I had another one of those monster headaches last night that lasted for about 3 hours. I woke up with a low grade headache and stiffness up the back of my neck.

I searched on the net and it looks like what I'm having are tension headaches, and not migraines like I suspected at first.

In the info I read it said the best way to cure yourself of tension headaches is to improve your posture and I definitely have bad posture! Sitting at a desk all day only contributes to the muscle tension so I'll have to be more dilligent in getting out of my chair once in a while and walking around.....

This is where I found the info and it might be helpful to others....

http://www.tensionheadaches.com/

K

KIM , TOO MUCH SUN CAN CAUSE THOSE HEADACHES AS WELL. I HAD A DOOZY ONE TIME WHEN I WAS OUT ON THE GOLF COURSE.
ACTUALLY I THINK I HAD HEAT STROKE. SO BE CAREFUL , IF YOU ARE A SUN
PERSON.

Kim, See a good Chiropractor. Cheers, - Rick

Look into food intolerances too.

I suffered for many years from what felt like a really, really bad hangover (migraine-type headache and physical nausea) which seemed to have no reasonable explanation. It would absolutely incapacitate me for 24-48 hours. It got to a point where I was in danger of losing my job because I had to take so many sick days.

Turned out I was allergic to Brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts) - I cut them out of my diet and I've been fine ever since.

KimL

Interesting trigger... here's a page I sent to Kim:
http://www.migraine-headache.info/description-and-classification2.html
And another good page with migraine triggers:
http://psych.fullerton.edu/king/migraine/triggers.html
I don't even know if Kim is having migraines but just in case, you know...
Well my Mother hasn't touched chocolate in 60 years, she's so allergic. For me the primary trigger is stress combined with other bad behaviors and/or unrecommended foods like aspartame, sulfites, red wine. Also strong odors, like when I get multiply sprayed with perfume at the mall :).
~Sharon~

Sharon, thanks a lot. I'm one of the unfortunate souls suffering from migraine. I do know some of the triggers that causes my migraine attacs. One of them was not on the list. The two links above pointet at other triggers as well that I have only been suspecting to be triggers.

Claudia

Oh, glad to be of help with that, Claudia. You can't afford to have a migraine when you have Ninka depending on you! In one of the above trigger lists is listed "exercise" but in the other it is listed as a cure... I would qualify "exercise" as "excessive exercise". One time I did get an exercise-related migraine. I had just moved and tried to unpack everything in *1 day* (unpacking and physically moving stuff around for like 12 hours or something) and the next day paid big-time with a massive migraine. Yeah, excessive behaviors/food/drink can trigger one...
~Sharon~

Sharon-

Thank you for that information. I get at least 3-4 migraines a week and that's actually down from previous years.

I will print out that list and see if it applies to my situation!

-Leslie

You're welcome, Leslie. 3-4 migraines a week is a whole lot of pain. I hope you can find the trigger(s) and/or the physical reasons for them. I've actually had the CAT scan, seen a neurologist, the whole diagnostic workup, as I'm sure you have!

~Sharon~

A major contributor is blood pressure, which if lowered, can solve the problem.

Also, sometimes the entire cranio-sacral system(the meninges, cerebro-spinal fluid system, and supporting skeletal parts) can get out of alignment or will be negatively affected by old injuries, and blocked energy. Clearing those blocks via CST, acupuncture, and other bodywork/energy work can also do wonders for chronic migraines. Any old injuries from falls, motor vehicle accidents, etc? Sometimes even a heated argument can leave it's "mark" in the form of energy cysts (blocked energy, causing the rest of the system to go into mal-alignment)

I'm not a big advocate of chiropractors, as they may fix the problem temporarily, but often can cause too much stretching on ligaments and tendons, leaving joints hypermobile. This in turn, sets you up for easier injury, arthritis, etc. It is like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound...it isn't going to solve the cause of the problem, but it will make you feel better for awhile.

Leslie, that is far too many migraines/week! You need to look into that situation, from the allopathic approach, and if that doesn't help, then look at diet, chakras/meridians, etc. An area to check out, is the labels on your food. MSG, Nutrasweet and the other chemicals Sharon mentioned are a great area to "clean up." Milk is also a big no-no. It is very possible your headaches are starting in your sinuses from allergies. I'm not an advocate of taking meds all the time, but I found Claritin with the decongestant was a Godsend!

Hope you're feeling better soon. I can sympathize; my head is throbbing right now!

Ellen

I have to disagree about Chiropractic, Ellen. To me, it is direct and has a definite cause and effect, as opposed to, say, "hoping", or "wishing", or "praying" that something gets better without any touch at all. All that about arthritis, etc, is a myth. If my muscles are tight what I need is a good rub, not a "wish". If my bleeding stops from "wishing", I think it is psychosomatic... I still am in deep doubt. Barring a touch from a Perfect Master, I have little faith in the undeveloped, or the faintly developed, or the marginally developed.

Not all are the snap and crack ones anymore, Rick. :-) You found a really great one with a gentle touch, which is fabulous! I agree with you on the soft-tissue work, but many of the D.C.'s around here are still a bit forceful with the skeletal stuff.

