::: WELCOME TO HERBAL UNANI MED :::

• Eat a well-balanced diet. Avoid chewing gum, ice cream, iced drinks, salt and excessive sunlight.

• Practice deep-breathing exercises. A lack of oxygen can cause headaches.

• Try eliminating foods containing tyramine and the amino acid phenylalanine. Then reintroduce one food at a time and see which ones produce headaches. Phenylalanine is found in aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), monosodium glutamate (MSG), and nitrites (preservatives found in hot dogs and luncheon meats and bacon and ham). Foods that contain tyramine include alcoholic beverages, bananas, cheese, chicken, chocolate, citrus fruits, cold cuts, herring, onions, peanut butter, pork, smoked fish, sour cream, vinegar, wine and fresh-baked yeast products. Tyramine causes the blood pressure to rise, resulting in a dull headache.

• Discover your food/chemical sensitivities via allergy testing.

• Always seek and treat the cause of the headache, not the symptom. Long-term use of aspirin and other painkillers can make chronic headaches worse by interfering with the brain’s natural ability to fight headaches.

• Eat a high fibre diet and include extra fibre in the form of supplements. (Note: Always take supplemental fibre separately from other supplements and medications.)

• Carry out a cleansing enema once a week until all is normal.

• When a headache strikes, take a cleansing enema. This removes the toxins that cause many headaches. If not eliminated, toxins can be absorbed into the bloodstream and circulated throughout the body.

• Experiment with hot compresses (heating pad, hot water bottle, or hot towel) to relax neck and shoulder muscles, which can cause muscle contraction headaches when they are too tight.

• Or see if you prefer a cold compress (leave a damp face cloth in the freezer for 10 minutes or use a cold gel-pack).

• For headaches caused by sinus congestion, try self-massage. By applying pressure to specific areas of the head, you can open up the sinuses and ease tension. Rub the area surrounding the bones just above and below the eyes, and massage the cheeks directly in line with these points. Lean your head forward slightly to facilitate sinus drainage. Applying heat to the sinuses, either with compresses or with steam inhalation, can also be beneficial.

• To help prevent headaches, eat small meals and snack healthily between, to help stabilize wide swings in blood sugar.

• Get an appropriate amount of sleep – not too little, but not too much.

• If you suffer from headaches while taking birth control pills, talk to your Doctor about switching to a low-oestrogen formulation or going off the pills for a while. Oral contraceptives can cause a vitamin B6 deficiency that results in headaches and migraines. Women who suffer from migraines may benefit from using progesterone cream topically.

• If any of the following symptoms accompany the headache, consult your Doctor: blurred vision, confusion or loss of speech, fever and stiffness in the neck, sensitivity to light, pressure behind the eyes that is relieved by vomiting, a pounding heartbeat, visual colour changes, and feeling as though your head will explode. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience a sudden, severe headache like a “thunderclap”, or if you experience a headache after a head injury, even a minor fall or bump. Chronic headache pain that worsens after coughing, exertion, straining, or sudden movement is also reason to seek medical attention.

• Learn a relaxation technique through meditation. Have regular massage.

• Biofeedback can be useful.

• Consider cranial osteopathy to correct any malalignment of the cranial and neck bones. Also mention your headaches to your dentist – your jaw may be out of alignment.

• Herbs which can relieve headache pain include feverfew, goldenseal, lavender, rosemary, mint, marshmallow, thyme, fenugreek, burdock root, brigham, lobelia and skullcap.

Caution: Do not use feverfew during pregnancy. Do not take goldenseal internally on a daily basis for more than one week at a time, do not use it during pregnancy, and use it with caution if you are allergic to ragweed. Do not take lobelia internally on an ongoing basis.

• Essential oils of chamomile, lavender, peppermint, cypress, frankincense, sandalwood, rose, lemon, eucalyptus, basil, marjoram, and melissa can all be useful in different headache/migraine situations. Find an oil that suits you, and mix 2-4 drops with a carrier oil such as grapeseed oil or almond oil.


