5 Tried & True Headache Remedies to Prevent & Treat Headaches WITHOUT Medication {Part 1}

Headaches.

They suck BIG TIME. Particularly for those that experience them often, for long periods of time, and there is no identifiable trigger or quick fix to eliminate them. 

I am one of those people. 

I’ve suffered from chronic headaches since my late teens. They come and go randomly and put a major damper on life, never really knowing when the next one will show up.

It’s comforting to know that I’m in good company with others in the same situation, but I tell ya, it’s maddening, especially for a health junkie like me, who’s **supposed** to have all the answers. For the record, I don’t. Just don’t tell my kids. It will destroy the illusion that Mama knows best. I plan to ride that train as long as I can. 

I’ve tried it all:

• Eating real, 100% unprocessed food

• Doing an elimination diet {removing specific triggers like sugar, gluten, caffeine, etc.} to determine food sensitivities 

• Cutting down my exposure to toxic chemicals through natural cleaning and personal care products 

• Choosing organic food whenever possible

And nada…

The one common denominator in my life when my headaches all but disappeared was when I was pregnant with both my girls. It was incredible. Given my rocky reproductive history and wacky hormones, all signs led to chronic headaches resulting from long-term hormonal imbalance.  

Since being pregnant for the rest of my life was completely OFF the table, I needed to figure out a way to replicate the hormonal surge that goes along with being knocked up {minus the mood swings}. 

So here I am. Doing this little experiment as I type. As I progress down this path, I’ll be back to share my experience with you.

Fortunately, I’ve become a ninja at mastering the art of treating the crushing pain associated headaches so they don’t completely incapacitate me. That’s what this post is all about. 

Let’s get started, shall we?

First things first, what is a headache?

If you’re reading this, chances are, you’re among the millions affected by chronic {sometimes debilitating} headaches and are **almost** willing to give your first born to make them go away. I get it. If my #1 wasn’t so cute and sweet, I’d seriously consider it. I kid, I kid. 

Despite how common headaches are, there is a lot of confusion out there as to what actually causes them. For good reason – there are hundreds of different types of headaches – some as insignificant and short-lived as “brain freeze”, and others that persist for days at a time.

In general, headaches are classified into two main categories:

• Primary headaches

• Secondary headaches

Primary Headaches

Primary headaches are generally caused by pain-sensitive structures {e.g. muscles, blood vessels, etc.} in your head that become overactive. The brain itself doesn’t have any nociceptors {a fancy word for pain receptors} that activate to say that it’s in pain. Instead, the brain receives pain signals from other parts of your head or neck that create the actual sensation of a headache. 

Tension headaches {usually caused by muscle contractions in the head and neck}, sinus headaches {caused by inflamed or infected sinuses}, migraines, and so many more fall into this category. They can be caused by many different factors, such as:

• Poor diet {which can lead to nutritional deficiencies and toxin overload} and allergies {food and other}

• Intense or chronic stress

• Hormone imbalance {usually more of an issue with women dealing with fluctuating estrogen levels}

• Awkward or insufficient sleep patterns {e.g. getting less than 8 hours of sleep a night}

• Inconsistent meal times {e.g. night-time eating or skipping a meal}

• Alcohol consumption & more

Particularly with poor diets and ongoing stress {which go hand in hand}, headaches are your body’s way of telling you that somethin’ ain’t right. Not getting enough of certain vitamins and minerals can translate into headaches that can bring you down to Chinatown. These same factors have so many ties into different health problems too, including excess weight gain that are difficult to reverse.

In the case of severe headaches, there are also times where the actual cause is difficult, if not impossible to pinpoint. In other words, there is no verified understanding of what exactly causes migraines to occur. 

This is maddening for the average migraine sufferer.

Secondary Headaches

In short, a secondary headache comes as a symptom of a disease that directly activates pain-sensitive nerves in your head. So anything from brain tumors to meningitis, brain hemorrhages, temporal arteritis {inflammatory disease that can be common in the elderly}, and more are generally classified as secondary. So rather than being a central issue on their own, they are more symptomatic of a different health problem. Some of them are serious and life threatening, where as others can be more or less harmless.

Headaches are a {literal} pain, no matter where they stem from. However, there are ways to prevent and treat headaches that don’t require making a deal with the devil or emptying out your bank account. By making specific changes to your diet, lifestyle, and state of mind, you can actively work to reduce how often and how severely those headaches affect you.

Now that you know what’s potentially causing them, your mission {should you choose to accept it} is to empower yourself with the knowledge and tools to proactively treat and prevent those SOBs. 

Are you ready?

This Thursday, I’m spilling the beans in an exclusive newsletter and offering up my personal stash of tried and true headache remedies to prevent and treat headaches without medication.

Don’t miss out! Sign up here for my tips delivered straight to your in box!