A Natural Approach to Headache Relief – Painkillers Aren’t the Only Solution

When you suffer from headache, it can be totally debilitating, depending on the level of pain you experience. Headaches can also produce a variety of additional symptoms. There are five classifications of headaches including; migraine, tension, cluster, sinus and rebound. In order to properly treat the headache you need to know which kind you actually have.

Tension Headaches

Headaches caused by tension are by far the most commonly suffered headache in general. Tension causes headache back of head and/or neck, or in the temples. Tension headache is not normally as severe as a migraine, do not cause nausea or vomiting, and usually are not severe enough to interfere with performing normal daily tasks or working. A tension headache is related to muscle contractions in the neck and scalp, brain chemical changes and stress.

In general, over the counter medications are sufficient to relieve the pain of tension headache. Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Aspirin and Naprosyn are all effective for tension headache. Some people believe that Ibuprofen actually works faster to relieve pain than the other choices.

A Natural Approach

There are many ways to treat tension headache naturally and some are also effective for natural migraine relief. One of the most recommended natural headache remedies is caffeine. Caffeine has long been known to help headache pain and most over the counter headache medications contain caffeine. Additional caffeine can be ingested by way of coffee, soda, tea and dark chocolate.

Eating fresh fruit may help with the pain. The natural sugar seems to have some effect on the pain of a headache. Peppermint is another common home remedy for headache, generally a hot peppermint tea; inhale the mint and drink the tea. There are other herbal teas that some claim will cure headaches, as well. Hydrate yourself by drinking plenty of water. Yes, water is recommended for almost everything, but the fact is that nothing in the body works appropriately without sufficient hydration. Being dehydrated can give you a headache, so it is natural to assume that hydrating may help one, as well.

Massages

Because tension headache is caused by muscle contractions, massaging the neck, scalp or temples is recommended. Gently pulling the hair over the area that hurts is said to ease headache pain.
Placing a hot compress on the back of the neck may also help, although some sufferers report that ice packs work even better than heat. Soaking in a hot bath or taking a cold shower may work just as well.
Sleep and rest when you have a headache if at all possible. Light and noise may aggravate a headache. If you lie down in a dark quiet room and rest or nap you may just wake up and find that your headache is gone.

If it Still Persists…

Of course, if your symptoms persist or headaches begin to recur on a frequent or regular basis, you should consult your health care provider. This is especially true if headaches begin to interfere with your daily routine. There may be some underlying cause for the headaches that the physician can diagnose and treat.

Julia Stanford is a 47 year old freelance writer from Ohio. She mostly writes about health issues. Her topics of interrest mostly are migraine headaches, heartburn and pregnancy.

The Real Supermum
USA loopylouise2011@hotmail.co.uk