The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Apples
Posted by Anne (CA) on 01/29/2023
★★★★★
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.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne
Posted by Lorik24 (Orange County NY) on 09/25/2019
★★★★★
After years of suffering with (what I thought were mild migraines) severe headaches, I discovered a ‘fix' for myself after looking on Earth Clinic for help with a sore throat. Apple cider vinegar in a cup with a teeny pinch of cayenne powder or chili powder (depending on what you may have in your cabinet). I was going to gargle with this mixture to help rid myself of an on coming sore throat. Once I got the cup close enough to put it in my mouth, I naturally took a small breath. THAT did the trick!!! Just inhaling that mixture cleared my sinuses so much that I didn't have any type of headaches for several years. Prior to this I was taking 6-10 extra strength Excedrin per day (which didn't actually get rid of my head aches, it just dulled them). I fully stand behind this method for both sinus headaches AND gargling to help alleviate sore throats. God Bless Earth Clinic!!!
DMSO
Posted by Lynde (South Africa) on 04/09/2021
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.
Breathing Technique
Posted by Shannon (Toronto, On) on 12/19/2013
★★★★★
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!
Oregano Oil
Posted by Jillaroo (North Carolina) on 12/17/2018 83 posts
★★★★★
I've had a smashing headache for the last 3 days (dec 17) and a headache since Nov 25. I believe it is from a BP med the doc was having me try out. I stopped the med this morning but still had a headache. I tried this oregano oil behind my ears, on my temples, a little under my nose and one drop under the tongue. I also soaked my feet in hot water for about 15 min. The headache is very mild and is slowly going away. And yes, I stopped the BP med as well. ~jill
Acupressure
Posted by Nik (Visalia, Ca) on 06/15/2011
★★★★★
this helps because it releases dopamines in your head that is a natural cure for headaches.
5 HTP
Posted by Caleb (Humboldt , Ca, Usa) on 07/15/2010
★★★★★
Just make sure you don't take your daily Vitamin with the 5HTP (take the 5HTP with dinner) because the 5HTP will metabolize with your vitamin and go into your blood stream, you want it to go to your brain. It increases the serotonin levels, hence the popularity between 5HTP and users of club drugs such as MDMA or Amphetamines. Thanks for your time, good luck with your headaches. ~ Caleb
Dietary Changes
Posted by JOYCE (Joelton, Tn) on 10/10/2007 489 posts
★★★★★
...Again, on headaches, remove the cause, instead of looking for a cure. Aspartame (Nutrisweet) is well known for causing headaches. So is Monosodiumglutamate. If you want to find some other things they can cause, type in Excitotoxins, and hit search. For those who think MSG is only found in stir-fried (Chinese foods), make a list of the names MSG is hidden under in the ingredients list, then go into your kitchen and see how many of your foods have one or more of them listed in the ingredients.
Classic example is the 15% chicken broth that may be contained in a well-known brand of raw chicken that you must take home and cook...The MSG isn't mentioned because they didn't add MSG - they added chicken broth which contained the MSG.....Learn to protect yourself and your loved ones by learning these legal loop-holes. Oh, yes, you will also learn that that they are named excitotoxins because they excite the neural cells (Brain & Central nervous system) to death.
If you also research meta-bolic syndrome X (now called insulin resistance) by orthodox medicine) you will also find that excitotoxins are the same things that cause insulin resistance which ends up as full fledged Diabetes Mellitus,Type 2 which used to be called DM, adult onset, but was renamed to DM type 1 for juvenile onset and type 2 for adult onset, because children (even toddlers, are now developing type 2. So be your own health defender by learning all the names the excitotoxins are hidden under, stop buying these products, and write the supplier telling them why you aren't buying their product. You will only have to make one list because the excitotoxins are the same ones that makes us kick out excess insulin, proceed through insulin resistance, then to full fledged DM, type 2 and all of its complications.
Acupressure
Posted by Jhon (Defo WI) on 10/19/2006
★★★★★
When i was little, i used to get a headache every single day, i hated it. my mom didn't want to give my tylenol every day cause it was bad for you, so she used this remedy: If you have a headache or have one coming on, find a person who will squeeze between your thumb and index finger. Do this for about 5 minutes. It is going to hurt but it makes the pain go away
Borax
Posted by Art (California) on 09/25/2024 2892 posts
Hi Rob,
Not for all people, but for some people, taking borax at night can cause sleep problems. Just something to be aware of in case the problem arises with night usage of borax. I've never taken borax at night so I don't know if it will have that effect on me or not.
