Most headaches are caused by stress, muscle tension, dilated blood vessels in the head, or a combination of these. In only one person out of several hundred are headaches likely to be caused by a life-threatening illness such as a brain tumor.
Managing Your Headaches
"Headaches are characterized by a feeling of tenseness in the neck, shoulder and scalp whereas migraines are basically pulsating headaches, often on one side of the head. Symptoms actually vary from person to person, and even from one migraine attack to the next," says Dr. Supriya Bali, Internal Medicine, Max Hospitals.It is essential that you avoid headache-inducing substances like MSG (monosodium glutamate), excessive caffeine, alcohol, phenylethylamine found in chocolate and cheese, tyramine found in nuts and fermented meats and soy, and aspartame present in many artificially sweetened foods. If you start getting a headache, steer clear of all devices including your phone, laptop and TV. Eat healthy, and at regular intervals since a drop in blood sugar can set the stage for headaches. At least thrice a week, if not more, spend 30 minutes exercising. And always, we mean always, stay hydrated.
The next time you have a headache while at home, try the following program. Better yet, for greater success with this treatment start it as soon as you feel a headache coming on.
Warm the bathroom to between 70 and 80 degrees F.
Undress and take a hot foot-bath. For this treatment it is best to sit on the edge of the bathtub and fill the tub with hot water over your ankles. Start with water at 105 degree and increase as tolerated to not more than 115 degrees F.
Keep yourself warm by wrapping in a sheet.
Have a pan of ice water handy. Dip a washcloth in the ice water, wring it out well and place it over your forehead and eyes. Change the washcloth every two or three minutes.
Rub the back of your neck to relax the muscles. Slowly rotate your head in a circle once or twice, relaxing the muscles as much as possible, and then apply a cold cloth to the back of the neck.
When your feet have become nice and pink, fill the tub with water at 80 degrees to 95 degrees F. Then get in the tub, place a folded towel behind your head, lean back, and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep the cool cloth over your forehead and eyes.
Dry thoroughly. Blot the skin. Do not rub.
As soon as you are dry get right into a warm bed. Have the room darkened, with no noises to disturb you. You may even take the phone off the hook if you dare. Close your eyes, relax, and try to remove all irritating, stressful, and unpleasant thoughts from your mind.
Keep yourself warm by wrapping in a sheet.
Have a pan of ice water handy. Dip a washcloth in the ice water, wring it out well and place it over your forehead and eyes. Change the washcloth every two or three minutes.
Rub the back of your neck to relax the muscles. Slowly rotate your head in a circle once or twice, relaxing the muscles as much as possible, and then apply a cold cloth to the back of the neck.
When your feet have become nice and pink, fill the tub with water at 80 degrees to 95 degrees F. Then get in the tub, place a folded towel behind your head, lean back, and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep the cool cloth over your forehead and eyes.
Dry thoroughly. Blot the skin. Do not rub.
As soon as you are dry get right into a warm bed. Have the room darkened, with no noises to disturb you. You may even take the phone off the hook if you dare. Close your eyes, relax, and try to remove all irritating, stressful, and unpleasant thoughts from your mind.
