Hypnosis  has been used as one of the oldest healing techniques since the ‘sleep temples’ of ancient Egypt. However, in 1955 the British Medical Association endorsed the practice of hypnosis and since that time it has been recognized as a valuable addition to conventional medical treatment, despite the popular myths of mind control incorrectly suggested by “stage hypnotism”. The therapy is also recognized by the American Medical Association and the American Dental Association.

There are two main approaches someone may take to hypnotherapy – either find a professionally qualified practitioner, or use self-hypnosis.  Some people find the latter approach less worrying because no third party is involved.

Your can learn self-hypnosis online, free, with Learn Hypnosis in 5 Days - a professionally created course. The first lesson of the free hypnosis course will be emailed to you immediately and then will then get further hypnosis course instalments every 2 days, and a monthly newsletter ‘Inspired Minds’.  Register right away for your free course.

NOTE: Contraindications for hypnosis

Your medical practitioner should always be consulted before you use hypnosis / hypnotherapy for migraine or tension headaches. Any pain is a warning signal from the body, and you should first check out with your physician that the pain of your migraine is not due to any other condition. In particular, hypnosis is contraindicated for anyone suffering from epilepsy, clinical depression, heart or breathing problems, allergies, psychiatric illness or anyone using recreational drugs.

Having recently enjoyed an Indian Head Massage, using a Christmas gift voucher from my son, I asked holistic therapist, Pauline McKittrick, from Really Good Life, for her thoughts on how Indian Head Massage could help migraine sufferers. Read her comments below. (And as a personal aside, I can vouch for the fact that my massage was an absolutely blissful experience!!)

Here’s Pauline, on “Indian Head Massage”:

Pauline McKittrick, Holistic Therapist. Really Good Life, Formby, Liverpool (UK)

I wanted to comment on how one of the therapies I regularly use with clients (Indian head massage) can support the prevention of migraines.

The Hindi word for head massage is champi or champisage, which is where the word “shampoo” comes from.

Families and barbers in India routinely used champi for over 4,000 years. The massage works on arms, shoulders, upper back, neck, scalp, eyes, ears and face and typically lasts between 20-45 minutes. A good therapist will tailor it to the client’s preference.

Clients are left with a sense of utter well-being, with tensions in the upper body, neck and head alleviated and a clear, calm frame of mind.

For migraine sufferers the main benefits are in the prevention of migraine attacks.

There is often a correlation between migraine attacks occurring and tension in the upper body, stress and anxiety, reduced blood flow to the brain, and disturbed sleep – all of which can be alleviated by Indian head massage.

Clinical trials on patients suffering with migraine showed an increase in serotonin levels following massage.  Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found in the brain that is important in reducing pain. It could be deduced that a relaxing massage can therefore help reduce migraine frequency and levels of pain.

Tension often reduces blood flow to the brain, which can cause neck muscles to tighten. Massage combats this, promoting blood flow and relaxing the neck. Massage also releases natural endorphins that reduce pain and promote a feel-good factor. The pulse is also lowered and breathing slows during massage, calming the body and mind.

I would not advise attempting to alleviate symptoms with Indian head massage during a migraine attack to  as the massage can be too deep.

Perhaps some gentle self massage may feel beneficial instead – using acupressure with thumbs gently in the hollows between the neck muscles below the base of the skull. Or try gently leaning your head back, breathing deeply while pressing between your thumb and forefinger with the thumb and index finger of your opposite hand for one minute, and repeat with the other hand.

Drinking lots of water is important after massage treatments, and also avoid tea and coffee for the rest of the day. This is often a trigger for migraine sufferers anyway.

Migraine prevention is, of course, better than cure. Massage isn’t capable of curing a serious illness like migraine – but it can provide welcome relief from the symptoms of anxiety, tension, depression, sleep problems and stress, as well as back pain, headache, muscle pain and some forms of chronic pain.

If, on reflection, you are feeling routinely stressed and think that this may be triggering your migraine attacks perhaps it would be helpful for you to find out more about stress management techniques or stress coaching, in order to change the situation that’s causing the stress in the long-term.

I hope this information is useful and if you try an Indian head massage, or some of my self-help tips, it will help promote your well-being and reduce the occurrence or severity of your migraines.

Please contact Pauline with any comments or questions.

To set the scene, Dr. Allan Gordon, Director of the Wasser Pain Management Centre and a specialist in the treatment and management of migraine pain, speculates as to why women are approximately three times more likely to be affected by migraine than men.

Many women will have observed that their migraines are linked to hormone fluctuations. As an example, one-third of female migraine sufferers will experience less pain or even a complete absence of pain during pregnancy, while for two-thirds of sufferers there is no change or even a worsening.

As one of the lucky group with no migraines at all during in my two pregnancies, I can vouch for the fact that this was only temporary respite and, as is usual, my migraines returned after pregnancy.

Although I prefer natural methods myself, many women take the route of conventional medication. However  this is undesirable when trying for a family, during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. It’s good, then, to see this article suggest some drug-free migraine management techniques.

Two large reviews of studies have found that people having acupuncture for at least eight weeks had fewer headaches than those who only treated themselves with painkillers when the headaches developed.

Should you decide to try acupuncture, be sure to find a qualified and registered practitioner. Your health professional should be your first port of call. We’d love to read of your results in comments to this blog.

Interestingly, sham acupuncture was as effective as real acupuncture at preventing migraines, and nearly as effective at preventing tension-type headaches. Sham acupuncture is where needles are inserted incorrectly.

The reviews were done by researchers in Germany, Italy, the US and the UK.

You can read the full article here.

Source: The Guardian (UK) Wednesday 21 January 2009

For more drug-free ways to treat or prevent migraine subscribe to a free mini-course at: StopTheMigraineMadness.com.

In my own case, bizarrely, it seemed to be relief after getting through stress that would bring on a migraine. For example, if I were preparing  dinner for visitors, I would handle all the preparations perfectly adequately and even enjoy the evening, but then when it was all over, a migraine would develop.

This is largely history now, but I still get the occasional stress-triggered headache when I take on more than I should.

So it was with great interest that I found a free email course of tips on getting more done in your day.

The course promises that within minutes of registering, you will:

• See your day with instant clarity
• Focus instantly on what´s important
• Dump the rest (liberation is a click away)
• Clear your brain of clutter and distraction

And after receiving just a few days of their emails I’ve already had great results.

Register below, free, and within days you can boost your productivity and reduce your stress.

I’ve been putting up a series of free subscriber emails giving information on migraine and food intolerance, one of the migraine topics that attracted the most interest, according to my website statistics.

While you are on that site, do have a look at the extensive range of other topics covered in my ebook.

Subscribe, for free, at : www.StopTheMigraineMadness.com

Personally I didn’t get much relief from pill-popping for my migraines. And today I bumped into an interesting article that could explain why not.

If you don’t get relief from your migraine medication read this article on why your migraine drugs may not work.

And then, considering the possible side effects of some medication, why not splash out on my ebook of natural, drug-free methods?

Please note, DO NOT discontinue any prescribed medication without the permission of your doctor.