Since I was 40 years old, I have suffered from migraine headaches. In the past seven months, I have seen some significant victories in my fight against migraines. I have experienced a lot of relief. These strategies were not recommended by the major medical profession. A naturopathic doctor gave me a lot of great advice and I decided to try some trial and error.
Strategy
Here is my seven-step strategy to fight headaches and get natural headache relief.
- It is important to know upfront that you will find and treat the root causes of headaches, not just the immediate symptoms.
- Start a journal. There should be three columns in your journal. The first column should record the date and the time. The second should record the foods you ate. The third should record any headaches you suffered. Keep track of the time, severity, and how long they lasted. This journal can be very helpful in determining which foods and drinks trigger headaches.
- There are many food items that can trigger headaches. My experience shows that coffee, caffeine, chocolate, sugar, alcohol (red wines are the most potent alcoholic beverages), and Monosodium Glutamate (a flavor enhancement used in many foods) are the most common headache triggers. It is not easy to eliminate headache triggers from your diet. It can be difficult, but it must be done.
- Have your eyes examined. Ask many questions to the optometrist. Sometimes, a person can have 20/20 vision and still have problems. One eye might be stronger than the other, for example. Even though your overall vision is 20/20, the weaker eye may strain and try to catch up with it. This can put pressure on the weaker eye when reading, driving, or doing anything else.
- Get into a good exercise routine. A good workout can provide natural relief from headaches and help to relieve pain. You should exercise regularly to get the best results, not just when you have a headache.
- Also, you should consider that the headache medication that you are currently taking may be causing “rebound” headaches. You might feel the pain lessening today, but it could return tomorrow or the next day. This is serious business. This is serious business. There is a good chance that you are suffering from rebound headache syndrome if you take headache medication more than 3 times per week. You cannot make this worse by taking more prescription medication. This is usually the only way to break the cycle. Migraines can be very frightening and difficult. Avoid getting caught in the rebound headache cycle.
- Many natural and herbal remedies have been proven to be effective. Feverfew and butterbur are some of the most popular herbal remedies for headaches. Homeopathic remedies are also available. Herbal combinations have been proven to be effective. I was able to almost conquer my daily headache problem using the seven steps above. It is so great to be in control of my life. I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t prone to severe headaches. It is amazing to be able to return from work without a headache, or to not have to take any headache medication at all during the day. It is amazing to be able do strenuous exercise and not get a migraine after three to four hours. It is truly a blessing!