WHAT KIND OF HEADACHES DO YOU HAVE?

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I hate it when I get headaches because they slow me down, but I count myself lucky when I hear some of my friends when they complain about their headaches.

Through conversations and my own readings I learned that there are at least five types of headaches:

• Tension
• Migraines
• Cluster
• Hormonal
• Other types

The first two – tension and migraine headaches - are the most common.

What does a tension headache feel like?

Tension headaches are usually felt on both sides of the head and feel like a vise-grip. Neck pain and tightness may also be associated with tension type headaches.

Migraine pain is usually on one side of the head and usually is throbbing or pounding. Usually, when a person has a migraine it makes them sensitive to light. Migraine headaches may also induce nausea. Happily, it lasts only from a few hours to a couple of days.

Migraine headaches are the type I wouldn’t even wish upon an enemy. One, they make you very weak, you’re almost immobilized. Second, they last a long time (some sufferers say their migraines could last up to as long as a week). Third, migraine victims prefer to sleep in a dark and quiet room, because the slightest noise or a speck of light heightens their ordeal.

Cluster headaches “behave” differently. People who have them say they cause a lot of pain. They are unpredictable. The pain is severe; add the fact that it can occur many times during the day. Cluster headaches also last a long time (anywhere from days to months) and usually attack in the morning or evening.

Not a significant number of people suffer from cluster headaches. From what I’ve read, less than 1% of the population has them. Just as well because those who have them say the pain is excruciating.

Hormonal headaches, on the other hand, are like menstrual headaches. Women get them during their periods, but unlike migraines, menstrual headaches are not preceded by an aura.

You need to speak to your doctor when:

• It’s a kind of headache you’ve never had before
• You’re having a headache after you’ve been in an accident or after sustaining physical injury
• You have symptoms that persist: drowsiness, blurred vision, stiff neck, vomiting, pain or swelling in the limbs and other parts of the body

OTC Painkillers or Natural Headache Remedies?

Ibuprofen, an analgesic, is what many people take for a headache. These analgesics are fine but they won’t solve the problem. Plus they’re habit forming. Once your body gets accustomed to ibuprofen, you’ll need to increase your intake just to make the headache go away.

There are many excellent made-in-the-USA natural remedies for headaches. Some products will not only relieve the headache but also relieve muscle spasms – those linked to arthritic, bursitis and backache conditions. There is one product, CryoDerm Roll-On that was specifically formulated for neck pain. This is an American-made product and has been recommended to patients by chiropractors, physical therapists and sports therapy professionals.

Combining Cryoderm roll-on with a natural muscle relaxer such as Formula 303 Natural Muscle Relaxant may also help to relieve tension headaches. Choose products that contain menthol and homeopathic formulations; an example of which is Arnica, known for its compounds that help inflamed and tense muscles.

For migraine pain, a natural migraine remedy that many people find effective is MigraSpray. Migraine relief can also be achieved by regular use of Headache Free, a natural vitamin supplement for headaches that was developed by a board certified neurologist.

Headaches certainly can affect your life, but with regular exercise, stress reduction techniques and eating a chemical free healthy diet, you can reduce the frequency and severity of your chronic headaches.

Natural Arthritis Treatments

The thing I remember most about my grandfather was his deformed hand. As a kid I would avoid looking at it because it was grotesque; my parents would tell me to not run about and to avoid bumping into him. They'd say, "granddad's in pain, don't ask him to play with you."
I'd sit quietly and listen to him, enthralled by what he told me about penguins. He seemed to know so much and I could tell he had a burning passion for these creatures. Once he gave me a video on penguins and encouraged me to watch it over and over again. "It may be the same video, but you pick up something new each time you watch it", he said.

Since then I've had a fascination with the Arctic. But while the Arctic had its own mysteries, it was hard for me to visualize the cold there. I was aware that older people dreaded cold weather; my grandfather suffered pain the most during cold weather. My parents tried to get him to move to Florida at least temporarily but he wouldn't budge. "I'd much rather suffer with my arthritis here in the cold than travel to another state." He was as hard-headed as his ten fingers - hard, shriveled and painful because of arthritis.

Types of Arthritis

I was surprised to learn that there are more than 100 types of arthritis. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta say that 1 out of 3 Americans (that's about 70 million) suffer from some type of arthritis.

I can't name all 100 types, but here are a few:

• Osteoporosis - a condition where bones become fragile and hence are susceptible to breaking if not treated or controlled. Bones of the hips, spine and wrists are the bones that break frequently;

• Osteoarthritis - this is the most common form of arthritis and affects about 16 million Americans, mostly women. When someone is diagnosed with osteoarthritis, that means the cartilage has practically disappeared and bone-to-bone rubbing occurs. By the time you reach age 50, you shall have some change in your cartilage.

• Rheumatoid arthritis - inflammation is the most common symptom of rheumatoid arthritis, which is often called a symmetric disease. It affects the joints in both sides of the body. Most people who have rheumatoid arthritis will suffer pain in the ankle or foot; the reason is the foot has a large number of joints and is one part of our body that is subject to a lot of wear and tear.

• Cervical arthritis - this type of arthritis causes neck pain because the upper spine is affected. The pain in the neck eventually spreads to the arms. Risk factors for cervical arthritis include age, poor posture and injury.

Other types of arthritis - juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, gout, fibromyalgia, psoriatic arthritis and many others also affect men and women. Arthritis has been known to significantly reduce quality of life.

Treating Arthritis Naturally

Probably because of my grandfather's arthritis, I have been reading anything and everything about this disease. I've also been researching natural treatments and have come across some effective supplements that can help alleviate the painful symptoms and inflammation caused by this terrible disease. This is why we included these supplements on EarthTurns. They are all made in the USA and have those natural ingredients that target cartilage, joints, bones and the spine.

Check out Arthritin, MegaFlax Joint and Arthoplex. To alleviate the pain of arthritis, we recommend two amazing natural topical analgesic remedies; either Cryoderm or Sombra.