Anyone used natural remedies/supplements for illnesses successfully?

[tstesen]

For a little over a year now I've had almost constant headaches. I have them almost all of the time including when I wake up in the morning. I have seen a physician as well as an eye doctor to rule out any medical conditions that could be causing the headaches.

While I plan to continue pursuing my physicians in getting to the root of the problem I've decided to experiment with some natural remedies/supplements to see if they will help relieve some of the pain.

Doctors tend to want to prescribe pain meds to mask the symptoms when I'd rather find the cause of the problem and fix that. It's really a quality of life issue as I have two young children and I'm loosing hope after more than a year with no answers.

Has anyone done this successfully? How long does it typically take to begin feeling better?

And if you've self treated headaches/migraines I'd especially like to hear what you did and how you're doing now.

I began a supplement regimen of Butterbur, Feverfew, 5 HTP, Fish Oil and Magnesium. If you have any other suggestions of herbs/supplements that helped you/may help me please share.

Thanks

Tanya

[funchy]

I may be in the minority here, but I don't usually believe in supplements. There is little to no real scientific proof they work. There is no quality control across brands/forumulations, so you really don't know if two bottles of the same supplement have the same grams active ingredient. (Most of the time nobody even knows what the active ingredient is!) There is no safety testing, so if these are indeed effective natural drugs who knows what long-term effects, side effects, or dangers of mixing types might be.

If you're already eating a healthy diet, you should be getting all the nutrients you need.

You also don't indicate WHY you're having headaches. How can you treat it (naturally or using drugs) if you don't know what's wrong with you?

In your situation, I might suggest you figure out the source of the pain. Is it mostly pain to the front of the head or around the eyes? This might be sinusitis. Pain to the top of the head (may have other symptoms) may be migraine and/or stress. Pain to the rear of the head may also be stress or some issue with the neck/spine. But I am no doctor, so it's important you get it diagnosed properly. If your family doc doesn't know, go to another doc or a specialist until you get a real diagnosis.

What did your doc already prescribe you? Not all "pain medicines" are only pain masking. Some have anti-inflammatory or other good properties, and the pain lessens because the drug is improving the root problem.

In the meantime, trying cutting out caffeine and try to keep stress levels lower. Caffeine is not only in soda but in chocolate, teas, and sometimes other foods. See if that helps. Are you get regular, full-nights' sleep? When you wake up are you tired with sore neck? Are you eating properly? And is it possible you have a dietary or environmental allergy?

[Dot]

Tanya, how's your diet been recently, and over the last few years? Do you get any exercise?

[MightySunTzu]

Hi tstesen,

Home remedy's:...

If it was me, i would fast and if it was me i would be about 90% confident that this would eliminate the headaches... and a few other symptoms you might be experiencing as a bonus. 3 days of "water only" can work miracles... and longer fasts are even better. For 3 days your body would be focusing almost entirely on the elimination of bad things within.

Couple of quotes:

"Why Fast?

Probably the most important reason is that the body uses quite a bit of energy to digest food, and when fasting this energy becomes available for other uses. In the fasting state, the body will scour for dead cells, damaged tissues, fatty deposits, tumors, abscesses, all of which are burned for fuel or expelled as waste. The elimination of these obstructions restores the immune system functionality and metabolic process to an optimum state. Fasting restores good digestion and elimination, and peristaltic action is quickened. Fasting allows a deep, physiological rest of the digestive organs, and the energy saved goes into self-healing and self-repairing. By eliminating obstructions, by cleansing, detoxification, and purifying the intestines, the blood, and the cells, we can overcome many of our physical ills or handicaps as well as getting a boost in energy. Fasting not only removes obstructions and helps the body to heal itself, it is also rejuvenating and life-extending. These resulting benefits can have lasting affects in your mental and emotional health. "

