Effective Natural Headache Remedies: Holistic Relief

So many people suffer from headaches, yet not much is known about the real causes of such headaches.

I've recently noticed that I tend to get headaches after fasting for a prolonged period of time (24 water or juice fast). I have started taking activated charcoal pills in the morning or in the evening of such fasts. I'm taking 2 to 3 pills at the time. Each one contains 280 mg of activated charcoal made from coconut shell fiber.

I've noticed tremendous improvement in the frequency and intensity of such headaches. If the headache doesn't go away within a couple of hours, I simply take another 2 charcoal pills.

I started doing this even when I'm not fasting but when I just get a headache for whatever reason. This actually works 90% of the time.

This experience tells me that most of my headaches arise from toxins released during a fast or from toxins absorbed through food. Activated charcoal is the best detoxifier there is. AC works thorough "adsorption" rather than "absorption" (adsorption is more akin to a magnet, whereas absorption works like a sponge).

I also highly recommend taking activated charcoal when attempting to do any sort of detox regimen. Many times people are trying to detox too quickly and overload their liver and other organs of elimination with freed up toxic waste. This is very counter-productive, leading the toxins to be re-absorbed into the body, instead of being eliminated. Side effects such as Herxheimer reactions can be avoided if the detox is gradual and charcoal is consumed along with the detox regimen.

I believe activated charcoal is one of the most underrated heroes of medicine. Our environment and food is so toxic these days that regular detox with the help of charcoal is a must.

I hope this helps some people who have been suffering from headaches without finding a reliable cure.

Blessings to all!

Hi to everyone.

Thanks from Earth Clinic and everyone posting here and sharing experiences and feedbacks who helps everyone else to have the courage and right directions to try new useful remedies ..

If you find this story long, please go directly to " What I did "

My girlfriend started having some strange feeling in her legs and arms for some month, she complained about being so tired just after some little activities ( at extent of standing for a while, or even walking ), I've been researching and trying many different remedies even here on Earth Clinic with no success yet, she is so frustrated for what she is tackling with, so do I, but the most bothersome or disastrous situation she is ( or I better say " she was ") dealing with, was headaches that started out of the blue! and lasted for a long time, and as I recommended here to not use any medications, specially pain relievers which reduces the reduction of internal pain killers which are called endorphins, she tries not to have them, but in spite of danger of side effects from headaches, we had no choice to disobey the rules and offer her some pain killers ..

Sometimes the pain increased so much that she told me she can't even move the parts on her face cause it makes the pain worse whilst she was crying and asking me for help, I was so miserable cause I couldn't do anything but standing by her side and let the pain go all by itself cause nothing actually worked on her, not even pain killers could totally disappear the pain without a trace, and pain killers after all, can give no cure but some temporary relief, what we were not really interested in without finding the real underlying cause, and rooting many new problems by the side effects of drugs ..

Long story short, I read many stories and information about DMSO, its effects, the risks and consequences of using it, I summed everything up and decided to use it after all ..

What I Did

So I bought :.

1 bottle of DMSO with the purity of 99.5% ( in a glass container, cause it is used as a solvent, and as it enhances the absorption of materials by the body, I was afraid to buy DMSI in a plastic container, maybe I'm too cautious ).

While a very bad headache or a migraine started and were going to intense.

Used DMSO this way :.

First I put on some gloves, so I didn't need to disinfect my hands, washed her forehead ( where I was going to rub and apply the DMSO ) with alcohol 99.7%, dried the area, again washed the same area with alcohol mixed with hydrogen peroxide diluted to very low degrees to not hurt her forehead (cause hydrogen peroxide causes oxidation of skin or any living tissues once its in contact with them ) however after applying and washing her forehead she told me the area started burning and itching for awhile ( about 10 minutes then disappeared ), so when the itching and burning went away, I rubbed DMSO ( poured it on a soft tissue to not contaminate the bottle ) on her forehead, while it left some trace of wetness on her skin, asked her not to touch it or don't let it to be in touch with anything, she told me her forehead started burning and itching ( which disappeared in 10 mins ), in 15/20 minutes of no new events, suddenly she told the pain is going to decrease to a tangible degree, and after 25 minutes the pain went away completely and the pain hasn't even knocked on the door after 2 days without any traces yet . (DMSO totally absorbed )

Thanks from everyone, helping me help my dear yalda ..

