by Debra Arko Novotny | Jan 23, 2015 | Health Coach
Migraine pain can stop you in your tracks. If you have had a headache you know how much it can drain you, steal away the moment and right out make your day suck. Having a migraine is like having twenty headaches all at once.
Migraine Pain Can Control Your Life
The pain is so intense you feel like someone is using a drill inside your head. It does not stop there for many. Your stomach feels like you have eaten bad or spoiled food.
Seeing straight is impossible. Your vision is blurred and bright halos sear into your eyes – it’s a migraine. Acupuncture aside, which is the single most powerful natural medicine for pain management and relief there are things you can do to help alleviate or stop a migraine right at home.
10 Migraine Triggers To Avoid
This is our “Dirty 10” Migraine Triggers to avoid from Denver Acupuncture Health.
- Avoid Emotional Stress – is one of the most common migraine triggers. Using mindfulness applications for smart phones and computers are abundant. Sit for 5 minutes, breathing or listening to soothing music, and good things happen. Experts say it can eliminate pain, reduce weight, and increase your longevity by 21%.
- Fatigue – Lack of sleep increases migraines by 30%.[1]
- Allergy problems –All types of headaches. [2]
- Sinusitis – Like allergies head congestion adds to the problem.
- Eyestrain –Ophthalmologists report Computer Vision Syndrome causes causes this in 48.83% of patients with 45.68% experiencing some form of headache. [3]
- Poor Posture – 1 in 4 migraines I treat are from hunching over, sitting bent instead of straight and other position issues.
- TMJ – A study reported by Pubmed states that “53% of those with TMJMD-type pain had severe headache/migraines.” A Dental directory notes that few TMJ dentists consider a relationship when working with patients. This is alarming to say the least.
- Low Blood Sugar – Be sure to eat regularly! Migraine triggers like dieting or skipping meals start with light-headedness.
- Hormonal Imbalance – The American Heart Association [4] of all places, has a great article on the relationship between migraines, hormones, and stroke. In summary if you’re hormones are off and you suffer migraines this can lead to serious problems later. Hormonal migraines along with weight loss are two top client complaints.
- Constipation And Nutritional Deficiencies –If I combine all nine other triggers, they each have roots in poor eating habits and bowel problems. Sounds stupid, I get it. My migraines did not stop until I did – get it.
Emotional stress leads to eating on the run, overeating, or skipping meals. All of these often create unfortunate food choices. Lack of sleep leads to fatigue so does worry. I did both, do you? I did not want to face the facts that some food just does not like me and my gut did not care for those foods either!
I sit for long hours at the computer, taking breaks became essential so did sitting up and not sliding down in my chair. Remembering to eat or rather graze on healthy snacks it takes a few moments to plan in the morning; it is better than going for something like cookies, chips or other junk food. Dental work produced TMJ for me; jaw exercises along with a mouth guard worked. What was the cause of my migraines? Hormonal imbalance.
All these other problems with the exception of jaw pain can affect your hormonal levels. Hours staring at a computer that turns brain chemistry off and off at the wrong times leads to wacky estrogen and testosterone. Food, nutritional deficiencies like salt, yes salt can all stop you in your tracks with migraine pain. This is why virtual health coaching works I look at life and health as one complete you.
Migraine headaches are no laughing matter. They takeaway your life, I know as a past suffer. They are on the rise, affecting many Americans. Approximately 50% of patients at Denver Acupuncture Health seek relief. About 30% of our virtual health coaching clients report some form of head discomfort. If you suffer migraine pain, you are not alone.
Here are stats.
- Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. households includes someone with migraine.
- Amazingly, over 10% of the population – including children – suffers from migraine. That is more than diabetes and asthma combined!
- About 18% of American women and 6% of men suffer from migraine.
- Migraine is most common during the peak productive years, between the ages of 25 and 55.
- Migraine tends to run in families. If one parent suffers from migraine, there is a 40% chance a child will suffer. If both parents suffer, the chance rises to 90%.
Where To Start – Two Ways Virtual Health Coaching Can Help
Changing your diet and using the right natural supplements for you can end your pain. We can assist you with these, talk to us about our virtual health coaching.
The first step is to look at the triggers that may be part of the problem. Think of ways to reduce these and begin today. Next up we’ll talk about foods and nutritional supplements to stop or help with migraines. Spend time with a virtual coach for your migraines, and you will wonder why you waited so long!
[1] http://www.scielo.br/pdf/anp/v51n4/01.pdf
[2] http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/allergy-library/allergy-sinus-headaches.aspx
[3] http://www.computer-vision-syndrome.org/statistics/
[4] http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/35/11_suppl_1/2652.full
The large extent of research makes it impossible to cite all studies here are a few others.
