Personally I know when summer gets into full swing I can expect to have a few headaches every week due to my exposure to heat. Researchers at the City of London Migraine Clinic have found that “Increased body heat as a result of exercise, a hot bath or the environment resulted in cluster headaches within one hour in 75 of the 200 patients.” The researchers also found that “Avoiding factors that raise body heat may reduce the frequency and severity of attacks”

Because I suffer from headaches and migraines frequently (as do many of my family members and friends) I am always on the prowl for headache remedies, especially natural ones.

If you are also a member of the migraine/headache club give these a try:

Chrysanthemum Tea

Chrysanthemum Tea

Also referred to as “Scholar’s tea,” Chrysanthemum tea is great for those who do a lot of reading or other eye straining activities. Because the tea cleanses your body reducing the internal temperature it is great for mild sunstroke, fevers, as well as headaches. The tea has seen many uses in both Chinese and Western medicines who use it as a recovery aid for influenza, sore throats, and varicose veins.

  1. Wash and drain your flowers
  2. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 8 dried chrysanthemum flowers. (You can pick these up at most Chinese or natural food stores)
  3. Cover and steep for 3-5 minutes
  4. Strain and drink hot with honey

Take up to four cups a day.

Li Shou

Li Shou is a simple Chinese headache remedy that drawsblood (and painful head and pressure) away from your head and into your hands.

  1. Stand relaxed and twist your waist, swinging your arms gently from side to side in an arc around your body until your hands begin to feel warm (about 1-2 minutes)
  2. Stroke your face with your warmed hands in a gentle circular motion around your eyes
  3. Repeat the whole exercise several times or until the pain is gone

Ginger Tea

Ginger tea is helpful to headaches because it decreases the production of pain causing prostaglandins. It is also beneficial to eat or drink when you feel a cold coming on, need to warm up (ginger tea is a diaphoretic tea meaning it warms you from the inside and promotes perspiration), clears up nausea, and has been used in studies to relieve the pain from rheumatoid arthritis.

Safety: Ginger contains moderate amounts of oxalate. If you have a history of oxalate containing kidney stones please avoid over consuming this food!

  1. Combine 2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger in 2 cups of water in a pot
  2. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes
  3. Remove from heat and add 2 teaspoons of dried linden blossoms and 1 teaspoon dried chamomile
  4. Cover and steep for 10 minutes
  5. Strain, sweeten, and drink while hot

Drink up to 3 cups a day

Heat your Feet

Another technique to relieve headaches is to draw blood away from your head. Try soaking your feet and ankles in hot water while placing a cold compress on your forehead for 15 minutes. According to Tori Hudson a professor at the National College of Naturopathic medcine this will cause the blood vessels in your feet to dilate and those in your head to constrict. The blood in your body will spread more evenly, relieving the painful pressure!

Almonds

In place of taking an aspirin to relieve your pain try eating 12 almonds (if you are not allergic of course!) Almonds contain salicin the active ingredient in aspirin and have been used as a traditional headache remedy in many cultures where almond trees are grown.

Causes?

As stated earlier heat exposure can be a cause for migraines and headaches, but there are countless other causes. If you are experiencing frequent headaches try to find a pattern in what you did prior to getting a headache, avoiding or limiting the cause may be the key to getting rid of your problem for good!

Some things to look at:

+ Heat exposure

+ Food allergies (in many cases plays the primary role in tension and migraine headaches… if you aren’t sure if you have a food allergy ask your doctor to give you an allergy test or talk to a nutritionist to take a food elimination test)

+ Stress

+ Sleep habits

+ Poor posture

Do you have any remedies for headaches or migraines? Please share in the comments!

Sources:

http://www.pharmj.com/Editorial/19991030/clinical/headaches.html

http://www.enjoyingtea.com/tearecipes.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysanthemum_tea

http://www.santafenm.gov/cms/kunde/rts/santafenmgov/docs/207438086-01-19-2004-16-13-00.pdf

Secret Natural Remedies by Natural Health Magazine

The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray N.D.