I have many people ask me about natural products for headaches. Particularly, migraines. These are two different animals. Lets tackle the first one first (No one likes my suggestion for migraines anyways). To help support a healthy environment and discourage occasional headache, you need to first identify the most likely cause. You can treat the symptoms all day long, but to work toward healing and real relief, you need to look at the cause. There are various categories that headaches fall into and today we will look at a few of them.
Hormonal Headaches; These are often base of the neck/skull pain, but can vary in distribution. Woman often experience occasional hormonal headaches right before and during menstruation due to the drop of estrogen. Steady estrogen can actually improve headaches. Taking an herbal supplement full of herbs that support the normal function of the female reproductive system, can help balance those hormones before, during and after your menstruation, and help avoid estrogen crashes, and the resulting headaches.*
Sinus Allergy Headaches; Sinus pressure is something I suffer with, especially seasonally. Spring and fall are the worst for me, when lots of things are blooming. This is your immune systems natural response to allergens, to create inflammation! Inflammation is a sign that your immune system is working. The inflammation is triggered when an allergen is present, the Immune System floods the area with good stuff [white blood cells, macro-phages, etc.] to gobble up the bad stuff [allergens, bacteria]. This creates heat, redness, pressure and general discomfort. Sometimes though, our immune system isn’t up to par, because it has been hindered by our poor [but yummy!] diets and little to no exercise. Supplements like KS Allerease and Anti-Hist help support the bodies natural defenses, by encouraging normal immune responses and general respiratory health. Immunoboost is another Shawnee Moon supplement that gives your body and immune system that added boost it needs to resolve the problem by simply promoting normal healthy immune function, and keep it from dragging the inflammatory process out longer than necessary and to the point of becoming more of a problem than it should be.
Food Allergy Headaches; Some headaches are food related. Scratch that. I have a feeling that a majority of headaches are food related. Many people are allergic to foods and have no perception of it. You don’t have to be sent to ER with anaphylactic shock to be considered allergic to certain foods. You can have a small sensitivity to a particular food and deal with headaches, stomach problems, indigestion, skin conditions [ie, eczema, psoriasis, etc.] and never make the connection to food.
Dairy, corn, wheat, sugar, nuts, chocolate, chemicals and dyes are a few of the top food allergies.
Have you ever tried cutting out a certain food and found your health improving?
Products like Anti-Hist can help with supporting a normal histamine response during an outbreak. Immunoboost would be a good option for helping your body’s natural defenses. And DEP spray or Eczit ointment for topical symptoms.
Other possible reasons for headaches:
One big headache reason is lack of hydration! Sometimes just drinking two 8oz glasses of water can relieve a headache that is brought on by dehydration. Water also improves cognitive function as it allows for faster transmission of the electro impulses of the brain. Make sure your kids are drinking enough water throughout their school day and in the evenings as they study to help their neural pathways continue communicating properly. Read more here about suggested amounts of daily intake of water for kids based on age and gender:
We mentioned earlier that headaches can be caused by food, but it can also be a signal that you need food! I often get busy and don’t stop to take the time to eat a noon meal. And later my blood sugar is wonky and I’m ‘wilting’ and headachey, not to mention Hangry! [cause we all know that this is a very real condition!!] Making sure we not only eat nutritious food, but eat it in a timely fashion can help reduce headaches.
Being out of alignment. Sometimes we need a chiropractic adjustment to re-align our bones and that reduces inflammation, and relieves muscles and ligaments of stress that has been forced upon them to compensate for the misalignment of our structure. This can often be the cause of muscle pain that leads to headaches.
Not to mention, Stress Headaches! Whew, a whole ‘nother ball of wax!
Coffee Enemas.
Yep, you read that right. Maybe you’ve heard of this weird thing, but not sure why/how it works; here a tiny explanation for you before we wrap this post up. As I mentioned above, nobody likes my suggestion for reducing occasional migraine symptoms. Now you know why. It may be humorous, but it has been show to be very effective. What happens when you administer a coffee enema is the body can release built up toxins, not only along the sides of the small and large intestines but all the way up to the liver. Why coffee you may ask? How is that different from hydrotherapy enemas [which are only water]? The theobromine, theophylline, and caffeine in the coffee travel via the rich capillary bed of the rectum into the portal vein, which leads directly to the liver. These constituents are carried to the liver by your venous system and stimulate the liver and gallbladder to produce more bile which in turn eliminates waste and toxin build up and alkalizes the intestines while improving digestion and elimination. This is the #1 fastest way I know of to eliminate toxic build up in the system. So, when you have a migraine, often the trigger can be food/chemical of some kind, this is a way of dumping a lot of toxins in a short amount of time and there by can relieve the symptoms of migraines. Also, the pain in your head is caused by the constriction or dilation of the blood vessels in your brain. When you administer a coffee enema, that capillary rich intestine sends the caffeine constituents quickly to the brain allowing the venous system that is contracted/dilated to reverse, or normalize. In other words, it has a fast acting affect on the venous system, and migraine pain is generally caused by the dilation or contraction of the blood vessels in the brain.
Below is a link I found of a great article where you can read more and watch a video about coffee enemas and their benefits. “Anyone, but especially a patient coping with a chronic degenerative disease or an acute illness can achieve the following benefits from the lowering of blood serum toxin levels achieved by regular administration of coffee enemas”. Also included in this great article/video by Wendy Myers, FDN, CHHC is simple step by step instructions.
https://liveto110.com/coffee-enemas/
Obviously, this list is NOT extensive of all the different types of headaches or different reasons for headaches. Also, there is rarely, if ever, one, single cause and effect. You may be dealing with a stress/allergy/dehydration headache one day, then two weeks later it is a hormone/hunger/stress trigger… But hopefully some of these tips will help you be aware of how to live healthy to promote a naturally headache free lifestyle. Or at least avoid some common triggers. 🙂
What have you found helpful in your experiences? Comment below and share your thoughts! Thank you for reading!
The information contained in this post is for educational purposes only; it is not intended to treat, diagnose or cure disease. It is simply for use in the maintenance and promotion of good health in cooperation with a licensed medical practitioner. Kerry Brock and Shawnee Moon are not licensed to treat or diagnose disease. Consult with your physician for diagnosis or treatment. By using this information you agree that the decisions regarding your health are your own responsibility and understand that Kerry Brock and Shawnee Moon are not liable for your health decisions.
