Headaches

I used to get terrible headaches. They would get so bad that I would physically be ill.  Sometimes they would be so bad I would go to the hospital to get a shot (I have no idea now what they gave me), I would throw up, and pass out for about 3 days, then wake up and go on with life for about 3-6 months till it started all over again. Along with several other illnesses I had, I finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Since that time I have learned a lot about headaches and how to help others either not get them, or make them go away – hopefully for good.

Dehydration

First off – the most common cause I see for headaches is dehydration.  This is a huge problem in this country because people don’t drink enough good clean water.  Water is so important to our bodies to move toxins out and to replenish the tissues.  The way I think of it is this: if you have a dirty washcloth and you want to clean off a dirty countertop, how clean can you get it?  If you drink soda, coffee or other “dirty” drinks – by dirty I mean that the water molecules are already filled up with other substances.  If you drink clean water, it is like cleaning off the counter with a clean washcloth.  You now have water molecules that are empty and available to clean toxins out of our body and hydrate the cells properly.  How much water you ask?  I have seen all kinds of “rules” about how much water we should drink each day – one that many of my colleagues us is to take your body weight, divide by 40 and this is the maximum amount of water in ounces to consume in a half an hour.  So for a 160 lb person, that translates to no more than 4 ounces of water per half hour.

Drinking too much water, being thirsty all the time, and drinking the wrong type of water are also issues that should be also addressed, but these issues will have to wait for another article.

Lymph System

The second most often issue I see for headaches is toxic lymph systems.  I already wrote an article on the lymph system: http://www.truhealth.com/LymphYourbodiesDrainageSystemJune2005.htm

But we’ll go over a few things here:  around your neck, under your arms and on your chest you have a lot of lymph nodes, which is where your body dumps toxins until you can sweat to push them out.  When you perspire, just think about where you sweat, that is where your sweat glands/lymph nodes are.  Many people don’t workout enough, and so the toxins sit there and can build up putting pressure on the head, neck and surrounding areas.  Often just getting the lymph system flushed and keeping it flushed regularly can help eliminate this problem.  Things that flush the lymph system are exercise, massage, sauna, steam rooms, dry brushing (towards your heart), ginger baths (up to 2 Tbsp of powdered ginger in the bath), and of course drinking water. 

Another thing that makes this problem worse is the use of anti-perspirants, which prevent your body from flushing toxins properly.  We are the only country in the world that uses these.  A whole industry has been created from “fear of being a normal healthy sweaty human”.  No wonder breast cancer, lymph cancer and brain tumors are on the rise in this country.  Other countries that don’t use these products don’t have near the problems we do. 

Chiropractic

Another cause of headaches are toxins from damaged nerve cells.  When your cells are damaged, they release toxins that can cause pain. Good chiropractors can fix this.  There are many reasons that your cells can be damaged.  If you simply bump your head getting out of your car, if you sleep awkwardly or if you are stressed, this causes the vertebrae to slip, or cause the spine to go out of alignment, or cause subluxations which can cause spasms and pain including headaches.  In addition, if your body is out of alignment, it can prevent optimal blood flow to the brain.  Millions of people with headaches are helped by chiropractors each year.  I highly recommend this.  If you haven’t been to a chiropractor before, I recommend you call several and find someone you feel comfortable with.  There are all kinds of chiropractors; they are NOT all the same.

Cranial Sacral Therapy.

Cranial sacral therapy focuses on the cerebrospinal fluid, which is produced and absorbed by the body on a regular rhythmical basis.  Cranial sacral therapy is a technique where a practitioner uses a featherweight touch to test restrictions of the cranial system. There is a mild cranial rhythm or pulse that can be felt along the cranial sutures. The normal rate is 8-12 beats per minute. When there is tension or stress at certain points in the body, the membranes are being pulled. Therefore, the body may be out of synchronization, causing ill health.  Check with your massage therapist or chiropractor to find out if they do this technique or know someone who does.  It is extremely gentle, safe for anyone and results are amazing.

Feed your nervous system

Other things that have helped people with chronic headaches are just feeding the nervous system.  Many people are just stressed and being stressed causes all kinds of inflammation and excess toxins in the body, which can cause headaches.  If you are taking anti-oxidants, B vitamins and other herbs that help feed the nervous system, such as passion flower, hops or skullcap, these can often help calm the stress, give your body something to pull from during stressful times and help prevent the headaches from happening in the first place.

Herbs for headaches

The most popular herbs for headaches are Feverfew and Butterbur.  We have found feverfew is great at flushing toxins out of the lymph system once you feel a headache coming on or use as a preventative.  But once you have a headache, butterbur seems to do a better job.  In addition, yarrow is also helpful for headaches as is white willow bark.  Both of these herbs contain salicylic acid which is what they make aspirin out of.

Colon cleansing

If the rest of your body is toxic, this can also cause headaches.  If you are holding acid in your body creating an environment for organisms, or if your colon is toxic or you are constipated, this can also cause headaches.  Doing a simple colon cleanse or taking more Vitamin C or magnesium, which both have laxative effects, can help move toxins out.

Perfumes, body products and cleaners

Pay attention to what you are putting on and around you.  Most of the perfumes and body products contain toxic ingredients that can make you too toxic and often cause headaches.  Also household cleaners and detergents can do the same as well. We have a video in our store that is free to come watch anytime that discusses how toxic cleaners really are and the damage they can cause. I only use hydrogen peroxide, Borax and a natural cleaning soap we sell in our store.  They are all safe, non-toxic and they actually work. 

Diet

Eating right in the first place is of course is where much of it starts.  If you are eating foods with steroids, antibiotics, hormones, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavorings, artificial colorings, or other toxic ingredients, it is no wonder you are having issues.

Take a few moments and pay attention to what you are eating.  Often cutting out dairy, wheat, sugar and the other items mentioned here can eliminate the headaches as well.

I know now that my problem 20 years ago was that I was eating way too much junk and not enough good nutrition.  I was very stressed and I am sure I was not drinking enough good water.  My headaches are now history and I hope some of these ideas can help you achieve optimal results as well.