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Headaches come in a variety of forms from tension headaches to migraines.  Causes include structural, hormonal and immune system imbalances, sinus congestion and one of the most common culprits – stress.

Whatever the cause, headaches  can be debilitating – wrecking havoc with the best of lives.

Here are some simple suggestions to get relief:

• Sit up straight -- posture has a huge effect on your health.  We spend so much time sitting in front of computers.  I recommend taking a small towel, a beanie bag toy, or anything soft and squishy and holding it between your upper back and the back of the chair you are sitting in.  Voila, this will keep your spine in alignment.

• Be mindful.  You always have the opportunity to take a moment to focus on what is happening in your body.  This may sound counterintuitive, but it helps to bring attention to pain.  Where is it?  What does it feel like?  You’ll find that pain isn’t constant, but rather a changing condition.  Picture the pain as an object.  See if tension releases as you focus on it.

• Massage the bones around your eyes.  This is a fabulous way to reduce the tension that you hold there.  Now move to your temples and then your jaws.  Use the power of touch to heal. 

• Wiggle your nose.  Open and close your mouth and eyes.

• If you wear glasses, make sure you have the correct prescription.
  

• Keep moving -- often energy will stagnate giving way to pain and irritability.  It's important to move to counteract this.  The weather is getting nicer.  It's a perfect time to get outside and walk, bike, and garden.  

• Massage the "headache point":

The most important thing is to begin to find relief.  On your calendar, write down the day and time of day when you have a headache. See if you notice any patterns.  Start practicing the above suggestions.  See if they make a difference.  Keep track of how you are doing.  By paying attention, YOU can become a healthier, happier person!

Oriental Medicine teaches us that we need to rest.   Our active yang side needs to be balanced by our receptive yin side.  Just as day turns into night, activity gives way to rest.  This is one of the primary rhythms of our lives.  Western science is finding evidence that this can be verified by studying the brain. 

Scientists have known that memories are formed and consolidated during sleep.  In addition, a study published in the journal, Science, provides evidence that waste products that accumulate in the brain are removed to a much greater extend during sleep.  Those zzzzs are truly important.

Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep.  For some of us, we just don’t allocate that much time.  In our fast-paced culture, it’s easy to burn both sides of the candle.  So it’s important to ask, “Am I allowing myself to get sufficient rest?”  If not, it’s time to take a look at your calendar and make some adjustments. 

• Spend a week writing down everything you are doing.  
  
• Review your schedule and place activities into three categories – essential items, items that bring you joy, and items that merely make the time pass.
  
• Remove items in the third category from your daily routine and replace them with additional time for sleep.
  

Other people are in bed at a reasonable hour, but have problems falling asleep and/or staying asleep.  Here are some suggestions. 

• No caffeine after 12pm.  
  
• Reduce your intake of sugar.  
  
• Only use your bed for sleep and sex.  
  
• Keep all electronic devices out of you bedroom.  Give those phones a rest.
  
• Stick to a schedule.  Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.
  
• If you have trouble falling asleep, count backwards from 100 to 0.  If you’re still awake, get out of bed and read for a half an hour.
  
• Try chamomile or lavender tea before bedtime.
  
• If your mind is buzzing with thoughts, take a pad and write everything down.
  
• I often use the acupuncture point, Kidney 1, located on the bottom of the foot for people who have trouble sleeping.  You can massage this point at home before bedtime.

Here's to sweet dreams!

Have you found yourself waiting for the perfect moment for life to begin? Are you putting off the things that truly matter to you for the day you lose 10 lbs, you get that new job, you meet the perfect partner? Here’s the secret: we only have this moment.

I learned this over twenty years ago when I was diagnosed with the not-so-well understood illness, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I had a sore throat, low-grade fever, muscle aches and fatigue like nothing I had ever known before. A walk across a room became an exercise in exhaustion. Yet, the illness turned out to be one of the greatest gifts I was ever given.

Let me be clear. This was not the type of gift that you ask for, for Christmas or your birthday. It’s not the type of gift you excitingly rip the wrapping paper off of thrilled that somehow your life – a least for the moment – is complete. It’s not tickets to the theatre or a night out on the town. It’s the type of gift you curse for ever having been given to you. All the same, chronic fatigue syndrome changed my life for the better, in ways I still can’t completely comprehend.

My journey began when an acquaintance suggested that I try acupuncture. I went for treatments and was blown away by this ancient, healing tradition. While it wasn’t a cure, I could feel energy moving in my body. I became more interested in Oriental Medicine and went back to school to get my Masters Degree. At the same time, I tried every treatment that I could get my hands on: herbs, homeopathy, nitroglycerin, shots of vitamin B12, intravenous vitamin C, special diets and nutritional supplements. The illness waxed and waned. Finally, I noticed that the illness had a seasonal component to it. It was worse during the winter. I invested in a 10,000 lux bright light and started taking a supplement called NADH. After using these for several months, the illness subsided and has never returned.

Even before this happy ending, my life had changed. I learned the following lessons, which I want to share with you:

• set limits on your time and energy
• rest when you need to rest
• listen to your body – it is always speaking to you
• ask for and accept help
• eat foods that sustain you
• get an appropriate amount of exercise
• choose the things in life that are important to you
• set simple, achievable goals

The most important lesson is to start living the life you want now. This doesn’t mean running a marathon, traveling to a Greek island or finding your dream job. It means being creative in bringing positive experiences and people into your life. It means finding joy in life. I love to cook and I love to ice-skate. So when all I had the energy to do was to lie on the couch I was sure be watching PBS’s cooking shows and figure skating competitions. The tools that I learned while I was dealing with chronic illness are the tools that I share with my patients and those I meet who are on the path to a healthier life.

Let me know about your positive experiences — the ways that you’ve made this day better for yourself.  Be inspired to live the life you want now!