Migraines and TMJ – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21837286 – http://www.dental–health.com/tmj_depression_treatment.html
Photos are purchased – copy-written: PresenterMedia
by Debra Arko Novotny | Jan 19, 2015 | Acupuncture
It is a busy day for you four meetings and one of your children is home ill. The pain starts without much notice. A tingle then tension in your jaw; it is a tiny thing compared to the searing pain that travels up your skull from your cheek. Then you notice it. You’ve clenched your teeth tight. You have TMJ or temporomandibular joint pain[1].
The voice inside your head whispers, not today.
TMJ Pain Leads To Migraines And Neck Pain
TMJ can cause migraines, headaches, neck pain, and facial pain. Stress is the primary cause of temporomandibular joint disease or TMD although many clients complain it started dental work[2].
Many clients try mouth guards wearing these at night. They do little for the daytime stress that leads to TMJ accompanied by head or neck pain. Often they do not fit well or cause more problems. Acupuncture can effectively decrease pain, ease tight muscles along with massage.
Adding some simple life changes will help you end TMJ permanently. Acupuncture can treat the symptoms although getting to the root will ensure long-term success.
These three tips can help you stop your TMJ pain.
Temporomandibular Joint Relief With Breath Meditation
We’ve all heard meditation can help calm your nerves; it is real. It is a practice of taking a moment to let go of the drama in your life. Meditation is helpful for anxiety and sleep too. Breathing meditation is one of the best and simplest ways to start reducing TMJ pain.
- You can do this just about anywhere and several times daily. It does not matter if you take 1 minute or 5 minutes.
- Take a seat that is comfortable for you. Place your tongue behind your upper front teeth stretching your cheek muscles
- Let go of the air in your lungs. Slowly breathe in keeping your mind on the air coming in your nose while you count to 4. Next hold the breathe gently for a moment before you begin to release your breath threw your mouth pushing your lips out. Then relax your face before taking another breath in, in the same manner.
- If you only do this 3 or 4 times, you’ll notice your jaw muscles relaxing. Doing this 4-5 times daily in the beginning can have an immense impact on your TMJ.
Relief TMJ with Jaw Exercises
Strengthening your temporomandibular joint is helpful.
- This first exercise will strengthen the joint with pressure and tension. Use the palm of your hand pushing up gently under your chin. Carefully try to open our mouth without causing pain. This is a gentle stretch. Do this several times daily at first until your pain subsides.
- You can also use your fingers to push down on your lower teeth, softly. Carefully try to close your mouth. Just be sure not to bite down on your fingers! This exercise is the opposite of the first.
- Stretch the neck muscles. Stretching the neck muscles helps to relieve pressure. A smooth move is to act as though you are creating a second chin. Lean your chin down toward your neck, but don’t bend the head downward. Doing this for ten seconds elongates the neck, stretching it to loosen the muscle.
Use Acupuncture To Reduce The Pain
Acupuncture is a bonus when you are in pain. For TMJ, it helps ease the pain by reducing inflammation, and tight cheek muscles. If you are experiencing headaches or neck pain acupuncture with massage is essential.
TMJ disorder does not have to be a permanent problem. Implementing these three steps will help eliminate your pain. When you relieve your jaw pain and headaches you will sleep better and feel a sense of freedom from the underlying problem.
[1] http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tmj/basics/definition/con-20043566
[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002207/
Images for this article: Fotolia, Bigstock, Pixabay Free, Google free to use license.
Definitions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_headache
by Debra Arko Novotny | Jan 5, 2015 | Nutrition
The first thing most new clients ask me is what can I do to lose weight and feel better fast. It’s really as simple as look at your water. It’s not just about intake.
How Much Water Should You Drink?
I will be sharing 12 steps with you over the next few months. These tips are to help you have better health and invest in your wellness for the future. When I suggest you ‘invest’ in your wellness, I’m not talking money but habits of a healthier lifestyle.
As a baby boomer myself, I know the time to start thinking about living a higher-quality life should begin when we hit about 35 or younger! I’m here to share that I started much later and so have many of my clients. It’s okay, just start.
I love it when I have a new client wanting to be part of the ripple effect of good health decisions and pass them on to family and friends – regardless of your age. My oldest client as I write this is 88 years old, and my youngest is a family of twenty-something’s with an 18-month-old. They want to ensure their child has a healthy upbringing and my senior clients wish to regain health or maintain it.
I am not going to recommend some expensive treatment system for your home.
What Is The Best Water For Me?
Everyone has heard that you should drink more water at some time in your life. But how much, what kind is best, and doesn’t my coffee or tea have water in it, many people wonder.
