Sex?…..Yes, please, I have a headache!
A recent article in The Times weekend supplement on headaches listed the following as remedies that work:
Drinking Water,
Changing light bulbs
Meditation and Yoga
Being perfume free
Relaxation practices
Massage
Magnesium Supplements
Sex
Cut out cured meats
I would agree with all of this and go so far as to recommend these approaches not just for headaches but for improving your general sense of wellness and vitality. As an ultra marathon runner I take magnesium for easing my muscle recovery and aiding my sleep. I practice and teach mindfulness meditation and can vouch for the powerful effect it has on the nervous system, specifically the restorative parasympathetic side, which counters the essential but nevertheless damaging sympathetic stress response side.
The article was sent to me by a patient of mine who had just completed a series of six treatments for severe headaches, and felt she was exonerated for choosing to have massage rather than opt for purely prescription medication. Now I don’t believe that we can look at things in isolation. Headaches can have a multitude of causes, from structural changes to environmental and nutritional factors. The above list barely scratches the surface but what we can glean from it is the dominance of ‘stress’ as a major cause of restriction to our circulatory systems. Where there is a restriction, whether in our vascular system or our muscular system, there will be tension and a level of pain.
My job as a Sports and Remedial Therapist, Hypnotherapist, Mindfulness Coach and other body practices is simple: to reduce pressure and to alleviate tension throughout our minds and bodies. Through regular massage, learning how to breathe again in a structured and mindful way, making specific dietary and life-style choices we can free ourselves more and more from the ravages of stress and more importantly become more aware of the areas of our lives that cause unnecessary distress, and here’s the good part, we can learn to make considered changes and choices in our lives.
So why sex…..the perennial question? Well as the article explains, its simple, our bodies release powerful hormones during physical exertion which raise the heart-rate, one of which is endogenous morphine or commonly known as endorphins. Endorphins are part of the natural response to our stress or fight or flight nervous system, but only if we allow ourselves the opportunity to stop, recover or just slow down. However, if sex is not an option, then we can choose to introduce other ways to treat ourselves with more endorphins.
Why wait for the headaches or the pain or distress to make you look after yourself. Make changes now, reduce the elements in your life that just aren’t working for you, look at what induces stress or pressure, and see what you can eliminate or adjust.
I can help you do this. Whether you choose to have massage or other body treatments I offer, want to learn Mindfulness Meditation, or have some Hypnotherapy, you will learn new ways to be with your stressors: your thoughts, feelings and sensations.
For more information on the services I provide and how I can be of help to you, please mailto:simon@chelseanaturalhealth.co.uk
Simon is co-Director of Chelsea Natural Health Clinic
Hours: Wednesday 2-8
Saturday 10-6