by Tonya L. Howe

Created on: June 12, 2008

Having been a chronic headache sufferer most of my life, and finding out this is National Headache Awareness Week, I decided to share some of the knowledge I have accumulated in my quest to conquer headaches. I hope you find something that will prove valuable to you in this article or the links for further knowledge I have included.

Acupressure

Simply apply pressure to your head, anywhere that you feel pain, press and hold, gradually applying more and more pressure until it feels slightly uncomfortable. Now continue to hold it a slow count of ten. Release. You will feel the blood rushing and this often provides relief.

You can also massage various places on your hands and feet that may be related to your headache. You can view an acupressure chart of hands and feet here:
http://www.geocities.com/bsrawat/accu.htm

Aromat herapy

Add a few drops of any one or combination of two or three of the following essential oils to a cup of hot water and inhale:

Eucalyptus: Great for sinus headaches and stimulates the respiratory system.

Geranium: Best for hormone related headaches, depression and tension. Bonus: It's also an aphrodisiac!

Lavender: Relaxing lavender is good for stress/tension and helps you sleep. In addition to inhaling it, you can use dried lavender to make an eye pillow. Seal it in a Ziploc and refrigerate. Place it over your eyes when you have eye strain, headache, or just want to relax and feel calmer.

Peppermint: Best for migraines.

Sweet Marjoram: Great for stress and tension headaches.

I have been fortunate enough to find incense and candles for headaches at various booths during local festivals and events. I am not sure what scent the incense were, however, the candle was lemongrass.

Cold Pack on Neck and Shoulders

If it's a tension headache and you feel it in your neck and shoulders, a cold pack will help reduce inflammation and relax you, especially on a hot day. Sometimes it helps to put the cold pack over your eyes or on your head, if that is where the pain is. This is especially effective if the headache is caused by eye strain

Cooling Foods

Cool foods and juices will often alleviate the symptoms of a migraine headache, avoid anything fermented, it will only make it worse.

Deep Breathing

Slow, deep breaths not only relax away tension, which likely caused the headache, but the oxygen you are taking in will help alleviate it as well.

Feverfew

The Reliv alone has gotten rid of my headaches; however, before I discovered Reliv, I was taking feverfew. It was difficult

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