"Benefits of Fasting

Mental clarity is improved and brain fog is lifted.
Rapid, safe weight loss is achieved without flabbiness
The nervous system is balanced
Energy level and sensory perception is increased. The longer the fast, the bigger increase in energy and vitality. You normally need less sleep.
Organs are revitalized
Cellular biochemistry is harmonized
The skin becomes silky, soft, and sensitive
There is greater ease of movement
Breathing becomes fuller, freer and deeper
The digestive system is rejuvenated and becomes more effective; the peristaltic action of the intestines (the cause of a natural bowel movement) is stronger after fasting.
Fasting retrains your tasting sense back to more healthy food as acute sensitivity is restored.
Fasting can increase confidence in our ability to have control over our lives and our appetite, and that our body is self-regulating and a self-healing organism capable or establishing balance when given the possibility to do so.
Normal metabolic and cell oxygenation are restored.
Detoxification - as soon as the body realizes that it's fasting it will begin to eliminate those things that cause disease, such as fat cells, arterial cholesterol plaques, mucus, tumors, stored up worries and emotions."

Entire link: Fasting

other links:

Benefits of Water fasting | Water Fasting Tips, Water fasting weight loss and How to do Water Fasting
Water Fasting
Water Fasting

Problem is, i don't know if you have fasted, but if a person hasn't, it's not so easy a thing to jump right into. In asking a person to skip a meal, let alone 3 days worth, you might as well ask them to stop breathing. Each is about equally likely to happen .

[WordKeeper]

I have used supplements for a number of things but not headaches. One thing I learned a couple of years ago about magnesium is that the type of magnesium is very important. Check out www.georgeeby.com to see what he writes about the type of magnesium.

What do you guess the source of your headaches is?

[ginkgo]

There can be many causes of a headache. To find the exact cause requires you to be like Sherlock Holmes. This is the same with many health challenges. For some common causes see headaches under Natural Cures.

Now if the following is the cause of your problem then fasting will not help. Say that everyday you bang your head against the wall 20 times. That is an easy cause but there are others that are not easy and you need to stop doing them.

Fasting is great for health and can fix more health challenges then anything else. A common cause of headaches and most health problems is toxemia and Fasting (with quotes from 19 different MDs) is the best thing to cure that. It is also great for extending life and to make you smarter. It was done by Jesus, Moses, Pythagoras, Gandhi, Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln and the 3 fathers of modern medicine (Hypocrates, Galen and Paracelsus).

That page on Natuaral cures tells about curing migraines. I know a woman who got migraines. She had a brain tumor and she got it removed, but still gets them but she drinks alcohol. Kevin Trudeau and I say that vitamin/mineral supplements are bad for you but whole food supplements are great for you. The former can kill you.

[wellbeing]

I have migrained for most of my life, so I can relate to your request.

I applaud you for having medically ruled out any serious underlying condition. This is very important, especially in this modern world where it's easy to shrug things off with a mere "It's just a headache." (If only they knew, right? )

Funchy did ask some very good questions:

1. What kind of headaches are these? (Migraines have very different physiological processes than do tension headaches, for example.)
2. What causes them?
3. Can you describe them in more detail? And what symptoms specifically do you want to address?

One thing that was invaluable for me was to keep a headache diary. Some things to include might be description/onset/duration of any headache, what makes the headache better/worse, what you ate and drank (and when), how much and what kind of sleep you got, the day's activities, anything else going on in your body, etc.

This might give you some indications that you can address the headaches even without supplements. (I know of several people who had cured their history of chronic, debilatating headaches simply by staying hydrated--drinking plenty of water throughout the day while eliminating such common diuretics as coffee, tea and soda.)

A diary could also direct you to which remedies might be successful in your case. For instance, I learned from my diary that my headache pain diminishes with the application of cold, which led me to a scent-free cooling lotion which I can apply when I notice I'm headaching. They make bandages which apply cooling or warming lotions along with a mild dose of analagesic which might be appropriate for you (not for me, unless I wanted bald spots from ripping the hair out whilst removing the bandage <haha> ).

