Everyone would have experienced some form of pain in their head without physically inducing it. This usually is called a headache. A headache is one of the most common health problems. Everyone, at any age, can experience it. Like most thing, there is different degree and type of headaches. Some need medical advice, and other is within our control. As we all know when we take medicine often enough we are at risk of getting immune to that drug and hence opt for a stronger drug. Overuse of aspirins or other drugs can lead to loss of effectiveness and side effects. But luckily there are natural ways and natural medicines that can help us ease, reduce and prevent headaches.
What is Headache?
A headache, as we know, is a popular disease that everyone, at every age, can face with. A headache is a pain in the region from the head or upper neck of the body. The pain may be dull, intermittent, sharp, constant, throbbing, mild or intense. Frequent headaches can affect relationships and employment.
Many causes lead to this disease such as the change of weather, of living environment, stress, lack of sleep, using alcohol or problems with pain-sensitive structures in your head. All of these reasons can make you feel weak, vulnerable, uncomfortable and out of energy. You will have a bad day if a headache comes along with you and prevent you from doing your work. The classification system launched by the International Headache Society in 2013 states three main types of a headache:
Primary headaches: the most common type of a headache. This type is “simple” and “benign” as they originate from problems with muscles and nerves of the head or neck and not from underlying health issues. Migraines, tension and cluster headaches are typical headaches of this type.
Secondary headaches: this type of a headache is more dangerous as it is the symptom or sign of another disease, with the range being from a common disease like a painful tooth to fatal conditions. Abuse of substance or alcohol is a big cause of secondary headaches.
Cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches: this type specifically indicates the inflammation of the nerve responsible for transporting sensory signals from the head and neck to the brain and vice versa.
Understanding these major kinds of a headache can aid in the diagnostic and determine the degree of the problem. If there is any sign that your headache has anything to do with underlying disease (such as if it appears more consistently, gradually worsens or accompany fever), you need to contact your doctor. And you can try and apply some natural medicines to help ease a headache, in case it isn’t anything too serious. These natural medicines can also prove to be beneficial in the prevention of headache-causing diseases.
12 common natural medicines can help you to treat a headache
Drink lots of water
One of the main reasons that give you a headache is firmly believed to be dehydration. This is because the body has a fast reaction to dehydration by signalling this through giving itself a headache. So, let’s try water as the first treatment for your a headache. Also, according to many studies, water can help ease all kind of headaches. Drink 8 – 10 cups of water daily to keep your muscle relaxed, keep your brain hydrated and overall reduce stress on your body. If you get a chronic headache, try to keep this simple method about more than three months, and then you will see the difference.
Water: wonderful treatment for your headaches.
Stay relax and try to reduce the stress level
Stress can be the major reason for a lot of health problems and headache is one of them. Stress can make your muscles tighten continually, make them overact and the thing to blame for your lack of sleep. Unfortunately, all of those are the causes of a headache. Let go of all stresses is the way to a better life. Let’s try your best to maintain a positive mindset, find time for yourself to leave all the worries about your work, your family, your relationships behind and enjoy many beautiful things in your life. It will be hard and take much effort, but at least there are concrete things you can do to lessen the effect of stress on you. For example, take a short walk in the morning, under early and lightly sunlight to get more fresh air and relax your brain before going to work, or you can decorate your work office with many colourful, beautiful things. Do anything as long as they make you comfortable and feel content. Those small changes can decrease your stress level and give you less headache.
Take a walk to decrease your headache and make you feel better.
Take a warm or hot bath
When you have a headache, all you have to do is take a warm bath. Surround yourself with warm water can help your body, your brain and your muscles, including the ones in your head and neck, relax and release all tension, allow them to have a rest after a hard – working day. This warm bath with making you calm and feel comfortable, which will cause your headache will go away after that. This kind of therapy is known to one of the most effective natural medicine.
Essential oils
There are two essential oil the aid your headaches. There has been researched on peppermint and lavender essential in easing your headache and migraine.
A Christian Albrechts University in Germany has shown that Peppermint soothes the skin and muscle contraction, and it stimulates and increases the blood flow to your forehead. By combining peppermint oil with ethanol make this combination a more power headache treatment. It does not just give you mental and muscle relaxation but also reduce pain sensitivity and this case headaches pain.
The School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences studies result show inhaling lavender has healing benefit. Inhaling lavender for 15mins has proven to reduce the headaches. Lavender has a natural soothing note, it improves stabilise one mood, it’s calming and tranquillising. This quality promotes headaches reduction.
Massage has benefits to decrease stress, relax your muscles and is good for blood circulation. You don’t need to go to a spa to get a massage, at home, you can do it for yourself. This is known as one of the most famous natural medicine to help to ease headache pain. All you need to do is add 2 drops of essential oils that you like on each side of your temple and your forehead, and then use your fingers to massage them about 20 seconds in a circular movement. Repeat this progress at least 5 -7 times to gain the best result. You also can try to do it with the whole of the scalp.
Posture or spinal correction
Sometimes when your spine is not aligned this can trigger headaches and migraine. Have aligned spine help relieve stress on your body. Clinical studies have shown that those who had spinal manipulation therapy through a physiotherapy or a chiropractor result show that 90% reduced their headache and 49% express that their headache intensity has reduced. This indicates that alignment of our spine can reduce a headache. There is some tension in your body that produce migraines when your spine is not aligned.
