There is a pretty good chance that you could use some relief from headaches now and again. Research shows that, on average, 50% of people suffer from headaches every year.
Of these headaches more than 90% are primary headaches, and 90% of these primary headaches are tension headaches.
Having a massage for your headache is one of the best natural drug free headache treatments out there.
What type of headache do you suffer from?
There are three classes of headaches and six different types within those classes. They range from potentially serious to common and benign.
Most people commonly suffer from Tension headaches. The cause of these headaches is still unknown. Typical symptoms are a recurring tightening or pressure feeling in the head that can last for a few minutes to weeks. These headaches are often mis-diagnosed as migraines, even though they present very differently.
Vascular headaches include four different subtypes of headaches, including sinus, migraine and cluster headaches. Migraines typically present with pulsing head pain on one or both sides of the head, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound called aura. These disturbances can include blind spots, flashes of light and other changes in your vision, or tingling sensations in your hand or face.
Migraines are 2–3 times more common in women than in men. This normally occurs with the onset of puberty which suggests that migraines are influenced by the fluctuating hormonal levels.
Traction and inflammatory headaches while rare are symptoms of other disorders, ranging from stroke to sinus infection. Like other types of pain, headaches can serve as an early warning signals of more serious disorders. This especially applies to headaches caused by inflammation, including those related to meningitis as well as those resulting from diseases of the sinuses, spine, neck, ears, and teeth.
Traction and inflammatory headaches, while uncommon, are symptoms of other disorders, ranging from sinus infections to stroke. Like other types of pain, headaches can serve as an early warning of more serious disorders, including those related to meningitis as well as those resulting from diseases of the ears, spine, sinuses, teeth and neck. This type of headache should be treated by your medical health care professional at the earliest opportunity to preclude possible serious causes.
Natural drug free relief for tension headaches and migraines
Massage therapy has been shown to be very effective in reducing both migraines and tension headaches.
Research has shown that massage therapy can decrease tension, pain, intensity, duration, and frequency of both types of headaches, and can even reduce the pain in the middle of an active migraine. Massage therapy can also ease the muscle tension in the shoulders, neck and jaw, which is often the cause of the headaches in the first place.
For sufferers of tension headaches, massage therapy may not only prevent them but also reduce their frequency. Research has found that even just one massage showed a major improvement in both psychological and physical symptoms.
If you are living with headaches, a regular massage therapy treatment should be part of your self care routine.
At My Healing we make this affordable through our voucher and membership programs which provide discounts of up to 51% on all our treatments.