For example, start with the basics:
- A healthy diet high in fresh foods, low in processed foods
- Watching what you drink (wine, coffee, energy drinks)
- Not smoking
- Regular meals
- 8 hours of high-quality sleep each night
- Exercise
- Some form of relaxation
- Steering clear of know causes of headache in many people, such as Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) or Aspartame (NutraSweet).
Let’s look now at how CAM may help prevent or relieve headaches.
Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Headache and Migraine Pain
The National Institutes of Health has created the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) to conduct research on the effectiveness of CAM modalities. These scientific studies are validating or refuting various treatments. If the treatment is valid, it is often integrated into existing treatment regimens, which is why you might sometimes see treatments listed as Complementary and Integrative Medicine, or CIM.
CAM for headache can be:
• Whole body
• Energy medicine
• Mind-body medicine
Whole body
Whole body treatments are age-old remedies from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic Medicine, both around 5,000 years old and proven effective in a range of ways. They are usually based on the theory that the body is out of balance in some way. It can encompass internal and external treatments.
Native American medicine harnesses the healing power of plants, trees and shrubs to promote health and has been practiced for more than 2000 years. “Folk remedies” can also be traced back hundreds of years, and some are effective.
In case you have any doubts about the healing powers of herbs, remember that aspirin comes from the willow tree and in fact, many of the medicines we use today are derived from plants. It is therefore important to note that just because a medicine is natural does not mean it is 100% safe. Even aspirin can kill if a person is allergic to it.
Energy Medicine
Energy medicine is derived from TCM and Ayurveda. Its focus is to alter the energy field surrounding or within an individual to achieve health. The theory is that an imbalance of energy can lead to disease. Energy therapies include Qigong, (CHEE gung) Reiki (RAY-KEY), and therapeutic massage and chakra work. It can also include working with magnets and electricity fields.
Mind-Body Medicine
Mind-body medicine focuses on the link between physical health and mental health, and the power of the mind to help heal. Common mind-body modalities include meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and creative therapies, such as art therapy.
CAM has been becoming increasingly popular since around the year 2000, as more and more studies have emerged about the benefits of non-Western traditional medicines. Some medical practices and hospitals use CAM and conventional Western medicine side by side, such as in the Indian Health Service in the US.
There are many CAM to choose from, so be strategic and try one at a time based on your personal preferences, budget, time and whether or not your insurance covers it. Some policies require pre-approval for CAM. Some allow unlimited services, others only a certain number of treatments.
As you try each CAM, track the use and effectiveness of the technique in your headache diary. If your attacks decrease or your body feels healthier, this is an indication that the particular technique works for you.
Do your research to determine if there are any risks. For example, even massage can be dangerous if a person does not know what they are doing. If you are considering using internal treatments, such as herbs and supplements, look up risks and side effects in a reliable database such as: Feverfew
Use the box on the right to look up what you wish, such as feverfew for migraine, and review each of the 5 tabs in the database, Overview; Uses; Side Effects; Interactions; Dosing.
