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Help For Headaches

1/26/2021

There are many origins for headaches and it is one of the most common complaints treated with acupuncture. During your visit, the acupuncturist will ask you where you feel the headache and how frequently you have them. Depending on the location and how often you have a headache will determine how they are treated. If you are getting headaches quite often the acupuncturist will go over the cause of the headache for example sinus issues, head injury, neck or jaw pain, stress or tension headaches, or migraines. Less talked about causes of headaches can include change in barometric pressure, food allergies, drug side effects, alcohol, skipping meals, lack of sleep, dental problems, or extended periods of screen time. For example, if the headache is located in the back of the head or next to the eye, the acupuncture points would be on the bladder meridians. If the headache was located on the side of the head, the acupuncturist would focus on the gall bladder meridian.
To support headache prevention, aim to stay hydrated by drinking half your body weight in ounces per day. Another area to maintain balance is to get enough sleep! Another remedy to try at home is to place pressure on the back of your head with the tips of your fingers while moving your head up and down and side to side. Doing this for at least thirty seconds combined with neck rolls will help relieve the discomfort of a headache. Other strategies to alleviate headaches would be stress reducing activities such as meditation and mindfulness, acupuncture, exercise, or a hobby such as knitting or crochet. Keeping the body properly fueled by eating regularly while reducing the consumption of alcohol will also alleviate the frequency of headaches.
Please like this post if you found it helpful for you. Share with a friend who suffers from headaches!

What is TMJ? Plus 3 Stretches to Help Jaw Pain

1/12/2021

TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint. It is the joint at the right and left of your jaw, just under your ears. When people say they have “TMJ,” they mean pain and stiffness in the jaw joints and in the jaw itself. What causes this pain? Commonly, when people are very stressed, their muscles tend to become tense and tight. In addition to jaw pain, this muscle tension can cause chronic muscle tightness in the neck and shoulders and lead to headaches. Usually, a tense neck and shoulders accompanies jaw pain. It is common to tense up the neck and shoulder muscles without realizing it! Teeth grinding and clenching is another unconscious stress reaction. Is this you? Being intentional helps to recognize stress and let it go.

You can manage TMJ and jaw pain at home with the use of heating pads, warm compresses, deep breathing, acupuncture, meditation, stretches and self-massage.

Here are 3 stretches you can do for relief.

Chin Tuck. With your shoulders back and chest up, pull your chin straight back, creating a “double-chin”. Hold for three seconds and repeat 10 times.
Massage. Press up on the big muscles on the side of your jaw and slowly open your mouth.
Relaxed Jaw. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth. Slowly allow your jaws to come apart while keeping your jaw muscles fully relaxed.

One thing to not do is chew gum. Chewing gum can exacerbate the pain and discomfort felt in the jaw.

What difference does this make for you? Please comment below because I would love to know.

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Help For Headaches

What is TMJ? Plus 3 Stretches to Help Jaw Pain

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