Headache Natural Home Remedies

Headache Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

What is a headache?
A Headache is defined as a pain in the head or upper neck. It is one of the most common locations of pain in the body and has many causes.

What are the Different Types of Headaches?
Common headache types are:

• Tension-Type Headache
• Migraine Headache
• Cluster Headache
• Hormone Headache

Tension Headache

-are the most common type of primary headache. Up to 90% of adults have had or will have tension headaches. Tension headaches occur more commonly among women than men.

Symptoms
pain description: dull pressure or tightness
location: both sides of head & sometimes neck
duration: 30min to a full week
frequency: infrequent to daily
other common symptoms: fatigue, sensation of a rigid band circling and pressing on the head.

Migraine Headache-

are the second most common type of primary headache. Migraine headaches affect children as well as adults. Before puberty, boys and girls are affected equally by migraine headaches, but after puberty, more women than men are affected. It is estimated that 6% of men and up to 18% of women will experience a migraine headache in their lifetime.

Symptoms
pain description: moderate to severe throbbing
location: 60% on one side, 40% on both sides
duration: four to seventy two hours
frequency: recurrent, with widely variable frequency
other common symptoms: nausea, vomiting, light, sound and smell sensitivity, increasing pain with routine physical activities.

Cluster Headache-

are a rare type of primary headache affecting 0.1% of the population (1 in a 1,000 people). It more commonly affects men in their late 20s though women and children can also suffer these types of headache.

Symptoms
pain description: sharp, boring, severe pain developing rapidly over minutes.
location: one sided, usually around or behind the eye
duration: 15 to 180 minutes
frequency: one or more daily during “clusters”
other common symptoms: nasal congestion, runny nostril, tearing on one side, redness of eye, a feeling of agitation.

What Causes Headache?

Headaches are caused due to imbalances & aggravation of three different doshas. Common causes are:
- Sinusitis, Hypertension, Fever
- Over work, Mental stress, Sleeplessness
- Constipation, Indigestion, Acidity
- Excessive consumption of tea, coffee, aspirin or nicotine is also known to contribute to headache
- Nervous weakness
- Anemia, Deficiency of oxygen in the blood
- Sitting too close to the television, Reading with insufficient light, Reading in a moving train or car.

Common Home Remedies for Headache

Take clove, cinnamon and almond in equal quantities (around 1 teaspoon each) and grind together with a little water to make a paste. Apply paste on the forehead. A paste made of sandalwood powder can also be applied on the forehead.

Henna: The flowers of henna have been found valuable in curing headaches caused by hot sun. The flowers should be rubbed in vinegar and applied over the forehead. This remedy will soon provide relief.

Cinnamon: Cinnamon is useful in headaches caused by exposure to cold air. A fine paste of this spice should be prepared by mixing it with water and it should be applied over the temples and forehead to obtain relief.

Marjoram: The herb marjoram is beneficial in the treatment of a nervous headache. An infusion of the leaves is taken as a tea in the treatment of this disorder.

Rosemary: The herb rosemary has been found valuable in headaches resulting from cold. A handful of this herb should be boiled in a litre of water and put in a mug. The head should be covered with a towel and the steam inhaled for as long as the patient can bear. This should be repeated till the headache is relieved.

Ghee: Take a few drops of ghee (clarified butter) on your palm. Mix 3 or 4 pieces of saffron in it, and rub it for two minutes. The saffron does not dissolve in the ghee, but its qualities are absorbed. Remove saffron and put two drops of this ghee in each nostril. · Dosage: Follow procedure twice a day.

Oil Massage: Oil massage on the scalp also relieves tension and headache. Sesame oil, almond oil, mustard oil or ghee (clarified butter) can be used for massage.

Enema: cleansing enema with water temperature at 37 degree C, a cold throat pack, frequent applications of towels wrung out from very hot water to the back of the neck , a cold compress at 4.4 degree C to 15.6 degree C applied to the head and face, or an alternate spinal compress. Hot fomentations over the abdominal region just before retiring relieve headaches caused by stomach and liver upsets.

Hot Foot Bath: Hot foot baths are also beneficial in the treatment of chronic headaches. The patient should keep his legs in a tub or bucket filled with hot water at a temperature of 40 degree C to 45 degree C for fifteen minutes every night before retiring. This treatment should be continued for two or three weeks.

Ice Packs: Apply an ice pack to the painful area of your head. Try placing it on your forehead, temples, or the back of your neck.

Accupressure: Apply gentle, steady rotating pressure to the painful area of your head with your index finger and/or thumb. Maintain pressure for seven to 15 seconds, then release. Repeat as needed.

Yogasanas: Yogic kriyas like jalneti and kunjal; pranayamas like anulomaviloma, shitali and sitkari; and asanas such as uttanpadasana, sarvangasana, paschimottanasana, halasana, and shavasana are also beneficial in the treatment of headaches.

Other useful tips to relieve headache

• Peppermint Tea can calm you and ease the pain
• Listen to relaxing music while you lie down
• B6 or B complex vitamins can prevent headaches or lessen their severity
• Chamomile tea can also calm you, so you can sleep which will help your headache