This article discusses what causes headaches and what you can do to reduce your risk for getting them.

Causes of headaches
At some point in life, 90 percent of the population has suffered from a headache. The reason is that the lifestyle factors that led to headache may be as old as recorded history: improper nutrition, lack of physical activity and stress. (A small number of headaches may be due to estrogen imbalance after menstruation.)

Whatever the cause, like any pain, headaches are an early warning system that something is wrong. Your body gives you pain to get your attention. That is why just treating the symptom will not take away the underlying cause. If you want to kiss headaches good-bye, plan to change your lifestyle. In the meantime, you'll find some self-care measures below.

Specific actions to take for headaches.

1.Identify and eliminate substances and situations that trigger headaches.

*Factors that can precipitate a headache include food allergies, emotional changes, low magnesium levels, intense emotions such as anger, hormonal changes (menstruation, ovulation, birth control pills), exhaustion, poor posture, eyestrain, withdrawal from caffeine, and/or muscle tension. Migraines are often due to food allergy.

*According to the Annals of Allergy, the most common allergens causing headaches are milk, aged cheeses, chocolate, food additives, wheat, citrus fruits, overripe bananas, sauerkraut, smoked or pickled meats and fish, cold cuts, hot dogs, sausage, liver, beans (lima, soy and fava), lentils and peas, sourdough and yeast breads, bouillon cubes, soy sauce (and other foods containing MSG), nuts, peanut butter, colas, coffee, tea, artificial sweeteners like Aspartame (Nutrasweet), fish, tomatoes, cheese, wheat gluten, beer and wine. Avoid these foods to reduce headaches and don't skip meals. You need a balanced amount of glucose in your blood.

*One good technique to identify foods and environmental triggers for your headaches is to keep a Headache Diary for at least a week. A month is better, especially if you have infrequent headaches. Write down the date and time of each headache. Describe what you ate, thought, felt, and the circumstances surrounding it. As information about your headaches accumulates, you will begin to notice patterns.

*Some people get headaches when they feel intensely angry, others after they eat foods to which they may be sensitive. Each person is unique and you will have to find the source of your headaches. Once you do, you can take immediate steps to ensure you change your lifestyle.

Tension-type headaches usually occur in the context of stress, either environmental (loud noise, heat, bright or flickering fluorescent lights, perfumes, strong odors, second hand cigarette smoke), motion (travel, athletic activities, complex moving visual patterns, weather changes), smoking, drugs (nitroglycerin, hydralazine, reserpine, diuretics, anti-asthma medications, over use of pain medications), head trauma, medical tests, excess exertion (sports, sexual orgasm), neck disorders (arthritis, disk narrowing), or interpersonal events (arguments, anger, guilt, etc.) Try resting in a darkened room and listening to a relaxation tape. Eat foods and drink drinks that are room temperature.

2. Increase your intake of magnesium to reduce headaches. Low magnesium levels can lead to daily headaches according to studies in Perspectives in Biological Medicine and Headache. Having a mitral valve prolapse may put you at double risk for migraines because you probably have low magnesium blood levels.

*Good food sources of magnesium include fish and seafood, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, cantaloupe, figs, garlic, lima beans, green leafy vegetables, kelp, millet, nuts, peaches, black-eyed peas, salmon, seseame seeds, soybeans, tofu, watercress, and whole grain bread and cereals.

*A study in Cephalalgia found that participants in one study who took 600 mg of magnesium (as trimagnesium dicitrate) daily for 12 weeks had 41.6% fewer headaches than those in the placebo group. Adverse events included diarrhea and stomach irritation, which is why it's preferable to use food sources. If you do decid to take magnesium tablets or capsules, start by taking 600 mg of magnesium citrate, aspartate or chelate in divided doses to treat both your headaches and your mitral valve prolapse.

3. Avoid drug-induced headaches.

*According to a review of clinical studies, 70% of patients with chronic daily headaches may suffer from drug-induced pain. Withdrawing the medication resulted in decreased frequency and severity of headaches, increased well-being, enhanced sleep patterns, and a reduction in irritability, depression and lethargy (Headache).

*A study reported in Advances in Migraine Research and Therapy found that sufferers of migraine headaches who took more than 30 pain tablets a month had twice as many headaches as those who took less than 30 pain tablets.

*In another study, patients with daily headaches were told to stop taking pain medication. A month later 66% were improved and by the end of the second month 81% were improved (Cephalgia). If you take a large number of analgesics (Advil, Aleeve, Motrin, for example) and have migraine headaches, the medicines you are taking may be causing them. Many headache medicine also contains caffeine or a sedative. Eliminating these drugs can lead to withdrawal symptoms (nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, restlessness, sleeplessness and anxiety), but they won't last for more than 24 to 48 hours.

