Headache treatment (Severe headache)

What causes headaches? Many factors, including mental effort, illness, etc. In most cases a headache is nothing to worry about, however there are cases where visiting the doc is a good idea. Those include: 


- If your headache lasts longer than a day;
- If the pain you feel is especially strong;
- If you experience a new type of headache you never had before;
- If your headache is accompanied by other issues such as fever, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck or rash;
- If you cannot sleep because of your headache;
- If you recently had an accident;
- If you have frequent headaches (e.g. 3 times per week);
- If your headache started after taking medicine;

If your headache stays for weeks or months, you should consider going to a neurologist who may apply advanced treatments (e.g. botox).

Are you not sure how to soothe a headache? Dexamethasone is a steroid medicine used to treat swelling and inflammation. It can be given along with a pain-relief medicine to help stop a severe headache from coming back within the next day or two. 

Dosage: 0.75 to 9 mg per day, in divided doses that should be taken every 6 to 12 hours. It is important to read the prescription before taking the pills.

Don't take Dexamethasone more than once because steroids may cause cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and many other health problems.

You can buy Dexamethasone here.

How to get rid of a headache? Aspirin can be helpful as it can give quick pain relief (just like Ibuprofen or other pain relievers).

The recommended adult dose of aspirin is 325 to 650 mg, every three to four hours as needed, up to six times per day. Be careful not to overdose, because it may cause nausea and vomiting, or in extreme cases hallucinations, seizure, coma, and even death due to cardiac arrest.

Do you wonder how to get rid of a throbbing headache? Acetaminophen can be a good pain reliever for all types of headaches.

Dosage: Take 2 tablets every 4 to 6 hours while symptoms last, but do not take more than 12 tablets in 24 hours.

You can buy Acetaminophen on Amazon.

Do you have a sinus headache? Touch the upper part of the eye socket below the eyebrows. You will find a small groove in your skull around the center of the upper cavity. In this groove, there is a nerve which is very sensitive to pressure. If you press the nerve, you will feel intense pain. This pain will stimulate the pituitary to start to secrete endorphins. Endorphins are natural painkillers and are much stronger than morphine. To stimulate the nerve,  press it for about 10 seconds.

Note: This method may not always work. Also, if the pain you cause by this method is too strong to endure then stop it immediately. 

Applying peppermint oil to the skin helps with relieving tension headaches. Also, it can be used for other types of headache.

What you need:

• 0.15ml of peppermint essential oil (3 drops);
• 1 tablespoon of water or coconut oil;
• Bowl or cup to mix them in;
• Cotton ball or cloth to apply it to your forehead.

Instructions:

1. Add the peppermint essential oil and water to a container or a glass cup and mix them.
2. Dip a cotton ball into the mixture and rub it across the top of your forehead.
3. Dip again the cotton ball back in the mixture and do it 2 or 3 times in the same way.

You should feel relief in about 30 minutes, but if your headache still persists, do the same process again.

If you have a more severe headache, use peppermint as described above, but follow with a damp cool compress using a clean hand towel. Place the compress to the forehead with your eyes closed and you laying down for a few minutes. Also apply on the back of neck for a few minutes. Be sure to keep the oils away from the eyes. Repeat this process as often as needed.

You can buy pure peppermint oil here.

Basil is known to work as a muscle relaxant, which is helpful for headaches caused by tension or tight muscles. Combining it with witch hazel can give an even better effect.

What to do:

1. Boil 2-3 cups of water and add 1-2 tea spoons of dried ground basil.
2. Let it steep until it's cool.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of witch hazel.
4. Take a cloth and soak it in this mixture.
5. Wring out all excessive water and place this cool compress on your forehead so that it covers your temples too.
6. Stay in this position for 15-20 minutes or until you feel better.

Peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender oils can be extremely helpful in alleviating headache. Lavender oil is known to reduce muscle spasms and nervousness while peppermint and eucalyptus oils can relax mind by having a calming effect.

What to do:

1. Add 2 drops of lavender, eucalyptus, and peppermint essential oils into a cup of water.
2. Soak a clean washcloth in this mixture and wring out excessive water.
3. Put this compress over your forehead. You may cover your eyes for soothing effect, too.

White willow's components, salicin and flavonoids make this herb a highly effective pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory drug. The only issue here is that it works slowly, but as soon as it kicks in, the effect will also last for long. 

What to do:

1. Add 1-2 teaspoons of dried white willow bark to 1-1,5 cups of water.
2. Boil it.
3. In a couple of minutes, reduce the flame and let the mixture simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Let it cool down and steep for about 30 minutes more.
5. Drink 3-4 cups of the tea a day.

Butterbur contains such components as petasin and isopetasin which are able to reduce spasms and inflammation to provide you with a pain relief. All you need to do is take a butterbur supplement (about 50-75 mg twice a day). 

However, do not use butterbur if you are pregnant or nursing.

Dandelion root tea contains vitamins A, B, C and D as well as iron and nutrients which can help you alleviate the pain. 

What to do:

1. Put 1/2 tablespoon of dandelion root powder or dried root, 1/4 piece of a cinnamon stick, 8 oz. of water into a saucepan over high heat.
2. Let it boil it for several minutes.
3. Strain the tea and add a bit of honey if you want to sweeten the taste.
4. Drink a cup daily.