Aromatherapy
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache experienced among people who suffer with headache pain. These headaches are constituted by pain on both sides of the head that is mild to moderate in intensity and tightness in the shoulders, neck, and head. While there are medications available to help prevent and treat tension headaches, you can also achieve natural pain relief from these types of headaches by utilizing aromatherapy.
Tension Headaches
Tension headaches may be triggered by a number of things, including, but not limited to the following:
· Smoking or inhaling second-hand smoke
· Clenching your jaw
· Grinding your teeth
· Ingesting alcohol
· Pollution in the air
· Glare from fluorescent lights
· Chemical imbalances
· Low blood pressure
· Getting too little or too much sleep
· Changes in altitude
· Dehydration
· Having the wrong prescription for your eyeglasses or contacts or having eye problems
· Medication side effects
· Overexposure to the sun
As I mentioned earlier, there are both over-the-counter and prescription medications that can help treat tension headaches. However, some individuals do not react well to prescription medication. Other times, over-the-counter or prescription medication is ineffective in treating the headaches. Thus, you may want to consider utilizing aromatherapy to attain natural pain relief for your tension headaches.
Aromatherapy for Tension Headaches
According to Relieving Pain Naturally: Safe and Effective Alternative Approaches to Treating and Overcoming Chronic Pain, the essential oils which are most useful for relieving tension headaches through aromatherapy are:
· Basil
· Peppermint
· Lavender
· Rosemary
· Niaouli
· Cajeput
· Eucalyptus
There are two ways in which aromatherapy may be conducted: through absorption or through inhalation. I will discuss how to do both types of aromatherapy here.
Absorption
Absorption occurs when your skin absorbs the essential oils and takes them to affected tissues, organs, bones, and muscles via the bloodstream. You can absorb essential in different ways. One way you can absorb essential oils is to add them to your bath water. If you decide to bathe with essential oils, add 3-6 drops of each essential oil you want to use to a half-tub full of water and soak in it for at least 15 minutes.
You can also absorb essential oils through massage. Add 2-4 drops of your selected essential oil to two teaspoons of carrier oil, rub a small amount of the mixed oils together in your hands, and apply to the painful area. If you decide to massage essential oils into your head for tension headache, wait at least two hours before you take a bath or a shower in order to give the oils time to absorb completely into the skin.
You can also make a compress out of essential oils to place on your head for tension headache relief. In order to make the compress, put 2-4 drops of an essential oil into every one cup of warm water you use. Soak a cloth in the water for a little while. Place the warm, wet cloth onto your head and cover it with a towel. Leave the compress on for 30 minutes.
Inhalation
Another way you can conduct aromatherapy is by inhalation. When you inhale essential oils, they enter the bloodstream through the olfactory nerve and the lungs. One way you can inhale essential oils for tension headache relief is to add five drops of your selected oil to a small dish of water and place on a heater or radiator. Alternatively, put two drops of essential oil onto a Kleenex, put the tissue into a plastic sandwich bag, and inhale when you need relief from a headache.
Warnings
Some individuals should not utilize aromatherapy as natural pain relief. Sometimes, essential oils may cause irritation if massaged into the skin. To discover if it is okay to massage any particular essential oil into your body, test it on a small part of the skin first. If you know you are allergic to a specific plant, do not use essential oils that come from that plant.
Additionally, you should not use rosemary, sage oil, or thyme oil if you suffer from high blood pressure. Do not use clary sage oil within several hours of consuming alcohol. Finally, if you suffer from epilepsy, do not use fennel oil.
Aromatherapy can help you relieve tension headaches naturally. Try it. Then come back and let us know how effective it was for relieving your symptoms.
Source:
Relieving Pain Naturally: Safe and Effective Alternative Approaches to Treating and Overcoming Chronic Pain by Sylvia Goldfarb, Ph.D. and Roberta W. Waddell
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