That headache that lasts all day and is just getting worse. You know the feeling. To top it all off, you have a million things to do, and no desire to do any of them. This article will explain all about headaches and how to deal with them naturally.

Most people with headaches reach straight for over the counter (OTC) pain medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and naproxen (Aleve). These medications provide short-term relief of the symptoms. If your headaches are becoming more frequent and/or severe, that is your body’s way of telling you that there is something wrong. Here are some of the top ways to help alleviate your headache without drugs.

Chiropractic

I have yet to find a headache patient without a misalignment of the bones in the neck. These misalignments of the vertebrae cause the nervous system to become overwhelmingly stressed. What happens next? The muscles tense up and spasms may occur. These people will have likely started the inflammatory process which leads to swelling and more pain. All of this because the nervous system wasn’t communicating properly.

When your chiropractor performs an adjustment, he/she is resetting the pain cycle by moving the bones and restoring proper biomechanics. This sends a signal through the nervous system, to the brain and back out to the body, telling the tissues to relax.

Ergonomics

It’s important to maintain proper body positioning when it comes to preventing headaches. Many times it starts with sleeping habits. As a rule of thumb, sleeping on your back is the best position for your whole spine. Sleeping on your stomach is the worst. Try to sleep with only one pillow to keep the neck in a more neutral position.

Your desk or workstation needs to be evaluated as well. The biggest contributing factor to headaches in the workplace is an improperly positioned computer screen. Your screen should be at eye-level so that you are not straining the neck by looking down or up for extended periods of time. Sitting upright in a supportive chair will help to maintain spinal alignment. Keeping the arms at 90 degrees and supported will cause less stress to the upper shoulders (trapezius).

Exercise

When performed correctly, posture based corrective exercises will help to stabilize the spine and reduce the risk of recurring headaches. Exercise also reduces emotional stress which often times accompanies headaches. As a rule of thumb, if there is a muscle in your body that is already too tight (most commonly the muscles in the back of the neck, upper traps), do not attempt to strengthen these muscles as you are making the problem worse.

Nutrition and Diet

We’ve all heard of allergies before. But what I’m about to explain is not just the kind you get when the seasons change or when it rains. We’re talking about sensitivities. This is an allergy, but only on a smaller scale. For example, the feeling you might get after eating a meal with a lot of gluten, dairy, or artificial ingredients in it (bloating, headaches..etc). This is very common in today’s age and by choosing meals that are not processed and by staying away from sensitivities, we can avoid many of these symptoms.

If you are experiencing headaches and would like to know how to deal with them naturally, all our office and Dr. Ezell will be happy to help.

Yours in health,

Dr. Glenn Ezell

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