TMD may be the cause of Constant Headaches, Migraines, Muscle Pain

Temporomandibular joint disorders, more commonly known as TMJ or TMD, can be the culprit behind the constant pain that many migraine and headache suffers have to endure.
Dr. Stan Farrell of Scottsdale-based AZ-TMJ said: "TMD-type disorders are caused by intense pain or tenderness found in the temporomandibular joint in the jaw and are commonly the cause of unexplained headaches, migraines, back pain and jaw or neck soreness.  Many times, however, TMJ pain and headaches are often misdiagnosed and can go untreated for years."
Many primary care physicians lack the ability, knowledge or tools to correctly diagnose TMD or connect the issue of migraines and headaches as a symptom of TMJ-related issues.

"By asking the right questions and using the latest diagnostic imaging technology, we're able to conduct TMJ-focused exams to diagnose and treat the painful symptoms associated with TMD," added Farrell. "We specialize in using non-invasive and non-surgical treatments that don't involve the use of potentially addictive prescribed pain medications to keep our patients pain-free and healthy."

AZ-TMJ is a clinic focused on the treatment of TMJ and TMD disorders, sleep apnea and severe migraine headaches. The clinic is led by Stan Farrell, DDS, FAAOP, who received training in orofacial pain at the University of California, Los Angeles and graduated from the School of Dental and Oral Surgery at Columbia University. Dr. Farrell is a diplomate with the American Board of Orofacial Pain and a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.

For more information about AZ-TMJ, visit www.az-tmj.com or call (480) 945-3629 to schedule an appointment.

SOURCE: AZ-TMJ

Yoga - A cure for migraine

Yoga can help with the early stage of a migraine by helping you rebalance the oxygen in your body. Stretching will help draw blood supply toward muscles and away from the brain. Certain poses will help rebalance your hormones and your digestion. Stretching can also help relax muscles that are reacting to the headache, and help the sufferer let go enough to ease the secondary symptoms. Using the right breathing theme will also help rebalance the oxygen.
So do this routine when you first feel the migraine coming on - when you get the visual disturbances, or first start feeling nauseous or whatever you have come to realize are your early symptoms:
1. Chose some stretches that are fairly demanding for you and that make you feel good. You might especially like to try twists, if you can do them, or postures that help your neck and shoulders, as tension in these areas might be helping trigger your headache. Pick at least 2 stretches. This should take you about 5 minutes. (6 stretches done over 15 minutes would be ideal.)

2. As you do the poses:

• Take long slow breaths out
• Then take shallow breaths in, about 2/3 full
• Do not hold your breath after you've breathed in.
• When you breathe out take all the time in the world to breathe out and stretch more and more as you do so.
• Then, before you breathe in, pause for as long as you can comfortably do so.
• The idea here is to encourage less oxygen intake and give your body time to build up CO2 before getting more fresh air with the next breath.

I find almost instant relief using this Breathing Theme. If you stick with it for about 5 minutes, the relief can last for hours. Later in the day, or as you feel the symptoms sneaking back, take another 5 minute yoga break to do this again. 
Poses to Help Headaches
Try these only if they are appropriate for you. Not all poses can be done by everybody. See our Caveats page and the caveats that are on each posture page. Pregnant women should not do the abdominal lifts or twists. Pregnant women and women having their period should not do inverted poses.
Great during a headache. Possibly because they involve holding your breath and altering your blood pressure.
Help relieve tension in the spine and body and can re-balance digestion. Good during a headache for some people. Others find that, by including twists in their daily routine, it helps them avoid headaches or lessens their intensity.
Relieve tension in the body and rebalance hormones and digestion. Not pleasant actually during a headache, but try including them in your daily routine to help you reduce the number of or intensity of headaches.
Good overall work out that can be made as intense or as gentle as you like. Removes tension from the entire body, rebalances blood flow, and constricting the over-dilated blood vessels in the brain by sending more blood to the working muscles. Good during a headache if combined with controlled breathing: 5 - 10 rounds recommended.
Breathing Themes that Will Help Your Headaches
When dealing with a headache, it helps to pace your breathing. This can help reduce the swelling in the blood vessels in your brain and rebalance the chemistry in your body - all of which can bring relief. So try using a Yellow Level Breathing Themes when you are doing any of the poses or routines above.

