Not so NICE report on headaches and painkillers!
Following the report on 19th
Sept 2012 regarding headaches caused by overuse of painkillers, if you are a
headache sufferer then here are five drug free ways to help yourself you might
want to look at.
How to help you deal with headaches, in 5 drug free steps
1) Hydration: make sure you drink plenty of water,
especially if your headaches tend to start in the mornings. You may be dehydrated from having had no
fluids through the night.
2) Food intolerance: certain foods could be the
cause of your headaches. The most common culprits are chocolate, oranges and
some additives. This is a sensitivity or intolerance to the food not an
allergy. If you have cut out certain foods like tea or coffee, you may find you
are getting headaches as a withdrawal symptom. This does not mean you should go
back to having more, on the contrary it means that you were having too
much. You might want to cut back and
reduce the amounts more slowly than cutting out completely. Also make sure you
drink plenty of water to flush the toxins out of your system.
3) Posture: If you spend most of your time looking at
a screen/ keyboard, or driving, your head is probably forward from your
shoulders. This is because the muscles
at the front to f your neck and shoulders (pectorals) are constantly pulling
tight which puts a strain on your muscles at the back of your neck and
shoulder, which are being over stretched and often become tender or even
painful. In time this gives rise to round shoulders and dowagers hump.
a) Using a sit-fit to sit on while at the desk will help
keep your spine more aligned, practice sitting tall, yet importantly, without
strain. You can do this by breathing in fully then keeping the feeling of
lightness and openness when you breath out, rather than letting the shoulders
drop forward.
b) To reduce the amount of leaning your head forward you
need to do at the computer, learn to touch type or use dragon naturally
speaking if you cannot touch type.
c) To compensate for the curvature of the spine, lie on your
back, on a bed or mat on the floor, use a Mind body ball half inflated under
you shoulders and just allow your hang to the side and your head back do this
al little every day. Build up from one
minute to five minutes for each session.
4) Sleep: Get enough sleep and avoid going to bed
late and waking up late. Your sleep before midnight is more restorative. Make
sure you are comfortable and that you relax before falling asleep. You may want
to consider testing orthopaedic pillows.
5) Balance:
this sounds cliché but it is vital.
a) Aim to have a healthy work life balance and also take
time to look after yourself as well as everyone else in your life. You need to be your top priority as without
you being well, where does that leave everyone else that is relying on you. You
might want to take time to go for a walk or do some exercise, have a massage or
meditate. If you find looking after you difficult then you may want to enlist
the help of a mentor or coach
the help you with this.
b) Movement: throughout the day your neck and shoulders
don’t usually get to move much so make sure you take your neck to it’s full
range of movement each day. You can also use a Mind Body ball to
improve your range of movement. Contact
me if you would like to be emailed an exercise sheet relating to this.
c) Hormones: If you find your headaches are cyclical then it
could be a hormonal issue. You may find acupuncture or homeopathy can help you
with this. Make sure you deal with the issues that are stressing you as stress
will increase the effect the changes in hormones levels are having on you, you
will be more prone to PMT/PMS in times of stress than when you feel relaxed.
d) Activity: balance
levels of intense activity, physical as well as mental, with quiet restful
moments (even watching TV is not necessarily relaxing). For example if you sit
at a desk most of your day then if you can cycle to work or park further away
so you get a bit of a walk before sitting,
go for a walk at lunch time, take the stairs. Avoid doing exercise 1hour before going to bed.
If you haven't done so since starting to read this, I suggest you get up and go and have a drink of water. You will have then followed 2 of these suggestions in 1 go!
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