8 Triggers to Migraine and Tension Headaches

By Dr. Scott Graves

Many common triggers exist as to what brings on a tension headache or migraine for someone.

Here are 8 of the most common triggers.

1. Stress

Stress is simply a catch-all word for experiencing negative emotions.  Some of the worst offenders being anger (irritation, annoyance, hatred, rage, aggravated) and fear (uncertainty, dread, panic, anxious, nervous). Tension headaches are the most common type of headaches and this is why it is critical to understand the consciousness of headaches and to learn techniques that can help you to let go of negative emotions from you system. This is the biggest triggers for headaches, but also one of the most poorly understood and managed.

2. Food – Poor diet

Many people don’t have their first meal until lunch time or after.  The average American only consumes 1-2 servings of vegetables per day. People eat out for lunch all the time, having fatty, salty and nutrition-less food every day. Consumption of white, refined and highly sugared foods are eaten in rampant amounts and this is one of the most frequent causes as to why people suffer with headaches and migraines.  I once had a patient who, when asked about how many servings of vegetables he ate per said, “none,” Organic vegetables are the most life giving and promoting foods that exist. A minimum of 6-8 per day is critical for restoring health. This is where juicing can play a powerful role in healing.

3. Food – Allergic/sensitivity reactions

People can have allergic or sensitivity reactions to almost anything in the food world.  In the clinic we actually have a way to reverse these reactions through using a technique called NAET (Nambrudripads Allergy Elimination Technique). Some of the most common food that people react to are what the Chinese would call Damp forming food such as greasy food, fried foods, bananas, all dairy products, peanuts, and white sugar. Excessive consumption of salty and sour foods can produce reactions as well. Sour foods eaten in excess are triggers that include yogurt, grapefruit, apples, lemons, limes, vinegar and some berries.

4. EMFs

Many people who are sensitive to light, noise and stress in their environment also have been finding increasing reactions to Electromagnetic Frequencies. I once had a woman with frequent headaches, who when asked about where she sleeps with her cell phone at night answered, “under my pillow.”  This is dangerous and should be avoided completely. Read more about how humans have not had enough time to evolve to be able to deal with the amount of electromagnetic frequency pollution that is now in our world.

5. Lack of (and excess) physical activity

Lack and excess of exercise is frequent cause of migraines and headaches for people.  People are more sedentary than they have ever been in the history of the world.  Even a half hour of brisk walking per day can do wonders for your health.  Exercise stimulants the production of feel-good chemicals in the body which can have a powerful effect on alleviating pain.

Alternatively, I have also seen many athletes, who are burning blood and yin from the body, which helps to keep the body in balanced health.  Contrary to common societal opinion, not all exercise is healthy.  Runners, who do more than 5-10 miles per day, are known to be susceptible to this problem.  Balance is the key to exercise; not too much, but not too little.

6. Excessive sexual activity

This actually can be a frequent cause of headaches mostly in men.  When a man ejaculates, what the Chinese call Jing (or precious substance – semen) is lost.  I have met men that ejaculate 3-4 times per day.  It takes a good amount of nutrition and resources for the body to make more semen.  When one is low on those resources to begin with, this begins to create imbalance (Kidney essence or Kidney Yang deficiency).  A humorous Daoist saying thus states, “Sleeping alone is better than taking 100 tonics!”  Translation: Stop having so much sex so that you won’t have to take so many herbs to restore your health.  As men get older, the rate at which they have sex should slow as well.  Your headache or migraine may actually be caused by having too much sex.

7. Overwork

People were not designed to work 60+ hours per week.  Rest is critical for balanced health.  Many studies also indicated that after about 45 hours a week of work, efficacy and efficiency tends to decline rapidly and people tend to make many more mistakes.  Overwork can cause the body to run down, perpetuating health problems.

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8. Toxins

Today, more than ever, we are exposed to more than 100,000 chemicals that didn’t exist over 100 years ago.  These chemicals enter our body through our skin, food, and water, clogging up and damaging our body’s ability to cleanse and heal.  Many of our cosmetics and personal products are loaded with disease-causing chemicals.  Many people need to undergo a serious detoxification.  Detoxification has made all the difference for me and many others.  You might seriously consider doing the Standard Process 21 day Purification Program.  No one has ever regretted doing this program, and for many it causes a revolution in their lives for the better. Other substances can help pull heavy metals and chemicals gently from the body as well.

Being aware of these causes and triggers of migraines and headaches can help you to identify where in your life you need the most help in order to start healing.  Many of these topics are just briefly covered here, but most information is available in the other posts written about this subject. I highly encourage you to start by making changes to your diet and learning the techniques to help you let go of negative emotions from the body.  Just these two things alone could make all the difference. If you are not in the Orlando or Altamonte Springs area, I do phone consultations that are just as effective as being here in the clinic.  Call 407-255-0314 and make an appointment today to start your healing journey.

Image: Pixabay, NB

This is part 2 of a series on headaches and migraines – read more from Dr. Scott Graves

Part 1: 10 Keys To Healing Tension Headaches And Migraines Naturally

Dr. Scott Graves ND, MA is a Florida-based Naturopath and Intuitive who specializes in Nutrition Response Testing, NAET, EFT, and Psychokinesiology. He offers free 15 minute phone consultations and is available for radio and TV interviews. Read his Blog here. Like him on Facebook.