MAY 2019 (^) • 25
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and putting pressure on the brain), then
ice at the base of your neck and lying flat
in a dark room will help. Sometimes the
ice pack works better over the eyes.
Sometimes pressure, like tying a
bandana around your temples rather
tightly will relieve headache pain. If that
is true, the homeopathic remedy Bryonia
may also help, especially if you tend to
have dry mouth and lips. If the headache
is always on the right side, homeopathic
Sanguinaria may help. If left-sided, try
Lachesis. If you have a dull, hammering
headache at the base of your skull, your
scalp is sore to touch, and it feels like there’s
a band around your head, try Gelsemium.
Homeopathic remedies tend to work
quickly—within 20 minutes—and are
widely available over-the-counter in 30C
potencies. Just one tiny tablet placed
under your tongue is sufficient to assess
whether the remedy will help. If it does
help, continue with 1 tablet daily for 10
days. If it helps a bit, try taking 1 tablet
three times daily for 7–10 days.
Research has also shown that hand
temperature drops 2 or more degrees
before a migraine begins. Warming your
hands will reduce the severity of the
headache, and may even abort it. So try
placing your hands in warm water at
the first hint of headache and assess if
this method is helpful for you. Stanford
Medical School has developed a device
that warms the hands in a type of vacuum
chamber that increases blood flow, which
will, of course, warm the hands.
Possible Food Triggers
Folks who get frequent headaches tend
to have a higher level of circulating
histamine than others. Foods that you
are allergic or sensitive to will cause
your mast cells to dump histamine into
the bloodstream, and this often results
in a headache. The top food triggers for
migraines include:
- Added sugar or artificial sweeteners
- Cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products
- Aged or processed meats (hot dogs,
salami, pepperoni, bacon, ham) - Chocolate
- MSG (sometimes called hydrolyzed
vegetable protein or even natural
flavoring) - Alcoholic beverages
- Any liquid other than water
- Any food you are known to be allergic to
- Any food you note triggers a migraine
Determining the exact cause can be
tricky, so you have to be your own best
detective. One approach is to commit to
a hypoallergenic diet for a minimum of 2
weeks. Avoid the “big 9” of wheat, dairy,
corn, soy, peanuts, shellfish, tomatoes,
eggs, and caffeine. The Whole Life
Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten
and Tom Malterre offers a collection of
delicious recipes made without these
problem ingredients.
Sticking to a diet this
strict isn’t easy, but it’s
essential to determine
whether your headaches
are caused by food
choices. If 2–6 weeks
on a hypoallergenic diet
doesn’t help your headaches,
work with a naturopathic
physician or well-trained nutritional
therapist to look for less-common
food allergens. These could be literally
anything: garlic, chocolate, apples,
strawberries, nuts. It takes some sleuthing
to figure out, but it’s well worth the
effort because irritating foods don’t just
cause headaches. They can chronically
irritate other parts of your system, such
as blood vessels and the brain, as well.Other Ways to Stop the Pain
Your built-in pain medication is endorphins,
which reliably increase with exercise.Drink lots
of water,
and only
water if
possible.
Endorphins are similar to narcotics—they
relieve and prevent pain—without the
side effects. Aerobic exercise causes a
rapid increase in endorphin levels. Build
15–30 minutes of cardio exercise into your
schedule, 3–5 times per week. Studies
have documented a 50 percent or more
decrease in headache frequency after
6 weeks of exercise. So stick with it!
Drink lots of water, and only water
if possible. Kombucha is a wonderful
drink, but like alcohol it may trigger a
migraine. If you smoke, quit. If you use a
rescue medicine more than twice a week
you have definitely set yourself up for
rebound headaches. I strongly advise that
you work with a qualified natural health
care provider to wean to a minimum use
of rescue pharmaceuticals. Of course,
I don’t want you to suffer, but long term,
migraine medicine will jerk your blood
pressure around and actually cause you
to have more frequent headaches.
The natural cellular enhancer CoQ10
may help, especially if you trend toward
high blood pressure. Try taking 200 mg
daily. Some folks also find that 400 mg
daily of vitamin B 2 (riboflavin) helped
their headaches. An herbal preparation
of butterbur called Petadolex has
also been shown to significantly
reduce headaches. One study
published in the journal
Neurology showed a
55 percent reduction in the
use of rescue medication
when Petadolex was added.
Sometimes headaches are
exacerbated by “thick blood,”
which can be caused by high platelet
or high fat levels in the blood. If your
platelets or triglycerides are elevated,
these can be modified. Both findings
can improve with fish oil (I prefer wild
Alaskan salmon-based actual fish, but
capsules are okay, too: 2,000–3,000 mg
daily). Stay hydrated (2 liters of water
daily for a woman and 3 for a man, on
average) and eliminate processed carbs
(crackers, chips, cookies, bagels) from
your diet.Healthy
Tip!
For more information
on natural remedies for
chronic headaches, visit
DrEmilyKane.com.