| Headaches are a common source of pain, | | | | or giving up tea or coffee. |
| suffering and lost productivity in our society. | | | | Simply increasing the amount of clean fresh water |
| Although there are many different types of | | | | that you drink throughout the day is one of the |
| headaches, with many different factors involved, | | | | easiest things that you can do to decrease |
| there are certain common underlying causes that | | | | headaches. |
| we find showing up again and again in the clinic. | | | | Postural strain is another common underlying |
| This article deals with a few of the major ones. | | | | factor in many headaches. This is most obviously |
| We could break these causes into 3 broad | | | | seen in the tight neck, jaw and shoulder muscles |
| groups- physical (or mechanical), biochemical and | | | | of most headache sufferers. Often this is |
| emotional. | | | | accompanied by a loss of the normal spinal curve |
| The factor that we have found to be most | | | | in the neck, resulting in the head being held |
| involved in almost all types of headaches is a | | | | forward, increasing the strain on the muscles and |
| biochemical one- toxicity affecting the liver. Our | | | | joints. This is often made worse by long hours at |
| liver acts as a filter for our blood to break down | | | | a desk or in front of a computer. |
| and remove any toxins, waste products and | | | | What frequently goes undetected is the role that |
| other pollutants for the body. | | | | the feet play in this pattern of postural distortion. |
| In both ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine | | | | When the arches in the feet flatten it leads to a |
| headaches are associated with congestion of the | | | | biomechanical chain of compensation that causes |
| liver. This causes the body to become toxic and | | | | the hips to sway forwards, the shoulders to |
| go into a very inflammatory state, which often | | | | slump and the head to thrust forwards. This |
| causes muscle aches and pains as well as | | | | greatly increases the strain on the neck and the |
| headaches. | | | | chance of developing headaches. |
| One very common symptom of this is waking | | | | Stress and emotional tension also play a big role. |
| around 2am (often with a headache)...according to | | | | This one is generally obvious to most headache |
| the Chinese meridian system this is when the liver | | | | sufferers. Stress causes us to tighten up the |
| is most active. These people will often find that | | | | muscles in the jaw, neck and shoulders, and if it is |
| they manage to drop back off to sleep after | | | | ongoing this leads to chronic tension and stiffness |
| 3am, when liver activity declines. | | | | in these muscles, as well as affecting blood flow |
| The problem is often increased by dehydration - if | | | | up to the brain. |
| there is not sufficient water present to continually | | | | It is important that all these factors, structural, |
| flush away the toxins as they are broken down | | | | chemical and emotional, be properly addressed for |
| by the liver then they are simply circulated around | | | | headaches to permanently resolved. Any |
| the body, making us feel awful. This is one reason | | | | treatment program which deals with only one or |
| why people often experience headaches and | | | | two factors is likely to result in only temporary |
| body aches when undertaking a detox program, | | | | success. |