As Funchy also points out, allergies can be a "hidden" trigger for headaches. I am very sensitive to something in the Pinot Noir grape and, if I'm feeling daring, I can amaze my wine-geek friends (at high cost to me, granted) by identifying which wine has Pinot Noir in it.

The supplements you listed all have different actions on the body. Are you taking them prophylacticaly or as needed? Without knowing more about your headaches, sharing my supplement regime (at this point) with you could well be as undesirable for you as taking the medicines that you wish to avoid.

One more thing: Funchy and Dot both asked about exercise and I'll throw in meditation (which many studies have shown to reduce the frequency, severity and duration of all types of headaches). I realise exercise and meditation may be a challenge as you mention you have children but these 2 activities offer so many benefits beyond your headaches that you may want to consider them.

If you feel like it, please post more information and I'll be happy to share my layman's experience with you.

And, I noticed the responses about fasting that were posted as I was composing my reply. Just to show you how headache triggers can be very personal, a fast is one of the fastest (no pun intended) ways for me to create a headache for myself. Of course, YMMV. Let's learn more about your headaches.

[lovelyn]

These responses cover almost everything, but as a massage therapist I have to point out one more thing that wasn't mentioned. Some headaches are caused by tight muscles in the neck and shoulders and even the jaw. Massage those areas can relieve your headache if this is the cause.

My husband used to suffer from chronic tension headaches that were quite intense. I taught him how to massage his shoulders and neck when he felt a headache coming on. Doing this stops the headache in its tracks.

Hydration also effects headaches. Make sure you're drinking enough water.

I know a few people who've used CranioSacral therapy to get rid of migraines. It's worked wonders for them, but I think it depends on the cause of your migraines and the skill of the therapist you're working with.

That's my two cents, which isn't really good for anything because like everyone else said, we don't have enough information about your headaches to give you good advice.

[Dimond]

Supplements have often worked for me successfully most of the time, which is how I was able to get away from the cycle of meds I was always on. As soon as I got quick results healing myself, I stuck with doing so from then on. The fun part was the doctor's disbelief when the test came back all clear and I informed him that I didn't use the prescription he gave me.

How quickly they work really varies depending on the illness and what caused it, along with other lifestyle and health factors. Also can depend on the quality of the supplement. For the most part, people usually see results pretty quickly.

[tstesen]

Originally Posted by funchy

You also don't indicate WHY you're having headaches. How can you treat it (naturally or using drugs) if you don't know what's wrong with you?

In your situation, I might suggest you figure out the source of the pain. Is it mostly pain to the front of the head or around the eyes? This might be sinusitis. Pain to the top of the head (may have other symptoms) may be migraine and/or stress. Pain to the rear of the head may also be stress or some issue with the neck/spine.

What did your doc already prescribe you? Not all "pain medicines" are only pain masking. Some have anti-inflammatory or other good properties, and the pain lessens because the drug is improving the root problem.

In the meantime, trying cutting out caffeine and try to keep stress levels lower. Caffeine is not only in soda but in chocolate, teas, and sometimes other foods. See if that helps. Are you get regular, full-nights' sleep? When you wake up are you tired with sore neck? Are you eating properly? And is it possible you have a dietary or environmental allergy?

The first doctor I saw diagnosed me with migraines which I think is ridiculous. Most people with migraines do not have them 24/7 which leads me to believe something else may be wrong with me. They prescribed me Oxycodone, 800 MG Motrins and Compazine for nausea and vomiting. All just treat the symptoms, not the cause.

Several people recommended I have my eyes checked as well which I did this week. He said there are no tumors or anything of that nature and in his opinion my headaches are not caused by my eyes. He recommends I see a neurologist which will be my next step.

Unfortunately because I have no health coverage (like so many other self employed Americans) I've been self paying for these visits which is costly to say the least.

