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6 Natural ways to get this pain to go away!
Nothing Can stop you in your tracks like pain at your temples, behind your eyes, or neck pain that radiates up into your brain into a throbbing, squeezing awful agony. Let’s stop this mess without chemicals!
There are many different types of headaches, and many different causes, however there are a few tried and true remedies that can help you get relief and usually keep them away for a while. Let’s chat!
#1- Hydrate (with plain ol’ water, not that fancy, sugary garbage):
Dehydration is a major, and very common cause of many different types of headaches, and the easiest and cheapest to fix! Plain filtered water! Forget that old formula of (8) 8oz glasses a day, as we all have different size, shape and builds, instead a simple formula is:
Take your body weight= A
2 =B
Number of ounces per day you should drink= C
A / B= C
- I weigh 150lbs, 150/2 = 75, so I need 75ozs of water per day as my minimum, i try to drink around a gallon per day so I’m way over my minimum.
#2- Supplementing if something is missing in your diet (most of us need a little herbal help, it’s OK):
A: Fish Oil/ Cod Liver Oil- getting enough essential fatty acids are essential for preventing headaches.
B: Capsicum- Capsicum is dried hot peppers, so internally it heats the body. Heat causes the blood vessels to vasodilate which increases movement of blood. Increased circulation also increases oxygen to muscles. Increasing blood and oxygen to the brain is specifically helpful in relieving migraines, thunderclap headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches. Bonus, herbs that help with circulation also help prevent heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. So eat up that spicy food, or take a supplement if spicy food is not your jam.
C: Willow Bark- Willow bark is what aspirin is made of, except of course in aspirin a bunch of crap chemicals your body does not need are also added. Skip the junk and get the real stuff from the earth. A bottle of dried willow bark in vegan caps is about $8 to $12 a bottle, and no junk added! Bonus, willow bark is also what salicylic acid acne treatments are made from, so it may help with your acne too!
#3- Essential Oils:
A: Lavender & Peppermint– My favorite long time tried and true remedy is taking 1 drop of lavender oil, 1 drop of peppermint oil, and 1 drop of olive oil then rubbing the 3 together in my palm, next rubbing on my temples and occiput. Next I cup my hands over my nose and inhale and exhale deeply.
B: Rosemary– Rosemary is also a vasodilator, like we discussed earlier in regards to capsicum, so works very similarly. I like to add 5 drops of rosemary in my diffuser and let it fill the air around me.
- Ginger– Ginger can be used in so many ways! Ginger essential oil can be added to a diffuser like rosemary, or you can add fresh ginger root to your water, you can use the dried herb in your cooking, or simply buy the lozenges for $16! Ginger is also available as a tea.
#4- Chiropractic Care:
Dr. Janine Scherm from Scherm Family Chiropractic P.C. told me; “Let’s face it headaches can not only be a pain but can interfere with day to day life. Oftentimes we push them aside and trudge through our day until they become a “normal” part of living. Well, I’m here to tell you that headaches are not normal at all. They are a sign that something is going wrong in some areas of your body. Can chiropractic help? Yes; depending on the type of headache. Most headaches or migraines can be caused by either tension or trigger points in the soft tissue or can be because of spinal misalignments creating pressure on the nerves that travel to the head creating these headaches/ migraines. Spinal posture, day to day activities and traumas (macro and micro) are among the few causes of these misalignments. As Chiropractors we are trained to seek out the areas of the spine that have these alignment issues and correct them using spinal adjustments. This frees up the nerve allowing it to function properly. If you have any questions on if chiropractic can help you please don’t hesitate to reach out.”
#5 Avoid your triggers:
Easier said than done right! Well, let’s make it easier, start a food diary, and continue for at least 14 full days. I mean write down everything you put inside your body, and how you feel on a given day, along with times. See example below:
Breakfast: 8am, 2 hard boiled eggs, an apple, 16 oz of water.
Breakfast Snack: 9:17AM, yogurt, 8oz coffee.
9:45AM, experienced bloating
Lunch: Noon, ham sandwich, 12oz soda, potato chips
2:15pm, experienced a headache, realized I had a project due to my boss was going to be delayed.
By writing down everything, you can start to chart patterns, and potentially find your triggers, and determine, if your triggers are food related, stress related, or something else completely.
#6 Capsicum Hot Rub:
We sell this! My favorite quick fix is massaging a little capsicum cream on my neck and shoulders, the heat penetrates quickly opening up blood flow and oxygen to my brain, and calming down that annoying pound.
I hope these suggestions help you, drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts!
