The causes of headaches
Most people have headaches from time to time. As a rule, these occur only temporarily and are usually harmless. Often these are tension headaches. For mild headaches, patients can also quickly and effectively self-medicate or be treated with natural home remedies.
The tension headaches are among the primary headaches. This means that they are not due to a specific cause. The secondary headaches, on the other hand, have another disease as their cause. This can be, for example, a head injury.
Cluster headaches or migraines are among the primary headaches. However, these must be distinguished from tension headaches, because migraines and cluster headaches often occur recurrently and can cause greater pain.
What helps against headaches?
Behind the headache is often a lack of fluid. Under stress, many people drink too little. As a result, the blood becomes thicker and the supply of oxygen to the brain is not guaranteed. If you then drink plenty of mineral or tap water, you can safely dispel stress-related headaches. Mineral water contains, among other things, the trace elements iron, potassium, sodium and phosphate. These stimulate the exchange of neurotransmitters. To dispel the headache, the amount of drinking should be increased to a maximum of three liters. This was also the result of an American study with 20,000 participants. If you drink a lot, you can think better at the same time.
Peppermint oil also helps with headaches and is applied to the temples and forehead several times at intervals of 15 minutes. Already after a quarter of an hour, a significant reduction in the headache occurs and the intensity is reduced after about an hour. This effect is based on different ingredients of peppermint.
A tasty espresso is generally considered an insider tip against headaches. It has long been known why this is so. Scientists found that the caffeine blocks the formation of a certain enzyme responsible for releasing the prostaglandins. These are hormone-like substances, which are involved, among other things, in the conduction of pain. Thus, cola or coffee are also suitable. The special filter process in the espresso, however, releases the caffeine best. In addition, espresso is more stomach and blood pressure friendly.
One of the oldest home remedies for headaches is also the very well scented lavender. The plant can be helpful even for migraines, as confirmed by a placebo-controlled study with migraine sufferers. For mild headaches, the patient uses a tea from the lavender flowers. To do this, a teaspoon is brewed on a cup of water and covered and left to steep for about 10 minutes. This tea also has an antispasmodic and soothing effect.
The lavender oil from pure applied has a stronger effect. This allows a relaxing and pain-relieving effect to be achieved for any type of headache.
The patient rubs a few drops of the oil on the upper lip at the first signs of headache and then breathes in the scent afterwards.
At the same time, a few drops of lavender oil can be drizzled on a cloth and this is placed on the forehead. The oil used should be naturally pure and at best come from organic farming.
Magnesium is also an all-rounder against headaches. The mineral activates more than 300 enzymes and decisively controls the removal and tension of the muscles, dampens the excitation of the nerves and can control the release and mode of action of the body’s own hormones. Various studies prove its effectiveness in severe headaches. However, this is only possible in high doses. Therefore, when the headache begins, a tablet of 120 to 240 should be taken or added to the water as an effervescent tablet.