Natural Remedies for Headaches

According to the National Headache Foundation, close to 28 million Americans know what it’s like to live and suffer from headaches and migraines.

Women suffer from headaches more than men and as many as one fourth of women sufferers have at least four headaches monthly.

Drug and grocery store health and beauty sections carry shelves of various headache medications guaranteeing relief ‘in as little as 15 minutes’ to these millions of sufferers. Today, many are choosing a natural remedy for headaches in hopes of relief.

Types of Headaches:

Even though you’ve selected a more natural approach to dealing with your headaches, it’s important to know which type of headache you suffer from:

• Cluster headaches: less common, occur over a period of time, for example an individual may suffer a headache up to three times in one day, but each day for a week or month (cluster period). Hence, the term “cluster” was adapted
• Migraine headaches: most common, extremely painful, often accompanied by light sensitivity, nausea and even vomiting
• Sinus headaches: deep pain usually felt in the cheekbones, bridge of nose, or forehead and usually accompany sinus issues

Natural Remedies For Headaches:

Natural simply means ‘not artificial’. When considering a natural remedy for headaches, this can include everything from the use of lemon juice in a tea to biofeedback. Let’s review a few:

• The fact that stress is a common factor among headache sufferers, stress management is highly recommended. Relaxation techniques have reportedly provided substantial relief to headache sufferers both male and female.
• Aromatherapy is the use of fragrances to bring about a sense of peace, relaxation, etc. Various fragrances such as sandalwood, peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender are most recommended when dealing with pain.
• Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese technique, helps by stimulating the body’s inner energy to fight off illness, pain, etc. It’s also covered by some medical insurance agencies.
• The use of hot or cold wraps may provide pain relief. Each person is different, so a little trial and error may be needed. Avoid extreme temperatures. The application of hot or cold towels or compresses to the back of the neck can help to alleviate a headache.
• There are as many types of massage as there are headaches. It’s important to not assume massage won’t work until you’ve done your homework and tried various methods. They relieve stress and tension, which is often a cause or aggravator of a headache.
• Dietary changes can effectively reduce headaches in some. Certain foods have been found to cause headaches. Foods such as chocolate, certain cheeses, red wine, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and citrus fruits. In order to determine if dietary change will work as a natural remedy for headaches, you will need to keep a diary of your eating habits and headaches.

Preventing Headaches:

There’s no cure-all when it comes to headaches. Over-the-counter drugs have their success, alternative methods have their success, but wouldn’t it be great if you could prevent headaches all together? Although there is no such cure, it’s important to pay attention to your body and your health. Don’t ignore headaches. Try to track down triggers. Keeping a headache journal may help you find just the right natural remedy for your type of headache.

This is a guest posting from Derrick Cruise at Eat Breathe Blog/
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