Ok -- first you understand that not all headaches are migraines? Migraines are a specific TYPE of headache -- in the temples and they *pound* thump thump thump. Yes they can affect your vision and make you sick to your stomach (but then if you puke you just know your head will explode .... *sigh*)
Migraines and your cycle can have a huge huge correllation and make sure the doctor is aware of what type of headache it is. Some birth control isn't good to take with migraines because it greatly increases your risk of stroke (yeah, even at your age).
Have you had your eyes tested? Recently?
You aren't going to like this -- migraines are almost always triggered by SOMETHING. You can virtually elminate migraines if you are willing to keep a food diary and stop doing and eating certain things to see if they *are* triggering them --
This isn't an exhaustive list at all -- but it's a darned good start:
1. Caffeine (coffee, coke, pepsi, tea of any kind except herbal, CHOCOLATE)
2. Red meat
3. Red wine
4. BIGGIE -- aspartame and most known low-cal sweeteners. Nutra-sweet is probably THE biggest trigger of a migraine for me
5. sugar (yep, this is no fun)
6. artificial flavors, preservatives and chemicals in general
7. some spices and flavorings like chili pepper type of stuff particularly
8. pretty much anything you,individually are sensitive to.
9. Nicotine
The deal is you keep a diary of everything that goes in your mouth -- AND you keep track of the headaches -- when they worsen, come, go, change, etc. And then you look at what you consumed in the last 48 hours.
Most of these things have something to do with how big/small bloodvessels get - the rapid expansion/contraction of blood vessels is what happens in migraines (the pounding) -- so for example caffeine is a stimulant and it will cause the blood vessels to fluctuate -- hence it makes a migraine.
However, it can also hasten things like aspirin and other nsaids to work so it *seems* to help but overall it is a HUGE trigger of migraines
Spicey food -- things like chili pepper will cause your blood pressure to increase (yeah -- you just knew I was gonna be full of all kinds of good stuff here right?? sorry!) which will worsen a migraine.
You're gonna hate me -- but try not drinking ANY pop/soda at all for 2 weeks and see how your headaches are. And don't just substitute pop for Iced tea with sugar or sweetner either.
Going off caffeine (it is hugely addictive and you don't even know you ARE addicted) will, in itself, give you a headache.
But detoxing from caffeine and sugar can literally give you a whole different outlook -- it's not really going to help you to take an herb to be 'natural' if you are drinking diet pop and coffee, etc. at the same time. You'll be causing them faster than you can get rid of them.
Ok -- helps?
Oranges, I just sent you the arthritis stuff and a whole lot of what helps that helps headaches. The essential oils help enormously -- my favorite is White Flower Oil or a superior peppermint oil for a headache.
They will help both a sinus headache (generally right above your eyebrows across the front of your head) or a migraine (temples -- one or both sides, radiating down and around your head -- or a headache that encircles your head and 'thumps';)
There are other headaches aplenty - stress, tension (different -- often neck-related), clusters, etc.
But a dot of an oil that is an anti-inflammatory (peppermint, wintergreen, eucalyptus or many blends) that is massaged into the temple or where it is strongest will help relieve it.
IF you can catch a migraine during the 'aura' stage (the stage just preceding it -- the symptoms aren't fully developed but you can tell it's 'coming on';) usually the essential oils will help kick it before it starts.
Getting away from the computer, going to a dark, quiet room and lying down with your eyes closed will also help stop it before it's bad.
Pressure points -- I can tell you the two *I* use.
Not at all -- but it can be a tad awkward sometimes to try to explain to someone how to stick their finger in their mouth *grin* (seriously folks - if, when you have a headache, you take the tip of your index finger and rub HARD the side of your roof of your mouth that the headache is on -- one side or the other of the ridge of your mouth. VERY hard and slowly - usually I do front to back)
And the thing I find extremely interesting is -- if you ever do this when your head does *not* ache it's kind of a non-event. BUT when you do this when your head *does* ache -- rubbing that pressure point hurts like the very devil. BUT it will relieve the headache in a big huge way. Even a migraine.
I have no clue 'why' it hurts one time and not the other, but I suspect a fluid collects in the roof of your mouth when there is pain present and I always think of it as pushing that fluid away.
I went back to college when I was 30 and often had to attend services and things where I just couldn't get up and go get water, etc. I think that pressure point was the only way I survived because being in what amounted to as 'stressful situations' often GAVE me the darned headache.
It's a powerful pressure point tho.
The other one is between your thumb and index finger in the meat of your hand down almost to the "V" of the joint between your thumb and index finger.
Take the thumb and index finger of one hand and pinch in that 'v' of the other hand - bury your thumb JUST as deep as you can and just as HARD as you can. This will hurt so bad you feel like you're gonna crumble - but when you release it the headache is better.
NOTE: If your headaches are this constant and this bad, you **Must** get the doctor to address them -- no joke. Headaches like this are dangerous -- and you're too young for a stroke or such.
Be aware: Very often things like headaches are cumulative. There isn't one thing causing them. Stress + the wrong chemicals + eye strain + not enough sleep + too long at the computer ... etc. One of those things might not cause the headache -- 2 might cause one that you can medicate -- but things piled on each other plus the wrong diet and the wrong drinks/chemicals/etc -- and it can be an insurmountable force.
Many years ago I was having a lot of headaches and was feeling really jittery generally. The headaches that wouldn't stop scared me and I went to the doctor.
His first queston? How much coffee do you drink? I laughed -- at the time I was working in a factory and when I'd go in at 4:30 a.m. the morning crew would each buy me a cup of coffee so I'd have like 8 cups waiting at my window -- I'd drink every one of them before they were cold!
Yep I got LOTS done -- FAST. but I couldn't slow down enough TO sleep and I was broke so I was living on diet pop and salad.
He took me off the caffeine first. I had the WORST headache I've ever had -- it took me 2 weeks to get thru the withdrawal.
Now? I can't drink caffeine past about 2 p.m. if I want to sleep at night. And I've grown rather fond of being ABLE to sleep.
And I also like being without a headache!