If you suffer from frequent or even periodic headaches, you know how debilitating they can be. In an age where peak job performance depends on having a sharp and agile mind, a headache can totally blindside you, disrupting your work and interfering with your life in general.
There are, of course, a plethora of pharmaceutical headache remedies that provide marginal levels of relief. However, drugs tend to mask the symptoms without getting at the source of your headache. Moreover, most drugs come with undesirable side effects that can be harmful to your health.
Natural Headache Remedies
Taking a holistic approach to your health can provide a foundation for headache relief. Headaches are often caused by factors over which you may have more control than you think. Frequently, headaches arise from nutritional deficiencies or sensitivities to certain allergens.
Following are six holistic treatments to stop headaches in their tracks:
- Avoid known triggers. There are a number of things that can trigger a headache, and avoiding them provides a first line of defense against getting a headache. Stress, fatigue, allergies, eyestrain, poor posture, alcohol or drugs, low blood sugar, hormones, constipation and nutritional deficiencies can all trigger a headache. Learn to manage stress, and practice postural awareness. Take periodic breaks throughout the day to alleviate eyestrain. Steer clear of foods and beverages that contain ingredients that are known to trigger headaches, such as MSG.
- Increase consumption of magnesium and B-Complex Vitamins. These nutrients in particular affect nerve signal transmission and support brain health. Eat a whole foods diet with plenty of vegetables to restore nutritional balance, improve digestive health and avoid constipation. Supplementation via IV micronutrient therapy can quickly resolve nutritional deficiencies.
- Stay hydrated. Dehydration can quickly lead to a headache, along with fatigue, lethargy and foggy thinking. Drink water throughout the day, striving to consume at least an ounce of pure filtered water for every two pounds of body weight. Hydration will help ease constipation as well. IV therapy can help you rehydrate quickly, while restoring depleted nutrients.
- Exercise daily. Physical activity that increases your heart rate helps to oxygenate your brain, reduce stress and promote overall good health. Strive for a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardio per day. Add daily stretching, especially along your spine, to relieve muscle and nervous tension that can trigger headaches.
- Seek holistic therapies. Chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture and other manual therapies have been shown to help reduce headache symptoms by relieving pressure on nerves and restoring the body’s chemical and energy balances.
- Cryotherapy. Cold therapy directed at the back and sides of the neck has been shown to provide quick relief for headaches. In one recent study, the application of targeted neck cooling significantly reduced pain in study participants with migraine headaches. Localized cryotherapy that uses liquid nitrogen vapor is a quick and non-invasive treatment option that may provide rapid headache relief.
Headache Relief in NYC
To improve your nutritional and hydration status, and access localized cryotherapy treatment for headache pain, visit InVita Cryo NYC in nearby SoHo. We offer a range of micronutrient IV cocktails, localized and whole body cryotherapy, and a growing number of other treatments and therapies, all geared to helping you look, feel and perform at your peak.
Source
Sprouse-Blum, Adam S., et al. “Randomized controlled trial: targeted neck cooling in the treatment of the migraine patient.” Hawai’i Journal of Medicine & Public Health 72.7 (2013): 237.
