Natural Beauty: Headaches Hurt, Love Yourself More

A pain in the head is a pain in the A**! When headaches strike, they can interfere with everything you’re doing, preventing you from going about your daily, routine tasks, making you feel like you can’t get through the rest of your day. They can even end up taking you right out of commission. They are an uncontrollable and painful annoyance, to say the least. Headaches result from various factors, within your lifestyle, including behaviors, such as: the use of stimulants; the uses of drugs, alcohol and smoking. Additionally, your emotional state can contribute to or exacerbate headaches, as they are often linked to your mood (e.g. stress, anxiety, depression; there are physical symptoms of depression, in addition to emotional ones). Allergic reactions to certain stimuli can result in headaches, as well, and you may be bothered by any of the following: food allergies; scents and environmental factors, like pollution. Even more subtle, environmental changes, like those associated with the weather, can be responsible for the way you feel, and headaches can result from the barometric pressure in the air, right before it rains.

If you are prone to headaches, it is very important that you pay close attention to your health & wellness, in order to reduce the frequency of your headaches, and, hopefully, minimize their occurrence. Vitamins and Minerals are especially helpful, and you need to pay close attention to your intake of both Vitamin A and B12. An excess of Vitamin A can cause headaches; whereas, a deficiency in B12 (especially for vegetarians), is often responsible. If you’ve been reading with us for a while now, then you’ve heard it. B12 is a huge one, in terms of Vitamins, and an essential supplement for vegans and vegetarians, so ‘Get on it!’ – That’s the Natural Beauty Lecture. Also important are Calcium, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, and of course, you should be supplementing with one of nature’s Vitamin packed potions – Oil. Look for Sesame Seed Oil and Safflower Oil.

Supplementing with Vitamins are a great way to improve your overall health & wellness, and there are other important factors to consider for improving the way you feel, as well. A headache can result, if you are tired and run down. It is important to ensure that you are getting adequate sleep; Seven to nine hours per night is necessary, in order for your body to recharge, and function properly. You also need the really good kind of sleep – deep, stage 4, REM sleep. This helps your body to fully rest so it can recover. Without proper sleep, you put yourself at risk for a variety of ailments, and your cognitive functioning can suffer, as a result (i.e. you will become less efficient at work, you will struggle with memory, etc). It is also good to note that your sleep should be taking place in one, solid block of time. If you are a shift worker, don’t break up your sleep, by finding time to fit in a few hours here and there; instead, take it all (8 hrs., ideally), at once. Don’t get over-tired – Pay attention to your body, and sleep when you are tired, rather than waiting up until you can’t stay awake any longer.

It’s surprising, you can find a lot to do, when you aren’t really paying attention – Let’s stay up all night watching a single guy, sitting on a couch, talking about a date that he’s not on, with a chick who’s at the beach with 10 different dudes that she has to pretend to be liking. We’re tired and delirious because we’ve already caught it on a previous channel, but we still want to stay up to see what happens; Maybe we missed something at the whine ceremony.

During the day-time, make sure you are getting plenty of fresh air. If you are pressed for time, consider taking your workout outdoors, or go for a walk or a hike, whenever you can fit it in. Fresh air is an incredible energizer – like going to the beach! The good, clean, natural ozone and sunshine (although not too much sun) will do you well, and it can also help to improve your mood. Have you heard of SAD? SAD, the acronym for Seasonal Affective Disorder, is a condition in which people who aren’t exposed to enough, natural sunlight, begin to experience episodes of depression, typically during the winter months. Headaches, as mentioned earlier, are a physical symptom of depression. So, make sure you are enjoying the good hours of daylight, every day, for its mood boosting benefits.

Boost your energy with proper nutrition. What you put into your body has a direct effect on the way you feel, and if you are experiencing headaches, you should make sure your diet is in check. Do you know what your body’s number one source of energy is?

 

WATER!

Water is your body’s main source of energy. When you are feeling tired, weak and headachy, sometimes all you need is water. It is really important that you stay well hydrated throughout the day, and we all know to do that. However, when we are busy or out and about, we often forget to do so. Get a good water bottle, and carry it with you! You need to ensure that you are getting 2L or 8 Cups of water per day, so that you don’t end up running around on empty all day. That type of behavior causes headaches, so you need to stay hydrated.

