The pain of a nagging headache is no joke and if you suffer from headaches regularly, you need to ascertain why and to consider your options. You might be fed up of popping tablets on a regular basis, instead opting for a more natural approach. Depending on the cause of your headaches – through stress or poor posture for example, there are different natural methods for helping to relieve the pain and to eradicate the cause of the problems.
Stress is responsible for many types of health conditions including headaches. If you regularly experience the tension type headaches, then the first thing to do is to identify the problems that are causing the most stress and to try to work out a solution to the problem. You can also practice yogic breathing techniques and in particular, the ‘alternative nostril breathing’ is an excellent resource for alleviating these kinds of headaches. You can learn meditation and visualisation techniques too and these will help you to be able to relax at will and to even practice some healing visualisations that can be really useful to make you feel so much better.
Chronic headaches can also be helped by turning to acupuncture which is an ancient Chinese tradition that inserts fine needles into specific points on the body. Acupuncture is considered extremely useful for many conditions and works to stimulate your ability to resist any illness or to be able to overcome illness and it does this by ensuring that your energy balance is restored. Acupuncture is based around the flow of chi which circulates naturally through the body meridians and often headaches occur due to the energy being blocked. Acupuncture may release chemicals known as endorphins which work to release the pain.
If the idea of using needles for pain relief does not fill you with any enthusiasm, then you may be pleased to know that massage is also another wonderful way to help restore balance in the body and to increase blood flow to those areas that regularly become tight and tense. Because many of us now live sedentary lifestyles, posture can be a real issue so massage can help knead out any knots and to reduce and release tightness from your neck and shoulder muscles. Essential oils can be used within the massage oil for greater sensory relief but another way to help release tension is to use a few drops of your favourite oil in an oil burner or to simply add to a good carrier oil and to rub onto your temples. Pure essential oils such as peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus or ginger are thought to be conducive to headaches but many oils can help to open up the airways and to help clear the fogginess often associated with a nagging headache. Rosemary oil for example aids concentration so if your headache is caused through studying or over-work but you need to absorb information, then a few drops of this will clear your mind beautifully.
Placing a cold compress on your forehead and lying down in a darkened room for a while, keeping perfectly still is useful for some and especially for those who are suffering from chronic headaches or migraine, this is a useful option. If headaches are common however, it can be good to look at your diet and to consider whether it is nutritious enough? Are you eating plenty of fruit, vegetables and grains? Is there enough magnesium in your diet which is reported to help with headache pain? Are you eating a lot of cheese or chocolate or drinking red wine? These are all common triggers. You can try the herb feverfew and add washed leaves to your sandwich or to a salad and see if this eases the regularity or symptoms.
Headaches are indicators that something is wrong. Don’t ignore the symptoms but monitor how frequently they occur. If they persist, you should seek medical advice but mostly, headaches can be treated by looking at the triggers and treating appropriately- for example diet or stress related.