P.S. Just to mention, I'm drinking one teaspoon of DMSO mixed with diluted Apple Cider Vinegar everyday, I'll post those results either in future ..

My aunt taught me this form of accupressure for a headache. I works and feels really good once the pressure is off.
Take one your thumbs and place it just above the nose where it goes into the forhead. Not on the nose,but directly between the eyes of the sufferer. Next, take your other thumb and place at the base of their skull in the back. The soft spot just below where the skull ends at the top of the back of the neck. Apply firm and even pressure for the count of ten. When you reach ten SLOWLY release the pressure to the count of ten. Most people I have performed this on have been amazed at how "delicious" this feels. I use my middle fingers to apply the pressure as this is more comfortable to me.

Cayenne pepper for headache

First of all, I'd like to give praise to Earth Clinic for such a fabulous website! I have tried many remedies from the site and they ALL worked...with the exception of the cayenne pepper for my headache! I had a headache behind my left eye and decided I'd snort some of the pepper as I'd read that it cured many a headache. Not too familiar with snorting foreign substances up my nose, I wasn't sure how to do it. So I grabbed a spoon, dug out some pepper (mistake number one) and sniffed. My first thought was that the synapses in my brain were misfiring when I decided to try this method. My second thought was that I wondered if this is how it felt to stick a blowtorch up my nostril and light it. Before I looked in the mirror, I seriously wondered if my left eyeball had shrunk to the size of a raisin and fallen into my now empty eye socket. (It hadn't...my eyeball, albeit on fire, was thankfully intact)! In my haste to grab a tissue and blow this fireball out of my nose, I ran into the open cupboard door (this REALLY happened)and smacked myself square on the forehead...(mistake number two). After a minute or twenty, the pervasive burning had dissipated, but a new, equally as fun sensation was happening....the cayenne was dripping from my nasal cavity into my throat. For pete's sake, I was now TASTING the pepper! I drank a tall glass of water and decided that i had had it....and took an ibuprofen. Unfortunately, the cayenne did not take my headache away. Although, who knows what would have happened had I not ran headfirst into the cupboard! So, this will be my very first "Nay" post on the site...with a gentle reminder that if you decide to try it, do NOT use more than a teensy bit of cayenne and for the love of God, shut all cupboard doors FIRST!

Yesterday my 12 year old son took a 12 mile bike ride in the heat of the afternoon. He was careful to drink a lot of water. However, he started to get a headache in the evening and it soon became severe. He is very healthy and never has headaches and is not a complainer. But he was literally in tears from the pain and got in bed with the light off. I know that dehydration is one of many causes of headaches and it seemed the most likely for him. But I knew he wasn't actually dehydrated as he had taken in a lot of water. But I was suspecting that he had sweated out minerals and such and while the H2O had been replaced, those had not. So, I gave him a Tablespoon of Blackstrap Molasses (for the potassium, magnesium, and calcium) and a glass of salt water. (I put about 1/4-1/3 of a teaspoon of Celtic Sea Salt in about 10 oz. of water. He didn't actually finish his water but drank a good bit of it. ) I offered him some Tylenol but he doesn't like to take anything that isn't natural, so he declined. About an hour later he got out of bed and said his headache was basically gone! Thank the Lord for such simple, cheap and amazingly helpful natural remedies!

~Mama to Many~

The peppermint oil remedy works, using it now. Feels great.I rubbed my temples and third eye. Instant relaxation.

Acupressure helped cure my severe headaches. I have been having severe headaches for about a week now and was tired of medicating myself with Tylenol, Alleve, etc. I remembered I saw an email passed around that listed natural cures for things. I searched the internet and found this website. Once there, I looked up headaches remedies and found the one that mentions having someone squeeze or put pressure in the space between your thumb and index finger for about 5 minutes. It was late at night so I just did it myself and was amazed that in 5 minutes I was completely pain free. I dont know how and I dont know why it worked, but I'm certainly not complaining! Give it a try. Good Luck!!

STOP using Cotton ear swabs / Q-tips for Headaches (migraine, sinus, etc.). Sounds crazy- but it works!

