Effective Natural Headache Remedies: Holistic Relief

For 15 years I had daily chronic headaches with an occasional migraine. I saw many DR's and "headache specialists". Most wanted to put me on anti-seisure meds with horrible side effects. At one point, I was on mobic(prescription pain killer) and muscle relaxants, and sometimes the very popular anti-migraine meds.

I found a "alternative medicine" center in So. Cal. who put me on a Myers' Cocktail IV with additional Magnesium. Within a few days of the IV magnesium, my headaches are gone. It's such a relief! Unfortunaltly, I have to do an IV about once a month or they come back. One side effect is that I'm very relaxed and a little sleepy afterwards. Note: I've taken LOTS of magnesium pills with no help, and have cut out all MSG and other triggers.

I had a killer headache yesterday. It was in my neck and radiating to my eye. I get these sometimes and I think they are PMS related. Aspirin and Ibuprofen sometimes help but I don't really like to take those very often, and like I said, they only sometimes help. Tylenol does nothing for my headaches.

So, before bed I sprayed my neck well with magnesium oil spray. It did itch some but wasn't awful. I then put an ice pack under my neck and laid down. I would say that in 30 minutes or so my headache was mostly gone. And I didn't wake up with the headache either. (Sometimes my headaches last for days.)

For headache or any other pain, get a very strong hematite magnet & place it wherever you have pain. Hold it there until the pain subsides which should be very soon.

This is for someone who may have tried EVERYTHING. My daughter had a 2 1/2 year long headache. She lost ages 11 1/2 - 14 because of constant pain. And I do mean constant. It NEVER STOPPED OR ABATED. The headache would be a 3-4 on the pain scale ALL THE TIME but would 'spike' several times daily to 7-8-9. We had CT & MRI which showed nothing.

Believing in alternative care we had her seen and treated by two chiropractors, one being our regular who knew this child's body well, a cranio-sacral massage therapist, theraputic massage, acupunture, and in addition was seen by her own GP, 2 neurologists, was given drugs that did not work: for blood pressure control (hers was fine, but they were throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick), muscle relaxers, vasoconstrictors, migraine meds, OTC remedies, hot packs, cold packs, had her eyes checked, had her dentist look at her, consulted with her orthodontist, had Hashimoto's diagnosed and treated by a specialist, even went through the biofeedback program at Seattle's Children's Hospital. NOTHING worked. She dispaired for her life and we found that she was cutting to relieve the pain.

Thankfully we homeschool and she wasn't under stress of public school's rigid structure. One school year she did nothing more than read 8 books and turn in book reports to me. Yet her year end SAT (require testing) were above average and she isn't an 'A' student!

We didn't do food allergies as we saw no correlation there. After Thanksgiving when she was 13 1/2 the headache level went to an 8-9 all the time with spikes of 10 (or 12 as she put it!). She began throwing up. Over the next 2 weeks she had an urgent care visit with some sort of injected pain killer that didn't help at all. Then an ER visit that helped marginally. During that 2 weeks she ate little, drank little and slept even less as the nausea was everpresent. At the end of that 2 weeks, and on the eve of our final conference with the biofeedback doctor she began throwing up again. She couldn't stop and after a sip of water would egress more than she ingested.

We were so pleased with Children's Hospital's ER staff. She was attended by 4 neurologists including the dept head and was eventually admitted. Morphine did not help; Dilauded helped marginally. She was nearly dilusional by this time, terribly hungry, dehydrated and sleep deprived. It took 4 days of IV Zolfran to calm the nausea to where she could take her thyroid meds and not barf them up.

After about 3 days of constant flow of neurologists, p-shrinks, etc, they came to a diagnosis: "Chronic non-progressive headache w/o migraine". I thought it was a garbage can diagnosis. But they told us they were going to try the anti-depressant "Amitriptyline" with a low dose as they'd found that it raised Serotonin levels in some patients and alleviated the headaches. We even had a neurologist asked us if we'd investigated food allergies and when we said 'no' he retorted "Good! You wouldn't have found anything!"

After 6 1/2 days in the hospital she was released and found that this prescription began to work. Within 4 months her pain was down to a 1 or 2 on the pain scale. They upped the dose slightly and she began living with NO pain. Two days of not getting to the pharmacy for a refill, however, produced the 7-8 pain again for a whole week!

After about 16 months of faithful use she was able to wean off and for 5 months now has had no recurring headaches.

So, yes, this site is about alternative methods, which we tried. But the remedy for this was rather obscure and all alternative methods failed. Doctors were clueless though compassionate while attempting to help with the exception of one neurologist who, after her sample prescriptions didn't work (and had consultated with us for 20 minutes on the 2nd visit) told us that she "had no magic pill...you need to take your daughter to a psychiatrist". We left and never returned.

I submit this for the one or two desperate persons out there who are reading this headache page dispairing of finding something that works because they have exausted all other avenues yet still have themselves or a family member incapacitated. Maybe our child's story will help them find another avenue to pursue. And yes, I may be contacted by email if someone wishes more information. Thanks for this great site. It has been a help to me and I only found it last week.

Menthol for Occipital Headaches

I have had trouble with headaches for a long time. I realized a few months ago that they are likely occipital headaches. They begin at the base of my neck and radiate through my head to the back of my eyes. I even had an electric shock pain in my neck one day that helped me hone in on the connection to my occipital nerve. My chiropractor uses menthol on my neck and back when she works on me. I decided to try that at home.

Stopain, which I can get in the pain section at Stuffmart, has 8% menthol. I get it in a roll on bottle. I keep one in my purse and one at home. I apply it to the base of my skull and along my spine at the first inkling of pain and repeat every few hours. This has worked better than anything I have ever tried.

