Headaches

Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Randy and Jessica

Headaches may be a symptom of other medical conditions such as gluten intolerance, fibromyalgia, PMS, a reaction to aspartame in diet soda, or even pork tapeworms in the brain. Artificial sweeteners may cause headaches.

How to Treat Headaches without Medications

Lavender oil and ginger may help relieve migraine headaches and hot sauce compounds may help relieve cluster headaches.

A double-blinded randomized controlled trial compared Imitrex, the medication most commonly prescribed for migraines, with powdered ginger. One-eighth of a teaspoon of powered ginger was found to be as effective as Imitrex. 

Another placebo-controlled trial looked at lavender oil as a treatment for migraine pain. Once they noticed the early signs of a headache, the lavender group was told to place 2 to 3 drops of lavender essential oil on their upper lips, in addition to inhaling the vapors of the lavender oil for 15 minutes. The control group did the same using unscented liquid wax. In the lavender group, 74 percent reported an improvement in their symptoms, which was significant compared to the placebo group.