A question on what to do about severe headaches in a survival situation

Discussion in 'Survival Medicine' started by BailyTheFox, Dec 1, 2015.


  1. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    I tried acupuncture for neck and back pain. It did absolutely nothing for me. But, there is no medical treatment that works the same for everyone. Try it, it might work for you.
     
  2. BailyTheFox

    BailyTheFox Monkey+

    I do have serious anxiety problems but I think the two are separate problems though they feed into each other. Stress=migraine, migraine=stress

    I've actually heard that a lot lol. But no, when people are in states of inebriation of any sort it freaks me out whether they be high or drunk. I've never touched drugs or alcohol and don't plan to, though if I did the only thing I'd ever come close to touching is weed.

    I drink quite a bit of water, but good point on emphasizing that I should force myself to drink a little more when I feel a headache coming. I've been meaning to look into tea also, I need just to find something I like. The hot washcloth is always a huge help for sure, though I typically use cold bean bags. My room is now right next to a bathroom so I need to take note of that when I get a bad one coming my way and warm up some water.
    As far as the billiard balls go would tennis balls work? I've heard of something similar to this before but with tennis balls I think.

    Stress is something that can't be eliminated from my life until I have actual stability and who knows when that'll be. I honestly think that overall in the past 5 years I have been stressed more often than not for a multitude of reasons and without a doubt it's a huge contributed to the headaches.

    acupuncture has been recommended to me a few times before but I'm not willing to pay for treatments that would be expensive and require appointments for me to put time aside for. My mom tried acupuncture for her back and it didn't work for her either, but then nothing can help her except heavy pain medication a lot of the time.
     
  3. Dont

    Dont Just another old gray Jarhead Monkey

    Everyone that has posted has presented some valid and common causes for migraines.. Excellent posts!
    My question was directed at any possible chiropractic causes.. I used to have an occasional migraine that was only relieved once I was sick to my stomach and got some rest.. It was connected with a dietary cause.. Once I changed my diet, I had no further headaches..
    A chiropractic cause , if ignored can lead to disk degeneration and limit your future activity levels..
    I do hope it is an easy fix for you..
     
  4. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    I imagine tennis balls would work fine, but they do squish quite a bit. You would have to give it a try and see.
     
  5. AxesAreBetter

    AxesAreBetter Monkey+++

    My migraines come either from sinus issues or my glasses being jacked up and me not knowing they need fixing.
     
  6. Witch Doctor 01

    Witch Doctor 01 Mojo Maker

    There is a medical procedure using Botox in a series of shot to your head an cervical girdle that seems to work well...
     
  7. Hanzo

    Hanzo Monkey+++


    Consider seeing an acupuncturist. At least once. Ask what points you can massage on your own to help alleviate it.

    It can help. Wifee rarely gets headaches now. But when she got them before, I would rub her pressure points for her to help with some relief. Same with menstrual cramps, stomach aches, nausea, etc. One time, many Christmas seasons ago, I was shopping at a book store and when I got to the cashier, first thing I did was ask her if she was ok. She was pale and her breathing was irregular. She said she suffers major migraines and nothing helps. I mentioned that there were pressure points, even in her hand that she could press. Before I could even finish my sentence, she had her hands stuck out at me. So I self-consciously rubbed her pressure points. Maybe not even a minute. There was a long line. Her color came back and her breathing was more relaxed. She was happy! She then yelled out across to all the cashiers (6-8) and said, "This guy made my migraines go away!" So embarrassing. Then she thanked me and offered free gift wrapping for my gifts.

    One time, one of my tai chi students (elderly lady) came up to me in front of my class and said, "You have to touch me." I was like, excuse me! She said she had pain and knew I could help her. In her case, I did not want to touch her. So I reiki'd her instead.

    Yeah, any kind of healing knowledge is helpful. My first Sifu was a bonesetter and herbalist. Next was an acupuncturist and Chinese doctor, and since I have also had a teacher who is an acupuncturist and qigong doctor, and my mother-in-law is a reiki master.

