Fast cures for winter headaches!

Cold temperatures, lack of sunlight and dry indoor air make headaches nearly twice as likely to strike in February. And when your head is throbbing, you want relief— now! Here, the studyproven strategies powerful enough to tamp down even the worst brain p

Tension headache? Sip ginger tea The next time you feel a vice-like squeeze at your temples, whip up some ginger tea. Danish researchers say this spicy brew erases tension headaches for 63% of subjects in 20 minutes—as quickly and effectively as prescription pain meds! That’s because compounds in ginger ( gingerols and shogaols) block the production of paintriggering hormones called prostaglandins. Migraine? Chill your neck For fast relief from a pounding or stabbing pain that worsens with movement, wrap an ice pack around the front and sides of your neck. In a study at the University of Hawaii, this simple fix made pain scores plummet for 77% of women in 30 minutes or less. The secret: Cooling down your vagus nerve (which runs up along either side of your neck) turns off pain signals. Chronic headaches? Try a peppermint rub If you spend more days with headaches than without, you could be battling

rebound pain, which occurs for folks who essentially get addicted to pain meds. The way out of the cycle? Massage peppermint oil (5 drops in 1 tsp. of a carrier oil) into your temples to prompt the release of painkilling endorphins that nix pain in five minutes and cut future risk by 80%! Sinus headache? Relax with damp heat Australian researchers say warming your cheeks and forehead—by standing in a steamy shower or holding a hot, wet washcloth to your face— can shut down even a bad sinus headache in 15 minutes. Explains Jordan Josephson, M.D., author of Sinus

Relief Now, damp heat calms overactive pain nerves, improves drainage and flushes out sinus inflammation.