Everyone needs two liters or 8 – 8 oz. glasses daily. If you exercise, you need more. If you are nursing or sick, you need more, if you are in a dry climate you likely need more. So how much is more?
I live in a dry area and exercise. I try for 3 liters daily when I exercise and in summer months.
Water varies from tap, to spring , to filtered, and reserve osmosis or RO. My nephew works for a city municipality. He would be the first to tell you his “out of the faucet product” is excellent; they have the perfect mix of chemicals to keep bacteria from growing. You have to choose if you want the chemicals.
While visiting one of the most famous spring waters in the USA, I notice that spring was recycled to water the local wine vintage. The water also washed the pesticides sprayed on the plants back into the water system. They boasted that they removed the chemicals through ‘a treatment’ of adding iron and other minerals. The tour guide felt this made the water ‘spring’ water once again.
Filtering your H2O is necessary for some cities like Los Angeles and Houston I am told. A noteworthy system is Britta that you replace the filters on every month or so. There are whole house systems too.
My personal favorite is RO or reserves osmosis. This process is over 40 years old. It creates a mineral free drinking beverage. My feeling is you should add minerals you need to your eating. You don’t need a bottled water company deciding what minerals you should have or make the choice that their spring water is healthy for you.
If you use RO water, eat healthily and use only the supplements you personally need you reduce inflammation, sickness, and possible other problems. On the topics of losing weight, water is needed for weight loss. It helps you detox and shed pounds of unwanted fat stores. Remember RO is acidic however so adding an enzyme and some say calcium to your diet is important.
The best choice many feel is distilled water. This is pure without anything added and has a pH balance. It also only comes in plastic gallon jugs. You can purchase 5 gallon container from certain companies that deliver to your home for a luxury price.
Adding Minerals To Water
Let’s quickly talk about iron. When you see drinking water enhanced with minerals or spring with minerals, it often means iron.
Iron is essential for good health. The balance in our body is vital. Too much and you experience inflammation of the joints and digestive tract. If you continue, it can cause a disease called Hemochromatosis[1].
Too little iron promotes Anemia, which is also a disease. Both have inflammation, pain, and low energy as symptoms. Don’t leave your mineral levels up to bottle water.
Some places or types of RO are Aquafina. There are other brands, but you will need to read the labels. Many have in small print that they enhance with minerals, be a wise consumer.
If you live near Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, they offer RO water in bulk! We purchased a clean water system tank at Costco and then fill our 5-gal PBA free containers for pennies having free, clean water to drink and cook.
Do you need a full home system? We don’t have one but if you can afford it, do it. Do change out your showerheads to shower filter systems. You find these at hardware stores, online, or health food stores.
What about the water in our beverages, or foods, doesn’t this count? It doesn’t. Our body considers coffee, tea, and soda drinks to be food. Our digestion has two settings. It’s either food or water and only real water is all our body recognizes, not flavored.
I believe if tap is your only source use it. If you drink tap, know how your city’s water is doing. This report about over-treatment highlights some problems[2].
Also, if you drink tap, consider the pipes. How old are they and the materials. Lead is the leading problem with older homes and pipes.
So can you still have coffee and tea for instance? You bet! I drink tea daily, it’s just not part of my water consumption. If you do drink caffeine or alcohol, it is important to increase your H2O intake. This is because these are astringents[3].
This constricts body tissues and leads to dehydration. This adds to inflammation or heat in the body especially joints.
Here are a few quick facts about bottled water.
The first documented case of selling bottled water was in Boston in the 1760’s. Global consumption of bottled water goes up 10% each year. America drinks more H2O than milk or beer. Some government studies say 47% of bottled water is derived from tap water. These studies don’t mention that bottled H2O labeled for ‘drinking’ is from the tap but is ran through reverse osmosis systems to remove the chemicals found in tap. Aquafina [Pepsi] is one brand doing this.
The bottom line the first step in the 12 steps to better health is adding more water. You decided the best water for you.
Other resources for drinking water.
Lead Pipes and Safe Drinking Water: http://www.webmd.com/women/home-health-and-safety-9/safe-drinking-water
Reverse Osmosis Water http://www.allaboutwater.org/reverse-osmosis.html
[1] http://www.hemochromatosis.org/
[2] http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/01/flint_water_has_high_disinfect.html
Or http://www.watertechonline.com/articles/169307-flint-issues-notice-of-disinfection-byproducts-in-the-citys-water-system
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astringent
This is our “Dirty 10” Migraine Triggers to avoid from Denver Acupuncture Health.
Emotional stress leads to eating on the run, overeating, or skipping meals. All of these often create unfortunate food choices. Lack of sleep leads to fatigue so does worry. I did both, do you? I did not want to face the facts that some food just does not like me and my gut did not care for those foods either!
