If you’ve ever had a migraine headache, you know how debilitating they can be. Migraine headache symptoms vary from person to person but it’s important to know what yours are, as well as what’s causing your migraines, in order for you to find proper migraine headache treatment. Whether you suffer from frequent migraines or merely sporadic migraines, record every variable you can think in order to pin point the cause of this horrible feeling. Record the time, what you ate up until that time, the weather, your location, any perfumes or colognes you may be wearing, and anything else you can think of that may be causing your migraine headache symptoms.
Frequent Migraines
If you experience frequent migraine headaches, that should be a huge red flag that something’s wrong. But don’t worry. It’s not likely a brain tumor or something really serious as you may think. It could be something such as a food allergy or an allergy to something else. What you should do is record all the variables that occur whenever you experience your migraine. For instance, if you always get them in the morning right after you eat cereal and milk, it could be a milk
allergy. Try cutting out those foods, or changing those variables around to see if you still experience migraine headaches. If you can’t figure it out even after experimentation, try going to a doctor who will help you better diagnose why you get migraine headaches.
Occasional Migraines
If you only get migraine headaches occasionally, over the counter aspirin or ibuprofen should help. You can also try an ice pack on the back of your neck or a heating pad might also do the trick. What works for one person might not work for all so try to test out various versions of migraine headache relief. And, again, if nothing works a visit to your doctor is probably a good idea.
Sometimes, you can find a link. Try to change that variable. Hopefully, by doing that, you can prevent the migraine headache symptoms from ever coming back. If you can’t seem to make any progress, it’s that time that you should see a doctor as there may be something more serious going on that you’re not aware of.
Posted by: Dr. Tonia Mitchell ND Tags: cayenne, Dr. Tonia Mitchell ND, herbal healing, home remedies, infections, inflammation, Nanaimo Naturopathic Doctor, pain, parsley, rosemary, sage, tumeric, wounds
Many spices and herbs, commonly found around the house, can be used for herbal healing to fight infection, sanitize and heal wounds, improve brain power and detoxify the body. Be warned that many of these herbs have essential oils in them which are toxic in high doses so should especially be avoided during pregnancy. Consider the following:
- Rosemary is my favorite for herbal healing. It is called the herb of remembrance (or the herb of chicken) because it increases blood flow to the brain increasing memory, focus, concentration and mental endurance. Take the dried or fresh leaves and steep them like you would tea. Rosemary is also one of nature’s best antioxidants as it helps prevent cell damage and helps the liver function to detoxify the body.
- Tumeric is another easy way to help detoxify the body. Also, to decrease inflammation in your joints or muscles or anywhere in the body, put 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder in a couple ounces of warm water and drink it quickly. If you don’t like the taste, add some cinnamon or chase it with your favorite fruit juice. This bright yellow powder is used as a clothing dye, so be careful, it will stain your clothes!
- Cayenne is a strong, topical pain neutralizer. Use this spicy, red powder for pain and inflammation of any kind: joint pain, muscle pain or nerve pain. Combine 1 part cayenne powder with 5 parts flour, add some water until it becomes a thick paste and spread it on to a piece of fabric. Fold the fabric so the cayenne paste is in the middle. Apply this to the sore area for 15 minutes maximum, watching for redness or burning. Also, sprinkle some cayenne in your socks to keep your feet cozy on cold days.
- When you’ve got that sensation in the back of your throat as if you’re about to get sick, chew on some sage leaves. The essential oils in the leaves are antimicrobial and should prevent the infection. A pure form of the essential oil can be put in some water and gargled. Also, crush the leaves with a mortar and pestle then wrap them in sterile gauze and apply to scrapes and cuts to clean the wound.
- Parsley can be used for speedy herbal healing of wounds, bruises, stings and bites. Crush the leaves of this breath freshening garnish then wrap them in some sterile gauze and apply directly to the skin.
As you can see, herbal healing is possible from your own home – it’s effective and inexpensive!
Naturopathic medicine is a safe, effective and natural approach to you and your family’s health. Naturopathic doctors can and will empower you to live a healthy lifestyle while treating and preventing disease. Find more information on the services I offer at Arbour Wellness Centre at Nanaimo Naturopathic Doctor.
Stress Headache Video
The medical community has set out a well defined categorization of headaches. The first category, that of the primary headache, is experienced on a daily basis by millions all the time. The primary headache occurs more frequently than any other kind of headache. The cluster headache category is defined as a far more painful variety of headache that occurs to a much smaller segment of the population. Cluster headaches earn their name from the random grouping of attacks that they present with. Patients can go pain free for years before suddenly suffering a rash of attacks. Secondary headaches are classified as headaches that occur because of an underlying issue in the brain. Cluster headaches and secondary headaches are far rarer than primary headaches.
The common stress headache falls into the primary category. Although not at all rare or life threatening, the stress headache can become an impediment to the enjoyment of daily life. In some cases, the common stress headache can be very painful. It is important that these cases be resolved as any other medical problem should be. The first step in headache treatment is understanding the cause of the problem. Stress headache is believed to actually result from a contraction of the muscles surrounding the skull. The added pressure from this contraction introduces a painful and uncomfortable sensation. The problem has nothing to do with any neurological issue, but rather with the tightness around the skull.
The tightening of the muscles around the skull is typically explained as a feeling of band-like tightness around the forehead. This is the first sign of stress headache, and should be when sufferers take preventive measures. To actually prevent stress headache more effectively, the root problem should be investigated. If stress headache occurs seemingly on a schedule, it can be assumed that daily emotional or physical stress is to blame. Stress management can be an important component of any treatment. Changes should be made to lifestyle choices that trigger stress headache, or manage them more effectively, and stress headache may be reduced. If pain persists in a chronic fashion, this may be a sign of another, more complex issue that should be treated by a specialist.
