Alternatives for aspirin

[Guest guest]

> I occasionally get migrane headaches and find myself depending

> on aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen to help take the pain

> away. Is there a natural medicine that can relieve

headaches? After doing more reasearch on aspirin (and others)

the long term side affects are what concerns me the most. Any

input will be greatly appreciated.

>

> Thank you,

> Dave

 

Hi Dave,

I've had my fair share of migraines so I can empathize with you.

The number one thing that springs to mind is " WATER " . You'll

get tired of hearing it, I'm sure, but getting enough water is

very important.

 

What you need to do first, I think, is make sure that you're

having a migraine rather than a stress related headache or a

cluster headaches, etc.., For me a migraine is usually on one

side of the head, behind the eye. The feeling is that of a

railroad spike being hammered into my head. There can be some

nausea and I often have sensitivity to lights and/or sound.

 

What really helps is to catch it right away. I prefer a cool,

somewhat dark place to sit or lie down in. Away from anything

that can strain the eyes and from any chatter or noise. If I

can manage to fall asleep for a few hours I'm usually ok after

that.

 

Massage of the neck, shoulders and/or feet always provides some

relief. Also, I've used the hot/cold method. Put your feet in

a basin of very warm water while putting something cool on your

head. the " theory " is that the extra blood in the head will

travel down toward the feet alleviating some of the pressure.

Maybe this works b/c it is relaxing in general? Or maybe b/c

you're taking time out of the routine to pamper yourself? It

can't hurt to try.

 

I use aromatherapy for headaches. I have a roll-on of carrier

oil and essential oils that I rub onto my forehead, temple area

and neck. I find it helps a lot. Different oils are indicated

for different headaches and before using certain oils you must

check the precautions. do you have a health store near you with

someone knowledgeable about aromatherapy? if not, email me and

I'll give you info. on an online company you can email your

questions to.

 

Again, a massage at this point is a HUGE help if you can get it.

Any reflexologists on the list may be better able to recommend

certain points to concentrate on.

 

This might sound unrelated...but the frequency of headaches

really diminished once I focused on strengthening my digestive

system. So did my allergies for that matter.

 

With regards to homeopathy I had GREAT results from a

homeopathic blend called " MIGRAINE " . I've stopped using it, for

now, b/c of all the discussions I've had with my friends. some

of them think that blends are a bad idea and some of them think

they're fine. Misty will be better able to address that form of

treatment. You might want to really look at the factors that

trigger the headache so that you can find a remedy that will

work and carry that in your pocket. For example - when are you

most likely to get the headaches? do they seem to be related to

barometric pressure? certain foods or caffeine? do they only

happen at work?

 

Last time I had a migraine coming on I slowly sipped 1 large

glass of water. Then I took two Feverfew herbal caplets with

another glass of water. Used my aromatherapy roll-on and rubbed

my own feet for about 5 min. Sent the kids outside to play and

just sat comfortably by myself. the headache was gone in about 1

hour.

 

Good luck Dave. There are options available for you. I hope

you find what works best.

dawne

 

 

 

 

 

 

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