It is late in the day at the end of a stressful work week...you've been pushing yourself in a frantic rush to beat deadlines.  All of sudden, it catches up to you...as the deep, dull pressure starts throbbing in your head. Does this sound familiar?  Well, you're not alone...

• Physicians report that patients complain more of headache than of any other single ailment.  
• Headache is a leading cause of absenteeism in the workplace and accounts for the loss of some 150 million workdays per year in the United States alone.
• Over 90% of adults have had at least some degree of headache within the last year.
• It is estimated that 10 million people in the United States seek medical help for the treatment of headaches.

 
Headaches come in various forms ranging from simple tension headaches to the more serious migraine headache.  A tension headache is often described as a non-throbbing, mild-to-moderate headache on both sides or generally over the head. Migraine headache is usually a severe, often throbbing, pain more often in one temple or over towards the eye, or on both sides of the head. Migraine headache may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and noise, and may be increased with movement. Important to note is that some headaches are a symptom of a serious medical condition. You should seek medical attention if your headaches are undiagnosed and/or are in this category.

How are tension headaches or migraines usually managed?  Headache sufferers are the main purchasers of the 20,000 tons of aspirin, plus much of the acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and other non-prescription medications, consumed yearly in the United States. 
 
Episodes of tension or migraine headaches can be treated with alternative methods that offer little or no side effects. Acupuncture has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of simple tension headaches as well as migraine headaches.  A study performed by the Center for Complementary Medicine Research in Germany has shown acupuncture to be more effective than medication in the treatment of migraine headaches. The treatment of migraine headaches with acupuncture is most successful as a program of regular acupuncture treatments geared at diminishing future attacks. Migraine sufferers who engage in regular acupuncture treatments report less frequency of episodes as well as diminished intensity of the migraine attacks. 

So the next time you find yourself stressed out with that familiar "vise-like" feeling wrapping around your head, give your local acupuncturist a call....you'll be glad you did.
visit www.neweasternhealth.com to learn more