You can also do those Breathing Themes by themselves, as a breathing exercise, to provide some relief.   

readmore in audioyoga.com 

Drinking water - A simple cure for migraine

Researchers claim that increasing water intake by about six cups per day can reduce the intensity and duration of migraine attacks, reports Sade Oguntola.
Many migraine patients report that certain foods are often related to the triggering of migraine attacks. Fortunately, identifying and avoiding these foods can help to significantly reduce the frequency of attacks. In addition, research has shown that migraine patients may be able to decrease the number of migraines they experience by increasing their water intake by about 6 cups per day.

Wondering if this is possible? According to a new finding published in the European Journal Of Neurology, drinking water could be a simple cure for migraines. The findings, published in the European Journal Of Neurology, suggested that people that experience migraine especially in hot weather should drink more water to prevent dehydration, which is a significant factor in the build-up to migraine attacks, this can reduce the intensity and duration of attack.

In the study, the researchers examined whether increasing water intake in migraine patients would help prevent future attacks. For the study, the 18 people that participated were divided into two groups.  The first group received a placebo medication, while the second group was instructed to drink 1.5 additional Liters of water on top of their normal intake every day.  After 12 weeks of the experimental treatment, each group had their migraine headache symptoms measured.

The results of this study found that the group who increased their water intake, reduced their total hours of headaches in a two-week period by 21 hours.  This group also had a significant decrease in the intensity of their headache pain.

Simply put, dehydration occurs as the result of excessive loss of water from the body, when we lose more water than we take in. It’s a bit more complicated than that since the body loses valuable electrolytes as well. Dehydration can be a major issue, both in and of itself and as a headache or Migraine trigger due to the lowering of blood volume. Unfortunately, a reduction in blood volume causes less blood and oxygen to the brain.

Many people mistakenly think it occurs only in hot weather and that you’re not dehydrated if you’re not thirsty. Both of these misconceptions lead to many cases of dehydration every year, some of them quite serious. However, it takes an average of 64 to 80 ounces to replace the water our bodies lose in 24 hours. Under normal circumstances, how much water the body needs depends a great deal on the volume of perspiration and urine output. In addition, the bodies’ water needs increases under circumstances such as warmer weather or climate, increased physical activity, when experiencing vomiting, diarrhea or fever.

People suffering from migraines have learned that there can be many different types of triggers that lead to a migraine attack.  Weather, lights, noise, stress, sleeping problems, alcohol, caffeine, and many others can affect migraine sufferers in different ways.  And while the exact mechanism of what causes a migraine remains unclear, “almost 40 to 50 per cent of all triggers of migraine is due to stress, sleeping problems, diet, menstrual cycle and environmental changes such as light among others,” stated Dr Mayowa Owolabi, a consultant neurologist at the University College Hospital (UCH),Ibadan, Oyo State.

Although what triggers a headache for one person may not bother someone else, Dr Owolabi stated that dehydration was not a scientifically and recognized trigger of migraine.

According to Dr Owolabi, “even though generally water deprivation is not good for anyone because the entire body system runs on water, dehydration is not a recognized and well studied as well as established precipitant of migraine attack.”

Nonetheless, dehydration is best avoided because of its implications on health. According to Dr Owolabi, “the body composition is almost 70 per cent water. All the chemical reactions that take place in the body require water as a medium to take place. As such, when there is water shortage, the whole body system would go awry. A person that does not take enough water stands the risk of kidney stones and even a kidney failure. So many things can happen. Ordinarily, an adult living in the tropics needs to take three litres of water per day if he or she does not have kidney problem.”

