“Headache” is probably the one word we hear most often from our clients. They can be caused by anything from poor lighting to lack of sleep, stress and anxiety, allergies, hunger, hormonal imbalance and poor posture.

How common is the headache? It’s now estimated that 14 million Americans experience some kind of headache daily. The stress headache, which is the most common with 30 to 80 percent of all headache sufferers experiencing them, is the one many of our clients most likely experience. They are caused by, well, stress and anxiety—although you can get them from any of the other issues we mentioned—and since our clients live in a fast-paced, busy, urban environment like New York City, with many of them also having demanding careers, it’s not too much of a stretch to think they encounter this type.

There are also vascular headaches and the most common kind is the migraine. A vascular headache is caused by sensitivity in the brain’s blood vessels; the arteries change size, spasms start and, before you know it, you have a throbbing head with nausea, vomiting and light sensitivity.

Massage

Massage can ease pain and anxiety, promote relaxation, reduce pain and improve the function of your immune system. It can help reduce pain, swelling and relieve muscle spasms. Massage also alleviates fatigue, nausea and depression. Since it increases those natural hormones that make us feel better, serotonin and dopamine, we sleep better and our heart rate slows; our blood pressure decreases, and our nervous system’s pain receptors get blocked. On the other hand, massage reduces stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, those substances that make our heart race and our blood pressure skyrocket.

There’s even more to it than that, though. Because massage relaxes people, sleep is enhanced and people manage their stresses better. Massage improves blood flow and circulation, so more nutrition is carried to the cells and toxins, waste products and pathogens are removed.

So, rather than running for over-the-counter medications, let massage offer a natural alternative to pain relief.

Typically, a combination of deep-tissue and acupressure techniques are used for headaches.Deep-tissue includes deep finger pressure and slow strokes; it is especially effective improving circulation and reducing muscle tension. With deep-tissue, we can focus on specific areas of the body to relieve pain and release stress; for instance, if you are also experiencing neck or shoulder pain or if you have some kind of posture imbalance.

We also apply acupressure techniques, gentle finger pressure, to various points on your head. It is believed that this therapy can help headache sufferers by calming muscle tension and enhancing blood circulation. Since acupressure re-establishes energy balance, it promotes and enhances self-healing of the body.

Headaches are often caused by poor posture and massage can correct this. If one or more of your muscles becomes too tight or slack then your posture will be affected and your body will compensate by using various other muscles. Eventually, this can become a permanent—and it could be why neck pain often goes with any type of headache.