What non-medicine remedies do you know of for a headache?

Question

I've tried all the over-the-counter meds and several prescriptions. I find hanging my head over the edge of the bed brings momentary relief, got any other ideas?

Answer 1

there are nerve endings just above your eye. if you feel just below your eye brow, you can feel an indent in the bone, firmly press on that spot a or a minute or two, a few times. doing this releases endorphins which are the body's natural pain relievers. good luck i hope it helps you.

Answer 2

Like Ochedtu said, rubbing the pressure point between your thumb and index finger REALLY helps!
Also, like someone already mentioned, most headaches are due to muscle tension so try and stretch or even better; have someone give you a rub!
If it doesn't work I often find dark chocolate and cold water helpful. A lot of headaches are caused by diets, so make sure that you eat regularly and that you are eating the right things (that you're not missing any nutritients). And another very very important thing; keep hydrated! Drink regularly, preferably water! People often get headaches if they don't drink enough water. And last but not least make sure to excersise a little, it doesn't have to be more than a short walk outside. It's great to get some fresh air and walk a little.
Hope this helps, if the headaches continue or get worse consult a doctor!

Answer 3

As RT suggested, caffeine! If you check the back of OTC migraine tablets, they contain a lot of caffeine. I think it has something to do with the headache being caused by the blood vessels in your head enlarging slightly and you get this increased surge of blood pumping into your head and the caffeine helps the blood vessels to contract. So, try some Starbucks or chocolate.

Also, this time of year, depending on what part of the country you live, you may be dealing with a sinus headache. I don't know what type of meds your on, but if its for headache pain, not specifically sinus pain, that could be why its not helping.

One way to tell if its sinus related is the pain will get worse when you bend over (like to tie your shoe). If you think its sinus, you might try an OTC sinus/allergy reliever...if you're not already taking something along those lines.

Hope this helps and that you get to feeling better!

Answer 4

Dip a small towel in cold water, rinse, and apply to forehead. Once the towel gets warm, flip it to the other side, or dip it into cold water again. Lying down, in a dark room, maybe getting a 1/2 hour of sleep,will always make you feel better. A decoction of half a teaspoon mustard seeds powder and three teaspoons water, if instilled in the nostrils, redresses migraine. Warm soups and avoiding ice cold items for a while certainly controls the sinus troubles. Sipping warm water at intervals also helps. The best cure is steam which is easily done with the electric steam machine that serves as a perfect home remedy. One could also use some eucalyptus oil in the steam in controlled doses. Echinacea is found in capsule form to fight sinus allergy. Ginger tea and sleep is a good option for sinus headaches. For curing headaches warm water compress on the head and foot is helpful. Accupressure points are easy to learn. The juice of ripe grapes is an effective home remedy for a migraine. For a sinus headache, eat a jalapeno pepper as soon as possible. Within minutes your sinuses will start to drain and the sinus headache will subside. A peppermint steam inhalation provides quick relief for sinus headaches. Peppermint acts as a decongestant, and the combination of warm steam and the essential oil is doubly effective for opening up the sinuses. Mix 1 teaspoon finely ground cinnamon (called dalchini in India) in 1 teaspoon water and apply on the forehead. It is very effective in headache due to exposure to cold air. Make a paste from dry ginger with a little water or milk, apply to the forehead for sinus relief. Grind 10-15 Basil leaves with 4 cloves and 1 teaspoon dried ginger into a paste and apply to forehead for sinus cure. For a painful sinus headache, try a hot footbath along with a cold compress on the forehead

Answer 5

There is no medicine for H/A OR MIGRAINE. Not only these but for almost all painful diseases. Hence they become chronic.
Acidity, WORRY, excessive wind, cold , heat, sour food and sinusitis, constipation, intestinal inflammation; drug side effects, TV & COMPUTER SOMETIMES,
Blockage in the flow of Vital Energy are their causes. None of them can be treated with medicine. Our 100% success in treating migraine &H/A confirms it.

Acupuncture is the best treatment.
I can treat it with naturopathy and YOG, but how can you manage pl see.
Pain killers don't treat the pain but we loose the sense of pain for some time; in that duration our body itself treats sometime and credit goes to meds.

Avoid late sleeping if possible; worry, spicy foods, sour fruits, stale bakery foods and alcohole.
Sweet foods, COCOANUT WATER,sweet fruits, milk, rice, SPROUTS, SALADS and good sleep will help you.

But you try one herbal remedy- two drops of drumstick leaves' juice in opposite nostril if one side pains and both nostrils if full H/A will give you rescue. Betel leaf helps but it is very strong.

If it is acute pl search a painful point 3-6 mm behind your thumb nail and press it, H/A will disappear within 30 seconds.

Source(s):
SHREE SWASTHYAYOG TREATMENT, TRAINING & RESEARCH INSTITUTE
R.H. 19, Jhulelal Society, Sector 2/E, Airoli, Navi Mumbai, INDIA.

Answer 6

You can rub your temples and, I know this sounds wierd, squeeze the pressure point between your thumb and pointer finger. Squeeze that little piece of skin on both sides. Now imagine that your headache is gone. You really have to imaine that your headache is gone, and you feel fine. After a little while, it will go away. Trust me.

Answer 7

Warm or cold compresses/ice bags, hot water bottles depending on whichever helps. If you can get someone else to massage your temples, sometimes that helps, but for me it's only temporary. I have awful migraines and only one kind of prescription medicine will work and I can't afford it until they make it generic. Which they won't because it's epilepsy medication too and if they screw it up it could hurt epileptics. Good luck!

Answer 8

Get a washcloth and dip it in icy water. Squeeze a good amount of water from it and lay down placing the cold cloth on your head and covering your eyelids. It always works for me. Just lay there and relax, avoid loud noise and bright light.

Answer 9

This has worked for me every time for YEARS!! Using your middle and index fingers press in firmly on both temples (it may hurt at first,but a small price to pay for relief!) then massage in a circular motion. you may feel small "lumps" try to rub them out .Make sure you are sitting in a comfortable position

Answer 10

Try this, I used it a few times, put 2 spoons into the freezer for a few minutes!! When really cold remove, and put one on each side of your temples!! This helps!!