I was reading a magazine yesterday and it mentioned something about a gluten free diet and headaches being a symptom of gluten sensitivity. I know I'm lactose intolerant so I may try switching to a gluten free diet and see if that helps at all. At this point I'll try anything honestly.

I'm also not a big caffeine drinker. I typically have a cup of coffee in the morning but that's it and its something I've done for at least 7+ years. During the day I drink mainly water.

I find it hard to believe that it could be my diet since if anything I've been eating way healthier for the last 2 years meaning less meats and more fruits and veggies. We eat a lot of fresh, unprocessed food so its not like I'm eating a lot of processed or chemically foods.

I should mention that over the counter pain meds like Motrin and Tylenol do not work. I think I've built a resistance to them.

[tstesen]

Originally Posted by Dot

Tanya, how's your diet been recently, and over the last few years? Do you get any exercise?

I think my diet is pretty good. I'm a WW's member (5 lbs. from goal!) so I follow the healthy guidelines which include lots of water, dairy, healthy oils and lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

For exercise I've been into Yoga lately and have been doing that a few times a week.

The headaches began a little over a year ago and I'm hard pressed to find any significant changes in my life/diet that would trigger these relentless headaches.

[tstesen]

Originally Posted by WordKeeper

I have used supplements for a number of things but not headaches. One thing I learned a couple of years ago about magnesium is that the type of magnesium is very important. Check out www.georgeeby.com to see what he writes about the type of magnesium.

What do you guess the source of your headaches is?

The link is broken.

I really have no idea what the headaches could be from. I've tried taking the meds the dr's gave me, I've taken over the counter meds, tried reflexology, had my eyes checked and am just generally loosing my mind.

My therapist asked if I thought the headaches may be related to stress or anxiety but I don't know. I sure hope not because if they are then its certainly an endless cycle because having the headaches only makes me more anxious and stressed.

[tstesen]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

There can be many causes of a headache. To find the exact cause requires you to be like Sherlock Holmes. This is the same with many health challenges. For some common causes see headaches under Natural Cures.

Now if the following is the cause of your problem then fasting will not help. Say that everyday you bang your head against the wall 20 times. That is an easy cause but there are others that are not easy and you need to stop doing them.

Fasting is great for health and can fix more health challenges then anything else. A common cause of headaches and most health problems is toxemia and Fasting (with quotes from 19 different MDs) is the best thing to cure that. It is also great for extending life and to make you smarter. It was done by Jesus, Moses, Pythagoras, Gandhi, Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln and the 3 fathers of modern medicine (Hypocrates, Galen and Paracelsus).

That page on Natuaral cures tells about curing migraines. I know a woman who got migraines. She had a brain tumor and she got it removed, but still gets them but she drinks alcohol. Kevin Trudeau and I say that vitamin/mineral supplements are bad for you but whole food supplements are great for you. The former can kill you.

Thanks for the info! One thing that stood out for headaches was a chiropractic adjustment. I've had this mentioned several times now as well so I suppose maybe I'll make an appt for one of those as well. I'm telling you I will try everything!

[tstesen]

Originally Posted by wellbeing

I have migrained for most of my life, so I can relate to your request.

I applaud you for having medically ruled out any serious underlying condition. This is very important, especially in this modern world where it's easy to shrug things off with a mere "It's just a headache." (If only they knew, right? )

Funchy did ask some very good questions:

1. What kind of headaches are these? (Migraines have very different physiological processes than do tension headaches, for example.)
2. What causes them?
3. Can you describe them in more detail? And what symptoms specifically do you want to address?

One thing that was invaluable for me was to keep a headache diary. Some things to include might be description/onset/duration of any headache, what makes the headache better/worse, what you ate and drank (and when), how much and what kind of sleep you got, the day's activities, anything else going on in your body, etc.

This might give you some indications that you can address the headaches even without supplements. (I know of several people who had cured their history of chronic, debilatating headaches simply by staying hydrated--drinking plenty of water throughout the day while eliminating such common diuretics as coffee, tea and soda.)

