Headache-free at last!
At least eight in 10 of us get headaches from time to time—and 45 million of us have them weekly, even daily! To the rescue: simple, study-proven ways to prevent them or end the pain fast!
KO chronic headaches with D-3
If you get at least one headache every week and painkillers aren’t much help, start taking 3,000 IU of vitamin D-3 daily. A recent review of 44 studies suggests that simply topping up your stores of D with a daily supplement of D-3, the most absorbable form, sends a woman’s risk of chronic headaches down 50% in three months by reining in production of pain-triggering hormones called prostaglandins.
Important: Always check with your doctor before starting a new supplement.
Soothe away pain with seafood
Salmon, shrimp, tuna . . . enjoying 16 oz. of any fish or seafood weekly cuts headache flares in half for eight in 10 women— even women with chronic migraines, reveals a study in Nutritional
Neuroscience. The omega-3 fats in these foods up your brain’s production of serotonin, a moodboosting hormone that’s also a proven painkiller, says study coauthor Adriana de Almeida Soares, Ph. D. Important: Avoid smoked or pickled fish, like lox or pickled herring. They contain an amino acid that can trigger headaches in some people.
Tame inflammation with green tea
Sipping four cups of green tea daily cuts your risk of headaches 33% or more—plus makes any headaches you do get 50% shorter and less painful, Austrian research shows. Green tea’s power comes from natural compounds called catechins that reduce pain-triggering inflammation inside brain blood vessels, scalp muscles and pain nerves.
Stop spasms with mixed nuts
Nuts are packed with magnesium and potassium, essential minerals that keep your head and neck muscles relaxed, preventing painful spasms. In fact, magnesium does this job so well, eating three cups of nuts weekly could cut your risk of tension headaches 42% in six weeks, say Duke University researchers.
Reduce your risk 45% by turning in early
We usually think of melatonin as a sleep hormone, but it’s also a powerful painkiller that cuts the risk of tension headaches and migraines 45%, Brazilian scientists say. The key to using it to ease headache flares in as little as two weeks is to maximize your brain’s release of melatonin by turning in no later than 11 p.m. each night. As UCLA researchers explain, our brains release a surge of melatonin dur- ing the hour before midnight— as long as we’re asleep at that time! Night owl? Taking a 3-mg. dose of melatonin can also do the trick.