Q:Could you tell me any good "treatments" that I can do alone that won't impair my cognitive ability?

Three years ago I was hit by a car, me on a bike, broke my colar bone among other things. Now, I get occassional tension headaches. I was prescribed Vicodin for them, however I

am home alone with my toddler and infant. I know it's not a migraine because I've had those, too. I took a shower to try to relax, but still have the headache and it's made me

nauseaus.

(My husband is in Iraq - I used to drink a glass of red wine and have him rub my back and shoulders, that usually did it.) Please note, I can't afford to go out and pay for a

massage, and I am still nursing.

A:Do you have medical insurance? Most insurance companies recognize the benefits of chirporactic and massage now and cover those things. Check into this and get lined up with a

good chiropractor- make sure he is doing healing therapy and not just temporary relief. Sometimes insurance will pay for massage therapy if referred by a chiropractor or general

practitioner. Just ask your doctor to prescribe it.

in the meantime, cayenne pepper is a good natural remedy for pain, put some in some grape juice and you will barely taste it.
Epsom salt baths are good, take one or two a week, they are relaxing, will help with pain and help you get essential magnesium into your body

You could pump a bottle or two first that might help. It also used to help if you could do some tension/relaxation exercises. Try making a fist and holding the fist real tight

for 30 to 45 seconds. Then let it start to relax very slowly. Do it 3 or 4 times, and then move to the arms, make them tense, hold, slowly release, then the shoulders, sort of

shrug them and make them tense and hold hold hold, and then slowly relax them. You can also do this with all the muscles in your face. It also helps to use either a cool or hot

compress on the eyes and temples. Temperature is a personal choice. When the compress is in place, slowly massage your temples. If you can do this in a quiet, dark place it

helps. If none of this helps, maybe someone from your family or a close friend could come and massage the neck and shoulders very gently for you.