Effective Headache Remedies

Headache is one of the most common and prevalent ailments that affect nearly all people. In fact, studies say that in the last year alone, almost 80% of men and 95% of women gave had at least one headache. Headache is next only to molar pain or toothache in the list of humanity’s most common afflictions. In the US alone, over 50 million people seek medical help for headaches each year. Moreover, about half a billion dollars is spent on headache remedies every year. Most people who suffer from headache usually resort to over-the-counter drugs and pain relievers to treat their headaches. However, there are natural headache remedies that provide a safe, effective and usually less expensive solution for headaches.

What Causes Headache

Headache is usually caused by fatigue, emotional disorders, allergies, hypertension and some organic disorders including diseases of the eye, ear, nose, throat and sinuses. More serious causes of headache include brain tumours and aneurysm. There are two general types of headaches: primary and secondary.  Primary headaches are those that are not caused by any underlying medical condition. These include tension, migraine and cluster headaches.

Almost 90% of headaches are primary. Meanwhile, secondary headaches are caused by medical conditions, although these account for a very small percentage of all headaches. Further specialized classification divides headaches into 14 categories for research purposes. A phytotherapist can choose the appropriate remedy by subdividing headaches under the following categories:

• Environmental – these are caused by pollutants, body posture, lighting and sound, and others.

• Stress – caused by physical, emotional or mental stress

• Dietary - caused by possible allergy to certain food or additives

• Organic – caused by diseases such as hypertension

Natural Remedies for Headache

Most people depend on man-made drugs as a solution to their pains yet there is actually a huge variety of effective, natural headache remedies available that are safe and usually less costly. For instance, there are quite a number of herbal headache remedies and specific headache herbs such as cayenne, lavender, thyme, chamomile, marjoram, valerian, elder flower, Jamaican dogwood, peppermint, rue, wormwood and others.

Essential oils extracted from these herbs can help alleviate and relieve headaches. Lavender, Rosemary and Peppermint oils can be used separately or in combination to provide relief from headaches. Lavender is a great headache remedy and can be rubbed on the temples or made into a cold compress; it is also a sedative. On the other hand, Peppermint is a stimulant; many commercial headache remedies mix a stimulant, commonly caffeine with one or more analgesics since it is known that pain-killing drugs have a slightly sedative and even depressive effect. The stimulant is introduced to counteract these.

Nutrition Supplements also help relieve the scourge of headaches. Some of the most common and effective nutrition supplements that can also serve as headache remedies are:

1. Melatonin – reduces headache severity and frequency
2. Magnesium – reduces frequency of migraine
3. Vitamin B2 – decrease frequency and severity of migraines
4. L-5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) - may reduce frequency and severity

Simple Headache Remedies

Most headaches do not really require any medical attention and usually ease out by themselves. Probably, the simplest yet the most effective headache remedy are to simply lie down to take a rest or sleep. Applying ice to the head is also one of the fastest and most effective headache remedies. Scalp massage is also one of the best headache remedies soothing an aching head the natural way. So next time you have a headache coming on, why not ditch the drugs and relieve the pain the natural, and effective way.