Headache

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Headache

Headaches come in all sizes and shapes. Tension headaches are the most common. They start when muscles tighten in your head and neck, then press on blood vessels in your scalp. You may also get cluster headaches, which are extremely painful and isolated to one part of your head. Migraines are the granddaddy of headaches, can last for hours and hours and may be caused by anything from food reactions to changes in barometric pressure. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—may help prevent a headache or relieve its symptoms, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When... Your headaches are getting stronger and more frequent. You also notice numbness, blurred vision, memory loss or dizziness. You have a headache after a severe head injury. Your headaches are caused by exercise. Your headaches start disrupting your life—for example, you start missing work because of recurring headaches.

Acupressure

The Gates of Consciousness points, GB 20, can relieve tension headaches as well as neck pain, says Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., director of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of Acupressure’s Potent Points. Dr. Gach says to use the thumbs of both hands to press the GB 20 points, which are situated two inches out from the middle of your neck, underneath the base of the skull. (To help locate these points, refer to the illustration on page 565.) He suggests sitting in a chair and bending over, with your elbows propped on a table or desk, to make holding these points most comfortable. Breathe deeply and press firmly for one to two minutes.

Point LI 4 is especially helpful for frontal headaches, according to Dr. Gach. He explains that the point lies in the webbing between the thumb and index finger, close to the bone at the base of the index finger. (To help locate this point, refer to the illustration on page 565.) Holding the point with your thumb on top of the webbing and your index finger underneath, angle the pressure toward the bone that connects the index finger to the hand, says Dr. Gach. Hold for one minute, then repeat on your other hand. This is not recommended for pregnant women, says Dr. Gach, because pressing the LI 4 points can cause uterine contractions.

Aromatherapy

The cool scent of peppermint can often relieve headache pain, says Los Angeles aromatherapist Michael Scholes, of Aromatherapy Seminars, an organization that trains professionals and others in the use of essential oils. He suggests adding a drop of peppermint essential oil to any unscented facial lotion and applying the lotion under the nose and behind the ears. Inhaling the fragrance of peppermint from the bottle can also take the edge off a headache, he says.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Ayurveda

Throbbing, pulsating headaches that are aggravated by high altitude, that get worse when you move your body and that subside when you rest are vata headaches, according to Ayurvedic practitioners. They say these headaches are caused by constipation and an accumulation of toxins in the colon. (For more information on the doshas of Ayurveda, see “All about Vata, Pitta and Kapha” on page 28.)

Try a plain warm-water enema to relieve constipation, suggests Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (See “How to Perform an Enema” on page 76 for instructions.) To relieve the pain of a vata headache, he suggests rubbing the scalp and the soles of the feet with sesame oil (available in most health food stores). “Massage the neck, shoulders and upper back with sesame oil, too, and then take a hot shower,” he says.

Vata headaches are frequently accompanied by dehydration, says Dr. Lad. He suggests sipping a mixture of one tablespoon of sugar, ¼ teaspoon of salt, the juice of half of a lime and one pint of water.

Shooting, burning, piercing pitta headaches are worsened by bright light and associated with nausea, Dr. Lad says. Pain is often felt behind the eyes, and the headache may be accompanied by dizziness. These headaches are connected to stomach problems, he says.

Dr. Lad suggests this remedy for a pitta headache: Mix one teaspoon of sandalwood powder (available from Indian grocers or from Ayurvedic practitioners) with enough water to make a paste, then apply this sandalwood paste to your forehead and temples. Wash off the paste after it has become dry and crumbly. Then, he says, put a few drops of warm liquid ghee, or clarified but ter (see “How to Make Ghee” on page 26 for a recipe), into the palm of your hand and sniff the drops into your nostrils. Sometimes pitta headaches can be relieved by eating something sweet, says Dr. Lad, who recommends tapioca pudding.

If your headaches tend to occur in winter and spring, generally strike in the morning and evening and get worse when you bend down, you’re getting kapha headaches, according to Dr. Lad. Kapha headaches are usually accompanied by sinus congestion or colds, he says, and are symptoms of hay fever and other allergies. The pain is usually dull and deep-seated and makes you feel drowsy.

Here’s Dr. Lad’s remedy for kapha headaches: Mix ½ teaspoon of ginger powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of clove powder into a cup of boiling water, steep for a few minutes, strain to remove the powder and drink. Dr. Lad says you can also make a ginger paste by adding hot water to 1 teaspoon of ginger powder, then apply it to the bridge of your nose and over your cheekbones. He suggests putting it on when you have a headache and leaving it on until your symptoms are relieved.

Finally, Dr. Lad suggests this kapha headache remedy: Mix one tablespoon of warm water and at least 1/8 teaspoon of salt to make a thick solution, draw the solution into an eyedropper and squeeze three to five drops into each nostril. This will help unclog sinuses, he says.

Food Therapy

Try having a cup of coffee, advises Fred Sheftell, M.D., co-founder and co-director of the New England Center for Headache in Stamford, Connecticut. He says that caffeine constricts blood vessels and is an ingredient in many pain relievers. In fact, studies show that having a cup of coffee or tea can boost the pain-relieving powers of aspirin and other such products by about one-third.