Art
DMSO
Posted by Keiko (London) on 04/20/2021
★★★★★
Thank you for the remedy posting! I had horrible headaches behind my right ear. This helped reduction of pain.
God sent
5 HTP
Posted by Blindedbyscience (Asheville, Nc) on 09/11/2011
★★★★★
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.
Peppermint Oil
Posted by Sgbellaragazza (Providence, Ri) on 09/25/2010
I agree peppermint oil works wonders. I have also drank peppermint tea as well, which also seemed to work well.
Cayenne Pepper
Posted by Valerie (New York) on 11/15/2022 2 posts
★★★★★
People, You're not supposed to SNORT Cayenne! Always read many cure experiences to learn things like what type, how much, & how often something is recommended. They are generally talking about professional strength cayenne like the type that comes in 1oz glass bottles with a glass dropper type lid that you can buy in a health food store, tincture section. You use with great caution as it's a very hot substance. Try less first.
I just put a drop or two on the tip of my tongue a little too long, washed it down with my very diluted cayenne water and was looking for something to cool the burn and a tablespoon of coconut oil worked fairly well. 15 minutes later the headache is dissipating.
Lemons
Posted by Anj (London, UK) on 09/21/2006
★★★★★
Cut a lemon or /lime into halves or slices, sprinkle about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of salt and same amount of black pepper. roast/ oven bake/direct on gas fire/ barbecue/ cover it and microwave for 40 seconds, salt and pepper side on top till bubbly juice comes out. Let it cool down but don't let it go completely cold, it should be hot. Suck with the pulp direct from the lemon slices/halves as the peel has secreted some juices that you need. Same method can be used with sour oranges or tangerines.
This recipe came from my mum who used it on all her kids as natural alternative which would not give any side effect, to cure headaches, migraines, cough and colds, flu, as well as when someone feels sick as if they want to vomit. This is a ideal alternative medicine for diabetics and ideal for everyone as you don't have to go shopping, everything you'll have in your home when you have any of these problems. All of us brothers and sisters have been using this all these years, may be it might help someone who wants to try natural alternatives which would not give them any side effects especially if they are diabetics.
Vicks Salve
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 09/29/2025
★★★★★
Apply Vicks to the back of the neck. Then apply a hot wet wash cloth over the area. – Folk Remedy.
Active Ingredients: Label reads: Special Vick medications (camphor, menthol, spirits of turpentine, eucalyptus oil, cedar leaf oil, thymol, petrolatum).
Mustard Seed
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 05/17/2025
★★★★★
MUSTARD SEED – HEADACHE.
Source: Practical nursing, p. 133, By Louise Henderson · 1919
Headache is a symptom of importance in disease and it may also be caused by slight digestive disorders, constipation, over fatigue, nerve strain (particularly of the eyes). The tendency to headache may, in many cases, be overcome by correcting these irregularities. The direct effect of headache pain is usually from congestion of blood in the head, which causes pressure on the nerves. Or it may be that tension, over-fatigue, etc., affects the nerves directly.
Treatment.
Try to remove the congestion by drawing the blood away from the head by such effective methods
as: hot mustard seed foot bath, mustard paste between the shoulders just below the neck, heat or cold over the seat of the trouble, hot water bottle to the feet or to the back of the neck. Have patient lying down to rest the nerves, with the head high and the eyes protected from the light.
Nebraska Folk Cures Published 1935
Pauline Monette Black
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
Put a mustard plaster on the back of the neck and one under each foot. Let then stay on about five minutes and then remove. The headache will be gone.
Mustard Remedy - Romanian Folk Remedy
Ground mustard
A ground mustard poultice, applied to the back of the neck, between the shoulders, is good. Or, use 2 teaspoons of mustard powder dissolved in a few inches of bath in your tub and soak your feet in that for about 10 minutes.
Camphor Spirits
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 03/11/2025
★★★★★
Camphor Spirits for Headache.
