The Nation's Health

Health Tips: HEADACHE & MIGRAINE

Headache is the most common of all nervous complaints. The causes are varied and so also its mode of onset, duration, intensity and other conditions associated with it.

Migraine is clearly a hereditary condition, and the inheritance is passed down through the females rather than the males. Nervous abnormalities of the female generative organs are the most frequent of the exciting causes. Eye strain; shock; grief; worry; gastro-intestinal irregularities; mental emotions, i.e., anger, fear, love, jealously and remorse may cause migraine at one time and hysteria at another.

Symptoms of headache may be varied and these may be blurring of visions, flashes of light, balls of fire, etc.; chilliness; flashes of heat; dizziness; depression or excitation; confusion of ideas; numbness, etc. then comes the pain which is usually one sided, and may be any or all sensations, sharp or dull, continuous or intermittent, etc. There may or may not be tenderness of the affected part.

In one sided headache the face may be deathly pale or scarlet red; the veins of the affected side are distended; there are nausea and vomiting in the majority of cases, in some of which the pains are relieved by the vomiting, others are not; some are relieved by a good night's rest, while others are always worse after sleep. The average duration of an attack is about twenty-four hours, but suffer as long as seventy-two hours. Many patients have lived, to suffer from the disease, for fifty years. On the other hand, many are permanently cured. The time needed to complete the cure will depend upon your ability to determine the tissue or organ, which is the cause of the disease, and the faithfulness with which the patient will follow directions.

Tension headache is similar to the migraine headache but the location of the pain may be different and the cause is more obvious. Prolonged tension often seems to produce a spasm of the muscles in the back of the neck. This muscle spasm draws the tissues over the surface of the cranium very tight, so that the pain is felt not only in the back of the neck but also over the top and front of the head. Usually there is no nausea, vomiting or flashing of lights. Some people have a tendency to develop a headache when the blood pressure rises beyond the normal level.

HOME REMEDIES FOR HEADACHE AND MIGRAINES

Place your thumbs right in the center of each temple Massage firmly using a circular motion for a minute or two, or until you feel relief. A hot water bath or shower may also help to relieve the headache. Eat 10-12 almonds, for a migraine headache. Make a compress by putting 5 drops of lavender essential oil in cold (or warm) water. Swish around a soft cloth, and then put it on your head or neck. Put your hands in hot water, which seems to pull the pressure out of your head. In some cases sleep gives relief to the headache. Sleeping on back give relief to the headache. Deep breathing is a great tension reliever. Deep breathing gives immediate relief to the headache. Tie a tight cloth around the head. It will decrease blood flow to the scalp and lessen the throbbing and pounding of a migraine. Avoid chocolate, aged cheese, red wine, citrus fruits. These foods all contain tyramine or other histamines which have been shown to begin migraines in people with food sensitivities. For natural cure for migraine headache, prepare a paste of freshly ground clay or freshly ground sandalwood and apply to the forehead, let dry, rub off by hand and wash. Drink a teaspoon of honey in a glass of warm water or fill the stomach completely with water if not suffering from a cold. Take equal parts of natural apple cider vinegar and water place in a small pan on the stove, allowing it to boil slowly. When the fumes begin to rise from the pan, lean your head over it until the fumes are comfortably strong. Inhale for approximately 50 to 80 breaths. Juice of ripe grapes and is an effective home remedy for the migraine headache. Niacin has proved helpful in relieving migraine pain. Valuable sources of this vitamin are yeast, whole wheat, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, nuts, sunflower seeds, liver, and fish. Take few leaves of the cabbage crush them, and then place in a cloth and bound on the forehead at bedtime, or when convenient during the day. The Compress should be renewed when the leaves dry out. Make a paste of the lemon crust. The paste should be applied, like a plaster on the forehead. It will provide great relief. Carrot juice along with spinach, or beet and cucumber juices, has been found beneficial in the treatment of migraine. In the first combination, 200 ml of spinach juice may be mixed with 300 ml of carrot juice to prepare 500 ml or half a litre of the combined juices. In the second combination, 100 ml each of beet and cucumber juices may be mixed with 300 ml of carrot juice. This is very effective home remedy for headache and migraines. The patient should eat frequent small meals rather than a few large ones. Overeating should be avoided. Copious drinking of water is beneficial.

Rutin removes toxic metals, which may cause migraines. Make a solution by adding half a teaspoon mustard seeds powder and three teaspoons water, put in the nostrils, it helps to decrease the migraine.

A peppermint steam inhalation provides quick relief for sinus headaches. Mix 1 teaspoon finely ground cinnamon (called dalchini in India) in 1-teaspoon water and applies on the forehead. It is very effective in headache due to exposure to cold air. Make a paste from dry ginger with a little water or milk, apply to the forehead for relief of the headache due to sinusitis. Make a paste of 10-15 Basil leaves with 4 cloves and 1 teaspoon dried ginger and apply to forehead for sinus cure. 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). Lie down in a dark room and close your eyes. It takes a while to work but it takes away the pain. This is very effective home remedy for headache and migraines.

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