march madness

March 20: How do you relieve a headache?


I don't like taking OTC medications, so I avoid them as much as possible. Depending on the type of headache--sinus, stress, or migraine, it depends on how I treat it. I like to breathe in steamy air with a sinus headache; tea or hot soup help accomplish this. I've also made "vicks boats" by filling a bowl with boiling water and floating a glob of vapor rub in it. Stress headaches are usually handled by stretching and deep breathing. Sometimes a nap. And most of my migraines are what's called "blind migraines" where I feel all the symptoms but not the excruciating pain of a migraine. It is really freaky to have wavy vision, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and other symptoms. For those I generally take ibuprofen or acetaminophen. I don't get blind migraines very often but they shut me down for a couple of days when I do get them.

I used to get frequent headaches. I feel fortunate that I don't get them as severely as I used to.