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Natural Headache Remedies
Natural Headache Remedies
Many people suffer from chronic headaches. In fact, about 45 million Americans have regular migraines, cluster headaches, or tension headaches. Tension headaches are thought to be the results of muscle tension and tight muscles, although the real cause of head-aches is kind of a mystery. This is part of why there are so many different kinds of treatments available. Certainly pain is a response to something (or a lot of somethings!) out of balance in the body. It is up to you to find out where you are out of balance. Natural HeadAche Remedies: Pain is a signal of imbalance Natural Headache Remedies: Prevention Awareness; First you need to be aware of potential headache triggers. This is true if you suffer from muscle tension headaches, migraines, cluster or other types of headaches. Natural Headache Remedies: Take Good Care of Yourself Head-aches are more than likely the results of multiple factors, so it is in your best interest to be as strong and healthy as you can. Natural HeadAche Remedies: Prevention
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1. Be sure to get enough sleep
2. Watch your posture-sitting for a long time in the same position (like me glued to the computer terminal!) can cause muscle tightness and can also result in headaches. 3. Try to reduce your stress response as much as you can. Stress in the body can be deadly. 4. Eat as healthy as possible. Good nutrition is a requirement of a happy, healthy life. I've devoted many pages to helpful tips. Find what works best for your body. 5. Find joy, peace and happiness in your life. Anger, anxiety, worry and negative thoughts will show up in your body. If you are feeling a lack of joy and peace, check out the pages on spirituality. 6. Stay active: find some kind of physical activity you enjoy. Be sure and have fun. 7. Try yoga, meditation or some other 'mindful' activity such as prayer. 8. Watch for eye strain. Eye health is very important. You may have to step away from the computer screen! 9. Excessive noise and bright lights are triggers for some. Watch for this. You may be sensitive to this, also. 10. Treat yourself to a massage or a series of massages. Massage is great for the body in a variety of ways and can also be very soothing. 11. If you have access to a hot tub, this can be very therapeutic. We invested in a good one, and we have never regretted it. 12. Acupuncture and acupressure can help to prevent and treat head-aches. |
Natural Headache Remedies Treatment
There are a variety of medications prescribed for headache relief from migraine medicines like triptans, anti-inflammatory medicines like aspirin, tylenol and so on, opiods like hydrocodone, blood pressure medicines such as beta blockers, antidepressants and some natural medicines.
Willow Bark is eventually changed to salicylic acid (aspirin) in the body. That sounds good, but it would take a lot of Willow Bark to get the same benefits of your typical dose of aspirin. It is probably better to just take an aspirin.
Caffeine is actually in many over the counter head-ache remedies. It does help make the anti-inflammatory medicines work better. Does that mean you can go out there and drinks lots of caffeinated sodas or coffee? No, because excess caffeine can actually cause head-aches at the time and when you try to slow down (wean off) the caffeine. It can also lead to depression and anxiety. Not a good combination! If you get head-aches and consume a large amount of caffeine, cutting back or stopping this might be your cure!
People with low magnesium levels in their bodies may benefit from added magnesium. This is usually given intravenously (into the vein) though, and that introduces a whole new group of risks.
Peppermint oil is sometimes used topically-applied onto the forehead, neck or temples, for instance. Don't use this with infants, small children, and be aware that it can cause some lung problems if you get it too close to your nose and breath it in.
Capsicum shows some promise when used in products that put it inside the nose. The real downside for many people is that it really burns in there.
Natural Headache Remedies
Prevention
Whatever you try for prevention, be sure and try for at least 2-3 months. It may take that long, so be patient. Feverfew, Ribflavin, CoEnzymeQ10, Magnesium and Butterbur may be helpful, but there isn't really enough research out there. There is promise, though!
Melatonin might be helpful for those who suffer with cluster head-aches so long as you don't get the cluster headaches more often than every two weeks or so. You'll have to take more than the usual 2 mg at bedtime, though. It looks like up to 10mg might be needed. 3mg a night might be enough to prevent migraines in people who only get them occasionally.
You may start hearing more about fish oil for migraine prevention. Fish oil is recommended for a lot of problems. It doesn't look like it is as helpful as once thought it might be.
Natural Headache Remedies
What Should I Do Now?
1. Try everything you can to be as strong and healthy as possible-take a look at the list above
2. Be sure you are evaluated by your health care provider for your headaches and talk about any herbal or over the counter remedy you are interested in. Be sure your health care provider is fully aware of all the medications you take-prescription, herbal and over the counter.
3. It will be helpful to keep a diary of food eaten, activities... and your headaches. This might help to point out triggers you weren't aware of.
4. Have patience. Most treatments are not instant. Some of the prevention remedies may need a 2-3 month trial.
Disclaimer: Material provided on Naturally-Holistic.net website is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. Always take the advice of your health care provider before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program. We will not be liable for any complications, or other medical accidents arising from the use of any information on this web site.
