Headaches have plagued humans since time gone by. For some people they are a little annoying, and for others they really alter the quality of life they can experience. Today we are going to delve into this topic and discuss all things headaches. From common triggers and causes to food intolerances, blood sugar dysregulation and natural remedies to help ease the pain. Let’s get started with headache triggers!
What triggers/causes a headache?
Headaches are the most common form of pain experienced today, and there are many different triggers that can cause them. Some of the most common triggers include:
- Stress
- Emotional stress
- Hormones, specifically around ovulation or menstruation for some women
- Environmental toxins or exposures
- Constipation and poor elimination
- Toxic overload, liver not working efficiently
- Dehydration
- Nutritional deficiency, for example iron deficiency
- Food intolerances
- Blood sugar dysregulation
- Fatigue
- Eye strain or fatigue
And these are only a few! Let’s take a deeper look into a couple of these triggers and how they contribute to headaches.
How do food Intolerances cause headaches?
Food intolerances are slow and insidious to manifest as symptoms, and they can effect every part of the human body. When someone has an intolerance to a specific food, IgG antibodies are released into the bloodstream. These then travel throughout the body, taking inflammation with them. This can then result in a variety of different symptoms, including muscular tension, headaches and migraines for susceptible people.
How does blood sugar dysregulation cause headaches?
When a persons blood sugar is unstable, often due to a high carbohydrate diet or high stress levels, this results in hormonal changes. Hormones like epinephrine can be affected, which then leads to changes in blood vessel dilation in or around the brain. The result of this can be a pounding head or pressure headache.
Let’s take a look now at how naturopathic healthcare can help you with headache pain.
How can naturopathic medicine help with headaches?
This is such a great question, and the answers are many and varied due to individual differences in peoples bodies, minds, diets and lifestyles. In saying this, there are some tried and true remedies that most often help when headaches come knocking on your door, and here they are:
Magnesium – this is the wonder mineral for the modern day person, especially when suffering from headaches. Magnesium helps to relax muscles, easing all types of tension in the body. It’s wonderful for helping the body deal with stress, create energy, and manage daily life. It’s also been shown to be low in people who suffer all types of headaches and migraines, alongside being an effective treatment option for acute and chronic headache sufferers.
CoQ10 – CoQ10 helps to generate energy within our cells. It is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and has been shown in studies to help reduce frequency and duration of headaches.
Feverfew – this is a herbal medicine with a long history of use for migraine and headache treatment. It does this through it’s antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic actions. It also helps to dilate blood vessels, relieving those pounding pressure headaches that can occur.
Peppermint essential oil – pure essential oil of peppermint also has a long history of use in the treatment of headaches. It contains a component called menthol, which helps to relax muscles and relieve pain quickly.
Nutrition – when it comes to headaches, food can play a major role. If you have recurrent headaches and you can’t pinpoint why, doing some food intolerance testing or elimination work with your naturopath is a good place to start.
Some specific foods that are known to trigger headaches in susceptible people include coffee, MSG, gluten, high histamine foods and alcohol. It’s always advised to work with a practitioner when trying to pinpoint food triggers.
Hydration – this is key for headaches. Some people experience headaches purely from dehydration. Make sure you are consuming 2 litres of water each day. Add a small pinch of celtic sea salt, or an electrolyte powder to ensure the water you are drinking gets to where it needs to go inside your body.
Relaxation practices – adding in some kind of relaxation practice to your day can also be key to reducing headaches, particularly if they stem from stress or tension. A relaxation practice can be anything that you find deeply relaxing. Things like meditation, stretching, yoga, walking in nature, a long warm bath etc.
In conclusion, the things that can trigger a headache vary widely, and are different from person to person. The key is to get to the root cause of your headaches with your naturopath, whether that be poor gut health, undiagnosed food intolerances, blood sugar dysregulation, high amounts of stress or something else. When the root cause is discovered and treated, your headaches can cease. If you need some personalized support to get to the bottom of your recurrent headaches or migraines, please book your first appointment today via the bookings tab. The sooner you can be headache free the better,
Nicky
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