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Page 75
| over a desk or computer keyboard can easily lead to headaches. Massage neck and shoulders with a mixture of 5 drops each of thyme, lavender, and juniper oil in 1 tablespoon of almond oil. |
| Take a 600-mg tablet of Siberian ginseng each day to improve stress tolerance and thus reduce the risk of tension headaches and try yoga or t'ai chi classes to improve relaxation skills. |
| Tension Tea |
| 1 part each chamomile flowers and St. John's wort |
| 2 parts each skullcap and lavender flowers |
| Mix the herbs and make an infusion using 2 teaspoons of the mix to each cup of boiling water. Drink the tea as soon as headache symptoms appear, sipping it slowly, relaxing and doing nothing else at the same time. |
| Some sorts of headaches are best relieved by a hot towel on the head; in these cases use a massage of 10 drops of rosemary oil to 1 teaspoon of almond oil on the temples and forehead. |
| Migraine is typically preceded by visual disturbances: jagged lights to the edge of the visual field or a sense that there is a strange out-of-focus area in what one sees. Occasionally the attack may simply comprise these visual upsets, although more typically a severe headache will follow, with increased sensitivity to light so that sufferers want simply to lie down in a dark room. Migraines can be associated with gastric disturbances (nausea and vomiting) or pins and needles in one hand or arm. Foods can often trigger an attack (especially red wine, chocolate, pork, citrus fruits, coffee, and cheese) or an attack can be associated with stress or bright sunlight. Flickering lights, as when driving past trees on a bright sunny day, can also trigger an attack. |
| Many sufferers find that chewing feverfew leaves can help prevent attacks: try two to three leaves in a daily sandwich (see p. 18 for cautions) or else use a strong lavender oil rub (1 teaspoon of lavender oil with 2 teaspoons of almond oil) massaged into the temples at the first hint of a migraine. Drink cups of lavender and St. John's wort infusion (1 teaspoon of each to a cup of water) during attacks. |
| For headaches associated with digestive upsets try an infusion containing 1 teaspoon each of peppermint and fennel to a cup of water. |
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