By what mechanisms can lack of water produce migraine triggers? For one, our nerves (which are themselves tiny water pathways) send signals to control every part of our body. If a lack of water thickens the fluid inside nerves, their signals can be distorted. Distorted signals can be migraine triggers. In addition, water normally carries toxins away from cells. Without sufficient water, toxins build up and cause inflammation to nerves. Inflamed nerves are migraine triggers.

Water is a vitally important transport system, but it also plays an active role in body chemistry. For example, the liver uses water to metabolize fats into usable energy. Without enough water, there will be a lack of energy to power various cell pumps that keep migraine triggers from overwhelming neurons in the brain and causing a migraine

However, another way that migraine can be avoided with natural substances is to eat apples. Certainly, apple is no miracle medicine, but this will help to avoid unhealthy migraine triggers such as caffeine and alcohol. Apples, just like many foods, also contain a certain amount of water that can add to your water routine without forcing yourself to drink more water unlike coffee, chocolate, and anything else that contains a significant amount of caffeine which can ease bring about these headaches.

Changes in the body such as moderate hunger, stress, changes in the balance of hormones, and changes in normal sleeping patterns can also bring on a headache. But those who drink a moderate amount of water on a daily basis can easy some of the symptoms of these altered patterns, including reducing migraine headaches.

Written by Sade Oguntola - tribune.com.ng

Is your head aching? Relax! and you will feel better

Stress is one of the main cost of tension headache, if it get out of control it can elevate the problem of mild headache to chronic headache. Various other problems such as high blood pressure, high heart rate, insomnia and headache occur and aggravate at a continuous pace, due to stress.

So,How to manage stress? There are many way to manage stress and relaxation is one of them. If we knew how to use it, it would be very useful to combat the stress, which is a trigger for migraine headache. 

• Relaxtion could reduce your blood pressure
• Relaxtion can also normalize blood vessels in brain, causing increased blood flow to brain, which help in preventing migraine headache.

 Relaxation should be aimed at:

• Reduced level of stress and anxiety
• Improvement in yourself and increase in self-awareness.
• Improved inspiration and motivation
• Enhanced mind’s potential
• Improved quality of sleep 

Here some easy ways to relax:

• Deep Breathing: This is a simple way to  relax. Just let your hair down and breathe in deeply through the nose, this will increase oxygen flow to your various organs and you will feel better.

• Meditation and Yoga: With the deep breathing, in this technique your have to speak a mantra in rhythmic order. OM is a universally accepted mantra and following it may prevent the common diseases of throat, lung and chest. Deep breathing helps in oxygen flow.

• Progessive relaxation: This technique is different from the previous techniques, in this technique, you allow your muscles alternately tense and relaxed, causing exercises of your muscles. This relaxing technique will decrease the stress level and ultimately prevent migraine headache.

The above are some relaxations , they are very simple but very useful for you. Besides, some of following common habits are also useful for preventing tension headache, such as:

• Follow regular eating and sleeping schedules (even do not change them during vacation or weekends.

• Regular physical exercises  such as walking, biking etc may help you in reducing headache.

• Don’t sit or stand for quite a long time, carry out regular stretching of muscles of hand, foots, … remember: Avoid a single posture for long time

• Applying heat or ice (what ever suitable for you may prevent tension headache.

What is migraine headache?

Your head is aching terribly and you think you had migraine headache, right? Now I will show you what is a migraine headache.

Migraine afflicts 28 million Americans, with females suffering more frequently (17%) than males (6%). Migraine headache is a form of vascular headache, it is cause by vasodilatation, and what is the reason of vasodilatation? That cause the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil the large arteries of the brain. Enlargement of these blood vessels stretches the nerves that coil around them and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the arteries magnifies the pain.

