One client joked to me. “I do not remember whether I have a migraine headache because of depression or I was depressed about my migraine headache”
Joke or not, the idea that depression and headaches are somehow linked is not off the mark at all.
At first blush, one tends to reason, “Of course she’s depressed – she’s in pain!” This, however, is not the only reason.
One recent study showed that 67% of people who suffer from chronic depression (depression lasting longer than six months and generally not attributed to any one depressive episode, e.g., death of a loved one) also suffer from migraine headache.
It is just too high to ignore. One should remember that this study speaks only about chronic depression and not about migraine headache.
Another research shows that 40% of people who suffer from chronic depression also suffer from chronic pain like back pain or head ache. Does that mean depression causes migraines?
A person who experienced pain with depression did suffer from depression for six months on an average than with those people who did not suffer from depression. This is found through a study
Still other experts believe that many people (4 times as many women than men) report tension headache symptoms but it’s believed the headache is actually masking the symptoms of depression.
They both share the same platform. Still it is not clear whether depression causes headache or headache causes depression.
In fact, research showed that treating one condition with medication for the other did show some promise. Evidence suggests that both conditions involve serotonin receptors and transporters.
This is the part where I get on my “soapbox” and preach – be careful! Medications to treat both migraine headache and depression can have very serious side effects and can be largely trial and error.
In fact, the FDA has warned against combining certain antidepressants and migraine headache medications because it can cause a potentially life-threatening condition known as serotonin syndrome.
I do also suggest to speak to a professional about your symptoms. When you suffer from chronic headache or depression don’t be afraid to ask for natural treatment.
If you suffer from migraine or tension headaches, I highly encourage you to try my Migraine and Headache relief program. The all natural breathing and relaxation exercises are highly effective and results have been proven!
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Christian Goodman is a well known health researcher and the author of several revolutionary natural health alternative methods. One of his most popular breakthroughs is his natural migraine headache treatment. You can learn more about Christian on his natural health alternatives blog.
