Cheap headache killer you can learn

I was reminded by the comments of Curt Beil from the BVDN (Professional Association of German Neurologists) that I haven’t said nearly enough about one of the most effective, inexpensive headache treatments out there.  Beil was commenting on biofeedback (which I have written quite a bit about) and progressive muscle relaxation.  Of all the many relaxation techniques, he says, it’s the best studied, and works great with biofeedback.

There’s another reason why you often hear about these two techniques together – they were both pioneered by the same man:  Dr Edmund Jacobson.  He studied the nervous and muscle systems extensively, and believed that many disorders were related to muscle tension.

So if you have tension headache, migraine, or even just need to relax, this is something that you should take the time to learn.  A study from the summer of 2005 on relaxation training also confirmed the benefits of such training in children too.

Progressive relaxation training involves tensing and relaxing muscle groups in an organized way.  Though you should be cautious if you have back pain or other muscle problems, this is very safe even for children.  You can easily learn to do it by yourself (though some people prefer audio guidance as an additional aid, such as Carolyn McManus’ audio CD, Progressive Relaxation & Autogenic Training).  There are some excellent guidlines on progressive muscle relaxation here.  I suggest you visit the link and give it a try – it’s worth it even if your headaches or migraines are not severe.  I hope I can write more on the topic in the future (but right now I need to go and relax!).