Dealing With Headaches

Never understimate the power of a nice cold compress. Not only is it effective for easing headaches and migraines, cold compresses are also useful for concussions, sprains, insect bites, bumps and reducing fevers (which may or may not be accompanied by a headache).

One of the easiest cold compresses to grap is a small bag of frozen peas — preferably unopened. Don’t put the bag directly onto your skin — it’ll burn! Wrap the bag in a washcloth or tea towel and then press against where it hurts. You’ll need to cook the peas right away because they’ll get defrosted — unless you only need the compress on for a ten minutes or less.

There are also many commercially available cold compresses, but they need to be in the freezer i advance. They are available at drug stores, department stores and sometimes large grocery chains. And, of course, they can be purchased through their online equivelents.

The Traditional Cold Compress

Soak a clean cloth of some sort in cold water. It’s easiest to fill a bowl with cold water, ice ice cubes and any essentail oils if you choose and then put the cloth in. After a minute or so, get the cloth out. Wring it out, then drape it over the hurting area.

You can then cover it with plasic wrap and bandage it to keep it in place. You could also improvise a bandage by wrapping a towel around the compress.

Keep it on until it gets warm. Repeat if necessary.

Aromatherapy Oils

Smells have deeply ingrained associations in our subconscious minds. Some also have an effect on the body as well as the emotions. Aromatherapy works better for some people than others, just like any other medical system. For whatever essential oil you choose to add to your cold compress, make sure it has an odor pleasing to you.

Be sure to choose therapuetic quality oils (whether blended or full strength) and not the kind labeled “For oil lamps only”. They will cost a lot more than those just for oil lamps, but a little goes a long way. You only need to use about three drops for a cold compress.

Popular headache relieving essential oils include lavender, rosemary, geranimum, peppermint, bay, jasmine, melissa and eucalyptus. All of these oils encourage the body to relax by breathing deeply. The least expensive of the group are lavender and eucalyptus.

Lavender is so gentle to most people that they can put it on their skin without having to dilute it. You should do a skin patch test before sticking on any full strength essential oils. Just put a drop on your arm and watch for any negative changes in that spot for the next 24 hours.

Hope this helps.