Natural Fast Relief from Headaches & Migraine.

If you're one of the 45 to 50 million Americans who suffer from chronic headaches, let's start by relieving what may be your biggest "headache" of all: the never-get-better notion (still held by many doctors) that chronic headaches are psychological in origin.

"The majority of doctors do not understand that chronic headaches are biological in origin," says Fred D. Sheftell, M.D., director and cofounder of the New England Center for Headache in Stamford, Connecticut.
The biological or physical cause of headaches is a genetically based deficiency of the brain chemical serotonin. This deficiency alters the physiology of the blood vessels, pain receptors, and other elements in the brain to produce a headache, according to Lawrence Robbins, M.D., director of the Robbins Headache Clinic in Northbrook, Illinois. He says that 90 percent of the people in his practice with chronic headaches have a family history of them.

This single cause produces a variety of headaches. The two most common are migraines (throbbing or aching pain on one side of the head, often coupled with nausea, visual disturbances, and dizziness) and tension headaches (a throbbing forehead, dull pain on both sides of the head, and a sensation that the head is being squeezed, tightened, or pressed). There are many headache triggers, from foods to stress to hormones to weather changes, but you probably have to be genetically predisposed to chronic headaches for the triggers to affect you time and time again, Dr. Robbins says.
What do people typically do to stop the pain of a headache? Reach for a painkiller, of course. And these medications work, at least for a while.
Unfortunately, chronic headache sufferers can quickly develop a tolerance to painkillers, causing them to need more medications to stop the pain. Eventually, it gets to a pointwhere not taking medications can trigger headaches, as the body attempts to withdraw from the drug. This phenomenon, called rebound headache, affects millions of chronic headache sufferers, Dr. Robbins says.

Yes, there are many prescription and over-the-counter medications that, when used sensibly, can help control chronic headaches. According to Dr. Robbins, however, alternative remedies are often better choices, or they can be combined with medications so you need less painkiller.

"The treatment of chronic headache may not be successful with medications alone," says Dr. Sheftell. "The headache sufferer needs to include a variety of other strategies, such as proper diet, nutritional supplements, stress management, and many other factors."


In fact, after visiting your doctor to rule out a serious cause for your headaches such as a tumor or infection, there are many ways to achieve immediate headache relief that may be more effective than drugs. Start with the cold comfort of ice.

ICE: A Headache Sufferer's Best Friend
"The majority of patients will find that during acute episodes, ice is the best form of pain relief," says Dr. Sheftell.
"Many of my headache patients say ice is their best friend," agrees Dr. Robbins. Ice cuts pain by reducing swollen blood vessels that are pressing on nerves, by overriding pain messages to the brain, and by lowering metabolism, which reduces muscle contraction.

A reusable ice pack, wrapped ice, or even a box or bag of frozen food will work. Cover the ice or cold object with a paper towel or a thin layer of cloth to protect your skin. Then place the ice on the painful area, but only for 20 minutes at a time to reduce the chance of skin damage.
The sooner you apply ice after the headache starts, the faster and more thorough the pain relief, says Dr. Robbins. He recommends trying Migraine Ice, a new product that provides cool relief without refrigeration.

ACUPRESSURE: Hand-to-Hand Pain Relief
Pressing the acupressure point (called LI4) in the thick, meaty part of the web between your thumb and forefinger can help relieve headache pain, says Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director of the New York  Headache Center in New York City.

Using your opposite hand, feel for the tender areas in the web and press and rub them, squeezing with your thumb on the back of your hand and one or more fingers hooked under your palm. Apply pressure with a rhythmic, pumping action.
The right amount of pressure, says Dr. Mauskop, will produce a twinge that isn't painful but isn't soothing, either. You can apply pressure for as long as necessary to reduce or eliminate your headache, working each hand for about a minute at a time.
One caution, however: Pregnant women should not use this point because it may cause premature contractions of the uterus.


