Headaches.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: headaches
From: George_Washington.cherry_tree.virginia.com (kat)
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 1995 14:37:04 GMT

>my room mate has been having a lot of headaches lately. I was wondering if there is some herbal relieve for headaches. i would rather see her do this that take tylenol and stuff. I know that aspirin was derived from a root (like most other OTC and perscription medication) but i forget which ones.

If your roommate's problem is migraine headaches, you might want to try Feverfew leaves-- <Chew on one leaf 1 - 3 times/day>

For a tension headache, combine Wood Betony w/ Skullcap & Lavender made into an infusion (tea).

The scent of lavender oil can also help in relieving headaches. So can massaging some of the oil into the temples.

From: jkl.slip.net (Julia)

> my room mate has been having a lot of headaches lately. I was wondering if

White Willow Bark is the herb you are thinking of. Also Pepperment, Lavender, and Rosemary have all worked for me to get rid of headaches. I have used them as a tea or even as aromatherapy. Feverfew works on my migraines.

Also Accupressure has worked WONDERS for me. As soon as I feel a headache coming on I squeeze and massage the area between my thumb and forefinger on the corresponding hand. It will feel tender at first and as the tenderness goes away--so does the headache.

I would be most concerned with what is causing her headaches in the first place however. Frequent headaches shouldn't be normal. It could indicate back or neck problems or digestive problems( allergies, intolerance) or a host of other things. Stress is of course also a big cause.

The most effective cure is going to be specific to the cause.

From: healing.islandnet.com (Don Ollsin)

Something that i came upon recently that works like a charm. Put a cup or 2 of water in a pot. gently heat. get a towel and cover your head. place towel over pan and add 1\2 cup of apple cider vinegar to the water and inhale the fumes. take about 80 inhalations. Don

From: normanr.primenet.com (Sharon Rust)

> my room mate has been having a lot of headaches lately. I was wondering if

What is the source of the headaches? Is it exposure to an allergy? or what is the unusuall stress? does she need a spinal ajustment?

besides giving remedies the causes need to be investigated, a woman I went to high school with has been having headaches every day or at least every other day for several years, they were living in the family home that she grew up in.

Its location was right beside the spray truck garage, in the older days they would just pull up and hose out the interior to the trucks, only in the most recent years has the county cleaned up their act and not cleaned up the trucks in this manner.

Her constant exposure to these toxins caused her problems, they have only recently sold their home and her headaches have improved but with this amount of exposure will probably take a while to overcome.

From: damnovel.lys.vnet.net (kim)

: What is the source of the headaches? Is it exposure to an allergy? or

Do consult a doctor, but try to find one who specializes broadly in headaches in general, not an allergist or chiropractor or any specialit in any single field (they will try to treat is as whatever their specialty is, regardless of the real source of the symptoms.)

One good way to diagnose migraine is to see if a cup of coffee brings temporary relief. If you are one of those people who say "Nothing helps but lots of Excedrin," then you are probably a migraineur. Excedrin is chock full of caffeine, a vasoconstrictor which temporarily helps migraine. If you think you always have a lot of "sinus" headaches, always on one side only, it is very likely migraine instead ("migraine" means "one side"!)

Migraine is a vascular condition which can be controlled but not cured. It is caused by overdilation of the capillaries in the head. It is quite different from a tension headache but a migraine headache can cause a tension headache (tensing the neck and shoulder muscles in response to the pain) and this tension can in turn reduce circulation to the head thus causing the capillaries to overdilate even more, it can get to be quite a vicious cycle for people who have suffered from it for many years. I was helped to get my migraine condition under control through biofeedback and change of diet and lifestyle. It is _not_ an allergy and I wasted many dollars on doctors who tried to treat it as if it were one. Certain vasoconstrictors in food (some that occur naturally, such as in ripened cheese and in chocolate, and other artificial ones such as sodium nitrite added to cured meats) trigger or aggravate migraines but this is not an allergy, it is a direct chemical reaction. Estrogen also sensitizes blood vessels so birth control pills also aggravate migraine, as do the hormonal changes associated with PMS. Yes, solvent fumes are also great culprits!

I _have_ found that feverfew can be a good prophylactic, if it is taken every day, but it does irritate my mouth. It is better to learn relaxation techniques, stop using birth control pills, cut down on foods such as ripe cheese, cured meats, and caffeine, and to at least try to eat and sleep sleep on a regular schedule. (Oh, yeh, low blood sugar also triggers migraines!) I know we can't live in a perfect world so occasionally something will still give me a headache, but at least since I have taken responsibility for managing my condition, I don't have them every waking moment anymore, and haven't wanted to kill myself over one in several years. Good luck to your friend!

From: carolbil.ix.netcom.com (Carol Leavenworth)

>Does anyone have experience using feverfew (pills or leaves) for migraine or headache. Any experience in children.

Not with children, but my husband has been taking feverfew tincture for several months and it has just about stopped his frequent headaches. References usually stress that the dried herb is not as effective as the fresh. The solution is fresh tincture which can be purchased at your local vitamin store or health food store most likely. One thing to be aware of is that you need to take it daily as if you stop you will get a headache as a bounceback.

From: Marylin.Kraker.bbs.c4systm.com (Marylin Kraker)

> Not with children, but my husband has been taking feverfew tincture for several months and it has just about stopped his frequent headaches.

The references I have don't say anything about fresh vs. dried, and I've been taking dried feverfew in capsules for quite a while. Rebound is also not mentioned in my references, but feverfew does have to be taken regularly to be effective. If you miss taking it for any period of time, you'll get the migraines your triggers are trying to cause. It may not prevent all migraines, but for me it seems to keep then at a lower level, at least. Sometimes the triggers are just too overwhelming, I think.