Headaches

As a crunchy mom who used to pop pain meds for every single headache, here’s what I’m doing instead.

Determine the Cause

Before anything, if the cause is something you can control...fix that. Many times I can pinpoint my headache to a lack of water or food that day. So, I make sure I drink and/or eat something, first. 

But sometimes the cause is unknown, or outside of our immediate control (ie TMJ/bite/airway issues).

So here’s a few things I might do next:

Heat/Cold

Heat and/or cold. Heat always feels better for me, but cold works better for others. 

Typically cold is recommended for more migraine headaches, and heat for tension headaches. But I just go with what feels best for me in that moment, and it’s usually heat. 

Red Light Therapy

RLT helps boost cellular energy, easy inflammation, and improve blood flow, which can help calm the nerves, relax muscles and release endorphins to help reduce pain. And as an added bonus, the warmth from the device feels really good.

Magnesium

This is especially helpful for people who are prone to migraines. Magnesium glycinate is a great, gentle form for everyday use (great for stress and sleep). If migraine prone, taking daily may be a good consideration. 

But you can also get magnesium in cream form. I like to mix with a little bit of peppermint oil and rub on my shoulders and neck. 

In this randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial, daily magnesium reduced migraine frequency by ~42%.

Peppermint Oil

I like to apply peppermint oil for my forehead, temples, back of neck, and behind the ears. The cooling effect feels reaaaaaaally good. Peppermint is a stronger oil, so if you’re new/unsure of your sensitivity level I would definitely recommend diluting with a carrier oil like coconut.

Ginger

There’s clinical research that ginger can help migraine symptoms, including nausea. You can use in tea, capsule, or tincture format. 

Caffeine

Obviously if the headache is stemming from TOO high caffeine intake, this is not a good option. And frequent use can also cause rebound/withdrawal headaches. But there is research that a small amount can improve certain headaches and migraine attacks. 

This is the caffeinated pain relief we have in our med cabinet.

Acupuncture

We like to use little ear seeds for at-home acupuncture needs. For headaches some common spots are behind the neck, in between the eyebrows, temples, even wrists, hands, and feet. 

Temperature Contrast

I saw this on Pinterest YEARS ago, and have used it many times. Soak feet in warm bath water (I like to add epsom salt and/or magnesium flakes), with a cool pack on your neck or forehead.