I am seeing an orthogonal chiropractor next week for the first time, hoping to get to the root of the issue. Meanwhile, this menthol roll on is awesome. It is also soothing for my foot/ankle when it flares up with pain from a break/sprain over the winter.

~Mama to Many~

Navratna oil: I've recently experienced the benefits of this oil and would highly recommend it to anyone for relieving stress, headaches and body aches. I massaged the oil on my scalp (especially the center of the top of the head) and within minutes felt a cool sensation (like an air conditioner was turned on inside me) spread across my head. My shoulder and head aches disappeared, I felt stress dissolving and I slept well that night. It helped relieve my brother's headache when I tried it on him. You can find it online or in most Indian or Ayurvedic stores. It touts other cures as well, but I only listed the ones that I can testify to.

CHRONIC HEADACHES

Wild oil of oregano... because the oils generally come with a dropper, you only need a very small amount dropped on your finger; rubbed into temple and base of neck for severe headaches. less than 10 minutes the pain is gone. oftentimes the pain radiates from the trapesius muscle-- a dab of the oil of oregano won't hurt. gently massage into muscle, then apply pressure. keep away from the eyes. not for the faint of heart: 1/2 dropper full under the tongue will kill any pain. or a small amount dropped onto finger and rubbed on the gums will relieve a toothache.

I tried ACV and cayenne in 3 oz of water but didn't see much improvement. I tried acupressure but still the headache persisted. What helped the most was the peppermint oil. Thanks EC Community.

I keep a bottle of Peppermint Oil (essential oil) in my pocketbook. You dab the oil on your index finger and middle finger. Then rub it on the same two fingers of the other hand. Close your eyes so the fumes don't irritate your eyes. Rub, in a circular motion, on either side of your head at your temples. Don't be afraid to press hard while rubbing. I haven't taken a headache medicine in years. I am 58. You can get the oil at a health food store.

We used to put potato cut in slices on your forehead. That's a mediterranean tradition.

Cut a potato into 4 pieces, place 2 in the center of your forehead and two at your temple (Hold the ones at your temples in place). Lay down in a dark room and close your eyes. It takes a while to work but it takes away the throbbing. Something in the potato has a pain reducer. It sounds crazy (I thought my mom was a loony) but it works when you try it.

STOP using Cotton ear swabs / Q-tips for Headaches (migraine, sinus, etc.). Sounds crazy- but it works!

I have had terrible headaches as long as I can remember, and for that same amount of time I also like to have clean, clean ears. I'd clean my ears out with 2-3 swabs on each ear thinking ears had nothing to do with the other/headaches. Last few years, headaches have gotten worse. A few years ago I bought a ear microscope like tool to look into ears and gasped when I saw MY clean ears still had wax inside. Then I'd do my best to scrape and remove every little bit of wax that I could (note Don't do this because your ears need to have a certain amount of ear wax to keep them healthy).

An Ear, nose & throat doctor told my sister across the country to stop having sinus headaches just stop using a-tips, she didn't think one had to do with the other, so didn't stop using those cotton swabs, kept having the headaches, then he told her the same thing, she finally listened...and The headaches stopped. (Insert heavenly music here).

The last few years, these headaches of mine were unbearable, and I'd pop over the counter pain pills (which didn't help and I hated taking, but I was in terrible pain), lay down with ice pack after ice pack, during the day and overnight. I'd be writhing in pain, searching online & couldn't come up with an answer for these terrible headaches. I thought it was lack of humidity, so when it's dry I try to keep the humidifier going still.

After doubting the connection of headaches to cotton swabs/Qtips, I finally stopped using them..., which was (still is) difficult. After a shower, I only use Kleenex on my finger to swipe out the water; if my ear feels itchy, I just use that.

I won't lie, it takes an effort to resist using cotton swabs to clean out your ears. It took a few months to feel the results, I think your ears have to grow back a certain amount of healthy ear wax. But, I am still surprised at the result. Maybe I have one headache a month, and nothing like before. I've done nothing else different, So it must be the super removal of earwax triggers headaches, or sinus headaches. I never even thought one had to do with the other.

If this helps even one person out there, I'll be happy & give all glory to His son.

So, try stopping using Qtips. Throw them away (gasp). It's free, only thing to lose is what you've been seeking an answer for.

I was having these dull headaches for months and pain relievers did not work well. Day after day I'd have a slight headache. I read about sungazing by accident and decided to try it. The first time I tried it I kept my eyes closed in the early morning. Almost immediately I felt this warmth enter my eyes and wash over my brain relieving the headache.

The ecstasy of having a slight headache disappear after months was wonderful. My mood improved and my energy increased as well as my physical strength. Thankfully I've never had glasses but both my parents did at my age and I have slightly better than 20/20 vision. I gaze for about 2 minutes with my eyes open now, but I do skip days if I'm busy. I think everyone should do research into this and consider trying it safely.

I decided to take some Turemic followed by a glass of water to help with my joint paints. When I took it I had a headache and later was going to take some pills for that. Within 30 minutes I realized my headache was gone! I have NEVER had that to happen so fast before. I was amazed. From now on when I have headaches I am going to start taking Turemic. I put about one tablespoon and a little bit of water in it. Mixed really good and drank it really fast. Still am so very amazed that I took that for something else and it helped with my headache and cured it. I highly recommend TURMERIC for headaches to see if it helps any.

I so agree about water for headaches. Any pain goes away when you drink at least two big glasses on warm to bearable hot water.