Natural Remedies for Migraine and Headaches
The causes of painful headaches and migraines vary from one person to another, and so do does the pain experienced. Rather than using traditional medications to ease headache pain, try these natural remedies to find relief.
Stress Management
If you suffer with daily stress, it can open up a Pandora’s Box of illnesses and health problems. Being exposed to highly-stressful situations constantly may lead you to feeling exhausted and constantly worried, which may result in a migraine or tension headache.
If you can reduce your stress levels through proper stress management techniques, you may find your occurrence and intensity of headaches will decrease.
Healthy Diet
Diet can also play a large part in reduced headache pain. Eating more magnesium-rich foods such as spinach, halibut, lentils and avocados can help you obtain relief from headaches. Other beneficial foods are those that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as olive oil, salmon and walnuts.
On the other hand, you should avoid eating too many foods that are known to trigger headaches and migraine such as aged cheeses, processed foods, beer, wine and chocolate. Foods that contain artificial sweeteners and monosodium glutamate should also be avoided.
Get Adequate Sleep
Sleep…nature’s remedy to so many ailments. If you are lacking sleep this is one sure recipe for developing a headache.
Many experts suggest that adults must sleep for at least six to eight hours each night. Others will argue that you need more than that, and yet many others will say that the ‘quantity’ of sleep does not matter, so long as the ‘quality’ of sleep is good. So ask yourself, do you wake up every morning feeling refreshed and recharged? If your answer is no, then you are not getting adequate, quality sleep.
If you have difficulty sleeping, find natural ways to help you gain the sleep you need. Avoid taking sleeping pills as you may risk suffering from their side effects, and headaches can be one of them also!
Acupuncture
There are acupuncturists who specialize in treating headaches and migraines and studies have proved its effectiveness. Regular acupuncture treatments can provide sustained relief from headaches, which reduces the need for pain reliever medications.
Hydrotherapy
Many experts claim that hydrotherapy is also effective in treating migraine and headache pain. This can be done a couple of ways.
One way is to take a hot shower, then a cold shower. Allow your head to be showered with water that is as hot as you can stand for about two minutes to stimulate the blood flow. Then, alternate this with water that is as cold as you can stand for another two minutes.
The cold water will help bring the flow of blood to the core of your body.
Repeat this process for up to twenty minutes to promote better circulation and blood flow.
Another way of using hydrotherapy is to submerge your feet in very cold water while putting a hot compress on your neck. This process will help bring the blood down to your feet and relieve you from pain.
Some people place a cold compress on their forehead and find better relief, doing it the other way around, so try both ways.
Taking over-the-counter medications may effectively work for some time, although they are not good for your liver health and can eventually cause you more headaches from the toxic build-up. Therefore, it is best to use some or all of the above-mentioned natural remedies for