Herbal Therapy

For a headache caused by stress, try a soothing cup of this tea recommended by Mary Bove, L.M., N.D., a naturopathic physician and director of the Brattleboro Naturopathic Clinic in Vermont: Blend one part each of the dried herbs wintergreen, willowbark and meadowsweet (available in most health food stores). Pour boiling water over a teaspoon of this blend, steep for ten minutes, strain, let cool to a drinkable temperature and drink.

Homeopathy

If you have an occasional mild headache, Andrew Lockie, M.D., recommends the following remedies in his book The Family Guide to Homeopathy. He suggests taking the remedy appropriate for your symptoms every 10 to 15 minutes for up to ten doses.

If the headache comes on suddenly, feels like a tight band is wrapped around your head and is worse in cold air and you feel apprehensive, Dr. Lockie says to try a 30C dose of Aconite. Take a 30C dose of Apis, he says, if your body feels bruised and tender and you have a stinging, stabbing or burning headache that feels worse in hot air. If you have a flushed face, dilated eyes and a throbbing headache that is worse in the hot sun, he recommends a 30C dose of Belladonna. And for a headache that feels like a nail is being driven into your skull, he says to take a 6C dose of ignatia.

All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Hydrotherapy

Water treatments for headaches use a combination of heat and cold to draw blood away from the affected area. Try soaking your feet and ankles in a hot foot bath while applying an ice pack or a cold cloth to the forehead and temples, says Tori Hudson, N.D., a naturopathic physician and professor at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. When you use an ice pack, many experts suggest wrapping it in a plastic bag and placing it over a towel on the skin. Also, they advise limiting your cold treatment to 20 minutes, since prolonged exposure could damage the skin. This treatment is very effective for tension and sinus headaches and can be used as needed, says Dr. Hudson.

Imagery

Imagine that all of the muscles in your head and neck are like tightly coiled springs. Now imagine that all of those springs begin to loosen. As they do, the muscles become more relaxed, and your discomfort decreases, says Dennis Gersten, M.D., a San Diego psychiatrist and publisher of Atlantis, a bi-monthly imagery newsletter. He adds that if you do this for 30 seconds every hour on the hour, it will dramatically relax you and ease your headache.

Juice Therapy

“The most common causes of headaches are constipation and liver malfunction,” says Eve Campanelli, Ph.D., a holistic family practitioner in Beverly Hills, California. For those prone to headaches, Dr. Campanelli recommends twice-daily doses of apple-spinach juice for its gentle laxative qualities. “Mix one ounce of spinach juice into eight ounces of apple juice, and you’ll never taste the spinach,” she promises.

Once constipation has been cleared up, Dr. Campanelli advises getting the liver moving with a blend of 8 ounces of carrot juice, 1 ounce of beet juice, 4 ounces of celery juice and ½ to 1 ounce of parsley juice. “Drinking this juice once or twice a day helps the liver filter out toxins more effectively, resulting in fewer headaches,” explains Dr. Campanelli. See your doctor if your headaches persist, she adds.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Massage

Here’s a fingertip massage from Elliot Greene, past president of the American Massage Therapy Association, that should help ease the pain of tension headaches.

Start by placing your fingertips on your scalp, with your left hand on the left side of your head and your right hand on the right side. Press down gently, and move the scalp back and forth about a half-inch. “Your fingers shouldn’t slide across the skin,” Greene says. “They should be moving the scalp itself.” After a few seconds, move your fingertips farther back on the scalp and repeat. Do this until you have massaged the entire scalp from front to back. Make sure to massage the sides of your head above and around the ears.

Next, grasp a small amount of hair in one hand. Gently lift the hair away from your scalp and twist it slightly. This will stimulate the scalp, Greene says, and should help relieve tension. Repeat until you’ve covered the whole scalp.

Now use your fingertips to massage your temples and forehead. Make small circles as you massage. Do this for several minutes or until you feel the headache subsiding. You can also rub the back of your neck, especially at the base of the skull.

You can finish the massage with a shoulder rub. Use your right hand to grasp the muscle on your left shoulder and squeeze lightly for several seconds. Release and squeeze several times. Then switch sides, with your left hand grasping your right shoulder. Greene says you should breathe deeply and regularly during the entire massage, so you don’t build up more tension.

In her book Self-Massage, Monika Struna recommends two other remedies for headache: the headache massage (page 574) and the towel trick for headaches (page 579).

Reflexology

Reflexology’s ability to relax the body makes it a perfect choice for treating headaches, say Kevin and Barbara Kunz, reflexology researchers in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and authors of Hand and Foot Reflexology. They suggest using the corresponding golf ball technique (page 588) to work the solar plexus, eye, ear and head points on your hands. They also say to work the face points on your hands and the lower back points on your feet.

To help you locate these points, consult the hand and foot reflex charts beginning on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

Relaxation and Meditation

“We’ve had good success using stretch-based relaxation to help people who have tension headaches,” says Charles Carlson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. See page 602 for one example of a stretch-based relaxation technique. Practice this sequence of exercises whenever you begin to feel a headache coming on.

For some people, other relaxation techniques, including deep breathing, meditation, autogenics, thermal biofeedback and progressive relaxation, are also effective, according to Dr. Carlson. For brief descriptions of each of these techniques, see page 113.

Yoga

A yoga exercise called the neck roll (page 627) can help, say Dr. Robin Monro, Dr. R. Nagarathna and Dr. H. R. Nagendra in their book Yoga for Common Ailments. They recommend doing this exercise three times per day to relieve headaches but caution not to do it if you have neck problems or neck pain.

See also Migraines