A few weeks back I had a headache. I rarely get them and certainly feel for those who suffer for them on the regular.
I have a number of patients who come to me for this very reason.
And there are countless reasons why someone might experience this.
In fact if I saw three people for headaches there would likely be three different causes for them. It can be really individual.
That being said here are common root causes for headaches:
1. Dehydration.
This is a biggie. Generally people aren’t drinking enough water. And people know this. My patients always tell me they KNOW they are not drinking enough water.
But as Todd Henry says, “It’s not what you know but what you do.”
The formula for water is simple. You need to drink half your weight (in pounds) in water (in ounces.) So a 150-pound person would need to drink 75 ounces of water.
Water is VITAL because most cellular reactions and interactions in the body require water.
Under normal conditions the body loses approximately 70-100 oz (2-3 L) of water every day.
- the intestines use about 4 oz
- breathing takes about 12 oz
- the lungs and skin each require about 16 oz (32 oz total)
- the kidneys need about 44 oz per day!!
Water also acts like a lubricant and cushion for the nervous tissues such as the brain. Think squishy, cat-landing instead of bone on rock.
Often a dehydrated brain is a sore brain.
The elixir of life also normalizes blood pressure by increasing the volume of the blood so the heart doesn’t have to pump as hard and the blood vessels don’t need to constrict as much to create adequate pressure. This is particularly relevant with throbbing type headaches. Or hangovers.
2. Toxicity.
This is a big one especially if you’re super sensitive. That describes me. And several of my patients.
My head ache that I mentioned got tremendously worse after a visit with a patient who was drenched in cologne.
If you find yourself particularly sensitive to scents like this I recommend considering a liver cleanse. Please check in with your naturopathic doctor before starting anything like this.
Interestingly just before this headache I started a cleanse so it was likely related to the detox process my body was undergoing.
Constipated folks are often headachy for this reason – guck isn’t getting out in a timely fashion. Click here for information on how to poo more if you’re not pooing enough.
3. Food Allergies.
When we foods that are reactive in our system in creates inflammation and negative physical consequences – headaches included. Want more info on this? I’ve covered that here, here, and here.
4. Rebound Headaches.
I see these a lot. Rebound headaches are essentially withdrawal from pain medications – drugs you would take for… headaches! As soon as these drugs wear off in your system you get… a headache!
A rebound headache.
Taking the medication isn’t curing your headache. It’s just covering up the pain – temporarily. This is also true about coffee.
I was actually really happy (and surprised) recently when a patient told me that her medical doctor had identified her rebound headaches and told her to stop the meds day in and day out.
Your best bet here is to give your self three days with out the drugs. Then you’ll have a clearer picture of what is really going on and then you’ll be able to start to identify the real cause (such as dehydration, food allergies or toxicity.)
Treating headaches:
So what do you do if you’re hydrated, not toxic, not taking meds, avoiding your food allergies and STILL get a headache? You can totally get rid of headaches naturally. (Tweet it!)
I recommend these things:
- Drink copious amounts of water. See note above.
- Self massage – love yourself up. Apply pressure in a circular motion to the temples, jaw muscles, scalp and eyebrows.
- Essential oils – while you’re at it include some of the following essential oils: lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary.
- Acupuncture – this can be used for prevention or acute treatment. It was what I did. Of course unless your licensed you can’t do this your self so might need to call in a pro (me for example.) However you’ll hit on some major pressure points with the scalp and jaw massage mentioned above. A good acupressure spot is the mount between the thumb and index finger. Give that some attention and notice immediate relief.
I would love to know your favorite headache cure or prevention tip. Leave a note in the comments below.
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To your healthy, thriving, delightful life!