RECOMMENDATIONS

	• Eat a well-balanced diet. Avoid chewing gum, ice cream, iced drinks, salt and excessive sunlight. • Practice deep-breathing exercises. A lack of oxygen can cause headaches. • Try eliminating foods containing tyramine and the amino acid phenylalanine. Then reintroduce one food at a time and see which ones produce headaches. Phenylalanine is found in aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), monosodium glutamate (MSG), and nitrites (preservatives found in hot dogs and luncheon meats and bacon and ham). Foods that contain tyramine include alcoholic beverages, bananas, cheese, chicken, chocolate, citrus fruits, cold cuts, herring, onions, peanut butter, pork, smoked fish, sour cream, vinegar, wine and fresh-baked yeast products. Tyramine causes the blood pressure to rise, resulting in a dull headache. • Discover your food/chemical sensitivities via allergy testing. • Always seek and treat the cause of the headache, not the symptom. Long-term use of aspirin and other painkillers can make chronic headaches worse by interfering with the brain’s natural ability to fight headaches. • Eat a high fibre diet and include extra fibre in the form of supplements. (Note: Always take supplemental fibre separately from other supplements and medications.) • Carry out a cleansing enema once a week until all is normal. • When a headache strikes, take a cleansing enema. This removes the toxins that cause many headaches. If not eliminated, toxins can be absorbed into the bloodstream and circulated throughout the body. • Experiment with hot compresses (heating pad, hot water bottle, or hot towel) to relax neck and shoulder muscles, which can cause muscle contraction headaches when they are too tight. • Or see if you prefer a cold compress (leave a damp face cloth in the freezer for 10 minutes or use a cold gel-pack). • For headaches caused by sinus congestion, try self-massage. By applying pressure to specific areas of the head, you can open up the sinuses and ease tension. Rub the area surrounding the bones just above and below the eyes, and massage the cheeks directly in line with these points. Lean your head forward slightly to facilitate sinus drainage. Applying heat to the sinuses, either with compresses or with steam inhalation, can also be beneficial. • To help prevent headaches, eat small meals and snack healthily between, to help stabilize wide swings in blood sugar. • Get an appropriate amount of sleep – not too little, but not too much. • If you suffer from headaches while taking birth control pills, talk to your Doctor about switching to a low-oestrogen formulation or going off the pills for a while. Oral contraceptives can cause a vitamin B6 deficiency that results in headaches and migraines. Women who suffer from migraines may benefit from using progesterone cream topically. • If any of the following symptoms accompany the headache, consult your Doctor: blurred vision, confusion or loss of speech, fever and stiffness in the neck, sensitivity to light, pressure behind the eyes that is relieved by vomiting, a pounding heartbeat, visual colour changes, and feeling as though your head will explode. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience a sudden, severe headache like a “thunderclap”, or if you experience a headache after a head injury, even a minor fall or bump. Chronic headache pain that worsens after coughing, exertion, straining, or sudden movement is also reason to seek medical attention. • Learn a relaxation technique through meditation. Have regular massage. • Biofeedback can be useful. • Consider cranial osteopathy to correct any malalignment of the cranial and neck bones. Also mention your headaches to your dentist – your jaw may be out of alignment. • Herbs which can relieve headache pain include feverfew, goldenseal, lavender, rosemary, mint, marshmallow, thyme, fenugreek, burdock root, brigham, lobelia and skullcap. Caution: Do not use feverfew during pregnancy. Do not take goldenseal internally on a daily basis for more than one week at a time, do not use it during pregnancy, and use it with caution if you are allergic to ragweed. Do not take lobelia internally on an ongoing basis. • Essential oils of chamomile, lavender, peppermint, cypress, frankincense, sandalwood, rose, lemon, eucalyptus, basil, marjoram, and melissa can all be useful in different headache/migraine situations. Find an oil that suits you, and mix 2-4 drops with a carrier oil such as grapeseed oil or almond oil.