Migraine attacks commonly activate the sympathetic nervous system in the body. The sympathetic nervous system is often thought of as the part of the nervous system that controls primitive responses to stress and pain, the so-called "fight or flight" response, and this activation causes many of the symptoms associated with migraine attacks; for example, the increased sympathetic nervous activity in the intestine causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (Quote: medicinenet.com)

TYPES OF MIGRAINE AND HEADACHE

• Classic, Common, and Others

Migraines come in several types; some are more common than others. Below you’ll find descriptions of the two major migraine types, as well as some of the lesser-known conditions.

• The Classic Migraine

Migraine with aura is often referred to as «classic» Less than half an hour before the actual pain begins, the individual experiences «aura» Aura usually involves visual sensory illusions, such as jagged bands of light obscuring vision, or a shimmering light around the edges of objects. Other senses, such as hearing and smell, may also be affected.

• The Common Migraine

Common migraines are simply those that present without aura. Only about twenty percent of sufferers experience aura. Most people bypass the aura phase.

• Tension Headaches or Tension Type Headaches (TTH)

Tension headaches, which were renamed tension-type headaches by the International Headache Society in 1988, are the most common type of primary headaches. The pain can radiate from the neck, back, eyes, or other muscle groups in the body. Tension-type headaches account for nearly 90% of all headaches. Approximately 3% of the population suffers from chronic-tension type headache.

• Causes

• Stress - Usually occurs in the afternoon after long stressful work hours or after an exam
• Sleep deprivation
• Uncomfortable stressful position and/or bad posture
• Irregular meal time (hunger)
• Eyestrain
• Caffeine withdrawal
Tension headaches that do not occur as a symptom of another condition may be painful, but are not harmful. It is usually possible to receive relief through treatment. Tension headaches that occur as a symptom of another condition are usually relieved when the underlying condition is treated. Frequent use of pain medications in patients with tension-type headache may lead to the development of medication overuse headache or rebound headache.

• Other Types of Migraines 

Ocular
During an ocular migraine, the blood vessels of the eyes, rather than those of the skull or brainstem, spasm and instead of pain, the sufferer becomes aware of lights in the peripheral vision. Often jagged and pastel colored in nature, the light disturbance intensifies, and enlarges until it is centered in the eye. Ocular migraines typically fade away after about fifteen to twenty minutes. Some people report a mild headache after this experience, while others simply feel fatigued.
Ophthalmoplegic
Like ocular migraines, an ophthalmoplegic migraine is centered in the eye. In this form, however, pain is definitely present, and is often accompanied by vomiting. As the headache progresses, the muscles responsible for eye movement are temporarily paralyzed, and the eyelid assumes a droopy appearance. The eyelid may remain droopy for weeks afterwards.
The Headache-Free Type
In this type, aura occurs without an actual headache. It only presents itself in individuals with a history of migraine attacks.
Basilar Artery 
This specific type involves the basilar artery in the brainstem, and can cause pain, vertigo, speech and vision problems, and poor coordination. Children are more likely to experience this type than adults.
Carotidynia
Also known as «facial migraine» or «lower-half headache» this type causes pain in the jaw and neck regions. Depending on the individual, the pain may be dull and aching, or sharp and piercing, and is often accompanied by tenderness of the carotid artery. More common in the elderly population than other groups, carotidynia may last for hours, and often occurs more than once a week. This type is characterized by long-lasting and severe pain. The pain often lasts over three days, and hospitalization for pain relief may be necessary.

