Tension headaches are the most common form of headaches, and are typically caused by contracted muscles in the neck, jaw, scalp or shoulders, report doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Stress is usually the primary cause, but other common causes include allergic reactions, overexertion, lack of sleep or holding the head in an awkward position for long periods of time. While pain relievers ease headache pain, there are more holistic treatments that can be employed to avoid over-medication.
Keep a Dairy
Since so many headaches result from habits and lifestyles, University of Maryland Medical Center doctors recommend keeping a diary of what you're doing when a headache strikes to look for patterns. Note in the diary the time of day, what foods you've eaten recently, how you slept the night before and what you were doing when the headache appeared. Include a holistic inventory of your health and write down what you were thinking about when the headache first started. Write down how long the headache lasted and what measures you took to relieve the pain. The point is to find commonalities and patterns so that you can prevent a headache from occurring by changing your habits and looking for ways to deal with the emotional and physical triggers.
Relax
When physical and mental stress cause headaches, try relaxing to ease the pain. Eliminate distractions and sensory stimulation by closing your eyes and resting your head on a headrest or by lying down. Quiet the room and practice deep breathing by breathing in though the mouth to a count of six or so and exhaling through your nose to the same count. See a massage therapist for stress relief and holistic headache treatment. Applying a heating pad to the shoulders and back of the neck can relieve tight muscles created by sitting at a computer too long or doing other limited motion activities.
Alternative Therapies
There are a number of alternative therapies that can successfully treat persistent headaches, report researchers at the Migraine Awareness Group. As with all alternative treatments, patients should check with their physicians before engaging any other forms of therapy to make sure they don't interfere with ongoing medical treatments. Some alternative therapies that migraine sufferers find to be helpful when treating the whole person include acupuncture that targets points in the body tied to headaches and treats them by inserting thin needles to counteract the pain. Feverfew leaf is an anti-inflammatory herb that has shown promise for combating headaches. Chiropractors treat the body holistically and often can alleviate headaches through spinal manipulation.
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