A Juicy Slice Of Watermelon Can Head Off Dehydration Which Is Often A Factor In Headaches And Migraine Attacks
If youre living with migraine, you probably know that certain foods and drinks can trigger an attack. But even though its important to know what to avoid, focusing on the foods to add to your diet matters, too: It may help reduce the number or severity of migraine attacks or other types of headaches.
Food really is the first medicine, says Wynne Brown, MD, the medical director of integrative medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. When youre trying to manage migraine, what you eat and when you eat can make all the difference, she says.
Being open to change in your diet is a good start, says Dr. Brown. Often, we can get in a rut and eat the same things over and over. By adding different fresh fruits and vegetables to our diet, we can reap benefits in terms of water content as well as vitamins and minerals, she says.
A diet with a variety of good foods will make a big difference both in migraine management and overall health and may improve imbalances that contribute to headaches, says Brown.
If youre looking for ways to change your diet to better manage your migraine, here are some expert tips on the foods and drinks to help you on your journey.
What The Research Says
Several clinical studies have tested the effects of ginger in people with migraine. A 2018 study found that taking a 400-mg ginger extract supplement with ketoprofen a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug decreased migraine symptoms better than taking ketoprofen alone. Martins LB, et al. . Double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial of ginger addition in migraine acute treatment. DOI:10.1177/0333102418776016
A 2014 study found that 250 mg of a ginger powder supplement decreased migraine symptoms about as well as the prescription drug sumatriptan. Maghbooli M, et al. . Comparison between the efficacy of ginger and sumatriptan in the ablative treatment of the common migraine. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.4996
Other research shows that placing a gel containing ginger and the herb feverfew under the tongue when a migraine first starts can reduce symptom strength and duration. Cady RK, et al. . A double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study of sublingual feverfew and ginger in the treatment of migraine. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2011.01910.x
Ginger comes in many forms, including:
- capsules
- beverages
- lozenges
So far, only ginger capsules and a gel have been studied and shown to be helpful for people with migraine. Other forms havent been studied but may be worth trying.
Read on to learn about the different ways ginger can be used to relieve headache symptoms.
Although its not common, some people who take ginger supplements can have mild side effects, including:
- heartburn
Best Herbal Teas For Headaches And Migraines
Headaches every now and again are a normal part of life, but frequent or debilitating headaches and migraines can interfere with your ability to perform daily functions. Even an odd headache striking suddenly a few times per month is something I would rather avoid.
But what to do when inevitably you sometimes get that pounding pain in your head?
In this article, I will share my best tips for avoiding headaches and migraines in the first place. I will also introduce the best herbal teas and other natural ways of treating them.
Here is a summary of the best herbal teas for relieving headaches and migraines:
- Ginger Tea: According to research, ginger is effective especially for treating migraines.
- Peppermint Tea: Peppermint tea and oil are great for relieving tension headaches.
- Chamomile Tea: Has relaxing properties and may help with migraine headaches.
- Feverfew Tea: Contains anti-inflammatory agents that can help treat and prevent migraine and other types of headaches.
- Willow Bark Tea: Has pain-relieving effects that can help with all types of headaches.
Believe me, I get my fair share of headaches. Sometimes I wake up with one and I go to sleep with another.
Whatever the cause, I try to avoid medicinal drugs. Instead, I began researching to find the best herbal teas for headaches.
You have probably heard about these common herbs but maybe didnt know that they are good for getting rid of this nasty and annoying problem.
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The 5 Best Teas For Headaches
Headaches can range from minor annoyances to debilitating migraines that prevent you from getting anything done. Tension headaches cause a sensation of pressure and pain that can feel like someone is crushing your skull. Sinus headaches may come along with cold and flu symptoms and keep you from tackling the day ahead.
If you suffer from headaches, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans report rebound migraines or consistent tension headachesthe ones that can stop you right in your tracks.
Fortunately, drinking tea can help alleviate the symptoms of headaches from minor aches to full-blown migraines. This list of the best tea for headache will help reduce the intensity and offer much-needed pain relief. Need tea to target a nasty headache fast? Check out our collection of the best teas for headaches right here.
Ginger Tea: For My Excruciating Headache
“I think I need a cup of Ginger tea, the world keeps burnin, Oh what a day, what a day what a day.”
Adapted From Erykah Badu’s song “On and On”
Note: I playfully slipped in the word ginger, just for this post
ARGGH! I woke up with a splitting headache. The pounding was unbearable. I swear my head was in an ever tightening vise…..The illuminator backlight in my watch lit up the numbers in a soft green hue. It was only 5 a.m. I couldn’t understand it. I don’t really suffer from migraine headaches but here I was in excruciating pain.
