Stress Headaches Are A Problem For Many: Find Out For Sure If They're Stress-Related



Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2009

by Jill Prince
www.strictly-stress-management.com

Have you recently found out, that your chronic headaches are related to stress? If so, you have reason to be unsure. In truth, any symptoms, which seem related to stress, need more probing because a stress headache diagnosis is not correct much of the time. Dr. David Posen (The Little Book of Stress Relief, 2003), diagnoses chronic stress with a checklist. Items queried include clenching of the jaw, teeth grinding, sore, tight muscles, and dizziness and, of course, headaches. It's no secret long-term exposure to severe stress can really cause you problems.

When stress is acute, however, your body will generate stress response hormones to help you meet the trouble head on. Your heart may beat faster and harder, your muscles may tighten up, your mouth may feel dry, you might get the sweats and you may develop a knot in the stomach. Headaches, however, are rarely associated with acute stress. With acute stress, the body needs to be alert, not suffering from headaches. In fact, if you didn't have this excited type of response to sudden danger or stress, you would probably need to be checked to see if you're even breathing.

However, when it seems your best efforts to control stress have had no effect on getting rid of the headaches, the reason is likely, that it's not stress causing the trouble? Headaches, like other symptoms, are often misdiagnosed. Stress seems to be a good place to put a whole range of symptoms that are challenging to understand. Many people, for example, are not aware that food allergies can cause headaches. Lactose intolerance (problems digesting milk) and wheat gluten allergy (problems digesting wheat) are two examples of food allergies that may cause headaches? It is worth your while to have a check up with a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) because a large group of people in North America don't suffer from stress headaches at all. Everyone, of course, needs to effectively manage stress, but it's not probable you will ever solve your headaches if they have nothing to do with stress.

I read a report, not too long ago, from an organic grain-growing cooperative (kootenaygraincsa.ca), which would make you shiver. The processes that manufacturers and growers do to the wheat we consume as bread and bagels and buns will shock you. No wonder, we all have headaches and other symptoms. It's amazing that's all we have. I can't imagine how many of us probably have Celiac Disease and if that doesn't worry you, I don't know what will. It's downright disturbing. So, go to a Naturopathic Doctor and find out if your headaches are caused by something else besides stress.

Paul Zane Pilzer, economist and author of the Wellness Revolution, discovered an interesting statistic. It seems less than 6% of doctors take courses in nutritional medicine while in school and once they begin their practices, almost all training is offered by drug companies. It is unlikely; you will be able to get an accurate diagnosis about headaches from your doctor unless he or she also knows about nutritional medicine. It's time you got a break from stress headaches. The best stress management program in the world isn't going to help you if you're treating the wrong condition. So find out for sure and start feeling better soon because stress really isn't as hard to understand as you might think.

Jill Prince, the Prince of Wellness, is the owner of Metanoia Wellness Corporation and she is the author and founder of http://www.strictly-stress-management.com and the Solving the Wellness Challenge(TM) Program. Through these companies, Jill teaches people how to solve all their wellness challenges using effective problem solving tools and techniques based on sound business and project management theories. Jill is, currently, a student in a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) Degree program through the University of Athabasca; a graduate of the E-Myth Worldwide Business Mastery Impact Program (2008); and a certified Team leader with Dr. Ray Strand's Healthy for Life Program.

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