Headaches and it’s medicines can give more headaches than relief. Everyone has headaches at least once a week. Given the lifestyle and hectic work schedule, the most common reason for headache is tension. As soon as one gets a headache, the immediate remedy we think of is drinking coffee. But that can create more ache than curing it. Head aches are signals telling the brain that it needs more air, but drinking cups and cups of coffee will only restrict the air movement than providing some, hence the time taken for relief is longer. Some people have a habit of taking of taking pain relievers with coffee or tea! Water will be the best option than any of these drinks.

Instead of taking pain relievers and still watching TV or cooking or working, take atleast 10 minutes off the schedule when you get a headache. Wash your face, freshen up and sit in a place that has good air circulation for a few minutes.

This remedy for tension headaches is by my Mom. When I was in Uni, I had a hectic schedule,classes and events to organize and as you all know, she does not believe in swallowing pills like toffees.

The remedy:

When you read this, I am sure you will laugh before believing it. In India, during summers if someone is walking around like a boiling pressure cooker waiting to let off steam of anger on someone, we tell them to apply some lemon on the head to cool off

Yes, Lemon. If you think you have a tension headache, and you are at home, take a lemon and cut 2-3 thin round slices. Apply the slices on the forehead and on the sides(temple points). Make sure that the juices does not go into the eyes. Repeat twice of thrice till you can feel the juice of lemon as a layer on the forehead. Sit in a quite place for 10 minutes. You can feel relief faster than a pain reliever.

Who can use: Adults
Dosage: Once or twice over a 10 minute period.

This simple remedy for headache goes straight to the Home Remedies Event I am hosting, an event started by A2Zvegetariancuisine

DO share any simple remedies you know by sending you entries to ruchikacooks@gmail.com.

You are new to the Home remedies event and wondering where to start? Here are a few ideas:

Beauty: Dry skin, Oily Skin, dandruff, tips for hair growth, and dark circles around the eyes.
Stomach: Digestive Issues, Heartburn.
Common Issues: Cold, Sinus, Headaches.
Pregnancy: Any remedies for nursing mother’s or pregnant women or similar subjects.

You can also check out some of my simple home remedies I have posted:

Remedy for Sinus
Home made Bengay for Bodyaches

Whenever we get a knee pain or sprains we tend to apply some creams(analgesic) like bengay to provide warmth and relieve the pain. But would you believe the ingredients are so simple and you can even make it at home? My mom never trusted any of these chemicals and she believed that since it is applied on the skin, our system can absorb it. The more you apply to relieve the pain, the more you are adding chemicals to the system.

Instead of using these pain relievers she would make a instant home made analgesic(a rub) to apply and she would massage with it. When I was in University studying Chemistry, I could understand the principle behind it. The ingredients are the same, some oil as a base and camphor. The base oil my mom uses is Sesame oil, called a Nallenai in Tamil, which literally translates to Good oil!!

I learnt this from my mom and now a days N too has stopped using all these rubs and he asks me to make this instead of buying some unknown chemicals.

Home made analgesic:

Ingredients: (serves for 4 applications)

Sesame oil- 1/4 cup
Camphor-6 capsules
An old, beaten up pan

Method:

There are a couple of things you should remember before starting to make this rub. Both oil and camphor can catch fire, so do not play with heating. Be careful and do not leave it at any stage unnoticed.

Heat a pan without adding anything to it, till you can see slight fumes coming out of the pan. Reduce the flame, pour the oil and heat it for a minute.

Remove the oil pan from fire.. This is very important as hot oil and camphor can give fumes or fire.

Powder the camphor. Sprinkle the camphor powder into the oil. You can see some sizzle, but it is OK. Let it cool for 3-4 minutes.

Oil is ready!

You can cool it and store in a container. If it cools, the oil will get creamy like a store bought rub. You can either use the cream or the oil. If you need to massage with the oil, wait till you can handle the heat of the oil (till it is warm and not hot).

Apply the lukewarm oil either on the back or hands or leg,depending on the area of swelling, sprain or pain and start massaging lightly. Do not rub heavily as the oil will warm up on its own once it comes to contact with the skin due to massage. The person receiving the oil massage can feel the warmth too. If a hot shower is taken after the oil massage, the relief will be instant.

This is something I make often (as N travels a lot and comes back with aches all over) and it is simple and works every time. You don’t have to worry about side effects as you know what ingredients are there.

