Treating Your Own Headaches
You don't necessarily need a doctor's prescription to treat your headaches. Here are some ways you can find relief, without medication:
- Apply an ice pack to the painful area of your head. Try placing it on your forehead, temples, or the back of your neck.
- Take a warm bath or shower; take a nap; or take a walk.
- Ask someone to rub your neck and back, or treat yourself to a massage.
- Apply gentle, steady rotating pressure to the painful area of your head with your index finger and/or thumb. Maintain pressure for seven to 15 seconds, then release. Repeat as needed.
- Rest, sit, or lie quietly in a low-lit room. Close your eyes and try to release the tension in your back, neck, and shoulders.
- If you have excessive muscle contractions in the neck, physical therapy exercises performed daily are often helpful.
Identifying Food Triggers for Migraines
As headaches go, migraines are in a league of their own. Migraines typically produce pulsating pain on one side of the head. That can lay you low for up to 72 hours. About 20% of people with migraines have headaches preceded by aura, which can include: blinking lights blurred vision blind spots or zigzags in your field of vision Aura may also include numbness or tingling on one side of the body. Aura without head pain is also a form of migraine. Migraines are often prompted by one...
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