Headaches are a common ailment. Despite being found in the general population frequently, headaches can cause a lot of distress and have a substantial negative impact on an individual’s life. While over-the-counter pain relief medications are certainly useful, there are other natural alternatives that have been linked to successful management of headaches–including migraines.
What Is At the Root of Headaches?
Headaches are alternately seen as innocuous and terrifying. For some, headaches are par for the course, and migraines are practically a way of life. For others, headaches are rare occurrences that accompany an illness or a strong knock to the head.
Despite the frequently polarizing nature of headaches, there are usually at least a few common threads at the root of headaches. Headaches can be caused by the simple and uninteresting, such as a sinus infection, or the more alarming, such as an aneurism. Knowing common causes and standard treatments can go a long way in managing headaches successfully.
Common Headache Causes
A headache can signal a virtually limitless number of concerns, but there are some common culprits. The most common culprits include the following:
- Lost sleep
- Stress
- Hunger
- Injury
- Withdrawal
- Diet
- Sinus pressure
In some of the common headaches, relief is unlikely without correcting behavior. Sleep, for instance, is the best remedy for a headache due to sleep loss, while food is a better remedy for a hunger-based headache than herbal tea or medication. Nevertheless, many common headache sources are effectively addressed with herbal tea and other herbal interventions, such as aromatherapy.
Standard Treatment Options
The most common treatment for headaches is over-the-counter pain medication. This treatment, in particular, focuses on the symptom (headache) rather than targeting the perceived or proven cause of the headache. Pain medication for headaches is a management tool rather than a treatment tool but can be useful in eliminating pain responses.
COVID Headache
An emerging cause for headaches is the novel coronavirus. The term “covid headache” has been used to describe one of the unexpected symptoms of COVID-19, as well as one of the lingering results of the virus following recovery. A COVID-19 headache is typically treated with simple pain medication and does not usually require any further intervention.
Herbal Tea and Headaches
Although NSAIDs are the preferred management method for headaches, there are additional “therapies” that can be used to target head pain. Herbal tea is one such intervention, as herbal tea has been implicated as a reliable source of pain relief in the absence of standard over-the-counter offerings.
Herbal Tea Benefits
The benefits of tea are vast. Tea has been linked to decreased diabetes and cancer risk, improved cardiovascular health, and even improved sleep. Herbal tea, in particular, has been linked to improvements in headache symptoms, with one study positing that ginger tea acted as an effective intervention for migraines. These benefits are not limited to a single issue, as many herbal teas are effective in supporting general health while reducing or eliminating headache symptoms.
Herbal teas have been used to relieve migraine headaches, while green tea has been known to ward off additional migraine attacks. The anti-inflammatory properties of drinking tea range from simple pain relief to relieving symptoms of upset stomachs and can even encompass immune support. Herbal tea is typically extremely easy to come by, has few side effects, and does not pose a risk to children and other vulnerable individuals, making it an ideal intervention for pain relief.
Peppermint tea has been linked to improvements in headache symptoms and digestive upset. Chamomile tea’s health benefits include improved quality of sleep, improved relaxation, and even (in some cases) improved headache symptoms. Ginger tea is said to have pain-relieving effects similar to standard OTC medications used to treat headaches, cramps, and more. Lavender tea and oil are said to have similarly powerful effects on headaches.
All of these teas may be used in conjunction with other medications and interventions without a significant risk of negative interactions.
Mechanisms of Action
The mechanism of action of tea depends on the type of tea being used. Herbal teas possess different mechanisms of action than caffeinated teas, and different leaves and flowers offer different properties. The most commonly identified source of health found in tea is the polyphenols found in most types of tea. Polyphenols have been linked to decreases in disease and illness and increases in antioxidants, all of which may be used to support healthy function and improve headache symptoms.
Possible Contraindications
Although herbal teas are usually considered safe, herbal medicine is not entirely innocuous. Herbs can interfere with other medications and other pain intervention methods. Ginseng and St. John’s Wort, in particular, are known to have potentially negative interactions with other medications and should be avoided when standard anxiety and depression medications are in use.
While a cup of tea is unlikely to provide a therapeutic dose high enough to negatively interact with drugs, speak to your doctor before implementing a new routine alongside an existing medication routine.
Headache Management and Herbal Tea
Although pain relievers are certainly useful to treat migraines and other headaches, they come along with side effects that most teas and other natural remedies do not. Caffeinated teas and herbal teas can successfully relieve migraine symptoms and other headache symptoms, reduce inflammation, and support healthy blood vessels to support general health and wellness.
If you are experiencing headaches and need headache treatment in Pineville, NC, schedule an appointment today!
No Comments