As for the spiritual stuff...it is as real as the physical, and can actually cause a physical problem, if the issue isn't dealt with. Also, our bodies operate on electricity, and auras can be measured and photographed. The tangible proof is there, but our society has done a great job in brainwashing us to not believe that any one of us can even HELP to heal ourselves or others; it is considered delusional sometimes. People still roll their eyes and snicker when the word "aura" is used in conversation. But yet, PET scans objectively show that healers are using parts of their brains that the majority of humanity doesn't use. Healers have different looking auras on Kirlian photographs than people who have not developed their healing abilities.

In other words Rich, one doesn't need to be Jesus Christ, or Sai Baba to be able to send out energy in love and good faith to another person(even if the healer is a sinner like everyone else) to be able to help another person to heal.

I hope your faith can grow, Rich; *normal* people who don't have a clue about Eastern religions, or the esoteric can perform miracles.

I found this, while looking for the forgiveness meditation on the SP. I had it printed out, but it got misplaced.

"The ego and vanity in man often stand in the way of his acceptance of the position that super-ordinary consciousness, to which he is a total stranger, can be possible for some members of the species to which he belongs. This frame of mind is often pronounced in scholars who fondly believe that more and more extensive knowledge of the world and its infinitely varied phenomena provided by poring over vast liberies of books, is the only expansion and advancement possible to the human mind.It cannot but be repugnant to a polymath to be told that there is a learning beyond his grasp, that the very nature of the mind can change and can soar to normally super-sensible planes of being, which are inaccessible to the keenest intellect, however well informed and penetrating it might be."


- Gopi Krishna from 'The Wonder Of The Brain

"There are many different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit; there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the same Lord. There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the same God who is at work in them all. The particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good. To one is given from the Spirit the gift of utterance expressing knowledge, in accordance with the same Spirit; to another, faith, from the same Spirit; and to another, the gifts of healing, through this one Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another, the power of distinguishing spirits; to one, the gift of different tongues and to another, the interpretation of tongues. But at work in all these is one and the same Spirit, distributing them at will to each individual."

1 Corinthians, 12:4-11
The New Jerusalem Bible

Even a Master teaches that individuals can have "spiritual gifts!" ;-)

Namaste'
(The Divine within me, acknowledges the Divine within you)

Ellen

I stick up for Chiropractic when I can. Fourth Plane Powers aren't limited to the Rasools, I agree. I just tend to defend the concept of Chiropractic, perhaps too forcefully at times. No one can measure my faith.

Those are great quotes Ellen today. Good finds!I like that bible passage!

I find my self agreeing with both you and Rick...I think that there are healers and there are HEALERS in this world... there will always be different levels and different types of healing/healers. And all healers have something to give, and each individual is drawn to what they need for their condition at the moment.
If someone simply needs a spinal adjustment to bring them into balance, then that's what they need. If someone needs a change of diet to bring them into balance, then it could be that simple a thing to bring about healing...But, then there are more complicated conditons, that may require deeper/different types of healing, perhaps spiritual healing.

Agreed, Barbara! I think that with reiki, shamballah, etc, "success or failure" is directly proportionate to the subject's willingness and ability to surrender... most often the subject has asked for help, so the motivation is there to some extent. "Heal Thyself". With chiropractic, the subject receives a physical adjustment. The gases are released (the audible "pop"), the nerves are released from their pinned down state between the vertebrae, and life force flows freely again. Like lifting a heavy rock off of a garden hose, the water flows freely again. It is then up to the subject to apply techniques for the lessening of stress to keep the adjustmnt effective. In other words, a chiropractic adjustment can be performed on a "passive" subject ,and relief will still be realized, at least temporarily. I can't help thinking about simple observations about Lawmen being often lawless in their personal lives... a dog trainer who's dog is a disobiedient slobbery old mutt, an auto mechanic who drives a worn out heap, sputtering exhaust and running like junk. "Heal Thyself".

I would also agree with the necessity to continue the healing oneself. I go to a chiropractor once in a while for a few sessions at a time. He also supplies a diagrammatic chart of exercises and stretches to do at home, many of which are very similar to major yoga positions, especially those in the Sun Asana. I've incorporated those into my yoga practise and though I'm not a good girl and don't do it every day like I should, it's an interesting mix of the physical and spiritual therapy and it does help me a great deal with back pain, tense muscles and headaches.

I do know people who swear blind that chiropractors are useless, but without exception they're folks who don't have the time or patience to do the at-home follow up exercises or posture awareness - even if you don't practise yoga or anything, you can't expect a crack and pop session every few weeks to work miracles without a bit of effort on your own part!

Cheers
KimL

It might not be at all relevant, but a teacher I had needed to have her gall bladder removed for some other reason, but after the operation she found her migraines had stopped. Just before the g.b. op she was having at least one every week, and they lasted for 3 or 4 days. (The migraines, not operations!)
I guess everyone with migraines shouldn't try removing their gall bladders, but it is interesting how everything seems to affect everything else, isn't it?