“Medicine” in the kitchen: what can you replace the headache pill?

In today’s fast-paced life, there is no time to be sick. Therefore, when a headache occurs, many people do not try to figure out what the problem really is, but take a cherished pill – and that’s the end of it. However, it is possible to get rid of unpleasant sensations without resorting to drugs.

Together with Irina Erofeevskaya, pediatrician and speaker of Evotren and the International Festival of Health and Sports SN PRO EXPO FORUM, we tell you what causes headaches and how to cope with it.

Why can you get a headache?

When we talk about headache, it is important to understand that the reasons for its occurrence can be quite different: traumas, blood pressure, tumors, etc. But it is often the other way around. In this case, you are faced with a migraine.

The causes of such a headache can be:

• hereditary factor;
• stress;
• post-stress;
• in women – hormonal changes, for example, related to the menstrual cycle;
• poor sleep: very short or very long sleep;
• weather conditions: changes in atmospheric pressure, sudden changes in air temperature.

How to cope with a headache?

It often happens: you have a headache, took a pill, and it became easier. This just may indicate that you were dealing with a migraine. One of the ingredients in headache medications is caffeine. It has been used to treat migraines before, and now it is part of many medications. Therefore, one of the remedies for headaches are products containing caffeine, such as coffee and tea.

In this case, coffee should not be very strong or diluted with milk or cream. And tea in this case, on the contrary, should be strongly brewed.

Other foods that would effectively help with headaches are not known to evidence-based medicine.

What foods can cause headaches?

Nevertheless, there is a whole list of foods that are proven to provoke migraine.

Alcohol. To a greater extent, this is red wine, which contains a lot of tannins. And also beer, which is high in gluten. Both of these substances are powerful headache provocateurs.

Bitter chocolate. The provoking effect is cocoa, which is contained in bitter chocolate in greater quantities than in milk chocolate. Therefore, the latter is less likely to cause migraine.

Nuts. Of nuts, peanuts are considered the strongest catalyst for headaches, and almonds have the least effect.

Cheese. We are talking about hard fermented varieties, such as Parmesan. Soft cheeses, such as mozzarella, do not have a negative impact.

If you exclude the above products from the diet, you can significantly reduce the risk of migraine attacks.

However, if this does not help, and the pain does not go away, you should immediately contact a qualified specialist who will help to select medications for your case.