I have had terrible headaches as long as I can remember, and for that same amount of time I also like to have clean, clean ears. I'd clean my ears out with 2-3 swabs on each ear thinking ears had nothing to do with the other/headaches. Last few years, headaches have gotten worse. A few years ago I bought a ear microscope like tool to look into ears and gasped when I saw MY clean ears still had wax inside. Then I'd do my best to scrape and remove every little bit of wax that I could (note Don't do this because your ears need to have a certain amount of ear wax to keep them healthy).

An Ear, nose & throat doctor told my sister across the country to stop having sinus headaches just stop using a-tips, she didn't think one had to do with the other, so didn't stop using those cotton swabs, kept having the headaches, then he told her the same thing, she finally listened...and The headaches stopped. (Insert heavenly music here).

The last few years, these headaches of mine were unbearable, and I'd pop over the counter pain pills (which didn't help and I hated taking, but I was in terrible pain), lay down with ice pack after ice pack, during the day and overnight. I'd be writhing in pain, searching online & couldn't come up with an answer for these terrible headaches. I thought it was lack of humidity, so when it's dry I try to keep the humidifier going still.

After doubting the connection of headaches to cotton swabs/Qtips, I finally stopped using them..., which was (still is) difficult. After a shower, I only use Kleenex on my finger to swipe out the water; if my ear feels itchy, I just use that.

I won't lie, it takes an effort to resist using cotton swabs to clean out your ears. It took a few months to feel the results, I think your ears have to grow back a certain amount of healthy ear wax. But, I am still surprised at the result. Maybe I have one headache a month, and nothing like before. I've done nothing else different, So it must be the super removal of earwax triggers headaches, or sinus headaches. I never even thought one had to do with the other.

If this helps even one person out there, I'll be happy & give all glory to His son.

So, try stopping using Qtips. Throw them away (gasp). It's free, only thing to lose is what you've been seeking an answer for.

I had one of my worst headaches ever over the weekend. I had a terrible pressure behind my eye. It was really a mystery to me. I had no idea the cause, and it was not one of my usual headaches. I was even considering going to the ER. I have heard of people having severe head pain and then dying with an aneurysm. But I didn't want to be dramatic. (Maybe I should have been.)

I did try several things and nothing was helping.

I started to think about how pain can radiate. I started to think that maybe I had a tooth infection or a sinus infection. I had no symptoms of anything, other than a headache, but a cold has been going around. I decided to just start treating everything, just in case.

I did some oil pulling with coconut oil (in case it was a tooth infection.) I put hydrogen peroxide in my ears. I gargled with cayenne. Then I put 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide and boiled cooled water to the top of my netti pot. I used the netti pot. Then I gently blew my nose. I suddenly had horrible pain in my ear (on the same side of my head as the pain behind the eye.) At the same time, I could feel fluid coming out of my ear. The pain almost took my breath away.

I got to the couch and my daughter heated up a rice sock for me, which I held over my ear while trying to think of what to do. But the pain resolved on its own (or with the help of the warm rice sock) in less than 15 minutes.

Now I think I had an ear infection, or at least a build up of fluid in my ear that was causing pain that radiated. I had no ear pain at all. I think the gentle nose blowing caused a perforation in the eardrum, and relieved the pressure. (Thus the feeling of fluid coming out at the same time as the intense pain.)

That was three days ago. I have not had the pain in my head since.

I repeated the netti pot a couple of times (much to my daughter's horror!) because I didn't blame the netti pot and figured I should continue to work on any infection that may be around in my head.

Once my son had a terrible toothache when he was sick with a sinus infection. This seemed odd as he was only 17 and has excellent dental health. I read here on Earth Clinic about someone who had tooth pain from a sinus infection because the root of the tooth became inflamed. (We treated that with garlic by the way and it worked!)

The moral of the story is to keep searching for the root of the problem, even in unlikely places. And blow your nose very, very gently! :)

~Mama to Many~

Over the past ten years I have suffered weekly headaches from stress/work/computer usage and used paracetamol, aspirin or codeine regularly. Over the past six weeks I have stopped headaches using acupressure. Pinching the webbing between thumb and index finger works for me.

