It is absolutely prime hay fever season, and there are so many things to do with hay fever. They can add to your headaches and migraines and lots of things that you may not have even known or even suspected. Let's go through some of them. 

When everybody thinks of hay fever, they tend to think of a runny nose or a really congested nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throat and those sorts of things. But sometimes hay fever can actually be a lot more subtle than that. 

If you've got some congestion, you can get some really mild congestion through your frontal sinuses up here, and it can make your breathing a little bit stuffier, but not as stuffy as you might think. If you try to take a big breath in through your nose, then it might sound a little bit more blocked, not super clear or alternatively, it might just feel more congested. It's not just a pure breath coming in and out, it will also be harder to breathe. 

When your frontal sinuses are blocked, you take your...

Everybody seems to be experiencing these symptoms recently. These conditions just popped up out of the woodwork and everybody that's coming into the clinic, or at least a lot of people seem to be experiencing this. 

If you're experiencing short bouts of dizziness, lasting for a couple of seconds, maybe 10, 20 seconds, that is particularly aggravated by movement. Like turning your head, doing a head check in the car, following the kids around the park, maybe bending over to tie up your shoe, laying in bed or rolling over in bed, those sorts of things.

A lot of people tend to think of this condition as like big spins, and that's how we can start off. But for a lot of people recently, they had that kind of experience to begin with, but after a week, two weeks, three weeks, four weeks later, they're not experiencing those big spins anymore.

They're experiencing more lightheadedness. When they turn their head,it feels like their head is taking a couple of seconds to catch up, like...

There's actually a significant difference between tightness and stiffness but what is that difference and what does it mean when it comes the time for your headaches and migraines ? 

People will always say “I'm really tight,I feel really tight through my neck, I feel really tight in through my shoulders” And a lot of people will have had a lot of massages or do a lot of self-relief. They'll use heat packs, they'll use spiky balls, they'll use foam rollers and yet they still feel tight. There's absolutely nothing wrong with doing these things. You want to keep your muscle tension really soft and you don't want to be tight, but why do you still feel tight even though you've done these things again and again? 

Well tightness refers to muscles. When muscles get tight, they're in a shortened state or alternatively they can actually be elongated. They're always being tugged so you feel tight. With that, you would do things like get massaged,  use a heat...

You're experiencing a bad headache, migraine  and all you want to do is lie down. Is this the best advice? Not necessarily. So let's go through it.

When you're experiencing a bad headache or a migraine sometimes all you want to do is just lie down, you don't want to move, you just want to get into your cozy positions and just stay there but is this the best thing for you?  Sleep can be really good for headaches and migraines. It can be fantastic and a lot of people can actually sleep off their headaches and their migraines so in that regard it can be fantastic, but if you were just lying down, sleep isn't actually restorative for you. You're not waking up and you're not feeling better or you're not actually going to sleep and you're just lying down, then the lack of movement isn't necessarily beneficial for you. 

The reason why is because the neck is actually implicated for a lot of people in their headaches and migraines so by lying down, you usually get into these ...

Whilst you would prefer to never experience a headache or migraine, if/when you do have one it is always helpful to have tools that you can reach for to try to help ease your symptoms. Here are Dr Beth’s (osteopath) top 3 oils/creams that you can apply to try to help ease your pain and symptoms of a headache and/or migraine. 

Magnesium oil! It is a topical solution that contains high levels of magnesium chloride, a form of magnesium that is easily absorbed through the skin. Applying magnesium oil to tight muscles of the neck and shoulders can be particularly helpful if they are contributing to your headaches and/or migraines. It is commonly used for its potential benefits for headaches and migraines, including:

1. Relief of muscle tension: Magnesium is known to relax muscles, which can help reduce headache and migraine symptoms caused by muscle tension.
2. Regulating neurotransmitters: Magnesium has been shown to help regulate neurotransmitters, which play a role in headaches...

We know that the neck is a major cause and contributor of headaches and migraines so let's go through some of the easy signs and symptoms that your neck could be causing your headaches migraines.

If you are a stomach sleeper and particularly if you do it all the time then that is a major sign and symptom. If you're waking up in the morning with headaches and migraines then that is a big sign that your neck is likely causing your headaches and migraines particularly if you're clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth. You get up and say 30 minutes an hour later then your neck is feeling better or your headache is improving then that's more of an indicator as well that's more likely to be your jaw rather than your neck but your jaw has a significant impact on your neck. There is a very big connection between the two and we'll be wanting to look at both of those if you're always stiff in through your neck.

• If you're always tightening through your neck and always...

It's Headache and Migraine Awareness Month, and it's the perfect opportunity to review where you are at with your migraine attacks and what additional things you can do to find more relief from migraine.

It's also important to know that you are not alone. There are many support networks out there for you, including the team here at Melbourne Headache Solutions.  

 If you are experiencing migraine attacks, then you know how debilitating they can be. That's why it's essential to work with a knowledgeable team about diagnosing and treating migraine headaches. This post will answer the most common questions that people ask about their migraine condition.  

 What exactly is a Migraine?

Migraine is a neurological condition affecting the brain, but it can cause symptoms throughout the entire body that can range from severe head pain, nausea and vomiting to temporary paralysis of parts of the body.  A migraine is classically described as an intense,...

Recent international studies have shown the average prevalence of tension-type headaches as 36% for men and 42% for women. With 23% of households today containing at least one migraine sufferer (6% of men and 18% of women). This has a huge impact on up to 60% of the sufferers and their family members who reported having to manage reductions in social activities and work capacity, on top of the pain.

Headache can have many causes or contributing factors; one of the most common being dysfunction of the Temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The TMJ and headaches can be complex in nature and if left untreated can lead to long term problems, such as migraines. Seeking the treatment from an expert is a must to get the right diagnosis, treatment and advice for your situation. 

Here are 5 questions you should ask yourself see if your TMJ is the causes of your Headache:

• Does your jaw feel tight?

Over activation and stimulation of the muscles of the TMJ can cause tension and...

Are you wondering how to stop these bad habits now?

When it comes to your jaw health, there are some daily actions that we all perform with our mouths that are not necessarily related to the obvious eating, drinking, or speaking. Some of these actions may not be the greatest thing to do if you are suffering from jaw pain.
Have a read below - and really consider trying to break these bad habits as they can cause discomfort to your teeth and temporomandibular joint (TMJ - jaw)

Bad habits you need to break to avoid TMJ pain:

1. Biting your fingernails. You may be completely unaware of this nervous habit, which means you could be biting your nails far more often than you know. Not only are you introducing a whole host of nasty germs into your mouth (yuck!) but you will likely be biting at awkward angles with your jaw to achieve a nice teeth-given manicure. To stop biting your nails, try to keep them trimmed, and use a flavored nail polish to help you stop biting. You can also...