Supplement intake
Vitamin B complex
Vitamin B complex is a supplement that has shown to reduce a headache and migraines occurrence. Vitamin B complex is a form of neurotransmitter. The composition of vitamin b complex like thiamine, riboflavin(vitamin b2) vitamin B6 and B12, pantothenic and etc allow it to improve the brain circulation, immune system and cardiovascular health. It opens up the blood vessel to increase the blood flow reducing the blood pressure on the brain. The component riboflavin has been found to reduce the frequency and intensity of the headaches.
Feverfew
The Postgraduate Medicine and Health Science UK have shown that consuming feverfew decreases the occurrence of headaches and migraines. Its also help decrease and eliminate the symptom of migraines like pain, nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity and noise. It is recommended to take 50-100mg per day to get the effect.
Choosing natural supplement is ideal for your health
Butterbur
Another supplement that will help with your headache is butterbur. This herb target specifically headache and migraine inflammation. What is significant about this butterbur is normalise the blood flow to the brain by relieving the heart stress and normalising the heart rhythm, hence flow to the brain. A study by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine has shown consuming 75mg of butterbur twice a day will reduce migraines and headache.
Butterbur a herb that tackles migraines
Use an ice pack
Placing a thin towel full of ice inside on your forehead will help you to decrease your headaches temporarily because it takes the focus of your brain from the pain to the cold sensation. Also, it also helps to shrink blood vessels and improve blood circulation to the brain area. Applying this progress in 10 minutes and repeat it until you get relief and feel better.
Drink water lemon with salt
As previously mentioned, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance in the body are known as the reasons for headaches. There are many methods to treat this and drinking water lemon with salt is thought to be one of the wonderful treatments. Lemon is an effective and powerful ingredient that help decrease your headache thanks to its famous effects: relaxing and refreshing. And salt is believed to contribute the most important function in this natural medicine. Salt component raises serotonin levels which work to ease inflammation and pain. Drinking water lemon with some salt helps the body to balance electrolyte and hydration. And thus, you are less likely to suffer from a headache.
Another helpful virtue of lemon: treat a headache.
Foods that relieve a headache
Apple
Apple is not only it is a tasty fruit, but also apples are an excellent natural medicine. Do you know that both Apple and apple cider vinegar can fight with a headache? Their nutrients will help to restore the acid-alkaline in the body and also, the smell of green apple can help to reduce the migraine headaches. You should have at least an apple per day. To have the best result, eat an apple with some salt in the morning and then have a cup of hot or warm water. Remember the famous sentence “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Let’s eat an apple to be better, stronger and healthier.
A good companion with you on the way to treat a headache.
Gluten-free food
Sometimes when our body is not built to consume certain food it does more harm than good. Studies have shown that with celiac disease or those who are gluten sensitive, consuming it can cause migraines and headaches. The national foundation of celiac awareness has found that those who have removed gluten in their diet has shown significant improvement, migraines and headaches have severely reduced. You may not have celiac disease but if you are gluten sensitive it best to be gluten-free.
High in magnesium food
Food is very important in our general health, we underestimate the power of healthy eating and what food can do to our body and general well being. In tackling headaches, it is research that those who lack in magnesium are more prone to get headaches or migraines. Magnesium is an important mineral that helps prevent visual sensory changes experience in headaches, it blocks pain transmission and improves platelet function that helps the body cope with injuries and prevent bleeding.
Making the right choice for yourself mean having a headache or not, choose magnesium rich foods
People who usually have magnesium deficiency are those with heart disease, alcoholism or uses diuretic for their blood pressure. Consuming rich in magnesium food is essential for those who suffer from this illness, food like, Spinach, dark chocolate, dried pumpkin seed, almond, swiss chard, bananas, avocado, dried figs and yoghurts should be added in your diet to consume one or a few of these items a day. The suggested dosage of magnesium is between 200-600mg a day.
Don’t forget to exercise as frequently as you can
Don’t make a mistake thinking that exercise and headache don’t have any relationship with each other. Many studies have shown the opposite, exercise exactly is the right natural medicine for your headache. Doing exercise regularly can reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches and migraines. Moreover, it also has virtue to decrease your stress levels. So, let’s engage in your favourite exercise whenever you have free time to improve your headaches and protect your health.
Get well with doing exercise daily.
Get yourself a little amount of caffeine
The drinks containing caffeine such as tea and coffee can help you to temporarily get over your headaches if you are in a hurry and need to be able to focus on a specific period. Fact is when the inflamed blood vessels press against the nerve endings, it will be the cause of throbbing pain. Caffeine constricts these blood vessels, which help to ease that pain to cause a headache. Caffeine is also thought to be an effective pain reliever by helping the body absorb them readily.
Have a cup of coffee whenever you have a headache to feel better.
Do not deprive yourself of a good sleep
The lack of sleep is one of the major reasons for a headache. If you don’t have enough sleep the previous night, obviously that you will be out of energy the following day, your body will be tense and no doubt you will have to endure a headache. So, no matter how busy you are, try to sleep enough 7 – 8 hours per night. And the important point is you should maintain and follow this healthy sleep routine.
Sleep well to be more beautiful and healthier.
If you don’t take care of yourself, no one can help you to do it. A headache can simply be from you being tired or catching the flu, but it can also be a symptom, sign that your health is currently not in good state. Don’t take your health for granted, let’s listen and understand your own body’s need. Make good use of the natural medicines around you to get rid of headaches, and don’t forget to consult your doctors if you feel even the smallest sign of something being wrong with your body. To get more information about natural medicines, take a look at our website: https://naturalorganicliving.com.au/
