Natural alternative to ibuprofen?

I get bad headaches a few times a week and usually just take ibuprofen for them. Anyone know of anything else I could be taking instead?

Any idea of the cause? Blood pressure normal, not high?

Trond Hogstadt wrote:Any idea of the cause? Blood pressure normal, not high?

I'm not really sure =/

I ask because when I was having headaches a decade or more ago it turned out my BP was high. The doc prescribed a pill of course. However, dietary changes and the loss of 15 lbs weight brought it down without the meds. No headaches anymore and no pills.

Trond Hogstadt wrote:I ask because when I was having headaches a decade or more ago it turned out my BP was high. The doc prescribed a pill of course. However, dietary changes and the loss of 15 lbs weight brought it down without the meds. No headaches anymore and no pills.

I've gotten my BP checked recently, and it was normal. Thanks though!

Try eating more high quality extra virgin olive oil...but beware stuff from overseas, especially Italy, which, according to a book I'm reading, is often cut with cheap oil and sold as extra virgin.

I think asprin is based on a chemical extracted from birch or poplar bark, I know you can boil those barks and the resulting decoction is a pain reliever.

If you ferment Wintergreen you can distill off oil of wintergreen which is basically aspirin. You have to be careful because it is STRONG. One teaspoon is equal to about fifty aspirins, certainly enough to kill you. For mild pain, chewing a few berries can help.

I'm pretty sure that it's Willow tree bark you are referring to.

Aspirin was derived from Willow, but it is similar to Wintergreen with its methyl salicylates.

Yes, willow bark.

Ginger and turmeric are amazing anti-inflamatories and pain relievers.

Barefoot grounding on the earth may help discharge a positive charge that is inflammatory - very common with all our gadgets.

Headaches can be caused by tons of stuff. What is the pattern of the headache? Where does it hurt? At the temples? Right or left? Over the eye orbits? At the top of the neck in back? What does it feel like? Dull ache, sharp pain? What time of day? Affected by weather or activities?

A few possible origins of headaches:

dehydration
jaw tension
electrolyte imbalance
caffeine addiction
posture, lack of ergonomic design in work spaces
eyestrain
stress
bad oils
MSG
lack of sleep
poor lighting, CFL's
indoor air quality
mold
food allergies
chemical sensitivites

and so much more!

I take bromelaine for my sciatica and found that it has worked on my headaches as well. It is an anti-inflammatory.

I agree with the list of possible causes of headaches. The most common cause in my opinion is either dehydration or coffee/caffeine or sugar.

Try a gluten free diet if staying away from that doesn't work or the paleo diet. Basically, eat veggies, fruit, meat and gradually work other food back into your diet to see what might be causing the headaches. Try taking your pulse before you eat and after you eat. If your pulse goes up alot, say more than 15 beats per minute after you eat something, consider staying away from it.

Good luck!

As mentioned above White Willow is what aspirin was synthesized from and contains salicytic acid (sp?). It works really well for short term, mild headaches, but the only catch is that it tastes like you are chewing or drinking aspirin which isn't pleasant to say the least. Giving up coffee(or other dietary stuff) would be a less bitter pill to swallow which is saying something coming from a coffee lover. My headaches have been sinus related in the past which i dont think was mentioned before as a possibility. Wish you all the best. cheers

Bromelian is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatories out there.

Causes of headaches vary. They can be blood pressure, lack of omega 3's, bad gut flora, allergies (sinuses), etc.

Treating the headache solely, is silly, you must treat your unique self into health so you will not get them anymore. True things will relieve it, but the fact you are having them is more an issue of other problem/s.

Jujubees are another wonderful headache remedy. Dried fruits or tea.