A diary could also direct you to which remedies might be successful in your case. For instance, I learned from my diary that my headache pain diminishes with the application of cold, which led me to a scent-free cooling lotion which I can apply when I notice I'm headaching. They make bandages which apply cooling or warming lotions along with a mild dose of analagesic which might be appropriate for you (not for me, unless I wanted bald spots from ripping the hair out whilst removing the bandage <haha> ).

As Funchy also points out, allergies can be a "hidden" trigger for headaches. I am very sensitive to something in the Pinot Noir grape and, if I'm feeling daring, I can amaze my wine-geek friends (at high cost to me, granted) by identifying which wine has Pinot Noir in it.

The supplements you listed all have different actions on the body. Are you taking them prophylacticaly or as needed? Without knowing more about your headaches, sharing my supplement regime (at this point) with you could well be as undesirable for you as taking the medicines that you wish to avoid.

One more thing: Funchy and Dot both asked about exercise and I'll throw in meditation (which many studies have shown to reduce the frequency, severity and duration of all types of headaches). I realise exercise and meditation may be a challenge as you mention you have children but these 2 activities offer so many benefits beyond your headaches that you may want to consider them.

If you feel like it, please post more information and I'll be happy to share my layman's experience with you.

And, I noticed the responses about fasting that were posted as I was composing my reply. Just to show you how headache triggers can be very personal, a fast is one of the fastest (no pun intended) ways for me to create a headache for myself. Of course, YMMV. Let's learn more about your headaches.

I actually started keeping a headache diary yesterday so I have something for my next dr's appt. I almost feel like they think I'm making it seem worse then it is but I'm not.

Yesterday for example I woke up around 7:30 am with a headache. The headache lasted all day with no let up. I took pain meds at 10:55am,12:28 pm, 3:45 pm and 8pm which of course did not help.

Honestly I'm beginning to think by the time they figure out what's wrong with me I'll need a new liver with all the pain meds I've taken. I've gone through over 600 motrins in the last couple months, no joke.

Today here it is 9:19 am and I have a headache, have had it since I woke this morning. It's like the annoying friend that I can't get rid of that just tags along everywhere I go. Sigh.
[*]What kind of headaches are these? (Migraines have very different physiological processes than do tension headaches, for example.)

According to the dr.'s they are migraines. I just know they hurt like hell and are relentless. Sometimes its centered around the front above my eyes and sometimes the whole back of my head will ache. I haven't had any trauma or been in any accidents or anything like that. They just came one day and never went away.
[*]What causes them?

I wish I knew. That's why I'm looking for any help from the smarties here. I figured at least someone else would have faced something like this and have some suggestions/answers for me.

Like I said I wake up with these headaches in the morning most of the time and they continue all day. If I wake in the middle of the night I'll have the headache then as well which is why I thought it might be my eyes but that's been ruled out.
[*]Can you describe them in more detail? And what symptoms specifically do you want to address?

The pain! And the vomiting would be nice too. Even if I can't get rid of them completely and could just have a few good days each week I'd be so grateful you don't even know. I can't even describe what its like to be in pain ALL the time. It's really affecting my life and beginning to take its toll on my spirit. It's very depressing to go through this for over a year and have all the dr's look at you and say we don't know what's wrong with you.

And honestly I'm sure my children are tired of mommy always being sick and having these headaches. I feel bad for them too, these headaches are stealing precious time with my babies.

[wellbeing]

Dear Tstesen, my heart really does go out to you; I have been there and I know how hard it is for people who don't have headaches to understand what chronic headaches really are like. And I know exactly what you mean when you say that you "almost feel like they think I'm making it seem worse than it is but I'm not." So my heart goes out to you.

Good for you to paying attention to your diet, your water and for doing yoga. Believe it or not, the yoga will help with the good observations you received from others about neck and jaw issues.