Source: Mother's Remedies - Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada, p. 275,1916 by Thomas Jefferson Ritter
4. Sick Headache, Camphor Application for.-"A very simple but effective remedy is a cloth wet with spirits of camphor and sprinkled with black pepper applied to the head gives almost instant relief.
Activated Charcoal
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 10/02/2024
★★★★★
SICK HEADACHE . – To Cure. –
Book - Dr. Chase's New Receipt Book and Medical Advisor or Information for Everbody by A.W. Chase M.D. 1920
Sick headache proper arises from acidity or overloading the stomach; when it is not from over-eating all that is necessary is to soak the feet in hot water about twenty minutes, drinking at the same time some of the herb-teas, such as pennyroyal, catnip, or mint, etc., then get into bed, cover up warm and keep up a sweating process for about an hour, by which time relief will have been obtained; but when food has been taken which remains in the stomach.
Bread Tea, Used in Taking Emetics. - Made by taking a piece of dry bread and crumbling it into a bowl with a little salt, pepper and butter to suit the taste, then pouring boiling water upon it; this soon allays the retching and strengthens the stomach to renewed healthy action.
Charcoal, a Cure for Sick Headache. It is stated that two teaspoons of finely powdered charcoal drank in half a tumbler of water will in less than 15 minutes give relief to the sick headache when caused, as in most cases it is, by superabundance of acid on the stomach. We have tried this remedy time and again and its efficacy in every instance has been signally satisfactory.
Water
Posted by Sandy (Il) on 01/19/2021
★★★★★
I so agree about water for headaches. Any pain goes away when you drink at least two big glasses on warm to bearable hot water.
Cayenne Pepper
Posted by Tiffany (Berkeley, Ca) on 10/17/2013
★★★★★
I was suffering from a headache that wouldn't go away. Probably got the headache from eating too much honey. Anyway, I read about cayenne pepper on this website for head and ear pain. I took 1/2 tsp pepper in 1/2 cup of milk; head pain went away in 15 minutes. I did this again the next morning and it worked! I plan on continuing this treatment once a day to clear my throbbing ear which I suspect is a blocked eustachian tube. Will update as I see improvements.
Cayenne Pepper
Posted by Hope (Sacramento, California) on 06/07/2011
★★★★★
I get what are called "ice pick" headaches several times a year and they are very hard to deal with.
After trying several things with no luck (zapping, eft, theta healing), I finally woke up and looked on Earthclinic. I used the suggestion of putting a small amount of cayenne papper on the tip of the tongue, waiting about 30 seconds, and then drinking 12 or so ounces of pure cool water.
It worked like a charm and a few hours later a very slight headache reappeared, but I did the cayenne again and it stopped the pain immediately!
Oregano Oil
Posted by Catscradle123 (Shanghai, China) on 10/11/2012
★★★★★
Had a massive migraine/ headache all day yesterday. I drank 8 oz with 2 tbsp of ACV and it didnt help. I thought I was dehydrated so I drank a ton of water and coconut water too. Nothing worked! I decided to massage the oil of oregano onto my temples and placed a drop of it under my tongue. It was like magic!! Gone in a few minutes!! Thank you so much for your recommendation!!
Feet in Hot Water
Posted by Selena (Chula, GA) on 05/20/2009
★★★★★
Try putting your feet in hot water (not scalding hot) but as hot as you can comfortably stand it. Sometimes with a very bad headache it will stop the pain instantly and sometimes it takes a few minutes. It doesn't seem to work as well with sinus/congestion type headaches.
Cayenne Pepper
Posted by Teresa (Miami, FL) on 04/24/2009
★★★★★
Cayenne Pepper relieves my husband's cluster headaches. He had horrible time with headaches for over 15 years till we started to use the cayenne pepper. Now when he feels one coming on, he just snorts a tiny bit (maybe 1/4 of a teaspoon) up his nostril on the same side where he feels the headache. Yes he feels a sharp burning in his nose briefly (along with his eyes watering) but it relieves the headache within 15-20 minutes at the most. He was taking strong pain pills before that often didnt help and he would be sick for hours, with vomiting and extreme pain. Cayenne Pepper has alleviated all that. Just the "red pepper" that you buy in spice section at the store, for 3 or 4 dollars. If the headache is on both sides, snort a tiny bit up both nostrils.
