Last week, we talked about aromatherapy as an alternative form of healthcare especially if you will be one of the 22 million uninsured or losing health insurance over the next few years. Today, I’d like to expand a little on how you can use both aromatherapy and holistic life coaching as additional tools in your healthcare toolbox when living with headaches or migraines.
When I talk with people during coaching sessions and aromatherapy consultations, there are several chronic conditions that people talk about and one of the bigger issues is headaches and migraines. Not everyone knows what is triggering their headaches or migraines, so I start asking questions:
- What changed just before your headache or migraine occurred?
- Have you tried going gluten-free?
- Have you tried going dairy-free?
- Are you eating enough?
- Are you drinking enough water? (Ooh – this is a biggie and a sore spot!)
- Are you under a lot of chronic stress?
- Do you tend to have sinus issues which turn into headaches or migraines?
- What does your sleep schedule look like?
Yes – I know, it’s a lot of questions and I don’t always ask all of them unless someone wants me to. Hey, I’m NOT a doctor, but if I ask you enough questions, maybe that will make you think about what’s triggering the headaches or migraine and possibly schedule a much-needed doctor’s appointment. With solid knowledge, you can make lifestyle changes to possibly lessen the severity, length and frequency of headaches and migraines and that’s why I ask so many questions.
If you aren’t sure what the symptoms of headaches or migraines are, (maybe it’s stress, maybe it’s a cluster headache) here’s a good explanation of the indicators from www.VeryWell.com.
Tension headaches occur on both sides of the head (migraines can too but are more likely on one side), and they feel like a tightening grip, almost like a rubber band is being stretched around your forehead and scalp.
Another key distinguisher between the two is that the pain of a tension headache is not as disabling as that of a migraine. A person experiencing a tension headache can usually go on with their day, but just feel a bit uncomfortable. Simple movements, like walking around their home or office, will not impact their headache, as it often does in the case of a migraine.
Sinus headaches and migraines are also commonly confused. In fact, the majority of sinus headaches are actually migraines. According to a 2007 study in Headache, 63 percent of patients who self-diagnosed themselves as having a sinus headache were actually experiencing a migraine.
WOW! Now you know why sometimes you don’t get relief from your headache when you take over-the-counter sinus tabs.
The Science of Aromatherapy
By the time clients come to see me, they’re frustrated, tired of the over-the-counter meds not working and frazzled with the pain. One of my case studies in aromatherapy school was a client with migraines – the kind that knock you flat on your back for three days at a time at least a couple of times a month.
I went digging to see what triggers headaches and migraines and HolisticHelp.net gives this explanation:
There are a variety of other theories out there as to other contributors or causes of migraine headache, including deficiencies in magnesium and essential fatty acids, abnormalities in calcium channels, hormones, abnormalities in the central nervous system, undiagnosed food sensitivities, inflammation of the maxillary nerve, overgrowth of Candida yeast, cavitations and environmental toxins, have all been found to be linked to migraines.
Combining Aromatherapy with Holistic Life Coaching
From a what-triggers-your-headache and holistic coaching perspective, my questions center around resistance, self-criticism and perfectionism. What area of your life isn’t up to your standards? Is there a particular area of life where you are resisting change (or maybe not going “with the flow”)? How’s your self-talk – critical and harsh or generous and warm?
I can feel some of you shaking your head and thinking just how ridiculous that sounds, but if you look at the doctrines of Eastern and Ayurvedic medicine you’ll see that they believe everything is connected – body, mind and spirit. What that means for you is that for every physical ailment you experience, there is an underlying emotional or spiritual cause.
Say whatever you want – Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines have been around for thousands of years so, comparatively speaking, Western medicine is brand new and does the opposite: quite often it disconnects the body from the mind and spirit and only treats the symptoms and not the cause of illness.
Each client receives their own personalized coaching as I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all programs. Together, we’ll shine a light on the underlying cause of your headaches and migraines and see how you can help yourself in this area.
To address your immediate symptoms, let’s talk about Headache Ease Aromatherapy Roller Ball. You don’t ingest any of the ingredients; you gently apply the contents where it hurts, i.e. your forehead, temples, sinus, back of your neck, etc. It can’t cure, fix, or heal because I’m not allowed to make any claims. However, Headache EZ directly addresses the symptoms of your headaches and migraines – that’s all I can say. You’ll find the ingredient list on the product page – many of the pure essential oils in the roller ball are scientifically proven analgesics.
Next week, we’ll talk more in depth about eczema and psoriasis and go into more detail about the cause and how to deal with the symptoms. For now, if you would like a short and sweet overview of aromatherapy and holistic life coaching, here’s a short explanation of how I can help you take charge of your overall wellbeing without insurance.
Let’s talk about your concerns – I don’t want you to feel like you’re alone – you’re not! You can easily book an aromatherapy session by going to the Contact page and filling out the short form. Do it today – get a head start on being your healthiest you!
As always – I am very grateful that you stopped by – thank you for spending your valuable time here.
Blessings,
Melissa
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Discuss any and all health issues with a qualified medical professional.
