Most people will suffer from headaches at some point in their lives; however, some live with head pain on a regular basis. Many who deal with migraines and other types of headaches regularly find little relief from prescription or over-the-counter pain medications, and taking these drugs frequently can even lead to increased pain from rebound headaches. Of course, most of these medications also come with unwanted side effects, some of which can be worse than the ailment they are intended to treat.
Fortunately, plenty of home remedies for headaches are available to help you reduce the pain and get back to living your life. The type of remedy that will work best for you might take some trial and error, since the most effective treatment will depend on the cause of your headaches, but it is well worth the effort to determine your triggers and which natural headache cures will work for you in order to get rid of the pain and prevent future occurrences.
It should be noted that some headaches can be secondary to serious health conditions, such as brain tumors, stroke, head injuries, infection or intracranial hypertension; therefore, people who suffer from severe, recurring or chronic headaches should discuss their symptoms with their healthcare professional.
The first step in reducing or preventing headaches is understanding your personal headache triggers.
Here are 15 common headache triggers:
1. Dairy
2. Wine
3. Processed meat products (hot dogs, sausage, lunchmeat)
4. Food preservatives often found in prepackaged foods
5. Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
6. White flour
7. White sugar
8. Caffeine
9. Artificial sweeteners
10. Pickled foods
11. Fasting or missing meals
12. Dehydration
13. Stress
14. Hormonal changes
15. Muscle strain or tightness, particularly in the neck and shoulders
Finding your triggers and taking steps to avoid them may be enough to prevent or significantly reduce the occurrence of future headaches.
If this is not enough, you may want to try one of these 10 natural headache remedies to cure a current headache or avoid them in the future.
1. Feverfew, which is an herb that can be taken as a tea or in pill form
2. Calcium supplements
3. Magnesium supplements
4. Cold packs
5. Massage
6. Light exercise to improve circulation
7. Acupuncture
8. Aromatherapy, particularly lavender, peppermint or rosemary
9. Increasing your water intake to avoid dehydration
10. Acupressure
There are also supplements available in any health food store that provide a combination of herbs, vitamins and minerals specifically designed to relieve and prevent headaches.
So funny, I just wrote a post about using feverfew for headaches! Works really well since it relaxes and calms people down. Works best for stress-induced migraines/headaches.