Headaches afflict almost everyone at some time or the other, since during most of the times, they are functional, caused by temporary upsets and are not related to any organic changes in the brain. A headache arises from irritation to nerve endings in the shoulder, neck and scalp muscles and also in the smooth muscles encircling the blood vessels, which serve these areas.

The Causes of Headaches:
Poisons and toxins admitted into the body through food, beverages and water, as well as through breathing polluted air, can cause any number of disturbances. A headache may be the first warning that a poison has entered the body. Additives in foods and in many cases, cosmetics, skin and hair products are also serious offenders in bringing on headaches. In addition, there are many toxic air contaminants also that accumulate in the body, resulting in headaches.

The common causes of headaches are allergy, emotional reasons, eyestrain, high blood pressure, hangover, infection, low blood sugar, nutritional deficiency, tension, the presence of poisons and toxins in the body, and migraine. Intense emotion often causes headaches. This hidden hostility may manifest itself bottled as headache. It is important, therefore, that negative feelings should not be up, but should find some safe means of expression.

Eyestrain is a common cause of headache. In such cases, an eye specialist should be consulted and proper treatment taken thereon. High blood pressure can cause pounding headaches. The headache usually starts at the back of the head on getting up in the morning. Many people get a severe headache after consuming alcohol in excess. Alcohol causes the blood vessels to swell, resulting in a painful headache.

Headaches may occur if there is an infection, such as a cold, virus and fever also. Low blood sugar is one of the causes of irritability and headache. Low blood sugar is the result of an abused pancreas, which over stimulates the production of insulin in the body. Headache can also happen due to the deficiency of B vitamins, namely pantothenic acid, B-1 (thiamine), B-12 and B-6 (pyridoxine).

A lack of iron, resulting in anaemia, is a common cause of headache. The headache sometimes appears before the onset of anaemia, due to a chronic iron deficiency. Tension headaches are probably the most common of all, and are caused by emotional conflicts, which result in stress. Stress causes the muscles of the shoulder, neck and scalp to tense unconsciously. Persons who are irritable, tense and lose their temper quickly usually get this type of headache. It increases gradually and passes off with the release of tension.

Treatment for Headache by Nature Cure:
Exercises:
Since eyestrain always causes headaches, simple eye exercises should be practised to relieve eyestrain, such as moving the eyes up and down from side to side, palming, rotating the head with neck outstretched, forward and backward three times, then thrice clockwise and thrice anti-clockwise.

Water Treatment:
A safe method of high blood pressure treatment for this is to immerse your legs to calf-level in a tub of hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. This draws the blood away from the head and down to the feet, giving relief from the headache.

Diet:
The problem of headaches due to low blood pressure can be controlled by eating smaller meals at short intervals rather than the standard three large meals daily- The intake of carbohydrates should be cut down to the minimum and coffee should be eliminated as it over stimulates the pancreas.

Medicines:
The best treatment for a headache after a lot of alcohol consumption is to avoid excessive consumption of alcohol. A hangover headache can be avoided by taking vitamin B-1 (thiamine) tablets with the drink.

If there is an infection, such as a cold, virus and fever then the headaches out of these disorders can be tackled. Vitamin C therapy is the best all-round method and for cold, since it`s a natural antibiotic medicine. High doses should be taken at hourly intervals with the appearance of the first symptoms like a sore throat, runny nose, etc.

Brewer`s yeast is an excellent source of iron and taking a few teaspoons daily can easily prevent anaemia, which is a common cause of headaches. By taking pantothenic acid, B-1 (thiamine), B-12 and B-6 (pyridoxine) vitamins, headaches can be prevented.

Treatment for Headache by Acupressure:
The most powerful acupressure point for headache is Gallbladder 20, located immediately below the prominent ridges at the rear base of the skull on both sides of the skull in the depression between the skull and the vertical neck muscles. Rubbing these points and the surrounding one-square-inch area steadily for three to five minutes, using firm pressure at 90 degrees to the skin is often effective by itself in decreasing headache pain.

Sometimes headaches can be caused mostly by eyestrain or stress. During those times, one can try the acupressure point B10, which is located about one-half inch below the base of the skull; on the ropy muscles one-half inch outward from either side of the spine. This point should only be stimulated on one side at a time. You can try pressing on the spot with the hand from the opposite side of the body by reaching behind the neck with the opposite hand. Press firmly for one to three minutes while breathing slowly and deeply. You can also employ imaging techniques for even more relief by envisioning the tension falling away and the headache decreasing.

Treatment for Headache by Aromatherapy: