Eliminate Your Headache Now

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

I used to get terrible headaches. They would get so bad I would be physically ill. Sometimes I would go to the hospital to get a shot (I have no idea now what they gave me). I would throw up, pass out for about 3 days, and then wake up and go on with life for about 3–6 months till it started all over again. Along with several other illnesses I had, I finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Since that time, I have learned a lot about headaches and how to help others, to make them go away — hopefully for good.

Dehydration
First off — the most common cause I see for headaches is dehydration. This is a huge problem in this country because people do not drink enough good clean water. Water is so important to our bodies to move toxins out and to replenish the tissues.

The way I think of it is this: if all you have is a dirty washcloth and you want to clean off a dirty countertop, how clean can you get it? It won’t get very clean; it will just move the dirt around. If you drink soda, coffee, or other “dirty” drinks — by dirty, I mean that the water molecules are already filled up with other substances; the liquid is just making your body more toxic. If you drink clean water, it is like cleaning off the counter with a clean washcloth.

You now have water molecules that are “empty” and available to clean toxins out of your body and hydrate the cells properly. How much water, you ask? I have seen all kinds of “rules” about how much water we should drink each day — one that many of my colleagues use is to take your body weight, divide it by half, and this is the maximum amount of water in ounces to consume in half an hour. So, for a 160 lb person, that translates to 80 ounces of water per day. Or 8–10-ounce glasses. If you are exercising or it is hot out, you may need more. Eating fruit can be taken somewhat into consideration as it is loaded with liquid and nutrients. Common sense is to pay attention to what you are drinking or not drinking. It is a good assumption that you need more water.

Drinking too much water, being thirsty all the time, drinking water that is not being utilized properly, and drinking the wrong type of water are also issues that should also be addressed; these issues will have to wait for another time.

Minerals

In addition to drinking water it is important to have the right balance of minerals. Trace minerals are important for electrical impulses to happen in our body and more importantly the Potassium/Sodium balance. Many people eat way too much sodium from junk foods and not enough potassium from vegetables. To replace vegetables in a pinch for quick headache relief, drink some coconut water. Coconut water is very high in potassium and many of my clients report back wonderful results and headaches eliminated from drinking a coconut water.

Lymph System
One frequent issue I see for headaches is toxic lymph systems. Here is an article on the lymph system. As summary, your body has lymph nodes around your neck, under your arms throughout your body. Your body dumps toxins there until you can sweat them out. When you perspire, think about where you sweat, that is where your sweat glands/lymph nodes are. Many people don’t sweat enough, and so the toxins sit there and can build up, putting pressure on the head, neck, and surrounding areas. Often just getting the lymph system flushed and keeping it flushed regularly can help eliminate headaches. Things that flush the lymph system are exercise, massage, sauna, steam rooms, dry brushing (towards your heart), ginger baths (up to 2 Tbsp of powdered ginger in a hot bath - do NOT use more), and drinking water.

Another thing that makes this problem worse is antiperspirants, which prevent your body from sweating and flushing toxins properly. We are the only country in the world that uses these. A whole industry has been created from the “fear of being a normal healthy sweaty human.” No wonder breast cancer, lymph cancer, and brain tumors are on the rise in this country. Other countries that don’t use these products don’t have near the problems we do.

Chiropractic
Headaches can also be caused from toxins created by damaged nerve cells. When your cells are damaged, they release toxins that can cause pain. Good chiropractors can fix this. There are many reasons that your cells can be damaged; simply bumping your head getting out of your car, sleep awkwardly, or if you are stressed, this can cause the vertebrae to slip or cause the spine to go out of alignment, causing subluxations which can cause spasms and pain including headaches. If your body is out of alignment, it can prevent optimal blood flow to the brain. Millions of people with headaches are helped by chiropractors each year. I highly recommend this. If you haven’t been to a chiropractor before, I recommend you call several and find someone you feel comfortable with. There are all kinds of chiropractors; they are NOT all the same.

Cranial Sacral Therapy
Cranial sacral therapy focuses on the cerebrospinal fluid produced and absorbed by the body on a regular rhythmical basis. Cranial sacral therapy is a technique where a practitioner uses a featherweight touch to test the cranial system’s restrictions. There is a mild cranial rhythm or pulse that can be felt along the cranial sutures. The normal rate is 8–12 beats per minute. When there is tension or stress at certain points in the body, the membranes are being pulled. Therefore, the body may be out of synchronization, causing ill health. Check with your massage therapist or chiropractor to find out if they do this technique or know someone who does. It is extremely gentle, safe for anyone, and the results are amazing.

Feed your nervous system
Another thing that has helped people with chronic headaches is feeding the nervous system. Many people are just stressed, and being stressed causes all kinds of inflammation and excess toxins in the body, which can cause headaches. You may want to check out antioxidants, B vitamins, or other herbs that help feed the nervous system, such as passionflower, hops, or skullcap. These can often help calm the stress, give your body something to pull from during stressful times, and help prevent the headaches from happening in the first place. Adaptogenic herbs such as Eleuthero also can be beneficial for some.

Herbs for headaches
The most popular herbs for headaches are Feverfew and Butterbur. We have found feverfew is great at flushing toxins out of the lymph system once you feel a headache coming on, or it can be used as a preventative. But once you have a headache, butterbur seems to do a better job. Also, yarrow is helpful for headaches, as is white willow bark. Both of these herbs contain salicylic acid, which is the main ingredient in aspirin.

Colon cleansing
If your colon is toxic, this can also result in headaches. If you are not flushing toxins out of your body, you are creating an environment for organisms. If your colon is toxic or you are constipated, this can also result in headaches. Doing a simple colon cleanse or taking more Vitamin C or magnesium, both of which have laxative effects, can help move toxins out. The same is true for the liver and often both the colon and the liver are all backed up causing headaches.

Perfumes, body products, and cleaners
Pay attention to what you are putting on and around you. Most of the perfumes and body products contain toxic ingredients that can make you too toxic and often cause headaches. Household cleaners and detergents can do the same as well. There are many videos online that discuss how toxic cleaners are and the damage they can cause. I only use hydrogen peroxide, Borax, and other natural cleaning soaps. They are all safe, non-toxic, and they actually work. I would also like to point out that many so-called “natural” essential oils are often not free of chemicals and often cause headaches and rashes. It can be useful to stop using these products for a good 90 days to see if you see a difference and if they are causing problems for you.

Diet
Eating right in the first place is, of course, is where much of it starts. If you are eating foods with steroids, antibiotics, hormones, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavorings, artificial colorings, or other toxic ingredients, it is no wonder you are having issues. Take a few moments and pay attention to what you are eating. Often cutting out dairy, wheat, sugar and eliminating the items mentioned above can eliminate headaches.

Making these changes eliminated my headaches. I hope some of this information helps you eliminate yours as well.

About the Author

Kasara is educated as a Mental Health Therapist, Master Herbalist, Traditional Naturopath and Energy Worker with over 35 years of helping thousands of clients find alternative health options that work. She writes articles on Medium, and on her website http://truhealth.com. You may subscribe to her Medium account or her newsletter to stay connected.