Millions of people across the world suffer from headaches and often on a daily basis for a variety of reasons—some we may not know the reason for. With so many causes for headaches, including stress, fatigue allergies, hormones, alcohol and nutritional deficiencies. If you suffer from frequent headaches and still can’t find an effective treatment, try peppermint essential oil.
Why Essential Oils?
Essential oils serve as headache treatments because they safely and effectively treat the headache trigger. The oils get to the root of the problem instead of simply temporarily minimizing the pain with medication. Not to mention there are no nasty side effects with essential oils. Instead, you are in complete control of your dose, which means you can adjust it according to the headache you might be experiencing.
How Does Peppermint Work?
Peppermint oil uses and benefits include a long-lasting cooling effect on the skin, ability to inhibit muscle contractions and role in stimulating blood flow in the forehead when applied topically. If you are suffering from a tension headache, try applying peppermint essential oil topically across the forehead and temples. In 1996, a study was completed where patients were analyzed in a placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study. The peppermint oil was applied topically 15 and 30 minutes after a headache began. The result? Participants reported pain relief in their headache diaries and peppermint oil proved to be well-tolerated and cost-effective as opposed to painkillers.
Peppermint essential oil can also be applied to your water daily for improved prevention of headaches while also providing relief when a headache forms. It can even provide relief if you place a drop on your thumb and proceed to push your thumb to the top of your mouth—the sensation will help eliminate your headache pain almost instantly it seems.
While peppermint essential oil is a great alternative to painkillers, it may not be the right solution if your underlying pain is caused by conditions such as TMD. Please contact Craniofacial Pain & Dental Sleep Center of Georgia for more information on headaches, treatment options or what alternative relief you can use instead.