How to use: Either as oil or cream
Used for: Body aches due to strain or sprain
Who can use: Adults and kids(reduce the dosage and just apply in minimum quantities)

This Home made bengay goes straight to the Home Remedies Event I am hosting, an event started by A2Zvegetariancuisine

Living on my own, apart from the food, I miss my mom for  her home remedies(selfish me). She always had a cure for everything, from headache to a high fever. If at all I went to the doc, I had some paracetamols, that was it. But when I started living alone, if I felt sick the first thing I do is to call amma and ask her what to do.  There is one particular symptom I suffer from and I’d like to share it with you all today, as a change from posting recipes. When A2Zvegetariancuisine announced the home remedies event, I was very eager not only to take part and share my story but also to learn so much from other bloggers. I particularly like the logo, makes me want to relax in such a spa forever!

I never had a problem with cold or sinus till I came to the US, even when I lived in Europe. On and off, I felt that my head was becoming heavy and even when I bend to pick something up, I felt like there was a weight on it. And I started getting the neck pain along with feeling that my face was like a soft pillow.  N was really worried and we went to a doc.The neck pain was so worse that I was not even able to lift objects or even chop something.

As usual, after asking some regular Q’s, the doc asked me if I had a fall or accident. I had some nasty falls trying to walk in the snow in UK, till I learnt how to walk like a duck when it snows . I agreed that, yes indeed I had some incidents like that.  The doc suspected either I had an inflammation of the muscle in the neck or a pinched nerve and gave me some medicines to soothe the inflammation. I asked about the side effects and it sounded OK.

I came back home, happily had the medicines and went to sleep thinking that it is going to offer me some relief.  Luckily, that day, N had taken the day off and he was at home. Few hours later in the afternoon, I started feeling something weird, as though my face was like a sponge. Suddenly I realized that my left hand (palm) was swollen and so was one side of my face. My wedding ring was almost cutting my finger and I had to tug with it to remove it. I was not able to even stand up and I felt like my back was going to break. I called N and he took me back to the doc. I was told the dose was quite high and because of some ingredients in the medicine, I had that side effect and I was taken off the medicine. But then came the real story, I was suggested some other medicine(quite potent) and N really hit the ceiling. He never gets angry, may be once in a year(!!) but I was not in a situation to keep eating medicines when I was not even sure if that was the cure for the cause! We decided enough was enough and we wanted to try something else.

Lesson learnt from that experience:

-When you are taking any new medicine, make sure that some one knows what you are taking.
-Don’t take any new medicines on a weekend.
-Try it on a day time rather than taking it at night.

I called home and spoke to our family doctor, who thought this could be sinus! It is strange that back home the family doc would almost prescribe some simple medicine and you’ll feel better! I got some medicines from home(thanks to relatives traveling back and forth) and some home remedies from amma, akka and mami’s. It is true that I had sinus and not a pinched nerve like it was suspected

Most effective remedies for sinus for me:

Using Thyme(Called Omam in Tamil, other languages I am not sure, but if anyone can update me, I will add it to this post). My mom has tried this thyme remedy for even kids in the family.

Vapor with thyme water- boil some water in a pan and just when you are about to inhale the vapor add thyme. Inhale the thyme vapors and it clears the heavy feeling of the face.

You can also dip a hand towel into this warm thyme water and apply it on the area around the forehead or the eye brows. The warm compress really helps!

Fry thyme slightly in a pan and inhale that vapor. That also clears the pressure in the face. You can also fry the thyme slightly and make it like a small bundle with a thin cotton towel. Have this packet under the pillow when you sleep,or have it in the bedroom in a corner.

Using Sukku(Dried Ginger) : Soak sukku in hot water for 5 minutes. On a hard surface like a clean kitchen counter (even a mortar with a pestle) quickly grind the sukku against the surface and collect the paste. This sukku paste cannot be made in a blender, and this is the way to make a paste out of it. Apply this paste in small quantity around the forehead edges or as a thin layer above the eye brows. This paste will give a burning sensation for some time so start with a minimum quantity (1/4 tsp only).

Apple Cider Vinegar:
Boil some water and inhale it after adding 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. That also helps in clearing the heavy feeling of the face.

Massage:
If you  think you are getting the sinus headache, start massaging the area around eye brows, nose and just below the eyes (the sinus cavities), that can also help.

Food:
Avoid drinking lots of milk or eating dairy products as they can thicken the mucus.

Others:
Wear something that covers the feet(like a pair of socks) instead of walking barefoot inside the house. Cover your ears with a piece of cotton when you go out in the cold conditions.

A blogger friend of mine, after hearing my complaints suggested me some remedies. I will try them out and will update it in this space as sinus and me are inseparable

Any other remedies you may know, please feel free to write to me and I will update it on this post or take part in this very useful event by A2Zvegetariancuisine

These are the remedies that worked for me and if you are going to try these, it may or may not work for you and don’t blame me if it does not work. Do not try everything at once or consider this as a self treatment. Please do not take this post as a medical advice and do consult a doctor as some symptoms could be a result of illness not related to this post. This post is just my experience and sharing it on what worked for me.