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Headaches are comprised of two major categories, primary and secondary. Headaches belonging to the primary group are not caused by underlying medical conditions while secondary headaches are the result of a medical condition such as trauma, infection or possibly even a brain tumor. Most headaches belong in the primary category.

The primary category headaches include migraine headaches and tension headaches. These two headache types are the most common of all headaches with tension-type headaches being the most common. Tension headaches constitute about 75% of all headaches while migraine headaches affect as many as 30 or 40 million Americans, or approximately 10% or more of the American population.

Migraine headaches can become chronic in nature, but are typically experienced at most once or twice a week, not daily.

Females experience the pain of migraines about 3 times as often as males, or about 75% of the time.

Migraine headaches can be severe and disabling. They can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and a sensitivity to light. About 20% of migraine patients will experience an aura. An aura is a disturbance in vision that consists of brightly colored blinking lights that move across a person’s field of vision.

There are many types of treatment methods that are available to migraine sufferers, both natural and unnatural. The most common method of treatment are pain relievers that are bought without a prescription, or over-the-counter. Non-prescription drugs can include aspirin, Tylenol (acetaminophen), Motrin (ibuprofen), or a combination of acetaminophen and aspirin. These are the most commonly purchased types of non-prescription pain relievers. Migraine headache patients experiencing more severe pain may need prescription medicine.

There are also many types of natural treatment methods that don’t involve the use of non-prescription or prescription medications. These methods of treatment can often relieve migraine headache symptoms and are increasingly gaining popularity in today’s society as people are becoming more educated on the potentially dangerous side effects of drugs.

One of these natural treatment methods is putting an ice pack on the back of the neck at the base of the skull. When using an ice pack there should be a barrier between the ice pack and the skin such as a wetted cloth or t-shirt that has had the water squeezed out of it. Ice therapy can lessen the flow of blood to the head resulting in less pressure in the head. It can often help relieve the throbbing pain of a migraine headache by decreasing the flow of blood to the head. It is often beneficial for a person to put their feet in a container of warm water at the same time. This can have the effect of attracting the blood to the feet instead of to the head.

Migraine headaches can sometimes be caused by foods and can be prevented by eliminating these food triggers.

Foods that can trigger migraine headaches include, but are not limited to, caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, MSG (monosodium glutamate), nuts, cheese, beans, onions and others. Eliminating the trigger may eliminate the migraines.

Another natural treatment method for migraine headaches is simply to reduce stress by relaxing. Many migraines are caused by stress, so eliminating the stress can relieve the pain. Relieving stress can sometimes be achieved by getting plenty of sleep, lying down in a dark quiet room, or a combination of lying down in a dark quiet room with a small ice pack positioned on the neck at the base of the skull as explained above.

This article is a general overview with regard to natural migraine headache treatment methods and may not apply to everyone. As always it is a good idea to seek the help of a professional before treating yourself for a potentially serious health condition. To the best of your health!!

April 22, 2009 is Earth Day, what will you do to help save our planet? Some are going to plant trees, some are cutting down on the carbon footprint, and still other will help by cleaning up and using everyday green friendly environmental natural household cleaners.

Did you know that the EPA has more difficulty regulating household cleaners? With the overall high pollution for our water we drink and harmful chemicals causing PCB’s (cancer causing toxic agents) in our bodies, which is hard to get rid of in our bodies. Many people use a vast array of chemical-laden household cleaners and products around the home on a daily basis.

• What they may not be aware of is the fact that many of these chemicals can be damaging to their health when inhaled.

Apart from the inhalation aspect, skin irritations often occur when coming into contact with many chemical cleaners.

• Many disinfectants contain phenol ( aka carbolic acid ) or cresol. These can attack the central nervous system, liver, kidneys, spleen, and pancreas.

How can adding a load of chemicals to your home environment be good for your health and cleanliness?

They may kill off the germs, sure, but human beings are gradually going to kill themselves off too, if they continue in this way. Many people aim to keep their homes a germ-free environment, but if our homes are kept so germ-free that our immune systems no longer have to work as hard, we run the risk of weakening our immune systems.

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• Another chemical-laden ( and one of the most dangerously toxic of all ) household product is the oven cleaner.

I have never personally used the stuff, as I remember the fumes when my mother used it when I was a child, and that alone was enough to put me off for life! How right I was. Many oven cleaners release fumes which may affect the respiratory system, and contain ammonia and lye, which eat the skin. I prefer to use baking soda and water, sprinkled inside the oven and left overnight. In the morning a good scrub finishes it off a treat. It does a wonderful job. Also you don’t get any chemical residue odour the next time you use the oven.

• Many artificial air fresheners release nerve-deadening agents, which can interfere with your sense of smell.
• Natural aromatherapy oils would be a much safer bet.

In a time when respiratory illnesses such as asthma are at an all-time high, we should be looking to a more natural and gentle way of keeping our homes clean.

• Using all-natural, non-toxic cleaning products around the home is the best defence against dirt and grime, while keeping our bodies healthy, being kind to the environment, and not tested on animals. Everyone’s a winner.

Many companies claim their products are ‘natural’ but it’s best to check the labels, as they may only contain a few natural ingredients while still being laden with chemicals.

Buying from a well-known ethical, cruelty-free company is the best way to go. Then, not only should their products be natural, safe and non-toxic, they should also be environmentally green friendly and not tested on animals.