7 Natural Ways to Alleviate Headaches

Headaches aren’t much fun for anybody. Feeling like a freight train is constantly shuttling back and forth through your brain is guaranteed to put a dampener on your day. But unfortunately they affect a lot of us, with one survey putting it in the list of top 10 most disabling conditions.
Headaches can be caused by any number of factors, from stress and fatigue to dehydration and allergies. The most common treatment for the discomfort is pain-killers, but more often than not these pills come with side effects and many people want to avoid manufactured medicines where possible. Who wants to replace one problem with another? So before you reach for the aspirin, why not try one of these natural remedies.

1. Lavender oil

Lavender, with its distinctive floral aroma, is an essential oil that is well known for its mild sedative effect. It’s great if you’re having trouble sleeping or just hoping to unwind after a long day. But did you know it can also help relieve some of the pressure caused by a headache? Inhaling the vapors of lavender oil can reduce migraine tension and help ease the anxiety and nausea that often going along with it. It can also be applied topically. Just massage a couple of drops of lavender oil into the temples and neck for instant relief.

2. Peppermint oil

Like lavender oil, studies have shown peppermint oil to be effective in helping to alleviate tension headaches. Like that waft of fresh air when you open a window on a spring day, peppermint oil helps to open blood vessels in your body. This promotes the proper dilating and constricting of the vessels to improve circulation.
Peppermint oil can be inhaled or rubbed onto the temples. Try combining it with a scalp massage to further release some of that tension. One Brazilian study showed that massaging the greater occipital nerve, located at the base of the skull, can reduce migraine pain.

3. Feverfew

Like Madonna and shoulder pads, the medicinal herb Feverfew was pretty big back in the 1980s. The craze can be put down to a British study which showed that 70 percent of participants had less migraine pain after taking feverfew daily. More recent studies have come to similar results.
Like peppermint oil, one of the ways which feverfew works is by relaxing (or constricting) the blood vessels in your brain. This gets to the root of the headache by stopping vessels from expanding and pressing on nerves in the brain. Feverfew has another trick up its sleeve in the shape of parthenolide. This substance has similar effects to aspirin (but without the chemical associations).

4. Cayenne pepper

Spicy food may not seem like the obvious cure for a pounding headache, but clinical research has proven the benefits of cayenne pepper in reducing pain. Its effectiveness can be put down to an ingredient called capsaicin, which can neutralize one of the main elements in our pain perception – Substance P.

5. Try to unwind

Stress is part and parcel of everyday life. But it’s often the resulting tension that leads to headaches. It makes sense then that there are some simple changes we can make to our lifestyle to help prevent headaches.
Activities that promote mindfulness are great for relaxation. Yoga in particular has been proven to combat stress by focusing the mind. Just trying a few stretches every day can help release the tension that may otherwise lead to painful headaches.
Even a simple change to our posture can help stave off the onset of pain. One of the key causes of tension in the head and neck area is related to the position of our shoulders – too high and you may find yourself placing unnecessary tension on your already overworked muscles. Try relaxing your neck and shoulders to keep muscle pain at bay and you may just find your headaches easing off as well.

6. Butterbur

Butterbur is a type of daisy that has a long history in traditional Native American medicine. Like many plants rooted in folklore, butterbur is now starting to gain scientific credibility. On the back of several studies, the plant has been endorsed by the American Academy of Neurology and American Headache Society as a treatment for migraines. Participants in one 2004 study found that taking 75mg of butterbur each day reduced their migraines by almost 50 percent. Found on amazon

7. Keep hydrated

This is perhaps the easiest way to prevent the onset of a nasty headache. But it’s also the one things most of us don’t do enough of. The exact reasons why a lack of water can cause headaches aren’t known for sure, but it’s thought that dehydration decreases the flow of oxygen to the brain, giving us that unpleasant ache.

All

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top 10 Superfoods to Lower Cholesterol

A high LDL cholesterol level is medically known as hypercholesterolemia. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over one-third of American adults have high levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol. This increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and heart attacks. Cholesterol falls under three categories: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) that may need medications and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL and VLDL are bad for your health, while HDL is good for your health. People of all ages, ethnicities and genders can have high cholesterol. Certain factors put you at a higher risk, such as excessive smoking, obesity, large waist circumference, poor diet, lack of exercise, hypothyroidism and diabetes.  Most of these factors are within your control. Genetics is one risk factor that is beyond your control. As high cholesterol does not present any symptoms, you need to get your cholesterol levels...
Read more

Home Remedies for a Burning Sensation in Your Stomach

Image
Do you suffer from a burning sensation in your stomach? Does your stomach feel as if it’s on fire? Well, you are not alone. Many people experience this unpleasant sensation. Apart from the burning sensation, you may also feel discomfort in the upper abdomen or lower chest, bloating, gas, belching, early feeling of fullness when eating, and nausea. Too much acid in the stomach contributes to a burning feeling, which can happen for several reasons. Some common causes are  gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), food allergies or intolerances, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcers, celiac disease and a Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacterial infection . Other notable causes of a burning sensation in the stomach include side effects of medications or drugs, emotional stress, alcohol abuse, smoking, obesity, overuse of antibiotics, drinking chlorinated water and a poor diet. Given the numerous and diverse causes of a b...
Read more

10 Healthy Snacks Under 100 Calories

Many people try not to snack between meals to avoid gaining weight. If you are reaching for high-calorie treats like cookies and chips, they definitely will pack on the pounds over time. But if you eat healthy snacks, it will actually help you lose or maintain your weight. Furthermore, a 2007 study published in Physiology & Behavior points out that that breakfast and a mid-morning snack can help improve the ability of children to concentrate at school. In fact, the adverse effect of a small breakfast can be reversed by eating a mid-morning snack. You can eat a low-calorie, high-energy mid-morning and afternoon snack at the same time each day, even if you’re not too hungry. This will prevent you from getting too hungry at meal times and help you control your portion sizes during lunch or dinner. There are many healthy snacks to choose from that are less than 100 calories and won’t give you extra fats and sugar that are unfavorable to your waistline. ...
Read more