If you have ever found yourself with your eyes closed and your hands massaging your temples to try to calm down a surging head pain, you are not alone. 

At any given time, more than 2 million Americans are suffering from a headache (over 75 percent of them are women). Genetics, stress, weather, hormone fluctuations, and certain foods all play a part in the creation of these nagging pains. 

The question is, what is the solution? Headaches are your body’s way of telling you something is wrong…just like a warning light going off in your car. As always, it is your choice in how to deal with this warning signal. What usually happens is one of three things. 

1. You ignore it and just keep going about life (we all know what happens when we ignore the check engine light). 

2. You cover up the symptom or "warning light" by taking a medication of some kind to hopefully get rid of the pain. 

3. You listen to your body and try to figure out what the underlying cause could be.  

The latter is most important for long-term health. There are exactly two possible problems going on when a headache hits. Either your body is toxic in some way (toxicity), or your body is lacking something it is in need of (deficiency). While you are exploring your possible toxicities and deficiencies, there are many ways to help alleviate the pain and tension naturally without adding highly processed chemicals (medications) to the mix. 

1. Eliminate the trigger foods . Clinically I have found certain food sensitivities to be the second most common headache culprit (the first most common is #3 below). The most common foods causing problems are hot dogs, flour, dairy, peanut butter, cheese, wine and chocolate (and anything "fast" or processed). There are ways to find out exactly what your food sensitivities are…talk with your natural health care provider for more info. 

2. ELIMINATE EMF!  This is a big one. EMF has been proven to cause headaches, brain fog, and more. If you are consistently struggling with headaches, EMF could be a big culprit. What I recommend at the very minimum is making sure that your cellphone is protected with Hedron's EMF Device Shield  but even better is also having and wearing Hedron's Pendant  or Body Shield . 

3. Acupressure points.  This can be used for immediate relief and prevention. To perform this, sit or lie down and relax. Take your thumbs (or choose a helper’s thumbs) and place them under the base of your skull about three inches apart. To acupuncturists, this area is known as the "Gates of Consciousness." With thumbs in place, tip your head back slowly and begin breathing deeply let- ting the weight of your head match the force of your thumbs. Hold this position for about three minutes and then release your thumbs but remain in the same position for about five more minutes and try to meditate or deep breathe to ensure the headache doesn’t return. 

4. See your chiropractor.  Spinal misalignment or "subluxation" causes irritation to the vital nerves exiting the spine at the vertebrae. When these nerves are irritated, your body is not functioning optimally. With headaches, the subluxation is most commonly in the cervical spine (neck), but it can be anywhere throughout the spine. What causes these subluxations? Chemical, physical, or emotional stress or any combination of the three. 

5. Aromatherapy . If your headache seems hormonal in nature, using essential oils such as clary sage, geranium, and lavender on the back of your neck or on your abdomen can affect the limbic system of the brain (a hormonal regulator). If your headache is due to digestive issues, lemon and basil oils are the best choice. In this case, add two drops of one of these oils to a glass of hot water. If stress is your main trigger, try blue chamomile, valerian, or mandarin orange. To avoid impurities, be sure to get the 100 percent pure essential oils (we recommend doTerra oils which can be purchased through our clinic- we also ship!). 

6. Go for a relaxing walk or do some yoga outside . The fresh air, oxygen flow, and circulatory changes coupled with the clearing of your headspace is a great headache soothing combo. 

However you choose to combat your headache, the point is to continue to search out the underlying cause, once you find it and fix it, you won’t need remedies anymore!