    At a recent dinner, was talking to a judo and jujitsu practitioner and we were discussing chokes and revival. I told him about a Chinese revival point that he didn't know about and he told me about his sensei's nose bleed stoppers that I had never heard about. Good exchange.

    So check it out and catalog what you learn. Acupressure works too.
     
    kellory likes this.
  8. Dont

    Dont Just another old gray Jarhead Monkey

    The only one I know of is the web between the thumb and fore finger.. Give it a pinch and the tention will leave the neck and scalp..
     
  9. Lone Gunman

    Lone Gunman Draw Varmint!

    Doubt very much that using tennis balls in place of either hard plastic or ceramic balls would produce any sort of significant relief. The reason, 'Why' two egg-sized hard balls work is because there are two pressure points at the base of the skull, almost equidistant apart, on each side of the brain stem. (There's actually four points: The two high ones that I want you to find, first; and two low points closer to where the neck meets the torso, and a little farther apart.)

    If you don't want to use hard plastic or ceramic balls then you can accomplish exactly the same thing by using your thumbs - Which might be even be better to use! Apply pressure for between 3 and 5 minutes whenever you feel a headache coming on. The underlying reason, 'Why' your head hurts is because of restricted blood flow to the brain. Now, here's where to find the other pressure points you need to know about in order to give yourself relief:

    To start, remember that the right side of the body is controlled by the left side of the brain; and the opposite is also true. Furthermore whenever you're trying to locate the right pressure point to treat the problem you're having, as you press your fingers around in the general area, the spot you're looking for will feel sore to the touch. When you touch that sore spot, voilà, you've found the point you need to work on.

    On the outside edge of each hand is what is called, 'the forehead lines'. They're located equidistant between the top of the wrist, and the base of the pinky finger. Got a headache in the front of your brain, ....... then use these spots as described above. The last two points are a little more difficult to find: Put your hands together by inserting both creases between your thumbs and index fingers together.

    Next, straighten out your top index finger along the thumb-line on the very edge of your corresponding wrist. (In other words, right behind the base of the corresponding thumb, and on the edge of your forearm.) When you find the correct, 'sore spot' it will be located almost exactly underneath the tip of your stretched-out index finger; and, then, you'll know where to apply the necessary pressure - Again, in the same way as above! *



    * This is in addition to the more popularly recognized technique of pinching the area exactly between the base of your index finger, and the base of your thumb - Which you can do simultaneously while working on each of these back-brain spots.
     
  10. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    I'm attempting the hand and wrist points for a low grade headache, as we speak. I must be doing it wrongly. I find no sore spots, but pressure or massage to the described points, makes no noticeable difference to me.
    The pressure points at the base of the skull may be why my traction unit does help when neck pain gets intense. In addition to the tension involved, it puts pressure on that region. Thanks for the knowledge, I will keep trying.
     
  11. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    I was trying to be kind, I find it to be obvious you need a harder object in order for it to work. Good info, thanks.
     
  12. Bishop

    Bishop Monkey+++

    Willow tree inter bark will help.
     
  13. saltbush

    saltbush Monkey

    For migraines, keep some feverfew tincture in the house. Pills lose their virtue too fast to be worth the cost and take much longer to work. It's not expensive. I buy mine from Vitacost online for less than 8 bucks a bottle. If you feel one coming on, take 15-20 drops - that's a big dose, easiest way, in a shot glass, filling with water to dilute it and drink it down all at once. It will not bother your stomach, even when you're already feeling queasy. I've noticed in reviews that some people complain about the taste but I don't understand why; I rather like it. It's nothing as bad as valerian or wild lettuce. Feverfew (in the daisy family) reminds me of that broom snakeweed that grows all over the Southwest, which taste and smells just like turpentine and is often just called 'turpentine' by some people in North AZ. I've used all parts of that plant for lots of ailments, with good effect so maybe I'm just used to that kind of resiny, earthy taste.

