(NaturalNews) At some point in one's life, a headache is going to cause some physical grief. The most common response is to pop an over-the-counter medication to relieve it. This will often eliminate the painful physical symptom, but it does nothing to help prevent the headache from happening again.

Since headaches can be caused from a wide variety of underlying problems, it's important to understand the main systemic disturbances that start the chain of events that eventually lead to a headache. Here are 6 causes of headaches and ways to take care of them naturally.

Stress

Stress is a major cause of headaches. People tend to carry stress in their shoulders, neck, jaw, and face, which causes muscles to contract. If this situation persists, it can cause chronic tension headaches. Stress can also be a result of mental or emotional factors that are related to pressure, regrets, and worries. Since the mind and body work together, these concerns can often result in headaches.

To help alleviate stress, consider meditation, yoga, massage, chamomile, and reishi.

Food allergies

James Braly, M.D., an allergy expert, says that 90% of all migraine headaches are linked to food allergies or reactions that are often caused by preservatives, colors, flavors, and other additives. Another study from The Lancet cited relief for 93% of migraine sufferers when allergenic foods were eliminated, which included the common offenders of cow's milk, eggs, wheat, and cheese.

To help alleviate food allergies, first consider allergy testing by your physician.

Environmental sensitivities

More than 12,000 substances and pollutants in the environment, headaches caused by chemical and environmental sensitivities are dramatically increasing. Whether it is pollen, mold, smoke, pesticides, plastics, perfumes, deodorizers, chlorine, radioactive fallout, or carbon monoxide, these substances are creating toxicity in the body that inevitably leads to headaches.

To help alleviate these sensitivities, incorporate several plants into your home and workspace, spend more time in nature, and cleanse your liver.

Dental factors

Tooth decay, gum disease, and low grade infections from root canals and old fillings can all cause stress in the lower jaw that can reduce circulation to the brain. This reduced blood flow can cause blood vessels to constrict, which produces a headache.

In addition, the cumulative build up of silver mercury fillings in the mouth causes acute toxicity that can easily result in headaches.

To alleviate dental problems leading to headaches, have a biological dentist assess your oral health and prescribe solutions.

Structural imbalances

A healthy musculoskeletal structure is imperative to good health. Without that foundation, the body will become susceptible to a number of different health problems, including headaches. External factors such as bad posture, improper shoes, and traumatic injury, and internal factors such as allergies, digestive problems, and hormonal imbalances, can all lead to misalignment in the spine and musculature, which affects how the entire body is supplied with blood and energy.

Digestive disturbances

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the head is viewed as a compact representation of the digestive system, which means that all headaches are linked, in one way or another, to the health of the digestive system.

According to Dr. Robert Milne, constipation, nutritional deficiencies, leaky gut (damage to the intestinal barrier that allows partially digested foods and chemicals into the bloodstream), and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) are a few of the underlying problems that can bring on headaches.

For more information on different methods of getting rid of a headache, visit the first source below. Check out the second source if you suffer from migraines.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.healingthebody.ca

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com

Trivieri, Larry. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Ed. John W.

Anderson. 2nd ed. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts, 2002.

About the author:
Derek Henry took a deadly health challenge that conventional medicine couldn't solve and self-directed a one-in-a-million health journey that found him happier and healthier than he had been in his entire life. As a result of this rewarding journey, he now spends his time writing, coaching, and educating thousands of people each month who want to enjoy similar results under their own direction.

Find out how you can reverse disease and thrive with a holistic approach.