I keep a bottle of Peppermint Oil (essential oil) in my pocketbook. You dab the oil on your index finger and middle finger. Then rub it on the same two fingers of the other hand. Close your eyes so the fumes don't irritate your eyes. Rub, in a circular motion, on either side of your head at your temples. Don't be afraid to press hard while rubbing. I haven't taken a headache medicine in years. I am 58. You can get the oil at a health food store.

I soooooo agree! It's amazing. Works awesome for nausea. I rub it on my tummy and throat and it's gone in minutes. But for headaches it's AWESOME!!!! I put it not only on my temples but totally across my fore head and wow, it's almost instantaneous! And if I feel sinus pressure on my cheeks I put it there too!

I had a killer headache yesterday. It was in my neck and radiating to my eye. I get these sometimes and I think they are PMS related. Aspirin and Ibuprofen sometimes help but I don't really like to take those very often, and like I said, they only sometimes help. Tylenol does nothing for my headaches.

So, before bed I sprayed my neck well with magnesium oil spray. It did itch some but wasn't awful. I then put an ice pack under my neck and laid down. I would say that in 30 minutes or so my headache was mostly gone. And I didn't wake up with the headache either. (Sometimes my headaches last for days.)

I love what you did for your girlfriend and am so sorry for all the pain she had to endure.

Just a few tips that you will pick up on the way anyway. Firstly, don't use gloves as the chemicals or fibers will be absorbed into the body with the Dmso. Just wash your hands and nails well and rinse with diluted Hydrogen Peroxide (even 1% dilution will do). No alcohol.

Also, do the same for her forehead or any other area so that she doesn't burn.

You can also apply a thin layer of an organic cold pressed oil like coconut or castor oil to her skin before application of Dmso. You can use your clean finger or a wooden spoon or stick (like an ice-cream stick) to apply the Dmso.

Please keep us posted on your experiences and good luck and good health to you both.

I get headaches if I eat foods that stop up my digestion, like a large portion of cooked meat, cooked eggs (raw are fine), too many nuts. Anything that gets the digestive tract moving again fixes the headache; the headache tends to accompany constipation. So instead of taking aspirin, try taking a colon cleanser.

I got this remedy from my sister, who carries all her essential oils in a little baggie for use on her daughters.

I rub a few drops on my forehead, temples, nostrils, and the nape of my neck. If I don't feel better in 10-15 minutes, I repeat. Works like a charm every time.

this helps because it releases dopamines in your head that is a natural cure for headaches.

My sister got headaches when she was pregnant, she ate an apple and the headaches would go away. She I did not want to take medication for her headaches since it gets into the unborn baby's body. It worked well several times.

Last night I was looking at a book I have about yoga and how specific poses/techniques can help with all sorts of issues such as infertility, depression and anxiety, back pain, low-libido, lack of confidence etc. I came across a breathing technique that claims to help with headaches and migraines. I happened to be reading this right before bed, and lo and behold I had a splitting tension headache in my left temple as soon as the lights went out. I was too tired/un-motivated to get out of bed to search for a pain-killer, so I decided I'd give little technique a shot. Well it worked! As soon as I was done the breathing exercise my headache had vanished and I felt more relaxed and ready to ease off to sleep. If you search online there are many different variations to the breathing technique, but this is what helped me:

- Cover your eyes with both hands and breathe very slowly/deeply for 5 breaths. In through nostrils and out through mouth, and concentrate on breathing.

- Next cover mouth with a hand, and breath deeply in and out through nostrils for five long breaths.

- Next cover your ears and do the same, in through the nose and out through the mouth for 5 breaths, always concentrating and breathing.

- Then move on to alternate nostril breathing. Block one nostril and breathe in with the other and out through the mouth for 5 breaths, and then switch sides.

I also did this in the comfort of my own bed with the lights off. When I was done headache was gone and I quickly dozed off to sleep.

Hope this helps someone else!

I took 50mg twice so far when I had a headache with amazing fast relief. The first time it went away so easily that I thought it was a coincidence. I took another 50mg last night after taking 50mg earlier for the headache for sleep and and I didn't have any problem falling back to sleep when awakened during the night. Also I recently went vegan after being lactovegetarian for 31yrs and I think the 5 htp gave me a sense of relaxation kinda like dairy does.