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Sick Day

April 25th, 2012

I had high hopes of cleaning the windows yesterday and taking photos for the Window Cleaning post of the non-toxic cleaning series. Then I woke up with a bit of a headache. I rarely get headaches now that I quit eating processed food and quit taking NSAIDs, but every now and then the stars align, the weather changes, I get busy, spend too much time in front of my computer, miss some sleep, and everything lines up perfectly for me to wake up not feeling my best. As a result I spent the day resting up, staying off my computer and drinking herbal tea.

When I have a headache I like to make a tea with a mix of a few of these herbs: ginger, chamomile, lavender, and peppermint. Helps me relax, helps my headache go away and usually I wake up the next morning feeling great. Hopefully today I’ll be cleaning the windows and trying a few different non-toxic cleaning methods to see which one works best.

What tips/tricks do you have for dealing with headaches naturally?

15 Comments to “Sick Day”
  1. Victoria on April 25, 2012 at 7:50 am

    Unplugging from tech & a cup of ginger hibiscus tea with local honey is one of my go to remedies. It’s so easy to get caught up in the fray. Sometimes I wish it didn’t take a headache or other symptoms to get me to reset.

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  2. Allison on April 25, 2012 at 8:59 am

    Must be the weather — I had a terrible headache yesterday too. I drink Peppermint or Chamomile tea….drives me batty when people say “Why don’t you just take some Tylenol”…….

    Reply to Allison's comment

    • Susy on April 25, 2012 at 9:18 am

      Yes, I’m highly sensitive to the weather. I too hate it when people say take an Advil or whatever. And I’m with you, if you have a headache there’s a reason and it’s better to figure out why and deal with that than to take something to mask the symptoms.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  3. Sherri on April 25, 2012 at 9:22 am

    I usually can cure a headache in an hour or two with three things:

    1) LOTS of water (every 15 minutes drink a large glass)
    2) peppermint essential oil on a little buckwheat eye bag
    3) rest with feet up and eyes closed

    Hope you feel better soon!

    Reply to Sherri's comment

  4. songbirdtiff on April 25, 2012 at 9:33 am

    I get terrible barometric headaches, I’ve found that a warm rice bag on top of my head helps as do extra showers. I’ve read that the humidity in a hot shower affects the air pressure around us enough to provide some relief. Other than that it’s just rest! When I had a high-stress job I had migraines for weeks on end, these days I just get them once in a while and I wonder how I ever survived such pain!

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  5. Jenn on April 25, 2012 at 9:51 am

    My mum always has a couple of leaves of feverfew when she has a severe headache or migraine. It works! I think it has anti-inflammitory properties. This is a UK/European plant, though, so I don’t know if it grows wild near you. It’s a weed here but my mum always makes sure to leave a few plants in her garden. I thought that’s what you were using at first – the flowers are similar to chammomile.

    If anyone does try it, please be careful – just because it’s a herbal remedy doesn’t mean it’s not potent. My mum says she knows enough about plants and thier various remedies, that if she’d been born in medieval times she’d have been burned as a witch.

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  6. Turling on April 25, 2012 at 10:10 am

    I drink copious amounts of beer.

    Reply to Turling's comment

  7. Sanae on April 25, 2012 at 11:34 am

    Last Thursday, I wrote the same things on my herb blog. When I get a little headache, I drink chamomile and lavender blend herb tea. Adding 1or 2 other herbs depends on my conditions. For example, when my eyes get tired, I like to add marrow. If I get a bit nervous, I like to add St.John’s Wort.

    Chamomile cotton pack is also good for tired eyes. How to make the pack is that two cottons soak into “cold” chamomile tea. Then put it on my eyes.

    Anyway, your fresh herb looks so good :) I hope you get well soon!

    Reply to Sanae's comment

  8. Maybelline on April 25, 2012 at 11:55 am

    Water. Drink loads of water. Close your eyes and lay down for a bit.

    Reply to Maybelline's comment

  9. Rhonda on April 25, 2012 at 2:03 pm

    Feverfew. Feverfew is like a miracle drug to me. I’ve suffered from Migraines since I was four-years-old. I get every type there is and have gone through two six-moth bouts of cluster headaches. I’ve had loads of MRIs, CT Scans and EEGs and have tried all kinds of drugs. Since I’ve begun getting into ridding myself of chemicals and plastics and whatnot, I read about how feverfew is good for headaches. I bought the capsules at the Health Food Store and take two every day. It’s been about three months, maybe four since I’ve been taking it and I haven’t had one single migraine. NOT ONE. This is coming from someone who had at least two each month, so you see why I consider it a miracle. Now, I still get sinus headaches, but I can deal with those.

    Something else about feverfew is that it’s also an anti-inflamatory so it also helps my arthritis. :-) Now I’ve got some feverfew sprouting and I’m going to try growing my own. Give Feverfew a try!

    Reply to Rhonda's comment

  10. Diana Holly on April 25, 2012 at 2:59 pm

    I did not know chamomile and lavender were good for headaches. This is the first year I’ve successfully grown either to flower, and I’m excited to dry them and mix my own teas and spice blends.

    As for the windows, I’ve always used 1:3 vinegar:water to clean my windows, mirrors, glass table tops, even my car’s windshield. I have never had streaks. For especially dirty windows I hit them with dish soap and warm water, then follow with the vinegar solution for shine.

    Reply to Diana Holly's comment

  11. Liz J on April 25, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    Hope you are feeling better. I really think the weather has a lot to do with it. I rarely get headaches, and only one OTC med works for me. Can’t imagine not going that route, but I totally understand. Thanks for the herbal input. I will make note of that and try it some time. Take care.

    Reply to Liz J's comment

  12. KimH on April 26, 2012 at 5:45 am

    I hope you’re feeling much better today..

    I have a headache tincture recipe that I started making some 25 years ago. Its amazing in its properties and it works on some people within 1 or 2 minutes. It usually takes about 10-15 minutes for it to work on me though. We are all different & it affects us in different time..

    I dont know if this will work for a migraine, but I know it works for sinus, & nervous stress headaches when nothing else will. Many members of my family call me asking me to send them some or to give them the “recipe” so they can make it.

    Fill a pint jar with dried rosemary.. then add enough consumable alcohol to cover it. (I’ve used vodka, rum, & banana liquor) Keep it in a dark cabinet for 6-8 weeks, preferably shaking it daily. Its not very palatable but its medicine and it works very well.

    Strain the liquid off, and bottle it in 2oz dark brown dropper bottles. For dosing, take 3/4 of a dropper (Im thinking something like 2 t-1T), by mouth, then repeat in 30 minutes if its not effective.
    You can safely take this every 4-6 hours but none of us using it never had to. Its a phenomenal tincture.

    I hope you try it & it works wonders for you!

    Reply to KimH's comment

    • Susy on April 26, 2012 at 8:16 am

      Thanks – sounds like a wonderful recipe. Can’t wait until my rosemary is bigger so I can harvest some to make this.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  13. Sarah Raven on April 26, 2012 at 9:26 am

    Drinking lots of water tends to be the best solution for me! Followed by a little lie down. Hope you are feeling better soon :)

    Reply to Sarah Raven's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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