Developed in the early 1980s by neurologists at Loma Linda University in California, this technique has successfully ended chronic tension headache in 90 percent of sufferers.
The tension technique is simplicity itself. You merely sit upright in a chair and:
1. Turn your head to the left as though looking back over the left shoulder.
2. Place your left index finger on the right cheek with palm and thumb under chin. Very gently, push the head to the left.
3. Simultaneously, place the right hand on top of the head with the middle finger touching the top of the left ear.
4. Very gently, exert pressure with your right hand to pull the head down towards the chest. Just before you feet any discomfort, stop at that point and hold for ten seconds. Then release.
5. Repeat on the right side.
6. Repeat twice more on each side for a total of six neck stretches, three on each side.
Be very gentle. Do not push or pull hard or force anything. Simply apply very gentle, steady pressure and do not go beyond the point where discomfort begins. Should you experience any pain or discomfort, or feel dizzy, discontinue the technique.
Neck stretching was developed after neurologists discovered that taut neck muscles are the mechanical cause of most tension headaches. As you exert gentle pressure with your hands, you should feel the taut muscle and fibrous tissue in your neck being stretched and released.
To relieve chronic tension headache, one series of six neck stretches as just described should be done once every two hours during the day. After the headache is relieved, neck stretching can be continued twice a day as a prophylactic measure. The complete technique takes only two minutes to accomplish.
Headache clinics report that most people with chronic tension headaches usually feel much better after only a single week of neck stretching. And within three months, all but the most stubborn cases have usually disappeared.
Neck stretching can also provide quick relief from acute tension headache—the occasional tension headaches experienced by millions daily. It has also helped victims of common migraine.
Alternatively, any combination of neck rolls, or moving of the head from side to side, or up and down, or turning from left to right and vice versa, plus shoulder shrugs and shoulder rotations, can benefit tension headaches. However, people with arthritis or stiff necks may prefer to use massage, brushing, or heat or cold treatment.
*65\30\4*
