There are a number of things that can cause a headache: deadlines, annoying colleagues, traffic jams, arguments. Believe it or not, pleasant experiences can also be the cause of headaches – there is a term in medicine called ice-cream headache.
In its nature, a headache is the body’s response to physical and emotional stress. This stress may cause the head and neck muscles to contract and thus lead to the so-called tension-type headache. It can also make the blood vessels dilate and later contract, which in itself causes migraines or headaches that are the result of changes in the blood pressure. In the case of blocked or infected sinuses, there comes the so-called pulsating headache. Apart from the discomfort, most headaches are temporary and can be quite successfully cured by domestic treatment – even with some alternative means, and not with any of the most popular prescribed drugs.
1. Ginger Tea
Ginger is helpful in the case of a migraine because it inhibits prostaglandin synthesis. Moreover, it can also suppress the nausea that often accompanies migraines. Prepare the tea by boiling ¾ of the ginger root in two cups of water for 30 minutes in a kettle or a saucepan with a lid on low heat.
2. Thyme and Rosemary Oil – for head massages
In order to relieve headaches, drip a few drops of thyme or rosemary oil on each temple and on the forehead. Rub it gently into the skin and then let it absorb for a few minutes. In a research dating from 2010, researchers have found that thyme and rosemary oils contain carvacrol – a substance that acts as a COX-II inhibitor (similar to the popular and widely used NSAIDs).
3. Chamomile tea
“Steal” a little time to relax on a busy day and you can relieve the tension that causes most of the types of headaches. Chamomile tea contains components that ease the pain and at the same time help a person relax. Prepare a cup of chamomile tea by putting a teabag into boiling water and leave it in a lid-covered utensil for 10 minutes. You can sweeten it with honey. Spare some minutes to drink the tea slowly and enjoy it, which can be best done while sitting in a calm place.
4. Peppermint Oil and Lavender Oil for Soaking One’s Feet in
Some natural healers believe that soaking one’s feet in water is a powerful medicine against headaches. Hot water draws blood into the feet and thus relieves the pressure in the blood vessels situated in one’s head. A few drops of lavender or peppermint oil in the hot water provide a soothing effect.
5. Magnesium
Scientists who conduct their research on headache claim that people who suffer from migraine should keep in their medicine boxes magnesium tablets, too. It turns out that in migraines the level of magnesium in the brain is very low (which presupposes an overall magnesium deficiency). Two clinical trials show that the intake of food supplements containing magnesium may prevent headaches. Experts recommend the intake of 400 mg a day. ATTENTION: Magnesium might cause diarrhea to some.
6. Vitamin B2
A study shows that the daily intake of 400 mg of riboflavin for the course of three months radically reduces migraines – up to 50%.
7. Butterbur extract
This not very well-known herb has proven itself to be an effective weapon in relieving migraines and that is why experts often recommend it. The recommended intake is 75 mg twice a day in the course of one month, and after that – a daily dose of 50 mg.
source: getholistichealth