The only thing else I could guess it was, was a gas pain or a “hungry headache” as some Trinis call it. But I wasn’t hungry. hahaha! So what to do to get rid of this pain I thought. Paracetamol will take too long. I needed quick and instant relief. That’s when it occurred that there was some ginger root in the fridge.
- Save
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How Teas Reduce Headaches
There are so many small things to celebrate about tea. Taking time out to indulge in the mindful meditation of tea making, hydrating your body, sipping compounds and antioxidants that help to relax the muscles, and opening up your sinuses. These are just a few ways in which tea can help the body overcome the symptoms of headaches and migraines. To help paint a clear picture of how tea can help reduce headaches, scan these quick fix points below
Seeds And Nuts Provide Magnesium And Fiber
Magnesium deficiency is one of the most common nutritional causes of persistent or cluster headaches, says Sarah Thomsen Ferreira, RD, MPH, a registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinics Center for Functional Medicine in Ohio.
Prioritizing ample amounts of magnesium-rich foods daily is one of the best ways to keep these headaches at bay, Ferreira says.
Flaxseeds, sprouted pumpkin seeds, and chia seeds are all good , says Ferreira. Pumpkin seeds are also high in fiber, preventing the constipation that sometimes comes with migraine. Cashews are high in magnesium, too, she says.
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Suck On A Ginger Lozenge
Ginger lozenges typically contain small amounts of ginger powder or ginger extracts. Research shows that ginger can reduce symptoms of nausea after surgery or due to pregnancy or other causes. It may also stave off symptoms of nausea caused by migraine.
Ginger lozenges are an especially good choice when you dont feel like taking pills or drinking tea or other liquids. Try sucking on a ginger lozenge when your migraine attack first starts to make you feel nauseated.
One to two lozenges are typically taken two to three times daily to ease stomach upset. But be sure to follow the dosing instruction on the product packaging.
You can find ginger lozenges in pharmacies, grocery stores, and online.
You May Already Have Them In Your Pantry
Tea is the most popular beverage in the world after water, with an estimated 2.6 billion cups of tea consumed every day according toWorld Tea News. But, did you know that Drinking hot tea has been used as a health-boosting practice in cultures across the globe for centuries?
Astudy about tea and health has confirmed the health benefits of drinking tea. In general, tea drinkers were found to have lower rates of cancer and heart disease. But besides boosting overallhealth, different types of tea are particularly effective at easing headaches. No matter if the headache is caused by allergies or tension, tea can act as a helpful natural remedy.
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How To Make The Tea
This is a recipe to make a tea of a fist of fresh ginger root:
From Ocean Robbins Food Revolution Network Ceo:
If you want to take advantage of the healing and anti-inflammatory power of ginger, heres a resource you might want to know about. Purality Health has developed a supplement that combines ginger with curcumin and algae-sourced DHA, and utilizes a cutting-edge micelle liposomal delivery mechanism thats been found to increase bioavailability by up to 185 times.
The product is 100% vegan, organic, soy-free, and non-GMO. And if you get it from this link, theyll contribute a portion of the proceeds to the work of the Food Revolution Network. .
Let us know your experience in the comments. Does ginger work for you when you get a migraine? How do you take it?
and receive the Top 10 Foods To Eat And Avoid For Longevity infographic poster!
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Seven Best Teas For Headaches And Stress
A headache is not just discomfort, it is disabling. It ruins your entire day. Did you know over 50% of the adult population in the world suffer from headaches? It can be a tension headache, cluster headache, migraine, caffeine headache, exertion headache, sinus headache, hormone headache, hypertension headache, rebound headache, or a post-traumatic headache. While tension headaches cause mild and moderate pain, migraine causes severe pain.
What do you do when you have a headache? Go for a painkiller? From experience, you might know that a headache doesnt leave you easy. It comes back eventually as the medicine leaves the system. Therefore, taking a painkiller every time you have a headache is not the solution. If you are looking for a permanent solution and don’t want to go for over the counter medication, perhaps tea can be the potion you are looking for!
What Is The Truth About Caffeinated Teas For Headaches
For some people, green tea and other caffeinated teas provide amazing relief for migraines. Green tea contains powerful phytochemicals called catechins with significant health benefits. It also has a balanced amount of caffeine .
However, in other people, caffeine actually provokes headaches. Its a common trigger for migraines and it can also cause withdrawal headaches. If youre not sure in your case, keep track of what you eat or drink right before migraines appear. If caffeine seems to be the culprit, steer clear of green tea. Knowing what tea is good for headaches for you personally can help you experience the most relief.
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Medicinal Properties Of Tea
For thousands of years, tea has been used for different medicinal purposes. The herbs in the tea have loads of medicinal properties which make it an all-natural remedy to cure headaches. A study in 2016 showed that tea has a great ability to soothe tense, nervous headaches. It also revealed that the caffeine present in tea can relieve you from aches and pains instantly just like a painkiller would do .
