If you are one of the millions who lives with headaches, you may be searching for treatments to help control your symptoms. Headaches can be mild or disabling. The first step is to talk to your doctor to see if she can determine the cause of your headache. Once you know what is causing your symptoms you can try some common remedies for headaches. Because each person responds differently, you may have to try several techniques to see which one works best for you.
Medication
If your headaches are severe, the National Headache Foundation states that there are many types of medications that can help. This includes medications that are normally prescribed for other conditions yet seem to relieve headaches as well. This includes antidepressants, anticonvulsants or seizure medication, drugs used to treat heart disease such as beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It is believed that these drugs relieve headache symptoms by altering the chemicals in the brain. The goal is to reduce the frequency and severity of your headaches.
Body Work
The National Pain Foundation states that the first step is to identify your headache triggers and then take steps to avid them. Along with that, you may have some success with body work. This includes acupuncture, massage, cranial sacral work and chiropractic. These techniques may help to loosen tight areas that may be contributing to your headaches. This is especially true if you have tension headaches. In addition, movement techniques such as the Alexander Technique or Feldenkrais can help you learn to work and use your body in a way that is less stressful.
Lifestyle Changes
According to the Mayo Clinic, certain lifestyle behaviors may help to ease your headache pain. This includes eating healthy and regular meals, participating in exercise, getting adequate sleep, decreasing caffeine and alcohol consumption and taking breaks during the day to avoid overwhelming yourself with work or tasks.
Yoga and Meditation
Yoga offers various techniques that may help to ease your pain. It teaches you where you tend to hold tension in your body and then how to release it. As this gets easier during your yoga practice, you can learn to recognize tension during everyday activities.
You can utilize your yoga stretching and breathing exercises to relax and unwind before your headache flares up. Yoga also teaches various meditation skills that can be used as a preventative measure. By taking time each day to meditate, you can keep your stress levels down, which may mean fewer headaches.
Biofeedback
The American Headache Society claims that biofeedback is another helpful tool. During a biofeedback session you will have sensors placed on your skin that are then connected to a machine. Biofeedback is noninvasive as there are no needles. A practitioner teaches you how to relax and use visualization to help lessen your headache pain. The machine gives you feedback as to how well the techniques are working. The goal is to eventually use these techniques when not attached to the equipment. It teaches you to monitor and modify your responses to stress to help prevent or alleviate headache symptoms.
