Home remedies for everyday health issues

Headache

There are many reasons behind headaches, but if it is a pain that repeats often (more than twice a week), changes pattern, or leaves you unable to complete tasks, you should see a doctor immediately. He or she will be able to run tests that will guide you on the health reasons that may be causing the headaches - before they become chronic (1). However, if the pain is only occasional, you can try:

• More hydration. Oftentimes, tension-type headaches and migraines can be triggered by dehydration. Drinking water can be the quickest, easiest, and most economical solution. (2)

• Consuming black or green tea, or coffee. Caffeine can help reduce headaches and other symptoms related to mood and attention span because it influences the central nervous system. (3)

• Eliminating foods rich in histamine like aged cheeses, fermented foods, beer, wine, smoked fish, and sausages. Although histamine is a chemical substance produced naturally by the body that helps the immune, digestive, and nervous systems, it has been shown to cause migraines in people who are sensitive to it. A study showed that 4 weeks of a histamine-free diet decreased the frequency, duration, and intensity of headaches, in addition to reducing other symptoms. (4)

• Studies also suggest that people who have frequent migraines are often deficient in magnesium when compared to those who do not suffer from constant headaches. There is evidence that magnesium is a safe alternative to medication, with no side effects, especially for tension-type or cluster headaches. (5)

• There are also studies that support CoQ10 supplementation as an effective and natural way to treat headaches, especially migraines. It has been proven that CoQ10 may be a therapeutic agent that works to shorten the duration of migraines. (6, 7)

White coat syndrome

The term sounds like a joke, right? But it’s real! White coat syndrome describes a sudden rise in blood pressure that some people experience only when they are at the doctor's office. It is associated with a fear or anxiety of visiting the doctor, and does not mean the person suffers from hypertension.

What can you do to make sure you have white coat syndrome, and not actually high blood pressure?

• Take your blood pressure at home or elsewhere several times to be able to compare the results.

• If your blood pressure eventually rises when you are at other places, it may be the beginning of hypertension or other related cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, sugar, high cholesterol, and triglycerides.

• Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity and excess weight are one of the main triggers of elevated blood pressure.

• Hibiscus tea can also be a good supplement for controlling both hypertension and hyperlipidemia (lipids in the blood), according to several scientific studies. In certain cases,consuming this tea daily has been shown to help lower blood pressure, even acting as effectively as some medications. (8)

Muscle pain after exercise

This can happen when we are out of shape or away from our regular exercise routine. It helps to prepare the body before, but also to treat it with love and extra care afterwards.

Before exercise:

• Warm up for at least 5 minutes to avoid injury, while gradually increasing heart rate and breathing.

• Put warm compresses or ointment on knees, elbows, shoulders, and other sensitive areas to help warm up muscles and joints.

• Protect and strengthen your joints and cartilage by taking products like glucosamine before exercise. It helps form a protective cushion around joints, helping make movement easier. (10)

After exercise:

• Use cold compresses to reduce inflammation in the muscles and joints.

• After a warm bath, put on an aloe vera ointment. This provides a cooling and anti-inflammatory effect.

• A supplement such as resveratrol can help fight inflammation, which is a natural but painful response to exercise. (10)

A little self-care and pampering can soothe away aches and pains for better days.

Let's be healthier together.

Your Santo Remedio Team

References

1. T J Steiner, Manuela Fontebasso. Headache. BMJ. 2002 Oct 19; 325(7369): 881–886. PMCID: PMC1124385. PMID: 12386043
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1124385/

2.Amy Praise, Amanda Burls. Increased water intake to reduce headache: learning from a critical appraisal. Comment. J Eval Clin Pract. 2015 Dec;21(6):1212-8. PMID: 26200171 DOI: 10.1111/jep.12413 doi: 10.1111/jep.12413. Epub 2015 Jul 21.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26200171/

3.Karl B. Alstadhaug, Anna P. Andreou. Caffeine and Primary (Migraine) Headaches—Friend or Foe? Front Neurol. 2019; 10: 1275. Published online 2019 Dec 3. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2019.01275. PMCID: PMC6901704. PMID: 31849829
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6901704/

4. F Wantke , M Götz, R Jarisch. Histamine-free diet: treatment of choice for histamine-induced food intolerance and supporting treatment for chronic headaches. Clinical Trial, Clin Exp Allergy. 1993 Dec;23(12):982-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1993.tb00287.x.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10779289/

5.Jeanette A. Maier, Gisele Pickering, Elena Giacomoni, Alessandra Cazzaniga, Paolo Pellegrino
Headaches and Magnesium: Mechanisms, Bioavailability, Therapeutic Efficacy and Potential Advantage of Magnesium Pidolate
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7551876/

6.ZhiYong Zeng , YunPeng Li , ShunYu Lu , WanSu Huang , Wei Di. Efficacy of CoQ10 as supplementation for migraine: A meta-analysis. Acta Neurol Scand. 2019 Mar;139(3):284-293. doi: 10.1111/ane.13051. Epub 2018 Dec 3. PMID: 30428123 DOI: 10.1111/ane.13051
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30428123/

7.Mohammad Parohan , Payam Sarraf , Mohammad Hassan Javanbakht , Sakineh Ranji-Burachaloo, Mahmoud Djalali .Effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on clinical features of migraine: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Neurosci. 2020 Nov;23(11):868-875. doi: 10.1080/1028415X.2019.1572940. Epub 2019 Feb 6.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30727862/

8.Allison L Hopkins , Marnie G Lamm, Janet L Funk, Cheryl Ritenbaugh
Hibiscus sabdariffa L. in the treatment of hypertension and hyperlipidemia: a comprehensive review of animal and human studies. Review. Fitoterapia. 2013 Mar;85:84-94.
doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2013.01.003. Epub 2013 Jan 17. PMID: 23333908 PMCID: PMC3593772 DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2013.01.003
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23333908/

9.Caroline Williams; George Ampat. Glucosamine Sulfate. StatPearls [Internet].
Last Update: June 26, 2021.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK558930/

10.Saltuk Bugra Baltaci, Rasim Mogulkoc, Abdulkerim Kasim Baltaci. Resveratrol and exercise. Biomed Rep. 2016 Nov; 5(5): 525–530. Published online 2016 Oct 11. doi: 10.3892/br.2016.777. PMCID: PMC5103661. PMID: 27882212
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5103661/