Headache SOS: Beyond Pills - Natural Relief Remedies

Tension Headache | Migraine | Causes | Natural Remedies

Feeling overwhelmed? You're not alone. Daily stress can manifest as physical pain, leaving you drained. But what if relief could be drug-free? Dive into our guide! We'll explore natural remedies such as acupuncture for migraines and stress headaches and powerful, actionable daily tips to help you melt away tension and rediscover well-being.

Let's fight stress together, naturally!

What are the symptoms of a tension headache?

Suppose you are one of the unfortunate millions to suffer from tension headaches. In that case, you'll understand how uncomfortable and inconvenient they can be, especially when you are expected to work, look after a family, and just carry on with life as usual.

Tension headaches are among the most common types of headaches. Around 70% of adults in the UK may suffer from this type of discomfort each week.

What begins as a dull ache can spread around the skull, creating a feeling of tightness. Band-like discomfort and pressure travel along the forehead, back of the head, and neck. It can even be felt behind the eyes, making it difficult to carry on with our daily lives.

Looking familiar to you?

Tension headaches hit hard. Curling up in the dark sounds amazing, but life keeps moving.

We're all busy working, caring for our families, and keeping up with our other day-to-day responsibilities. We grab pain relievers for quick relief, instead of investing in natures remedies for long-lasting relief.

Some tension headaches can become chronic and last for upwards of seven days. So they can also be incredibly debilitating and make it hard to carry on with life as usual.

Headache or Migraine? Know the Symptoms and Take Action 

Migraine is a neurological disorder that can be defined as a very severe headache. Migraine may cause throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, especially on one side of the head.

Other symptoms of migraine attacks are nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine is considered a leading cause of disability. It significantly contributes to individual and societal burdens owing to pain and environmental sensitivities.

Around 1 in 4 people suffering from migraine needs preventive therapy, which is usually a pharmacotherapy.

While these medications can be effective, they often come with drawbacks like weight gain, fatigue, sleep problems, and digestive issues. Moreover, in subject to tend to abuse of these drugs, it can worsen headaches.

So, when traditional medicine hasn’t helped ease stress, tension headaches and migraine pain, many patients are eager to explore alternative natural remedies, such as acupuncture.

What Triggers Your Tension Headache? Unveiling the Culprits 

1) STRESS

Stress takes the top spot as a trigger for tension headaches. Stress can wreak havoc on our hormones and clench up your head and neck muscles. No surprise they're often called stress headaches!

People with highly stressful and fast-paced jobs are generally the ones suffering from stress headaches the most. 

The office environment can contribute to tension headaches because of the multitude of computer screens, ringing telephones, strip lighting, and a hectic work schedule.

These may all cause tightness around the skull and a persistent, dull ache behind the eyes and in the neck.

2) POSTURE

Poor posture is another leading cause of tension headaches for city workers. Office workers often stay at their desks for prolonged hours at a time to meet deadlines.

Hunching over paperwork or staring at a computer screen for extended periods creates pressure in the neck area that can trigger a tension headache.

The good news is that there are simple natural remedies to beat the desk slump, thus preventing headaches.

3) LIFESTYLE

Other elements that can result in a tension headache are:

• a lack of sleep

• poor diet

• grinding your teeth

Busy London executives with highly demanding roles in the city often report these habits.

Natural Tension Headache Remedies: Find Long-Lasting Relief

Is your headache holding you hostage? There's a natural path to relief! Let's now explore powerful natures remedies to medication.

We'll delve into acupuncture, massage, essential oils, and gentle movement—all designed to melt away tension and bring lasting relief. Dive in and discover a feel-good solution for your headaches!

Headache Natural Remedy No.1: ACUPUNCTURE

The treatment of Acupuncture for Stress, Tension Headaches & Migraine has ancient roots in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This believes that the body can be divided into a series of zones and pressure points.

According to TCM, Migraine and headaches manifest stagnant energy, called chi. This gets stuck along the body’s energy pathways.

Acupuncture aims to restore the smooth flow of energy, releasing blockages for the pain to subside. The goals of acupuncture are usually both the relief of pain during headaches and migraine (acute effect) and the prevention of future attacks (long-term effect).

Acupuncturists insert needles into different pressure points, depending on the symptoms that the individual presents. The acupuncture points are usually near nerves in your body.

Some research suggests acupuncture may stimulate nerves to release endorphins, such as the feel-good hormones. This triggers a response from your body, which is usually to feel relaxed, euphoric and happy.

By releasing endorphins, these "natural painkillers" boost your immune system and circulation. This acupuncture's double whammy helps combat migraines, tension headaches, and inflammation, all of which can worsen with chronic stress.

Acupuncture's Headache Help: How It Works

Acupuncture can provide relaxation time that is so needed, when experiencing stress, tension headaches and migraine symptoms.

Since you will lie down for at least 30 minutes with your eyes closed, listening to soft music, you may fall asleep and feel calmer and more relaxed.

Taking time for self-care and being in charge of our healing is priceless.

