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Now that you have a basic understanding of what design is all about, it is time to review some ways to bring your home together. You should always work to create a home that seems balanced. You do not want to decorate your home so that you feel you live in a chaotic environment. You can easily decorate and create positive balance by following the techniques outlined in this section.

You know you can buy inexpensive pieces to furnish your home. You can also mix and match. One key to creating a homey environment is to buy one or two key pieces you like, even if they are expensive, and complement the rest of the area you plan to decorate with simple items that cost much less.

Mixing and matching works well as long as you have some design element in mind. For example, if you want to mix antique furniture with some contemporary pieces, you can do so, just make sure the pieces complement each other in some way, or match the overall style you want to create within your home.

Two Basic Ways to Decorate for Success

If you look at interior design as a philosophy, there are two major ways to decorate. You can keep things clean, simple and streamlined (as one might if they wanted to use the principles of Feng Shui), or you can create a natural, upbeat and abstract environment that matches your personality.

Some people prefer to use exotic or fun pieces throughout their home to create an entertaining and lively environment. Others want to create a peaceful and tranquil environment. Still others buy pieces reflecting their cultural heritage. No one way is the right way, because everyone is different. How you decorate should reflect how you feel and who you are.

You may find you want an exotic theme or style in your bedroom or the family area, but tranquil and balanced in the living or home office area. You can mix and match, though most people tend to stick with one theme or another. Key to your success is your ability to have an open mind, and have fun.

Make sure you do not use too many pieces when designing. If you have the idea to place family photographs along a hallway for example, as a way to decorate your walls, do so, but do it simply. Try using the same frame style for all the pictures you use. If you mix and match too many different styles, you will create a chaotic looking environment.

Candles Decor

Some people decorate with candles and color alone. Candles come in many shapes, sizes, colors and scents. You can buy small tea candles for less than a dollar, or larger candles for $10.00. You can use candles to accessorize or candle lamps to substitute artificial lighting in your home. If you want an environmentally friendly home, you may want to buy organic candles.

The key to making candles work is finding proper holders for them. These you can find anywhere. You can buy sets of candleholders and use them to decorate an entire home, and save money by investing in more rather than less.

Just make sure if you plan to light candles, you replace them regularly. Tea candles are best used as lighting sources because they are inexpensive. You do not want to buy a $200 decorative candle and light it, having to replace it monthly. That gets expensive.

On the other hand, you can use the larger piece as décor in your home, and light tea candles to allow a pleasing glow and aroma. Most people find a combination of techniques creates just the right feel and appearance for their home. One word of caution - If you do buy candles, make sure you invest in candles that have safeguards. You do not want to burn down your beautifully decorated home. Always make sure you put candles out when you are done using them.

If you are sensitive to scent, try using unscented candles. Many candles come in powerful scents, so be sure you check the candle’s ingredients BEFORE you buy so you do not bring on an allergic reaction when decorating your home.

As you continue to use your imagination and adopt new techniques, you will find new ideas inspire you to change the look and feel of your home. When this happens, go back to your goal-setting list and create new goals for your home. Ultimately, this will allow you to create an expertly designed home any time you want, without spending a fortune.

Final Words

And now our journey must end. Now you have the basic tools you need to decorate the interior of any room in your home, or your entire home, working with any budget. Most of the tips and methods outlined in this guide will save you money. They will also provide you the opportunity to have a hands-on approach when decorating your home.

Make sure you follow the steps outlined in this guide.

Analyze your home.

Set a budget.

Use your imagination.

Ask friends and family to pitch in when decorating your home. Consider trying something new. Look at magazines and pictures and cut out those you like. Then try to reproduce what you see inexpensively. Use your personality when decorating your home, and remember, you can always refurbish that which you cannot buy new.

When you have an open mind and an able body, interior decorating on a budget is possible for anyone. Now it is time for you to get to work. Start analyzing your home and decide what room or rooms you plan to decorate, and then get to work!

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Chapter 3 Preventing Headaches

For someone who suffers from chronic headaches, headache prevention is like finding the Holy Grail. Rather than simply treating headaches once they start, is it possible to actually stop headaches from occurring in the first place?

The good news is that it is definitely possible to manage your headaches! No method of headache prevention is foolproof, but even chronic headache sufferers can often reduce the frequency of headaches and improve their quality of life.

Preventative Drugs

Many of the drugs used to treat headaches can also be used to prevent them.

Triptans, the most popular choice for treating migraines, are often used to prevent migraines.

Other drugs used to treat migraines specifically are blood pressure drugs called beta blockers or calcium channel blockers, as well as some anti-seizure drugs.

Antidepressants are given to prevent both migraines and tension headaches.

For cluster headaches, lithium, corticosteroids, and calcium channel blockers may stop headaches from occurring during a cluster episode.

Botox - Not just for beauty queens of a “certain age” anymore, botox injections have been shown to prevent migraine in preliminary trials. More research is currently being done to confirm the initial appearance of effectiveness.

Analgesics should never be taken to prevent a headache, due to the risk of side effects and rebound headache. These drugs should only be used as a treatment!

Natural Remedies to Prevent Headaches

As is true with medical methods of preventing headaches, many natural methods that treat headaches will also prevent them if used on a daily basis. For example, a few leaves a day of feverfew has been shown to prevent migraines as well as treat them. Additionally, ginger and gingko biloba may act as a preventative for headaches. Regular visits to an acupuncturist also seem to help in many cases.

One example of a supplement that does not treat headaches but does prevent them is melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the body’s natural clock. Many cluster headache sufferers have a low level of the hormone, and melatonin seems to help prevent cluster headaches from occurring. However, it will not stop a cluster headache that is already in progress.

Keeping a Headache Diary

Keeping a headache diary is perhaps the most important part of any prevention routine. A “headache diary” will allow you to keep track of your headaches and discover what triggers them.

For example, try to remember what you ate or drank the last time you had a headache. What was the weather like? Did anything stressful happen that day? Chances are, you don’t remember anymore, even if it was just a few days ago.

A headache diary is crucial because it allows you to write down all of the possible factors that could have triggered your headache. Then, you can begin looking for patterns until you isolate your own personal headache triggers.

Start by comparing your headache diary entry with the common triggers for the type of headache you are experiencing. If your headaches don’t seem to correlate with any of the triggers mentioned in the book, simply start looking for patterns. Look at your entry and for every day that you had a headache, think: What does today have in common with last time I had a headache?

If your headache triggers turn out to be something that’s easily avoided, such as a certain type of food, you can consider cutting the trigger out of your life completely.

Some triggers, of course, will be uncontrollable factors like stress, or the weather. While you cannot hope to avoid these types of factors completely, once you realize that they are setting off headaches you can take preventative steps as soon as you are exposed to the trigger.