 

FOOD

The food you consume can have a direct effect on headaches, as well, especially if you are sensitive. If you are experiencing frequent headaches, steer clear of un-natural foods and food additives, like aspartame and artificial sweeteners. These types of ‘foods’ can drain your body, making you feel tired, achy and sick, rather than healthy and well fueled. To help prevent headaches, resulting from tired, be sure to keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day. Plan ahead or be sure to always have some cash on you so that you can stop in somewhere to find nutritious options for snacks or a meal, if you need to. Fun Fix: This is also a good way to explore the city and find new places to eat, wherever you happen to be! Even when you are rushed, don’t skip meals – We’re over that now.

Today’s health & wellness lifestyle is all about taking good care of yourself, which means you don’t deprive yourself or neglect your body’s basic needs. It’s not a testament of strength to see how long you can go without eating: it doesn’t make you a harder worker or a more dedicated employee; it doesn’t make you more disciplined; it doesn’t make you more attractive or more fashionable. All skipping meals does, is get you into a fight with your own body, so don’t do that to yourself. To put it bluntly – That’s not beauty; That’s stupid.

 

Be good to yourself

Be in Control – When you find yourself with a headache, get control over it. Pain is a sign that you need to slow down or stop what you’re doing. The pain signal is just a message that your brain gets, to tell you that your body doesn’t like what’s happening. So take a good, hard look at what you’re doing to it, and treat yourself better. When you experience a headache, take a break. Take OTC medication to make it stop, but try to determine the cause, so that you can prevent future headaches.

Reduce pain sources – Get into looser clothing. Ladies, remove the bra! (We are assuming you are at home. Otherwise, that’s not headache relief, that’s called something else.) Those things can put extra strain on your shoulders and neck, the very same places that you carry tension and stress. Put pajamas on, even.

Relieve tension – Let your hair down (If it’s up). If you have sore muscles, get into a nice, relaxing bath, unless you are feeling exceptionally tired and might fall asleep (then, just get into bed with a bunch of soft, cozy blankets). For baths, we recommend adding in Eucalyptus or Peppermint bubbles – The aromatherapy will help to relieve your headache.

Rest & Recover – Don’t force yourself to struggle through your work. If you can, take a break.  If you’re at home, go and lay down until the headache goes away. Use rhythm to calm you and lull you to sleep. Sometimes if you have a headache, you can have accompanying thoughts that will keep you awake, and worries can prevent you from relaxing. When you sleep, this is the time to clear your mind completely, and let all of your thoughts drift away. Focusing on something rhythmic (e.g. your breathing, a ceiling fan, any ambient noise – a ticking clock, etc.) can help you to clear your mind, find relief from stress, and allow you to sleep, until it goes away. If you have nowhere to be, don’t set the alarm, take all the rest you need. Your body is trying to tell you something – It’s about balance. You might be working too hard or worrying too much. Whatever you need to balance things out – Find it.

 

Severe Symptoms

If your headaches are recurring and unbearable, and especially if they are accompanied by blurred vision, fainting spells, light sensitivity, vomiting or nausea, see your doctor. A chiropractor may also help, if there is an alignment problem present (your doctor can refer you). You should also have your vision tested, if you haven’t had it checked recently, and if you have glasses, make sure you wear them! - Sounds obvious, but we neglect little things like this.

For quick relief of more common headaches, there’s Ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory, and Paracetamol (a.k.a. Acetaminophen, a pain reliever). Both are safe OTC medications for headache relief; however, neither are natural. So if you are routinely experiencing headaches, you may want to think of some health & wellness techniques, for alleviating your symptoms. Check out our list for some alternatives.

 

Headache again? 10 Natural Alternatives to Ibuprofen or Paracetamol

1. Party-Hardy Catharty – You need to adjust your lifestyle if you like to drink, and you suffer from frequent hangover headaches; They’re no fun. Eventually, as you integrate new health & wellness strategies into your life, you will begin to minimize or eliminate your alcohol consumption. That doesn’t mean that you still can’t attend events and have a good time, but use your drinking talents sparingly. So, how do you gain catharsis from hangover headaches in times that you do get over-served? –  Hangover Tea!

