headaches. Here is more information about each therapy.

Acupuncture

According to traditional Chinese medicine, pain results from blocked energy along energy pathways of the body, which are unblocked when acupuncture needles are inserted along these invisible pathways.

Although we don't know exactly how acupuncture works, some of the theories proposed are that acupuncture releases natural pain-relieving opioids, sends signals that calm the sympathetic nervous system, and triggers the release of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) and hormones.

An acupuncture treatment generally costs between $60 and $120. Acupuncture is tax-deductible (it's considered a medical expense) and some insurance plans pay for acupuncture.

Be sure to speak with your doctor before trying acupuncture. Side effects may include soreness, bruising, or bleeding at the needle location. Acupuncture may also cause temporary tiredness. Although rare, the needle may break or injure an internal organ or structure. Acupuncture may not be safe if you have a bleeding disorder or are taking "blood-thinning" medication.

If you want to try acupuncture, plan on going one to three times a week for several weeks initially.

Chiropractic

Doctors of chiropractic are health care professionals that focus primarily on disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, and the effects of these disorders on overall health.

Emphasizing the healing power of the body, chiropractic is a hands-on approach most often used for neuromuscular complaints, such as back and neck pain, joint pain, and headaches.

The hallmark of chiropractic care is the "spinal manipulation", which is also called a "chiropractic adjustment." The purpose of the adjustment is to restore joint position and mobility by manually applying a controlled force to a restricted joint.

This restores proper function, relieves pressure on the surrounding nerves, reduces pain and muscle tightness, and allows tissues to heal. There are over 20 different adjusting techniques, which can be used alone or in combination.

Side effects may include mild soreness, which should resolve within one to two days. People with osteoporosis, a history of spinal surgery, vascular disease, stroke, or symptoms of nerve damage such as numbness, tingling, or loss of strength should consult their doctor before seeking chiropractic.

Many doctors of chiropractic also use other therapies, such as ultrasound, electric stimulation, massage, or soft tissue manipulation.

Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is the application of pressure to the muscles and soft tissues of the body for relaxation and health.

It is used for a variety of conditions such as stress-related illness, sleep disorders, pain, headaches, high blood pressure, diabetes, post-operative swelling, and depression.

Massage therapy by a trained and licensed therapist is generally safe. Be sure that your massage therapist has your complete health history. People with cancer, recent or unhealed fractures, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, deep vein thrombosis, cancer, recent heart attack, burns or open wounds, or who are pregnant should speak to their doctor before having a massage.

Side effects of massage may include temporary soreness, pain, and fatigue. Very rarely, massage may cause internal bleeding, temporary paralysis, and nerve damage, usually resulting from massage by an improperly qualified person.

Other Natural Remedies

• Aromatherapy
  
• Biofeedback
  
• Hypnosis
  
• Herbs
  
• Mind-body Techniques
  
• Prolotherapy
  
• Reflexology
  
• Therapeutic Touch

Seek medical attention immediately, especially if you experience the following symptoms or any other symptom that concerns you:

• Severe, sudden headache
  
• Fever, stiff neck, rash, confusion, seizures, double vision, difficulty speaking, weakness, or numbness
  
• Headache after a head injury

Step 1: Calm Your Mind

Stress, poor posture, snug clothes, and habit are some of the reasons that keep us from breathing properly. We wind up using our chest muscles instead of our abdomen.

Belly breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing, is a simple deep breathing technique that teaches you how to use your diaphragm, a sheet of muscle at the bottom of our lungs and the most important muscle for breathing.

It is often used as a complementary therapy for anxiety disorders and may also help to boost energy and stamina.

The goal should be to breathe this way all of the time.

Here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Sit in a chair, stand, or lie on your back. You don't have to sit cross-legged.
   
   
2. Try to calm your mind. Forget about what you’re going to make for dinner tonight, the emails you still have to respond to, and the birthday gift you still have to get for your mother-in-law.
   
   Don’t force it, just let go of any thought that pops in your mind.

Step 2: Improve Your Posture

How to do it:

1. Proper posture gets air into your lungs and helps energy flow through your body.
   
   Sit up straight, imagining a string lifting up your chest. You should feel the area between your chest and your navel lengthen.
   
   
2. As you try to improve your posture, you may find your muscles tensing up, especially around the abdomen. Consciously try to release any tension from your body.

Step 3: Breathe In Through Your Nose

How to do it:

1. Place one hand flat against the abdomen. Your thumb should be around your navel.
   
   
2. Breathe in through your nose at an even rate.
   
   
3. Allow your abdomen to expand, rather than your upper chest. You should feel the hand on your abdomen being pushed away from your body as your abdomen rises.
   
   
4. Count silently starting from "one".

Step 4: Breathe Out Through Your Mouth

How to do it:

1. Breathe out slowly and evenly through your mouth.
   
   
2. Again, count silently. Exhalation should take about twice as long as inhalation. So if you counted to three when you inhaled, strive to count to six when you exhale, but don't force it.

Step 5: Repeat Twice

How to do it:

1. Repeat this sequence two more times.
   
   If you feel light-headed at any time, you may be breathing too quickly. If you are standing, try practicing while sitting down.