Headaches, Migraines, Other Physical Symptoms
If you think your headaches and migraines are caused by stress, the Irlen Method may be able to help. Environmental factors can trigger stress. The Irlen Method eliminates the environmental factors that may be triggering your stress and causing your headaches and migraines. Stress headaches and headaches without medical cause may be related to light sensitivity and visually-intensive activities and eliminated with Irlen Spectral Filters.
About 18 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches. Only about half know what they suffer from. The others are treated ineffectively or not treated at all. Headache sufferers are typically the most misunderstood, misdiagnosed and mistreated group of patients in modern medicine.
Headaches can be a symptom of a more serious medical condition such as an aneurysm, brain tumor, stroke, TIA, meningitis, encephalitis, or high blood pressure. If you have any doubt about the cause of your headaches or migraines, contact your physician to rule out these possible causes. Although headaches can be very uncomfortable, most are not associated with serious illness. Treatment for these tension or “stress” headaches is often elusive and the individual is left to deal with the pain.
Sometimes families do not take their child’s pain seriously, especially when there are no medical or visual problems identified. These complaints may be seen as the child’s way of getting out of school or homework. The child may be thought of as having a psychological problem. When no one listens, the child soon learns to stop telling people. It is not that the headaches have gone away; the child just stops reporting the pain. The child feels as if s/he just has to live with the pain.
Different Headaches, Different Causes
The National Headache Foundation distinguishes 21 kinds of head pain. The most common type of headaches are called tension headaches and thought to be caused by emotional stress. The name reveals the lack of certainty about the cause and is viewed as having psychological rather than physical causes. Little medical advancement has been made for treatment in the last 15 years, and individuals learn to live with tension headaches.
The Irlen Method & Headaches
Many who suffer from tension headaches are unaware that environmental factors may be triggering stress. These individuals can be helped with the Irlen Method.
Other Causes of Headaches
Some of the other more common triggers of headaches or migraines are:
- Food Sensitivity. A variety of different foods can trigger headaches for those who are sensitive to them. Some of the more commonly reported food triggers are sugar, chocolate, cheese, red wine, yeast, dairy products, wheat, MSG, preservatives, additives, and food dyes. Remember, any food can cause headaches.
- Eating Patterns. Some individuals must eat small meals on a frequent basis or they feel sick or get headaches. Adults often wait until they have a headache before eating, and children often cannot eat as frequently as needed. It is important not to wait until you have symptoms and learn to eat every few hours. Carry food with you. Children need to have snacks at school, both in the morning and afternoon.
- Smells. Strong smells like perfumes, soaps, sprays, hand lotions, hair sprays, colognes, glues and markers used to write on white dry-erase boards can trigger headaches in some people.
- Noises. Loud noises and persistent noise can trigger headaches. Besides avoiding noisy situations, use soft ear plugs to help muffle the offending sounds.
- Hormones, allergies and sinus problems can also cause headaches.
WARNING: HEADACHES, MIGRAINES, AND OTHER PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS MAY BE DUE TO A MEDICAL CONDITION. CHECK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN TO RULE OUT ANY POSSIBLE MEDICAL CAUSES.