Headaches are SO COMMON in Australia
Nearly all of us have experienced a headache at some point in our lives to some degree.
Headaches come in different forms and are incredibly common!
Tension Headaches, the most common form of headache, affect 7 million Australians (28% of the population). It’s estimated that at any given time, 15% of Australians are taking pain relief medication for headaches. Tension Headaches affect both men and women quite evenly.
Migraines, a more severe type of headache are estimated to affect nearly 500,000 Australians at least eight days each month and 4.9 million Australians (20% of the population) suffer from Migraines overall which is staggering! In comparison to Tension Headaches, Migraines affect females far more frequently than males with 71% of migraine sufferers being female! Yes, females are 3x more likely to suffer Migraines than males! Shocking right?
Headaches and Migraines affect people from all walks of life but there are definitely predisposing factors related to lifestyle choices.
Headaches and Migraines Can Cause Lots of Different Issues
Symptoms of Headaches and Migraines
Now, if you have been experiencing Headaches or Migraines, or even if you know someone (and studies would suggest that you do!) who experiences these issues then you would be too well aware that they can really cause a lot of issues!
Headaches, whether they be Tension Headaches or Migraines are simply painful! So many people that I speak to with these issues talk about how their headaches:
- Decrease their ability to focus
- Make them feel sick and nauseous
- Cause fatigue and lethargy and they spend more time sleeping or resting than they otherwise would
- Leave them incapable of working or training as physically as they really want to
- Make it difficult to engage in conversations and build relationships with people that they really would otherwise want to get to know more
Weighing Up Treatment Options for Headaches and Migraines
There are lots of different treatment options out there to relieve Headaches and Migraines and there are naturally challenges with each method.
Some treatment options like medications can be convenient and fast-acting, however, pose issues due to the short-term effect and side effects related to the repeated requirement to take pain relief medication for what can be a chronic condition.
Other treatment options like seeing a healthcare professional such as a GP, Physiotherapist, Chiropractor, Remedial Massage Therapist or Acupuncturist are fantastic options to get on top of the condition in the long run. The issue is of course that you need to actually get an appointment and build up momentum on the situation in order to achieve lasting results.
The shortcoming of seeking care from an expert healthcare professional is that it may not be effective for acute flare-ups of Headaches or Migraines which are extremely common for sufferers.
This is what leads me to share the exciting news with you today. A powerful treatment that we apply to relieve headaches and migraines FAST, effectively and with minimal side effects. What’s more, our patients can keep using this technique for 2+ weeks after we apply it!
Auriculotherapy – Something YOU Can Do at Home to Achieve Results FAST
I genuinely love educating patients on how to naturally improve their Headaches and Migraines and the impact that has for them!
I love helping Headache and Migraine sufferers regain mental focus in their lives, get back on track with their work or exercise regime and begin to thrive, loving life, no longer weighed down by a nagging, repetitive Headache or Migraine.
For Headache and Migraine sufferers, this often means being able to focus on day to day tasks. I’m sure that you can relate that there’s nothing worse than a nagging Headache distracting you from activities like playing with your kids or focusing on important work tasks!
If you’ve been suffering from ongoing Headaches or Migraines, keep reading because I have a hidden gem for you, it’s a system of treatment called Auriculotherapy or ‘Ear Therapy’.
It’s a treatment and diagnostic system that’s solely contained to your ear.
It’s easily applied to anyone’s ears!
It’s a technique that you can apply to yourself or others also with some simple guidance on where and how.
Prepare yourself because I’m about to dive in!
Auriculotherapy For Pain Relief
What is Auriculotherapy?
Auriculotherapy or Ear Therapy is based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that stimulates specific points on the ears surface to aid in alleviating pathological conditions throughout the human body.
The pressure on these points allows the body to send signals to the reflex centre of the brain to release neurotransmitters to elevate endorphins and relaxes the body which will then naturally alleviate pain.
