Do You Have Headaches?

What are Headaches?

There are two types of headaches; primary headaches and secondary headaches. Primary headaches are not associated with other diseases. Examples of primary headaches are migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by other disease, such as brain tumors. Seven in ten people have at least one type of headache a year.

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. As many as 90% of adults have had or will have tension headaches they are more common among women than men, possibly due to hormonal changes. These types of headaches often begin in the back of the head and upper neck as a tightness or pressure some may begin to feel pressure or pain just above their eyebrows.

What causes them? 

Age, Stress, Diet, Physical Activity, Medication and Lifestyle Choices are all potential triggers.

What are my treatment options? 

Preventative treatment tries to prevent headaches from occurring. Lifestyle changes may also be needed in order to prevent headaches from happening; it is best to ask your health care provider.

Conventional approaches include pain medication (ASA, aspirin atc) to help people manage their head pain however it is best to not become reliant on these as a long term solution. They are just bandaid solutions and their overuse can lead to future side effects.

Natural alternative or complimentary options include stress management, improvements in work ergonomics, changes to your diet (removing food intolerences), natural pain relief supplements and therapies such as chiropractic, acupuncture, osteopathic medicine and massage therapy to decrease neck tension pain and improve cervical joint mechanics. The goal of these natural options is to eliminate and prevent the headpain naturally and/or manage the pain without the side effects of medications.