*Withdrawal of the drug ergotamine can also produce rebound headaches. Since most migraine headaches do not occur more frequently than every few days, you can be sure that you are having an ergotamine rebound effect if you experience daily headaches.

4. Try herbs to reduce headaches.

Use herbs carefully and only short-term. They are potent substances.

* Feverfew is a herb that shows promise. A study published in Lancet found that feverfew was associated with a reduction in the number and severity of migraines and in the degree of vomiting. There were no serious side effects.

* Apply a topical ointment with cayenne in and around the nostril several times a day. Use a little and be aware that it burns a little at first.

* Try a couple of sprinkles of ginger in a glass of water or take a ginger extract. Repeat every two hours as needed.

* Gingko, 50 mg, three times a day with water or as a tincture might help because it increases circulation to the brain. Check with your pharmacist first to make sure it won't interact with any other medications you're taking.

* Try skullcap tea.

* Drink room temperature valerian tea, take 200 mg valerian capsules or take as a tincture.

* Take 750 mg willowbark up to three times daily. It can also be taken as a tincture or tea. It ontains the same active ingredents as aspirin but has none of its adverse effects.

* Massage the affected area with a l0 percent solution of peppermint oil.

5. Take complete breaths to reduce headache.

If you're like a lot of people under pressure, you're breathing in the upper part of your chest. Give your brain the oxygen it needs by learning how to breathe from your abdomen. Please your hand at navel level and gently try to push that hand out every time you exhale. Put reminders around you to "breathe in your abdomen." If that doesn't help, take a yoga or meditation class to help you slow down and breathe right.

6. Set reasonable limits on your activities and responsibilities to reduce risk of headache.

Feeling overstressed can make you tighten up your muscles, cut off your blood supply to neck and shoulders, and bring on a headache. Consider professional time management or counseling to help with this.

7. Get adequate rest to reduce headaches.

Fatigue can bring on headaches and so can too much sleep.

8. Use ice.

Wrap an ice cube in a thin scarf and slowly stroke along the painful areas.

9. Rotate your neck every hour.

Headaches can result from neck and shoulder tension. Prevent them by gently rotating your neck from side to side and shrugging your shoulder to break the tension you are holding in your muscles. Do this at least every hour and more frequently if you are sitting at a monitor or holding your head still.

10.Try relaxation/self-hypnosis for headaches.

Hypnosis has been shown to be effective for adults and children.

11. Try massage to treat headache.

*Massage the area below the bony ridge across the back of your head above and to the left of the spinal column. When those muscles go into spasm (from stress or lack of magnesium), histamine is released, stimulating the sinus linings to overproduce fluid. The swollen membranes swell shut and pressure builds up. Massaging these muscles gently can relieve spasm and reduce swelling, thereby reducing headache. Use 6 strokes across the muscle, then tap the muscle 6 times. Repeat until muscle relaxes.

*Another spot to massage is the point between the outer corner of your eye and the outer end of your eyebrow. Your finger should rest on a ridge of bone---the outer edge of the eye socket. Move only a finger's width toward your ear and you'll find a small hollow. Massage there.

*If you can reach, also massage your big toes. Twirl them, pinch them and use your fingernails to press into the top of the toes. In reflexology the head is represented by the big toe, so massage well in the spot where your headache would be.

12. Take a B-complex supplement that contains all the B-vitamins several times a day or at the first hint of a headache.

It will improve your mood, too.

13. Take more essential fatty acids (EFAs) including salmon and Evening Primose Oil (EPO), anti-inflammatory substances that can relieve headache. Find EPO at your health food store. Eat fish for your protein source frequently, especially the oily varieties like salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel.

14. Try biofeedback for headache .

A study in Functional Neurology reported that participants who had biofeedback first (before cognitive therapy) had better results. The biofeedback helped them recognize the influence of their thoughts and emotions on their headaches and prepared them for successful cognitive treatment.

15. Consider chiropractic for headache.

In a study reported in the Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapy chiropractic treatments reduced the number of headache hours per day by 69% and headache intensity by 36%, compared to the group that received soft tissue massage for their headaches.

16. If you get headaches after your menstrual period, they could be due to an imbalance in estrogen. See if eating more phytoestrogens (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, flaxseeds) reduces your headaches.

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NOTE: This article is for information purposes only. For medical treatment be sure to consult with and share your self-care choices with your health care practitioner.