YOU Can Apply Auriculotherapy Yourself
Auriculotherapy or Ear Therapy is commonly used alongside other modalities such as Acupuncture and Cupping Therapy.
But the beauty of Auriculotherapy is that it is also an awesome tool that you can keep in your self-care tool bag, and it is virtually free. Auriculotherapy is often performed by placing small-pressed beads on the surface of the ear, and once in place, all you have to do is press firmly for about 15 to 30 seconds. Don’t have ear seeds? You can press the Auricular points on your ears with a pencil, pen or even with your fingernail.
Three Hack Tips for Headache Relief
Have you had an unexpected headache that stopped you from participating in your favourite activities and all you wanted to do was lie down?
Wait for it… I am about to give you 3 hack tips that you can use at home when a Headache or Migraine starts to occur.
1. Point Location 1: This is a combination of 4 points, that all relate to upper neck pain and tension that contribute to headaches and migraines. To find these points, first of all, identify the ‘anti-tragus’ which is the fold of the ear that projects forward from the back of the ear directly above the ear lobe.
If done right, the sensation will be STRONG and will quickly diminish symptoms of pain related to Headaches and Migraines.
2. Point Location 2: When looking at the ear, you will see an oval-shaped depression at the top of the ear. Slightly above the tip of the oval-shaped area lies a point called Shen Men. Place ear seeds/pellets on the point of the ear or simply squeeze the point from either side of your ear with your nails and hold firmly for 30 seconds. Repeat as often as needed to relieve symptoms. Press and hold firmly for 30 seconds. Repeat as often as needed.
3. Breathing. Yes, you heard it right, regulating your breathing has a MASSIVE impact on your nervous system and this relates in a big way to auriculotherapy. Whenever we apply Auriculotherapy in-clinic, we always educate our patients on effective breathing techniques. Keep reading below and I’ll break this down for you!
Breathing Techniques Accelerate Auriculotherapy!
Your breath is also a powerful tool and can yield great results when used alongside auriculotherapy. Breathing techniques can be used anywhere to help manage pain, soothe stress, and calm restlessness.
Diaphragmatic Breathing is a deep breathing exercise that works by activating the parasympathetic nervous system which controls your body’s response to relaxation. The benefit of Diaphragmatic Breathing is that it also stimulates the Vagus nerve, which helps control heart rate, blood pressure and signals such as anxiety and pain!
How to Integrate Breathing with Auriculotherapy
- Get yourself setup for success by sitting/standing in an upright position (not hunched over) or you could also be lying down on your back
- With each breath, your abdomen should be expanding as you visualise breathing ‘into’ your abdomen and contracting as you exhale
- Take a deep breath in for a count of 5 seconds
- Hold your breath in for 5 seconds
- Exhale for 5 seconds and allow your abdomen to deflate to allow the breath out of your lungs
- Remain at full exhale for 5 seconds
- Repeat and for every round of Diaphragmatic Breathing, hold onto 1 of your ear seeds/Auriculotherapy points at a time to stimulate the effects
- Repeat the process on both points on each ear separately and repeat for 5 minutes to complete a round of Auriculotherapy.
- Repeat as and when needed
When it comes to enhancing the effects of breathing, it’s especially important to focus on SLOW, DEEP breaths to have a significant impact on breathing and take back control of your nervous system. 5 seconds per phase of the breath is recommended as a starting point but can be extended through practice when you are ready.
How Good Was That?
That was freakin’ awesome, wasn’t it?
An awesome hack to be able to help yourself wherever you are, whenever those symptoms start to hit.
Headaches and Migraines are extremely common and, in our experience, most people who suffer from them aren’t aware of how to effectively deal with them naturally.
Auriculotherapy is a great tool to have as you are able to use it anywhere and anytime. I hope that helps shed some light on the topic!
If you would like to learn if we can help you, please call our friendly team on (02) 4709 6727.
