Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 3, 2016

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Q How can
I treat
headaches without
using medication?
While there are
several different classes
of headaches, there
are treatments avail-
able that don’t involve
pills. They are safe,
effective and work for
most headache types.
Here are some simple
tips that won’t give you
side effects—other than
better health and well-
being—and won’t cost
you anything more than
a little effort.
Skip
the
Pills
ASK THE EXPERT
Get adequate
sleep. Poor
sleep is a
trigger for migraines
and tension headaches.
Adjusting your schedule
and priorities to ensure
that you’re resting
well will go a long way
toward preventing head-
aches from beginning in
the first place.
I S I T M O R E T H A N A H E A D A C H E ? If you think
you might have a neurological condition, talk to your primary care
physician about a referral to Kootenai Clinic Neurology for a more
in-depth look. Interested in learning more about our neurology clinic? Visit
or call (208) 625-5100.
Don’t skip
breakfast.
Many of
us (myself
included) seem to
consider breakfast an
optional meal. If you
suffer from headaches,
try making a conscious
effort to eat a healthy
breakfast every morn-
ing. This will almost
certainly cut down on
the number of head-
aches you get.
Relax. One
technique is
to close your
eyes; picture
the muscles in your face,
neck and shoulders;
then consciously relax by
imagining that all of the
tension is melting out of
them. Another common
method is acupressure.
It works in a similar way
and can be self-applied in
a short amount of time. A
YouTube search for “head-
ache acupressure” can
show you how to perform
this simple treatment.
Keep yourself
well-hydrated.
In the course
of a busy
day, it’s easy to forget
to drink water. Not only
will staying hydrated
help prevent head-
aches, you can actually
treat headaches after
they’ve started by rehy-
drating with a couple of
big glasses of water or a
sports drink.
Limit your
screen time.
Excessive use
of electronic
devices—television,
mobile phones, tablets,
PCs, etc.—especially just
before you go to bed, has
been shown to increase
the frequency of migraine
headaches. Try giving
yourself an hour or two of
“unplugged” time before
bed and see how much
better you feel.
Use over-
the-counter
headache
medications sparingly.
“Medication overuse”
and “analgesic rebound”
headaches are unfortu-
nately very common. All
painkilling medications,
even acetaminophen, have
the potential to cause
more headaches if used
too frequently. Migraine
medications that contain
caffeine are especially
prone to causing rebound
headaches when they wear
off. Any medication you
use to treat headaches
should never be used more
than once or twice a week.
Cliff Hampton, M.D.,
Kootenai Clinic Neurology
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