Chances are, you know someone who regularly complains of a headache. It’s unfortunately quite common. Half of the world’s population have a headache within any given year.
Some people might experience minor discomfort from a headache, while others may be debilitated and unable to carry out their day-to-day responsibilities. Migraines are especially known for causing significant pain, and sometimes, they come alongside other symptoms like nausea and dizziness. Ocular migraines can cause temporary vision loss or blindness.
The Cause of Headaches
Headaches occur for different reasons, which can make pinpointing the cause quite difficult. There are over 150 different types of headaches! Some of the most common include:
- Tension headaches: Tension headaches are most often caused by stress, and Americans are among the most stressed-out populations – with 55% of U.S. citizens feeling stressed during the day. People who are anxious or stressed tend to clench their jaw and tightly contract their facial muscles, leading to a tension headache.
- Migraine headaches: We briefly mentioned migraine headaches, and they often accompany other unpleasant side effects, including loss of appetite, stomach pain, and sensitivity to light, noises, and/or smells. Migraines are often described as pounding, throbbing pain and can last anywhere from four hours to three days.
- Chronic daily headaches: Chronic daily headaches are those that occur 15 days or more a month for longer than three months. Some headaches are short, others can last more than four hours. Usually, chronic daily headaches are either chronic migraines, chronic tension headaches, new daily persistent headaches, or hemicrania continua.
- Hormone headaches: Hormone headaches can happen during menstrual cycles, menopause, or pregnancy. You might also experience hormone headaches if you take hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills. Symptoms include a dull throbbing or severe pulsing headache, sensitivity to light, dizziness, and fatigue.
Over-the-counter medications like Tylenol, Advil, and Motrin are the most common treatment for headaches, but for someone with recurrent headaches, taking these medications long-term is associated with bleeding in the digestive tract and kidney disease. It has also been linked to high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart attack.
That’s a big reason why complementary and alternative medicine is used more often by adults with headaches than those without, including homeopathic remedies.
What Is Homeopathy?
Homeopathic treatments use a small amount of a naturally occurring substance. It might be from a plant, mineral, or an animal. Homeopathic remedies work to support a variety of things, including allergies, migraines, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, premenstrual syndrome, and more.
Homeopathy is more than 200 years old and is practiced worldwide. Homeopathy relies on a basic belief of “like cures like,” meaning something that brings on symptoms in a healthy person (like an onion making your eyes water) will do the reverse effect for someone experiencing those same symptoms. So if you have watery eyes, try a red onion homeopathic preparation!
Using Homeopathy for Headaches
Research shows that homeopathic remedies might be a viable alternative to traditional treatment methods for migraines. Four months after treatment started, a neurologist found the homeopathy group had a significant difference in the frequency of attacks per month compared to the placebo group.
There are a variety of homeopathic preparations you can use to curb headaches and migraines, but you have to first look at your symptoms. For example, belladonna can help the feeling of head fullness, as well as sensitivity to noise and light. Other homeopathic remedies for headaches include:
Gelsemium
Gelsemium is a flowering plant, with two species native to North America and one to China and Southeast Asia. This remedy works to relieve congested headaches at the base of the head. Congestive or sinus headaches come with pressure around the eyes, cheeks, and forehead. Gelsemium is also helpful for headaches around the eye that are caused or made worse by stress.
Ignatia
Do you get headaches after something emotional happens or you’re in a period of grief? A lot of people do, and ignatia is the perfect preparation to combat that. Ignatia works well for headaches focused on one side of the head, it might feel like a nail being driven in. Other symptoms include twitching in the face or neck spasms and back and frequently crying.
Sepia
Sepia is helpful for left-sided migraines with dizziness and nausea, especially if the headache is made worse by missing meals, nearing the menstrual cycle, and during menopause. This headache comes in shocks or jerks, and the person might feel cold and irritable. Oftentimes, this headache is made worse by lying on the painful side, but relief might come from lying down in another position.
Byronia
Heavy or splitting headaches often respond well to byronia, especially if the pain is steady and settles over one eye. It might spread throughout the entire head, too. The person will feel the pain increase with any motion, even moving the eyes. Nausea, vomiting, and intense thirst may also occur. They often want to be still, lay down, and not be talked to or disturbed.
How to Use Homeopathy for Headaches
As you can see, the world of homeopathy and headaches can get confusing. Over 2,000 substances have been utilized as homeopathic treatments, and there are over 150 different types of headaches. The idea of narrowing down which headache you have, then finding the right homeopathic formula is enough to make you throw in the towel and reach for your bottle of Advil.
Heally’s integrative practitioners are here to help. We specialize in several areas of holistic medicine, including homeopathy. To schedule an appointment online or in-person, fill out our contact form. We’ll be in touch with you soon!
