Home Remedies For Headaches

What Is A Headache?

A headache is a condition of mild to severe pain in the head. Headache is also referred to as cephalagia. Headaches are very common and usually do not point to a serious illness. But even a mild headache can disrupt one’s daily activities.

Headache disorders impose recognizable burden on sufferers including sometimes substantial personal suffering, impaired quality of life and financial cost. Repeated headache attacks, and often the constant fear of the next one, damage family life, social life and employment. Home remedies for headache help the sufferer get back to a normal painless life.There are two basic type of headaches; primary and secondary.

Primary headaches are not associated with any other diseases. There are three types of primary headaches: tension-type (muscular contraction headache), migraine (vascular headaches), and cluster.

Tension headaches, the most common type of primary headaches, are due to contraction (tightness) of the muscles in our shoulders, neck, scalp, and jaw. Tension headaches tend to be on both sides of the head.
Migraine headaches, the second most common type of primary headaches, are severe, recurrent headaches that are generally accompanied by other symptoms like visual disturbances or nausea. One may see an “aura” and feel a throbbing, pounding, or pulsating pain in the head.

Cluster headaches affect mainly men. Cluster headaches are sharp, extremely painful headaches that tend to occur several times per day for months and then go away for a similar period of time.|

Secondary headaches are caused by other diseases ranging from life threatening ones such as brain tumors, strokes, meningitis, and subarachnoid hemorrhages to less serious but common conditions such as withdrawal from caffeine and discontinuation of analgesics. Many people suffer from “mixed” headache disorders in which tension headaches or secondary headaches may trigger migraine.

Causes Of Headache

• Anger, stress, depression, or anxiety
• Not getting enough sleep or sleeping in excess
• Missing meals or Wrong eating habits
• Using alcohol or street drugs
• Performing an activity that involves holding the head in one position for a long time (like using a computer, microscope, or typewriter)
• Sleeping in a cold room or an abnormal position
• Overexerting oneself
• Vigorous exercise
• Infections like Common cold , Flu , Fever , Ear infection ,Tooth infection Sinus infection , Pneumonia , etc
• Too much coughing can cause a form of traction headache.
• Clenching one’s jaw or grinding one’s teeth.
• Hangover after drinking alcohol in excess
• Viral and bacterial infections
• Presence of some serious ailments like meningitis, hypertension, brain tumor, etc.
• Certain foods such as chocolate, cheese, and monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer can trigger a headache.
• People who drink caffeine can have headaches when they don’t get their usual daily amount

Symptoms of Headache

A headache may involve pain in the head, visual impairment such as blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, hearing impairment, irritability, confusion, malaise, or a general feeling of discomfort.

A tension-type headache causes a tightening around the head and neck, and an accompanying dull ache. This type of headache is most easily cured by home remedies for headache. Migraines are intense throbbing headaches occurring on one or both sides of the head. The pain is accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and aversion to light, sound, and movement. Migraines are often triggered by food items, such as red wine, chocolate, and aged cheeses. Cluster headaches cause excruciating pain. The severe, stabbing pain centers around one eye, and eye tearing and nasal congestion occur on the same side.

Natural Home Remedies For Headache

Drinking a glass of cold water or putting a cool compress on the head or neck when one feels a headache coming on can help. It is also a good idea to watch out for food allergies, blood sugar problems like diabetes and hypoglycemia, strong scents or loud noises, causes of particular stress, etc, that may trigger headaches. Muscle relaxation, meditation or yoga may also help. Finally, there is nothing better than using home remedies for headache.

There are several herbs that provide a healthy alternative to chemical based medicines to those who suffer from frequent headaches. They relax the muscles, relieve tension and cure headaches. Some of these herbs are:

• Peppermint or eucalyptus oil: massaged on the temples.
• Clove and Cinnamon
• Skullcap
• Ginger and Milk
• Oil Massage: Mix sesame oil, almond oil and mustard oil; massage into the scalp for quick relief from headache pain.
• Passionflower
• Lavender: The use of lavender in aromatherapy encourages stress relief and relaxation, which helps get rid of headaches.
• Feverfew
• Primrose

Other herbs like Almonds, Cherries, Fennel, Gingko, Kudzu, Lemon Balm, Parsley, Pineapple, Purslane, Sunflower Seeds, and Tansy also help cure headaches.

Diet For Headache

Certain foods such as chocolate, cheese, and monosodium glutamate (MSG: a flavor enhancer), red wine, caffeine, aspartame, cured meats, nuts, nitrate, sulfites, alcohol and ice cream can trigger a headache. These foods or foods containing these ingredients should be avoided. Certain food items fuel migraines. People suffering from migraines should recognize and avoid those foods. Finally, regular, balanced meals and adequate amount of water help prevent headaches.