There are many types of teas – Green tea, White tea, Black Tea, Oolong tea and herbal teas. While some are caffeinated which help in aiding migraines, others are decaffeinated. In this article, let us discuss 7 different teas that help you relieve headaches.
What Is The Best Herbal Tea For Tension Headaches
Peppermint and chamomile teas have relaxing effects that can help with tension headaches. In addition, willow bark tea has pain-relieving properties and can be used to treat all types of headaches.
You can also try massaging peppermint oil across the forehead and temples to relieve a tension headache.
I hope that these tips will help you with avoiding headaches as much as possible and treating them whenever they occur.
Any questions or comments? Please post them below!
Ps. If you found this article useful, please share it so others can also try these tips. Thanks!
Enjoy your herbal teas and stay healthy!
-Joonas
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Ginger And Migraine Research
Ginger may be beneficial in the treatment of a migraine attack but does not appear to be effective in the prevention of migraine.
Most research has focused on using ginger supplements in powder form in food or drink. One study found that ginger powder worked as well as the drug sumatriptan to relieve migraine severity after 2 hours. The ginger powder had fewer side effects than sumatriptan.4
Another study compared ginger to a placebo or an IV drug. Each person was given either 400 mg of ginger extract or a placebo, in addition to an IV anti-inflammatory drug called ketoprofen. Those who took ginger reported less pain and fewer migraine symptoms at 1, 1.5, and 2 hours after treatment.5
However, another study found ginger was no better than a placebo to prevent migraine.6
More studies are needed to determine whether or how ginger should be used for migraine.
Broccoli May Help Prevent Menstrual Migraine
Changes in hormone levels can lead to headaches, especially for women with menstrual migraine or headaches, says Brown. Falling levels of estrogen, which occur just before menstruation begins, can trigger an attack, according to the Migraine Research Foundation.
Women who have this type of migraine would benefit from increasing their intake of cruciferous vegetables, because of their effects on estrogen, Brown says.
Cruciferous vegetables contain hormonally active compounds called phytoestrogens, which can have estrogenic, or estrogen-like, effects in humans or, conversely, antiestrogenic effects. Its thought that the antiestrogenic effects of some phytoestrogens may lower a womans risk of certain types of cancer by lowering her exposure to her own estrogen.
Some research, cited in a February 2021 review in Climacteric, indicates phytoestrogens improve bone mineral density and markers of cardiovascular risk in post-menopausal women effects that estrogen would be expected to have in premenopausal women.
Theres also some evidence that phytoestrogens help to prevent menstrual migraine attacks in premenopausal women, according to a review published in Neurological Sciences.
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy those can all be very helpful if you include more of them in your diet, says Brown.
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Relive The Menstrual Cramps
Tea from ginger helps with painful menstrual periods, relieves the feeling of nausea, prevents vomiting, and vertigo.
You can add it to both sweet and salty dishes in the form of spice. Only with a spoonful of the spice, you will take the same amount of antioxidants as you would by ingesting one portion of the spinach.
Difference Between Headache And Migraine
The key to distinguishing a simple headache from a migraine is to look at where it is located, when it is triggered, and whether or not other symptoms appear:
Headache. It is characterized by persistent, oppressive pain in the back of the skull, although it may be felt on the forehead or surrounding the head.
It worsens throughout the day and can last from half an hour to a week.
Multiple factors can induce it: stress, the menstrual cycle, the malfunction of the gallbladder, high blood pressure, a cold, eye fatigue, poor posture, or a bad fit of the jaw.
Migraine. In this case, you feel an intense and pulsatile pain on one side of the head, between a few hours and three days, which improves with rest.
There is usually an inherited factor and can be triggered by certain foods or drugs, changes in time, and stress.
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Incredible Health Benefits Of Ginger Tea For Health
Disclosure:Affiliate Disclosure
by Siadra
Everyone knows the avail of ginger as a spice, but how many know the health benefits of ginger tea? Ginger root has been used since ancient years as flavoring dishes. When it has been mixed with tea enhances the tastes and health advantages.
It contains vitamins C, minerals, and magnesium. The level of Nutrition can be increased by adding lemon, honey, etc. In this article, we will cover all about ginger tea and its amenities. Hopefully, a non tea drinker will fall in love with ginger tea!
How To Use Ginger For Migraines
At the first sign of a migraine coming on, you can try this:
- Mix one-eighth of a teaspoon of powdered ginger in water
- Drink it and see if your migraine lessens or goes away within a half hour
You may also want to try using ginger root to make ginger tea, though the study used ginger in powdered form.
As Dr. Greger says,
Sticking to an eighth of a teaspoon is not only up to 3,000 times cheaper than the drug, but youre probably less likely to end up as a case report yourselfof people who have had a heart attack, or died, after taking the drug.
Amazingly, ginger may also be 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy at fighting cancer.
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