AROMATHERAPY: As Effective as Ibuprofen
Rubbing peppermint oil on your temples at the start of a tension headache can relieve pain just as effectively as taking ibuprofen, the popular over-the-counter pain reliever, says Dr. Robbins. Dilute one drop of peppermint essential oil in one to two drops of almond oil or other carrier oil to apply to your head, or add three drops to a warm bath.
Other essential oils, such as lavender or Roman chamomile, can also
help relieve a tension headache, says Dr. Mauskop. Sprinkle one drop of
the oil of your choice on a tissue and inhale deeply. Or take a bath in
warm water to which you've added five to six drops of oil.

VITAMIN B6: Stabilize Serotonin
Vitamin B6 may help stabilize the brain's serotonin levels, preventing headaches, says Dr. Sheftell. He recommends 50 milligrams a day for     chronic headache sufferers.

FEVERFEW: Similar to Aspirin
The herb feverfew may help reduce the frequency of migraines, says Dr. Mauskop. It contains compounds called sesquiterpene lactones, which may have anti-inflammatory properties similar to aspirin's.
Take 125 milligrams daily of prepared, dried feverfew, available in caplets, that's standardized for 0.2 percent parthenolide, says Dr. Mauskop. And check the botanical name on the label (Tanacetum parthe-niuni) to be sure the product is authentic feverfew.
Or, he says, you can take one caplet twice a day of Migra-Lieve, a product that supplies magnesium, riboflavin, and feverfew, all of which have been shown to relieve migraines. It will take 1 to 3 months of reg- • ular use before relief occurs. If you plan to take it for more than 4 months, do so only with the approval and supervision of a physician experienced in the therapeutic use of herbs, says Dr. Mauskop.

GINGER: Perfect for "Vata" Headaches
Your mind races, you start a lot of new things but never finish, you have irregular habits, and you need a lot of change in your life. If that description fits you, try the "grounding" herb ginger for your headaches, says neurologist David Simon, M.D., medical director of the Chopra Center for Well-Being in La Jolla, California.
Put 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger in a 16- to 24-ounce Thermos of hot water and sip throughout the day, Dr. Simon suggests.
This remedy comes from Ayurveda, the ancient system of natural healing from India, which divides people into three constitutional types: vata, pitta, and kapha. Typical vata people have a lot of movement in their natures, says Dr. Simon.

ALOE: Great for "Pitta" Headaches
Are you always fighting a deadline of one kind or another? Do you try to get a lot done in a short period of time? Are you irritable and critical? Have insomnia? Tend to suffer from heartburn and skin rashes?
Try "cooling" aloe juice for your headaches, says Dr. Simon. Take 2 tablespoons twice a day. This remedy works for the typical pitta person in
Ayurveda

FIBER AND WATER: No Constipation, No Headaches
"I've been surprised to see that a very high percentage of my patients with migraines are constipated and that improving their regularity helps reduce their headaches," says Dr. Simon.
To relieve constipation, Dr. Simon recommends a mostly vegetarian diet that includes at least five or six servings a day of fruits, vegetables, or grains plus legumes, nuts, seeds, and plenty of water, and minimizes animal fat. If you change your eating habits and are still constipated, says Dr. Simon, try a fiber supplement such as Metamucil; follow the directions on the label.
If that doesn't work, he recommends the herb triphala, a bowel tonic from Ayurvedic medicine. It's available as tablets; follow the dosage recommendations on the label.

FOOD: Eat on Schedule
Many people with chronic headaches believe that food sensitivities are the main cause of their problem. But food affects only one in three headache sufferers, says Dr. Robbins. In fact, he believes that to prevent a headache, when you eat is much more important than what you eat.
"Low blood sugar is a common headache trigger," he says. "Eating at least three meals a day, every day, will help keep blood sugar levels balanced."
Mind-Body Healing Makes Stress Less of a Headache
While stress isn't the cause of chronic headaches, it can trigger episodes. And mind-body techniques, such as breathing, meditation, visualization, yoga, and the like, can help defuse stress and prevent headaches.
"Many of my patients who use mind-body techniques to reduce stress have far fewer headaches," says Dr. Robbins.

