I have a tremendous amount of feedback about the headache topic! Thank you to everyone!

Tension headaches... who hasn't had one? Actually, over 80% of all adults have had a tension headache. The fast paced, stressed, short on time and electronic dependent society has put most of us at risk for tension headaches. There is no genetic predisposition or vascular connection at all. The best researchers believe that it is do to poor rest and relaxation hygiene. What does that mean?

Often times we eat poorly, sit poorly, and sit in a stiff position for hours. This creates stress and tension in our neck muscles, back, and belly muscles. This will lead to overuse of these muscles, exhaustion, and decreased blood flow to the muscles in the neck. There is another school of thought that stress related activities such as jaw clenching, nail biting, and dehydration will alter the brain chemicals and lead to alterations with subsequent headaches. This type of headache usually is described as a tight band that wraps around your head and then radiates downward to the neck. It will often get worse throughout the day. These types of headaches are often made worse by overuse of OTC pain medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen. The real solution is to move around, stretch, and drink plenty of water. Break up desk activities into little segments and stay well hydrated. I have had people tell me that they don't drink much water because they don't want to have to do to the bathroom very much at work. This is very faulty thinking.

Tension and migraines are usually different because a migraine is often made worse by an increase in activity and also a migraine is typically associated with an aura or prodrome.

Now, we are going to talk about what so many of you have been asking for this week. I have enjoyed this topic. I am actually going to put this on my blog. So, check out www.DrHaendigesBlog.com and we will keep the conversation going. Remember, every Tuesday night, some Tuesday mornings and next Saturday the 20th, we are offering our weight loss seminar! It is coming on the Sunshine Season.

See you at the Blog,

Dr. Michelle Haendiges