How to Prevent and Relieve Headaches – Naturally

I used to get migraines. A lot. They first started when I was just beginning high school (though I thought they were just headaches back then), and I’d suffer through them a few times each week, popping aspiring like candy to try and dull the pain. It wasn’t until my senior year, when I’dcompletely wrecked my stomach with aspirin, that I found out they were migraines.

I finally got special preventative medicine and “emergency” pills for when I felt a migraine coming on. In order for the preventatives to work, I was supposed to start out with one pill per day. If I got a headache, I was supposed to go up to two per day. If I still was getting migraines, I could go up to three per day. I liked the idea of not getting migraines all the time, but I was frustrated by the fact that, at age 17, I would have to take pills every day. The pills seemed to work fairly well, and I cut the frequency of my migraines down to one every week or two for the next few months.

I couldn’t afford to stay on the medication for more than a summer, though, and in the fall I started college—and the migraines came back. Since I didn’t have prescription medicine, I settled for Excedrin Migraine, which was a 50/50 toss up between working and making me nauseous in addition to the migraine.

These days, I’m lucky enough to have health insurance and can actually afford migraine medicine. I chose not to go the preventative pill route, though, instead opting for just the “emergency” medication. Not taking preventative medication is a personal choice, but one that can sometimes make life more difficult—if I’m not careful, I end up getting far more headaches than I probably would otherwise. But it’s worth it to me to not feel like I’m relying on medication to be well. This is something I can battle on my own.

Instead, I try to prevent and ease my migraines through a variety of natural methods. Some work better than others, but I figure everything is worth a try. Here are some of the things you can do to help prevent or treat migraines naturally:

1. Get enough rest.
2. Eat small, frequent meals.
3. Use a cold compress on your forehead.
4. Take a hot shower.
5. Get a massage.
6. Try acupressure.
7. Drink less alcohol.
8. Drink more water.
9. Maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise.
10. Minimize stress.
11. Moderate caffeine intake. A little is ok, but don’t overdo it.
12. Take breaks from the computer.
13. Don’t get too much sun.
14. Exercise regularly.
15. Don’t stress your jaw – no jaw clenching or excessive gum chewing.
16. Monitor your food triggers and avoid foods that set off migraines.
17. Avoid overstimulation.
18. Ride shotgun to avoid motion sickness (and migraines).
19. Keep a regular schedule.
20. Make sure you’re getting enough vitamins.

Take a look at this article on Yahoo! Shine for more details on any of the above items and why they help with migraines. Do you have any more to add to the list? I once had a doctor recommend rubbing rosemary oil on my temples to stimulate blood flow—and it actually did help a lot.

Stay happy. Stay healthy.

Oh, the Irony: Toxins That Heal

When you hear the word “toxin,” you probably think of something that’s bad. Something that, depending on the type, could make someone very sick or even die. And that’s true—to an extent. Toxins found in the natural world have long informed modern medicine, helping heal humanity when harnessed correctly.

For example, did you know that snake venom extractions can be used to help thin blood? We’ve made incredible progress over the years—but there’s still much more we have to learn and tap into. Check out some toxins that we haven’t yet fully taken advantage of, but that could change the face of medicine forever.

1. Tetrodoxotin, AKA pufferfish toxin, can be used like morphine—but with about 3,000 times more kick. Oh, and you know the potential addiction that comes from morphine use? That’s not an issue with tetrodoxotin. According to TIME, testing has already begun on chemotherapy patients with chronic pain.
2. Shark skin may look smooth, but it’s actually covered in tiny ridges that make it inhospitable to bacteria. Researchers are currently testing its use in urinary catheters, which if successful would help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria like MRSA.
3. King cobra venom is, like tetrodoxotin, being tested as a potential alternative to morphine. Scientists say it’s 20-200 times more effective than morphine and isn’t addictive. Manjunatha Kini, who is studying the venom at the National University of Singapore, hopes to begin testing on patients within the next year.
4. Tick saliva could potentially be used as a blood-thinning agent. About 70 times more effective than our bodies’ natural blood thinners, the saliva could prove to be an incredibly valuable agent in preventing and clearing blood clots.
5. Sea anemone toxin is being studied as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. Researchers believe that when applied correctly, the toxin could paralyze harmful antibodies and help retrain immune cells. 

To read more about these toxins and more being put to good, check out this article on Yahoo!