MEDITATION: Breathing a Sigh of Relief
A woman with migraines for whom all other treatments had failed found relief by regularly doing the following breathing-awareness technique and drinking ginger tea, says Dr. Simon. The meditation is taken from his book, The Wisdom of Healing.
Close your eyes and gently focus awareness on your respiration. As you inhale and exhale, simply observe your breath. Remain aware of your breathing without trying to alter it in any way.
As you observe your breath, it may vary in speed, rhythm, or depth. It may even seem to pause for a time. Without resisting, calmly observe these changes.

At times, your attention may drift to a thought passing through your mind, to a physical sensation in your body, or to some distraction in the environment. Whenever you notice that you are not observing your breath, gently bring your attention back to it. Relinquish any expectations that you may have during this technique. If you find yourself being drawn to a particular feeling, mood, or expectation, treat this as you would any other thought. Gently return your awareness to your breath.
When you're finished meditating, very slowly open your eyes and return your attention to the sights and sounds around you.
Do this meditation once a day for 20 minutes, says Dr. Simon. The first few times you do it, keep a clock nearby and peek at it every few minutes. After a few days, you'll be surprised at how adept your body becomes at knowing when the time is up.

VISUALIZATION: Help Yourself to See Straight
This visualization exercise can help ease muscle tension in the forehead, thus relieving the pain of a tension headache, says Dr. Sheftell.
First, sit in a comfortable chair, loosen any restrictive clothing, and close your eyes. Inhale deeply and slowly to a count of three. Be sure that your abdomen moves more than your chest, since abdominal breathing increases your intake of oxygen. Hold for a second, then exhale to a count of three.
Continue deep breathing and begin to visualize the muscles in your forehead as scrunched-up lines. Imagine those lines slowly becoming straighter and more parallel. Continue the deep breathing and the visualization for 5 to 10 minutes.

ENERGY HEALING: Ground Your Body, Heal Your Headache
You can relieve a simple headache (not a chronic tension headache or migraine) with a basic exercise that releases energy blockages in the lower half of the body, allowing energy to flow out of the head, says Catherine Karas, a physical therapist and energy healer in Tiburon, California. Here's how to do it.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your knees slightly bent, your eyes looking at the floor ahead of you, and your head straight, in alignment with your spine. Direct your thoughts to your pelvis and allow the energy there (you may feel a sense of blockage or stagnation) to travel down through your thighs, your knees, your calves, your ankles, and your feet, and then to drain into the ground. Next, let fresh energy flow into your body front the Earth, moving up your entire body into your head.

Whenever you feel a headache developing, do this exercise for 5 minutes. Repeat the first energy-out exercise, then follow with the energy-in exercises as many times as you like, says Karas. "It works particularly well for headaches caused by hours of computer work," she says.
Relief for Menstrual Headaches
The right vitamins and minerals can ease headaches linked to your menstrual cycle. Here's what experts recommend.

VITAMIN E: Take It before Your Period
Vitamin E can help stabilize estrogen levels and prevent migraines around the time of menstruation, says Dr. Sheftell. He recommends taking one dose of 400 international units daily, then increasing to two doses a day during menstruation, starting a few days before your period and stopping a day or two after it begins.

MAGNESIUM: Is a Deficiency Causing Your Migraine?
According to Dr. Mauskop, 40 percent of women with migraines (particularly those caused by the hormonal changes of menstruation) have lowered blood levels of the mineral magnesium. And 85 percent of those women have fewer migraines when they take a magnesium supplement, he says.
He recommends 400 milligrams a day in the form of chelated magnesium or magnesium oxide for maximum absorption. To avoid diarrhea, a possible side effect of taking magnesium supplements, start with 200 milligrams a day and increase to 400 milligrams after 7 days.

CALCIUM: Another Natural Medicine for Menstrual Migraines
Calcium supplements can help decrease the frequency of menstruation-caused migraines, says Dr. Robbins. He recommends taking two Extra-Strength Turns daily, which supply 750 milligrams of calcium.

RIBOFLAVIN: Fewer Migraines
Taking 400 milligrams a day of riboflavin can help significantly reduce the frequency of menstrual and other types of migraines in (-> to 8 weeks, says Dr. Robbins.
While the possibility of side effects is very low, he recommends that someone using this close of riboflavin, which is hundreds of times more than the government's Daily Value, do so only with the approval and supervision of a physician.