Headache Pain - Yoga and Headache Pain

If you are one of the millions of people who suffer from migraines, then you too might benefit from yoga. There are simple techniques that anyone can master easily and derive wonderful benefits from.

Three months of intensive yoga practice, one hour five days a week, reduces the frequency and intensity of migraines by 70 percent.

Gentle yoga postures, meditation and breathing and relaxation exercises alleviate anxiety, stress and depression in addition to preventing the pulsating pain of migraines. The researchers speculate that yoga works its magic by increasing serotonin levels, which reduces the constriction of blood vessels in the brain that happens during migraines.

Other alternative therapies, such as herbal supplements and acupuncture, may also provide relief.

Some experts even believe that just because you think it will work, then it will work. Many headaches are self-fulfilling prophesies. In other words, because we expect to get a headache, we often do. In experiments, researchers have found that subjects experience the same level of headache relief from placebos as from actual pain relievers.

This is another possible benefit from yoga. If you try some simple routines, then the act of trying something new and different and breaking from your regular routine of taking pain relievers could be a benefit.

If yoga seems like too much of a challenge, then try a simpler method to start. Try a simple walk in the park, find a comfortable bench or spot on the grass where you can relax. Practice a simple meditation technique: Close your eyes and breath in, picture a red cloud breathing into you and a blue cloud on the way out. Do this for a just a few minutes a day and it can be the beginning of your relaxation routine.

Other relaxation routines and headache reduction techniques from a twenty year headache sufferer can be found at

http://www.squidoo.com/chronic-headache

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Pain Relief and Prevention

Sense of pain is one of the most basic defense mechanisms of our body to any harmful or uncomfortable situation. It is manifested by uneasiness in the area of trouble. It is some kind of signal to the brain that something is not right as it used to be.

It is originated after induction of some neurons called 'nociceptors' - which are for the specific purpose to catch the pain sensation. After the triggering effect, the nociceptors are excited and there is release of some neurotransmitter which carries the signal to the brain. That time we can understand the pain sensation. The triggering effect might be any physical or chemical injury, any disease and psychological upset. To know how to get relief from pain, we need to have a basic idea of the causes.

Most of the pains are musculoskeletal in origin, which means pain that is caused due to injury to our muscles and bones. Next is pain arising out of any disease like cancer, vascular disease, neurotic pain and others. For almost all the diseases, pain are the first manifestation. Through sense of pain, our body tries to get rid out of the condition.

Pain relief is done either by physical methods like fomentation or compress or by prescribing the 'pain-killers' or more scientifically - the analgesics. There are several types of analgesics, for use in different and specific conditions. Most commonly doctors prescribe the NSAIDs - Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs. These include - Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, Diclofenac, Nimesulide, Selective COX inhibitors etc.

The use of Aspirin in case of pain relief is in practice since medieval times and it is a proven analgesic for many conditions. Musculoskeletal pains are best managed by a combination of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen or Diclofenac. All of them act via increasing the pain threshold level.

Almost all the pain-killers are potent inducer of gastric acid. Therefore, an antacid must be taken along with the pain-killer medicine.

The physical methods are cold compress and hot fomentation. By application of heat or cold, the pain receptors (nociceptors) get a soothing effect. This is a temporary for pain management by calming down the activity of the pain receptors.

Prevention can be achieved from the chronic pain situations like low back pain, neck pain, arthritic pain, neurotic pain etc.

As we all know prevention is better than cure (here in chronic pain, it is taking the medication), prevention from chronic pain can be done by proper care of the injured area, regular stretching exercises and occasional medication. The role of balanced diet is also an important factor. If you stretch the affected muscles, it will be free from any kind of kinking or twisting, which may be the cause of the pain. Balanced diet containing antioxidants and vitamins help to reduce the magnitude of pain.

In case of arthritic pain, you need to strengthen the muscles around the affected joint by doing specific exercise. Strong muscles are important factor to reduce the sense of pain. It is better to consult an expert in physical training before starting any kind of exercise.

Carlisle Holm is the owner of Health Care Blog. He writes various health news and health care articles. Feel free to visit our site for daily health news and articles.

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