That, and drink lots of water – You’re dehydrated, you lush. Eat some food – Real food! Dense, greasy food is the stuff you probably usually go for after a night out, but have something with more nutritional value in it – because you’re healthy now; It’s a lifestyle. Try a really hearty pasta, with lots of veggies in it. In actuality, you’re supposed to have fruit like berries and stuff, but let’s face it, if you have a hangover headache, you don’t need to ingest anything else that tastes like coolers, because we all know where that ends up. If this is you, right now, this computer screen is probably like an angry, jealous stalker throwing sand into your eyeballs.

Go to sleep.

You can read the rest later.

2. Bananas! – Bananas have potassium in them. Headaches can result from low levels of potassium, and potassium is also known to help relieve pain. So if you suffer from headaches, bananas are a really good health food option.

3. Cleanse – Detox your body, especially if you have food intolerances. A cleanse is a good idea when you are struggling with frequent headaches because it can help to remove toxins from your system. Your body will run more efficiently, as a result, and any irritants resulting from an improper diet, will be removed; therefore, headaches are no longer an issue.

4. TEAS

Green Tea – Green tea is rich in antioxidants and can serve a very similar purpose as the cleanse, mentioned above. Green tea can be used on a daily basis, to help detoxify your body. It also supports immune system functioning, which leaves you feeling better, in general.

Chai Tea – Chai Tea is a secret, little trick for people who struggle with headaches. If you haven’t tried this yet, you should. You’ll be surprised! Chai tea has a really nice flavor (like Pumpkin Pie), and you can make a delicious latte with it. Chai tea has one of the highest caffeine contents of all tea varieties, and it really helps to alleviate headaches.

5. Essential Oils – Essential Oils like Peppermint Oil and Eucalyptus can serve as aromatherapy, and lift tension and stress away. It sounds like a fancy add-in for spa services, but it really works. When you book in for a massage, relax with a luxurious, eucalyptus, aromatherapy enhancement. Diffuse your stress. The scent will fill the room, and although it’s strong, it has a gentle, healing effect to it. Try it; it helps.

6. Sinus Pressure – A great way to alleviate tension from sinus pressure headaches is to give yourself a face steam. If you aren’t bothered by increased warmth or fever, you can use a facial steamer immediately, to drain your sinuses. You can also use this technique once per month, as part of your skin care routine, and you will benefit on another level, if you suffer from congestion.

7. Get off the Coffee – Do you get withdrawal headaches when you have no Jo? Then, that’s a good sign that you have developed a coffee addiction, and you should try to detox from it. If you have a daily habit, this can be hard to do. Instead of going off of caffeine, cold turkey, just try switching to a healthier alternative. Replace your coffee with Green Tea. If you haven’t acquired a taste for it yet, try regular tea first, and then gradually switch over to Green Tea.

8. Hunger headaches – These are the worst. So, don’t skip meals. We understand though, that there are circumstances that prevent you from timing out your food, with perfect precision, and there are also some learned behaviors that start to become pervasive patterns.

Here is a tip for when you experience a dive in energy, and you need a quick fix for low blood sugar levels. You can re-energize and bring your energy level back up, almost immediately, with just ½ cup of juice. More than that is ideal, but that’s the minimum amount you need, the second you start to feel run down. Tip: food does not work to replenish your energy stores nearly as quickly, so if you are feeling weak and tired, hit the juice. Follow with food, when you are done, or when you have adequate time to eat a meal.

9. PMS Headaches – Oh for F-sakes, these types of headaches are a Pain in My Sciatica! Yams are rich in potassium. You should eat them. These will help you to beat bloat, and alleviate symptoms like headaches, cramping and moodiness – which can cause you, and everyone around you, headaches.

10. Yoga – If you have tension in your body, this, in turn, can cause headaches. It is important, then, that you find ways to relieve stress, and yoga can help you with this. Not only does it calm and soothe your mind, it also helps you to stretch out and lengthen your muscles, which can prevent tension headaches, over time. Yoga, is the only workout that specifically aims to relax your body and mind, and it will help you to restore your calm.

 

That’s our Top 10!

Leave your comments, and share your ideas. What works best for you?