Headache Can Be Treated with Understanding the Roots

I was very happy to find the Townsend Letter. I had been seeking friends who like natural treatment. For so long, I have been tired of taking medicine every time I have headaches. I was seeking ways to heal them without medicine. Treating headaches is not about taking medicine but, rather, taking away the root cause of headaches. I have written the following in hopes of helping readers who are having similar troubles.

As I write, fall is here. It is quickly turning from summer scenery to autumn color. It makes people want to go hiking in the woods or enjoy sports, barbecues, picnics, and so on. Fall makes them more energetic and active outdoors. However, I am gloomy in this wonderful, vital season because I often suffer from dull headaches. I think that many people have the same problem. The headaches do not keep us in bed, but they constrain our schedules and limit our lives. Some people cut their working hours and go home early if a headache attacks them while they are at work.

Some people might think that headache medicine can solve the problem quickly, but I have grown tired of taking it, because only while taking the pills can I get rid of headaches; after their effect goes away, the headaches come back! Also, the more I take the medicine, the more I need it next time, since my body gets used to it. I have been thinking that I should break my dependence on medicine; therefore, I have been looking for ways to get rid of the nasty symptoms without using it. Understanding the roots of headaches is necessary to alleviate them.

Stiff muscles often lead to achy heads. Part of the muscular system, such as shoulder, neck, back, and hands, are connected to the head. Some people get headaches when they wake up after a long sleep, although they had enough rest. This can be due to uncomfortable pillows; the muscles around the neck may be strained and sore. This can be solved by changing to a different kind of pillow. Sometimes people have headaches after driving a car for a long time. While doing so, they often forget to take a rest since they want to get to their destination as quickly as possible. Their shoulders become tight little by little. The longer they drive, the stiffer their shoulders become. This can lead to headaches. Moreover, headaches can appear when people browse the Internet, play games, or do other work using a computer. They often concentrate to do these things and do not take breaks. The muscles around the back do not move much while they watch a TV or use a computer. Keeping the same posture for a long time, whatever the activity, can make people have bad circulation and hence headaches. One solution is to warm the body by taking bath. This helps improve circulation, which can make headaches go away.

Not only physical stress but also mental stress can be at the root of the problem. If people have stress about their jobs, school, or friends, they often think deeply, cry, or get angry. As these uncomfortable situations continue, they can bring about headaches. Furthermore, lack of sleep, another symptom often experienced by those with high stress, can result in headaches. As many people know, when those stresses do not go away for a long time, they can even lead to depression, which can lead to more headaches. To make matters worse, some of them take medicine for the depression, which sometimes gives them even more headaches as a side effect. It can be a vicious circle! Since so many symptoms that bother the brain come from stress, a few calm moments enjoying herb tea can be a shortcut way to relieve the headaches.

In addition to physical and mental stress, some environmental factors may be linked to headaches. Some people get headaches in rooms that have strong overhead lights or places with too much sunlight. On the other hand, staying in a dark room every day can trigger headaches, too. Also, some people who get used to fluorescent lighting have difficulty seeing under the yellow light of incandescent bulbs and get headaches. These are related to the pupil, which is connected via the nervous system to the brain. Therefore, it can be the base of headaches.

In a cold room, people sometimes get headaches as well. As veins shrink due to the low temperature, headaches may follow. Additionally, headaches can attack people during the change of seasons, such as the transition from winter to spring or summer to fall. Since the temperature changes quickly around this time, their bodies have trouble adapting to the next season, even if they switch to appropriate clothes. Consequently, they get headaches.

Smoking is another environmental reason. Especially for people who do not smoke cigarettes, the smoke irritates their throats as it reaches their lungs. Then the nerves near both the throats and the lungs treat the smoke as an invader and attack it. When this part of the nervous system, also tied to the brain, activates, people feel pain around their heads. Smokers should pay attention to this when they use tobacco.

Understanding the origin of headaches can help the sufferer treat them effectively. Most headaches are not life threatening. If sufferers do not find the root of the headache, however, it may lead them to have the same type of headache for a long time and prevent them from enjoying their lives. Since reasons for headaches depend on people, finding them can enable patients to treat headaches with appropriate methods and with no need for doctors and medicine. This paves the way back to an active life in this beautiful fall season.

Akemi Quinn

College Park, Maryland