    Always have peppermint around and make sure to have the convenient teabags too. Of course it's more economical to buy it loose by the pound, but if you're feeling bad and want a strong cup in a hurry, those teabags will be a comfort to you. Sometimes a cup of very strong peppermint tea will relieve a headache quickly, any kind of headache. If you have some catnip to add to it, so much the better. I also keep some powdered magnesium around, the kind that fizzes in warm water, which also gives some relief and won't bother a sick stomach - the kind one often gets from bad headache. Make sure you keep the light out of your eyes, especially any sudden hard glares, like the ones that creep in from the side, around the edge of sunglasses, though in the case of migraine, a dark room is what you'll usually head for anyway.

    Another thing about peppermint: they don't call it peppermint for nothing. It will take all the chill out of your body as soon as it hits your stomach if you drink it hot and very strong so it's good to carry a flask of it in your vehicle when traveling in bad weather incase you have to spend more time out in the cold than you had planned. On cold mornings, it's the first thing I drink, before coffee, to take out that first quick chill that gets you before you get the fire built up.
    Finally, what I mean by strong is a heaping tablespoon of loose leaf per mug of water (needn't be too specific here on size of cup) or two teabags in your cup. When you want an herb to do a job for you and it's a mild, friendly one, like all the mints, more is better.
     
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2016
    Witch Doctor 01 likes this.
  14. Botox works well and will help keep them away for awhile
     
    Witch Doctor 01 likes this.
  15. saltbush

    saltbush Monkey

    Just great. And whence comes that cute name? Clostridium botulinum, same buggie that'll kill you in your canned goods if you don't watch it.
     
  16. Witch Doctor 01

    Witch Doctor 01 Mojo Maker

    it's a medical procedure... not something I let just anyone do...;)
     
  17. saltbush

    saltbush Monkey

    Maybe this is one kind of curious impulse best left alone but I can't help myself. Your post gave me the immediate impression of a procedure done more often in the privacy of one's bedroom, than a doctor's surgery. No reason for that, of course. It's not used for anything kinky is it? Maybe that's just your own vibrations that gave me the lowered-lights impression of such a procedure, in which case that's sure to be an asset to you in life. :D I know about its (dubiously) respectable 'medical' uses - and that's in quick-quotes for a reason - but that's not enough to take the creepiness of it out for me. You're apparently made of tougher stuff.
     
  18. Tikka

    Tikka Monkey+++

    @BailyTheFox
    There are quite a few non-prescription remedies; the trick is finding one that works for you. A bud's wife used to get severe migraines. She tried a variety of non-prescription remedies and finally found one that worked for her.
     
    Ganado likes this.
  19. Witch Doctor 01

    Witch Doctor 01 Mojo Maker

    FDA Approves Botox to Treat Chronic Migraines

    Botox to treat chronic migraines is given at intervals of about 12 weeks as multiple injections around the head and neck to try to dull future headache symptoms, the FDA says in a statement.

    The FDA says it’s important that patients who suffer chronic migraines discuss with their doctors whether Botox is appropriate for them.

    Allergan Inc., the maker of Botox, says in a statement that the FDA’s approval applies to people with chronic migraine, which it defines as a “distinct and severe neurological disorder characterized by patients who have a history of migraine and suffer from headaches on 15 or more days per month with headaches lasting four hours a day or longer.”

    The company says that when treating chronic migraine, qualified medical specialists administer 31 Botox injections into seven specific head and neck sites.

    It says that Botox, when injected at labeled doses in recommended areas, is expected to produce results lasting up to three months depending on the individual patient.
     
  20. My sister has had horrible migraines for years that would debilitate her. She started the shots and has had not one in the past 5 years. I am so happy for her and is now able to enjoy life everyday. vs staying in a dark room away from even the slightest of noise.
     
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