Scheduling and attending an acupuncture session means adjusting your focus back on yourself, which is very different from popping a pill and soldiering on. One of the most essential parts when reducing stress that causes migraine and headaches is changing our mindsets and habits.

Acupuncture for migraine and tension headaches can help you not only to change your internal stress induced chemistry. But it can also enable you to make time for yourself and re-prioritise your stressful habits.

The Science Behind Acupuncture for Tension Headache and Migraine

Acupuncture for migraine and tension headaches does not have any side effects. So more and more people are trying this therapy to support their well-being and find an alternative to these anti-migraine drugs.

Further, you can also rest assured there will not be any adverse drug interactions with your current medications. This is thanks to the research conducted on the efficacy of acupuncture as a natural remedy for migraine and tension headaches in the last few years.

A recent study involving 4985 people found that acupuncture treatments helped to drop the frequency of tension headaches by 50%. This effect persisted for more than 6 months.

This result was similar to what we observed with preventive medications, with the difference that acupuncture for stress and tension headaches doesn't have unwanted side effects.

Another study found that Acupuncture would help relieve chronic headaches, particularly migraines.

Researchers analysed 15 studies involving over 2,000 patients and found seven out of 10 had less frequent and less intense headaches.

While another study found that acupuncture helped patients with migraine without aura to significantly reduce the frequency of migraine attacks in a 24-week clinical trial, compared with those who received sham acupuncture and were placed on a waiting list for treatment.

What to Expect & How It Can Help

Your session will start with an in-depth consultation so that we can decide which points to needle, depending on your symptoms and goals on the day of your treatment.

The best acupuncture points for migraines and headaches are usually along a person’s back or neck, where they can slow pain transmission. This activates pathways in the brain that are responsible for turning pain off.

We often do a gentle head massage when someone receives acupuncture specifically for migraine and headaches to accompany the placement of the needles.

We advise you to book at least an hour for first-time clients, and we will probably suggest a course of treatments if you have recurrent migraine episodes or cluster headaches. That’s why we offer up to 20% discount on treatment packages.

Expect gradual changes, more subtle but surely with effects lasting more long-term than anti-migraine drugs.

We may also suggest some lifestyle and dietary changes and explain to you what you could do in order to get the best out of your treatment. For example, did you know that Caffeine can exacerbate migraine?

Headache Natural Remedy No.2: MOVEMENT

Believe it or not, movement can be a powerful natural remedy for headaches! Here's why:

• Increased Blood Flow: Gentle exercise like walking or yoga gets your blood pumping, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tense muscles in your head and neck, which can help ease pain.

• Stress Relief: Physical activity is a great way to combat stress. By getting your body moving, you can release endorphins, those feel-good chemicals that can naturally reduce headache pain and tension.

• Improved Mood: Exercise can boost your mood and overall well-being, which can indirectly contribute to headache relief.

So, next time a headache strikes, don't just reach for the medicine cabinet. Lace-up your shoes or grab your yoga mat and get moving! You might be surprised at how much better you feel.

You can also add movement to your daily habits while sitting at the desk.

Check this video for ideas about stretching your back and shoulders at work! Even if you only do it 1/2 times per day, it will always be better than not moving! So make sure you try it!!

Headache Natural Remedy No.3: MASSAGE THERAPY

When you begin to feel that familiar dull ache around the skull that heralds the beginning of a tension headache, it can be tempting to reach for a packet of chemical-filled painkillers.

However, aspirin and Paracetemol only treat the symptoms of a tension headache for a short period of time.

In contrast, massage can offer an immediate and long-lasting natural remedy for headaches and stress relief. 

Massaging the upper back and neck instantly releases built-up tension in these areas and can provide fast relief from tension headaches. By manipulating key muscle groups that help to support the head and in the upper back, stress and built-up strain dissipate.

We can achieve this by using gentle pressure and expert knowledge of this important area of the body’s anatomy.

In fact, nowadays, even Corporate companies invest in on-site chair massage services to boost their employees' well-being and productivity. These treatments bring relaxation directly to the workplace, melting away tension headaches, lowering stress, and improving posture.

The benefits for the company? Reduced absenteeism, lower healthcare costs, improved focus and morale, and even higher employee retention rates.

Headache Natural Remedy No.4: ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential oils have long been used as natural remedies to alleviate the onset of tension headaches. Of course, you must choose the type and fragrance of oil carefully so that it soothes the pain.

• Peppermint is a cooling, soothing essential oil that has pain-relieving properties. It’s also an anti-inflammatory and contains menthol, which helps muscles to relax, thereby lessening the feeling of tension headache.

• Frankincense Oil is also a popular natural remedy for headaches, particularly tension headaches. Valued for its sedative effect, it may help to reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, and reduce the pain of tension headaches. Moreover, its calming aroma can promote relaxation and stress relief.

• Wintergreen is also traditionally considered to be a pain reliever. It has anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties, which are also thought to help with muscle and bone pain.

Struggle with frequent headaches? Essential oils can be a powerful addition to your self-care routine. Consider incorporating them through aromatherapy massage for a natural pain relief and relaxation approach. Contact us to learn more and schedule your appointment!