Ow! My aching head Part 2!

Dehydration: A common culprit by Dr. Taryn Deering B.Sc,ND. 

Headaches are one of the first signs of dehydration and people can often reduce the severity and
frequency of their headaches by simply drinking more water. This is especially true in the summer heat
as more water is lost as sweat in an effort to keep the body cool. Try increasing your water intake to
two or more litres per day to see if you notice an improvement. You can add pure water, herbal teas,
and foods with a high water content such as watermelon and other fresh fruits. Two of my favourite
summertime drinks are water infused with slices of lemon and cucumber and iced green tea with some
fresh mint and honey for added flavour. Hope you enjoy!

Rather than reaching for that bottle of Tylenol, consider taking a homeopathic remedy to relieve
symptoms of an occasional headache. As homeopathic remedies are selected based on the
characteristic symptoms of the complaint (rather than based only on the name of the complaint –
ie headache), you will want to pay attention to a few details about your headache, such as ; What
makes your headache feel better? Worse? What brought on the headache (causation)? Did it come on
suddenly or gradually? How would you describe the pain?

The following are a few remedies commonly used to relieve headache. If your headache doesn’t seem
to fit, consider purchasing a homeopathy book aimed at acute and home prescribing such as “The
Complete Homeopathy Handbook” by Miranda Castro.

Sulphur – Head feels constricted, hot, the pain can be bursting, burning, hammering, pressing,
throbbing. It can be accompanied by nausea. It might be better for cold, cold compresses. A Sulphur
headache might be worse for bending down, blowing the nose, after eating, in the morning, sneezing,
for walking and for the warmth of the bed. A Sulphur headache might be brought on by exposure to
cold, damp weather or by having excited conversation.

Belladonna – Rapid onset, can start and stop suddenly, strong symptoms. A Belladonna headache may
be bursting, hammering, pulsating behind the eyes and the forehead, at the temples. Better for lying in
a darkened room, for pressure, for resting the head. Worse for bending down, for heat, for light, during
the menses, after exposure to the sun (also Glonium), for tying the hair back. It might be brought on by
exposure to cold air, getting hair wet (as after a haircut).

Gelsemium – A person with a Gelsemium headache will be easy to spot. They will look exhausted,
with droopy eyes that are difficult to keep open. They often support their head with their hands or a
pillow, because it feels so heavy. Better after urinating, and the urine is copious and colourless. Pain
is aching, sore, bruised and spread from the back of the head to the forehead. Pupils can be dilated,
vision can be blurred. They can have cold feet. Worse moving the head.

If one of these descriptions seems to fit your headache, try taking one pellet in the 30C potency (the
strength of the remedy) every 2 to 4 hours for up to 4 doses. If you take a remedy for 4 to 6 doses and
it is not working, stop this remedy and try another. Homeopathic remedies should be taken on a clean
mouth, 10 minutes away from eating or drinking. Dissolve the pellet under your tongue.

If your headaches are severe or are occurring more often, this is a time to consider having an
assessment by a professional homeopath. Your homeopath will try to find a constitutional remedy
for you (ie a remedy that matches all of you, not just your headache) that will address the underlying
imbalance which is leading to your symptom of headaches.