Author: Auracol

Migraine Headache Treatment

A headache may only be one symptom of the migraine process; other symptoms may include sensitivity to light or sound, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or neurological symptoms. Migraine patients who have associated (usually occurring 20-40 minutes before the headache) neurological symptoms such as numbness, altered (not just blurred) vision or tingling are said to have migraine with aura. Most migraine patients do not have an aura, but for those who do estrogen-containing contraceptives may be contra-indicated.
Research suggests that a group of cells at the base of the brain, present in all humans, may cause migraines in some people as a result of an increased or unstable firing pattern. This in turn may promote inflammation of blood vessels in the covering of the brain and alterations in blood vessel caliber. Many medications effective in the control of migraine are now felt to work by stabilizing or reducing the firing rate of these brainstem cells or by reducing inflammation and/or blood vessel dilatation.
For some, triggers of migraine may include sun glare, alcohol, smoking and other fumes, certain foods (caffeine, cheese, chocolate, nuts, processed meats and monosodium glutamate), or some medications (most notably birth control pills). Skipping meals and “sleeping in” can both trigger migraine, for some. Trying to discern your triggers can be difficult…and rewarding.


What can you do to manage your migraine? First, do not try to ‘work through’ a migraine. The longer you let a migraine develop, the more difficult it is to reverse. Stop what you are doing, lie down in a darkened room, and take your migraine reversal medication. Thus, you should have your medication available at all times.
Migraine treatment consists of migraine reversal and, for some patients, migraine preventive medication (taken daily to prevent or reduce the frequency of migraines). Migraine reversal medication should not be routinely used more than two days per week; overuse or frequent use of reversal medications can lead to rebounding, a syndrome in which daily or near daily consumption of headache relief medication actually results in daily headaches. Examples of migraine reversal medications include acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine mixes (e.g. Excedrin Migraine), ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), dihydroergotamines (DHE, Migranal), “triptans” (imitrex, maxalt, zomig, relpax and others) and Midrin.
For patients having more than two headaches per week, or whose headaches last days at a time, preventive medications may be appropriate. Migraine preventive medicines were originally developed to control other conditions such as hypertension, depression or seizures—yet have been found to have this additional property in common.
The choice and use of both the reversal and preventive medications for migraines require a partnership between the clinician and patient; without a ‘patient kept’ headache diary to track the headache frequency and pattern(s), the clinician cannot make rational medication adjustments. Each type of medication (reversal and preventive) may require a two or three month trial to fully evaluate its effectiveness.

By University of Oregon

Migraine headaches - Causes

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of migraine.

Causes:

Until recently, the general theory on the migraine process rested solely on the idea that abnormalities of blood vessel (vascular) systems in the head were responsible for migraines. Now, however, doctors tend to believe that migraine starts with an underlying central nervous system disorder. When triggered by various stimuli, this disorder sets off a chain of neurologic and biochemical events, some of which subsequently affect the brain's vascular system. No experimental model fully explains the migraine process.

There is certainly a strong genetic component in migraine with or without auras. Researchers have located a single genetic mutation responsible for the very rare familial hemiplegic migraine, but several genes are likely to be involved in the great majority of migraine cases.

Numerous chemicals, structures, nerve pathways, and other players involved in the process are under investigation. These include:

• Peptides. Stress or some unknown factor triggers the release of certain protein fragments called peptides (Substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, and others). These peptides dilate blood vessels and produce an inflammatory response that triggers over-excitation of the nerve cells in the trigeminal pathway. [This nerve pathway runs from the brain stem to the head and face. These nerves spread to the meninges (the membrane covering of the brain).]
• Abnormal Calcium Channels. Some migraines may be due to abnormalities in the channels within cells that transport the electrical ions calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. Calcium channels appear to play a particularly critical role in migraine.
• Serotonin and Other Neurotransmitter Levels. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (chemical messenger in the brain) that is important for sleep, well-being, and other factors that affect quality of life. Abnormalities in serotonin levels have been observed in both tension-type and migraine headache sufferers. Altered levels of other neurotransmitters, importantly dopamine and stress hormones, also occur with migraine and tension-type headaches, and could trigger the events in the brain leading to migraine.
• Reduced Magnesium Levels. Magnesium deficiencies have been observed in people with both tension-type and migraine headaches. Reduced levels could be a destabilizing factor, causing the nerves in the brain to misfire, possibly even accounting for the auras that many sufferers experience.
• Nitric Oxide. Other research suggests that over-excitable neurons release nitric oxide, a small molecular messenger that may be important in triggering in most primary headaches (tension-type, cluster, and migraines).
• Estrogen Fluctuations in Women. Tension-type headaches and migraine headaches are slightly more common in females during adolescence and adulthood. Most likely hormone fluctuations, rather than whether levels are elevated or low, trigger headaches.
• Inflammation in the Maxillary Nerve. Early studies suggest that some chronic tension-type and migraine headaches may be caused by inflammation in the nerve that runs behind the cheekbone (the maxillary nerve) -- not around the covering of the brain. In fact, some work using ice water for reducing swelling in areas of the gums above the last upper molars has relieved some severe migraine and tension-type headaches.

Migraine Triggers

A wide range of events and conditions can alter conditions in the brain that bring on nerve excitation and trigger migraines. They include, but are not limited to:

• Emotional stress
• Intense physical exertion (exercise, lifting, and even bowel movements or sexual activity)
• Abrupt weather changes
• Bright or flickering lights
• Odors
• High altitude
• Travel motion
• Lack of sleep
• Skipping meals
• Certain types of foods, and chemicals contained in them. More than 100 foods and beverages may potentially trigger migraine headache. Caffeine is one such trigger. Caffeine withdrawal can also trigger migraines in people who are accustomed to caffeine. Red wine and beer are also common triggers. Preservatives and additives (such as nitrates, nitrites, and MSG) can also trigger attacks. Doctors recommend that patients keep a headache diary to track which foods trigger migraine.

By: umm.edu

Symptoms of migraine headache

 The symptoms of migraine headaches

Migraine is a chronic condition with recurrent attacks. Most (but not all) migraine attacks are associated with headaches.

• Migraine headaches usually are described as an intense, throbbing or pounding pain that involves one temple. (Sometimes the pain is located in the forehead, around the eye, or at the back of the head).
  
• The pain usually is unilateral (on one side of the head), although about a third of the time the pain is bilateral (on both sides of the head).
  
• The unilateral headaches typically change sides from one attack to the next. (In fact, unilateral headaches that always occur on the same side should alert the doctor to consider a secondary headache, for example, one caused by a brain tumor).
  
• A migraine headache usually is aggravated by daily activities such as walking upstairs.
  
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, facial pallor, cold hands, cold feet, and sensitivity to light and sound commonly accompany migraine headaches. As a result of this sensitivity to light and sound, migraine sufferers usually prefer to lie in a quiet, dark room during an attack. A typical attack lasts between 4 and 72 hours.

An estimated 40%-60% of migraine attacks are preceded by premonitory (warning) symptoms lasting hours to days. The symptoms may include:

• sleepiness,
  
• irritability,
  
• fatigue,
  
• depression or euphoria,
  
• yawning, and
  
• cravings for sweet or salty foods.

Patients and their family members usually know that when they observe these warning symptoms that a migraine attack is beginning.

Migraine aura

An estimated 20% of migraine headaches are associated with an aura. Usually, the aura precedes the headache, although occasionally it may occur simultaneously with the headache. The most common auras are:

1. flashing, brightly colored lights in a zigzag pattern (referred to as fortification spectra), usually starting in the middle of the visual field and progressing outward; and
   
2. a hole (scotoma) in the visual field, also known as a blind spot.

Some elderly migraine sufferers may experience only the visual aura without the headache. A less common aura consists of pins-and-needles sensations in the hand and the arm on one side of the body or pins-and-needles sensations around the mouth and the nose on the same side. Other auras include auditory (hearing) hallucinations and abnormal tastes and smells.
For approximately 24 hours after a migraine attack, the migraine sufferer may feel drained of energy and may experience a low-grade headache along with sensitivity to light and sound. Unfortunately, some sufferers may have recurrences of the headache during this period.

By Medicinenet