I have to admit that I'm a little puzzled. I am NOT a doctor and I'm loathe to second-guess your doctor. However, you say that your doctor diagnosed you with migraines yet the list of prescriptions were all pain medicines rather than medicines to actually stop the migraine physiological process. (As I'm sure you realise, when you stop the process, the pain resolves itself on its own.) I know you'd like to get away from allopathic (traditional "Western) medicines, but these preparations may give you (and your little ones) some "breathing space" as you explore natural remedies that work for you. Oh, and many of these new migraine medicines are "episodic" (you take them as needed) rather than "chronic."

Another temporary suggestion: You mention taking lots of Motrin to no avail. Believe it or not, sometimes one type of pain reliever just isn't as effective for a person as another. And people build up tolerances to these drugs, too. Have you tried Tylenol or Aleve, both of which have different chemical compositions from Motrin (as well as each other)? You may say that your pain is too bad but, if it's the right medicine for you, you may not need to take a lot of it. And, since you seem to be waking up with your headaches, you may want to consider taking a dose of medicine (Motrin, Tylenol, Aleve, or what-have-you) before going to sleep. I used to have that problem (waking up with or being woken up by a headache) and that seemed to be a good bit of prevention.

If you are taking Western medicine, the timing of your doses can be very important. You mentioned yesterday's experience:

Originally Posted by tstesen

<snip>
Yesterday for example I woke up around 7:30 am with a headache. The headache lasted all day with no let up. I took pain meds at 10:55am,12:28 pm, 3:45 pm and 8pm which of course did not help.
<snip>

I don't know what "pain meds" these were but it seems to me, as a layperson, this dosing schedule is pretty random. If this is how your healthcare professional told you to take your medicine, then continue on. However, if this was not instructed and you do have migraines, allopathic medicines are most effective the closer to the onset of the migraine you can take them. Sometimes taking that first dose right away can reduce the amount of total medicine you take over the entire headache. (Thereby, sparing your liver, as you mentioned in your posts. BTW, natural remedies can have their own effects on your body as well, please remember. Although I address my own headaches with "alternative" remedies, I had to research the side effects of what I tried along the way.)

One more medicine suggestion: You mentioned that your doctor prescribed Compazine for the nausea. I don't know what form it came in but, if vomiting is a problem and you've vomitted after taking the Compazine, then you may want to ask for (I know this sounds icky but bear with me) it in suppository form. After all, you do want the medicine to do its job and it may have a better chance at being absorbed as a suppository. In a more natural vein, ginger or peppermint tea (or non-alcoholic tinctures) have been helpful in cases of extreme nausea. Nux vomica, a homeopathic remedy often found in healthfood stores, is another alternative suggestion to alieve nausea and vomitting.

You mentioned that your headache is like a friend who tags around you all day. A NLP process is to address the headache as a friend, trying to tell you something. The specifics vary but, essentially, you acknowledge your "friend," listen for the message that it's trying to tell you, appreciate that message (it's only trying to be helpful, after all--Yea, I hear you laughing derisively too), thank it for sharing and then send it on its way. I know a number of NLP people who swear by this and you may want to play with it as well.

It might seem tedious (and robbing even more precious time from your children) but the more detail you can put into your headache diary the more insights you'll get on how to prevent these headaches from occuring in the first place. (Whoo hoo!)

(BTW, your headache diary is a great place to be as "whiny" as you want or need because it's the one "person" who won't argue back to you. Describe the episodes in great detail, if you'd like. What makes them worse/better? How was I holding my body before/during? What does the pain feel/look/taste/smell like? It's all data.)

As you're learning from the responses here and from your own researches, headaches can be caused by so many different things in different people that it may take some experimentation for you to hone in on what triggers your specific headaches. Keep asking questions, observing and--as much as you don't want to hear this--have a little patience with the process. You may find out that your trigger is something obvious, like MSG (which crops up in a lot of "hidden" places, BTW) but the effort that you invest now will free up so much more (pain-free) time for you and babies.