Tuesday’s Tip – Get Rid Of Your Headache With Some Easy Natural Remedies

I think we’ve all suffered, at one time or other, from a rip-roaring headache.  Some of us suffer from them more frequently and more severely than others, but let’s admit it, a headache can be so painful that it becomes debilitating.  My son has suffered from migraine headaches since he was in nursery school.  His headaches are so unbearable he becomes nauseous and he vomits, sometimes for hours.

I have chronic headaches, and sometimes I have one every day for a few consecutive days, where I wake up with it, and go to sleep with it.  As a mother, I have to function.  That can be really difficult under headache circumstances!

What is a headache, exactly?  Well, I think we can all describe how we feel when we get one, but what is it?

It is a pain sensed in the nerves and muscles of your head and neck, and the meninges (the membranous coverings of the brain and spinal cord.)

A headache has nothing to do with your brain, however, because your brain cannot sense pain.  So, a headache is something around your brain that is being picked up by the nerve endings located in your head!

Headaches are classified, by Doctors, into two broad categories: primary and secondary.

 

Primary headaches are not associated with any underlying medical problem.  There are three main causes of a primary headache.

• migraine  caused by reduced blood flow to the cerebral cortex
• tension – muscular strains in the head and neck, and/or emotional stress, and it can be triggered from straining your eyes
• Cluster – occur repeatedly, usually on one side, centered around your eye

Secondary headaches are a result of another problem in your body, such as a virus like the flu, a sinus problem, a cough, high blood pressure are just some examples.

Over the counter aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen are usually our standard go-to remedies for a headache. However, you can get instant relief from pain using some easy natural remedies.  How do you get rid of a headache…fast?

Drink Water – a glass of water at the first sign of a headache, and take sips of water throughout the day

Take a Hot Shower, or put a hot water bottle on the back of your neck.  Heat relaxes tense muscles which can alleviate throbbing pain.

Fill the bathtub, and put your hands in the hot water for ten minutes to improve your circulation which will relieve a headache.  If you suffer from chronic headaches (like I do), dip your legs into a bucket filled with hot water for ten minutes before you go to bed.

 

Use an ice pack, a bag of frozen veggies, or a cool compress on your forehead.  This will  numb the pain and shrink blood vessels.  This will also improve circulation to the area.

 

Lemons are very effective, and are a powerful ingredient, that can potentially be used  to treat a headache.  Lemons are refreshing and relaxing and they help the body maintain an acid-alkaline balance in the body.

Drink warm water with the squeezed juice from  half a lemon if your headache is caused by stomach gas, and the intensity of the headache will be reduced.

My favorite remedy (for practically everything) apple-cider vinegar, can also be used to fight off headaches.  It will also restore the acid-balance to the body.

Add two teaspoons of apple-cider vinegar to a glass of water, add honey and lemon juice if you want, and drink this two or three times a day.

Fill a large bowl with steaming hot water and add a quarter of a cup of apple cider vinegar to it.  Hold a towel over the bowl and your head, like you are giving yourself a facial, and breath in the steam for ten minutes.  This should also reduce the pain in your head.

If you wake up in the morning with a headache (which I do frequently) , eat a piece of an apple sprinkled with some salt.  Then drink some warm water.  (It would be great if this works, I can’t wait to try this one!)

Essential oils are wonderful to inhale and massage into your temples, jaw, back of neck, and I even dab some under my nose, and I massage the oils across my forehead.

Make a peppermint herbal tea by adding one teaspoon of dried peppermint to a cup of boiling water.  Cover it and let it steep for ten minutes, strain, and drink it slowly.  Inhaling and sipping the peppermint can ease your headache and the nausea and vomiting that come with it!

My favorite essential oil, eucalyptus oil, I always use when the kids have colds, bad coughs, or severe headaches.  Eucalyptus is great because it has pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties.  It also has a soothing effect and can help relax tense muscles that contribute to a headache.  You can massage the essential eucalyptus oil to your forehead and temples for fifteen minutes and you can also add either coconut oil or almond oil to make the eucalyptus oil more solvent.

Ginger also has anti-inflammatory properties that can ease the pain of a headache and relax the blood vessels in your head, reduce swelling in your brain and activate natural opiates in the brain to lesson the pain.

Drink Ginger Tea three times a day.  Start drinking it immediately at the onset of your headache so that the ginger can act quickly.

Some people swear by pressing a certain point in their hand to alleviate headache pain.

I realize this is very long, but you will be happy that you read every last drop, because the next time you get one of those real hum-dingers of a headache, you’ll have all these new remedies to try.  Let’ me know which ones work for you in the comments below!

Sylvie and I hope we helped you feel better from your headache!

Now Sylvie wants to get rid of her headache!  We looked up what to do for her, and we came up with :

What a good idea, Sylvie can’t wait to get in bed, put her head on the pillow. and put a nice warm hot water bottle on her head!

You Are Awesome!

We hope you visit us soon and we promise it can be a short visit! But come back soon because we miss you already!

xoxoxo

Sookie and Sylvie