Alternative medicine

[Erudite]

I'm curious what kinds of alternative medicine, old wives tales, folk remedies, or just plain "this makes me feel good when I have...." ideas you all use. I'm fighting some bad headaches that ibuprofin doesn't make a dent in and Tylenol3 (acetaminaphin with coedine) makes me feel worse before I feel better and then doesn't last. So I got wondering about other methods you all might be using to help your body feel better.

Chicken soup? Hot bath?
Any good ideas out there?

[natickgirl]

Often the best thing for bad headaches is caffeine. I don't normally drink caffeine, but every now & then if I have a whopping headache, I'll buy a Dr. Pepper. My sister, who suffers from migraines, says caffeine helps tremendously.

Also, some things help a lot depending on the cause of the headaches: more sleep, more exercise, antihistamine or allergy medicine, hot shower, soothing music in a dark room (those two are great for tension headaches), etc..

Good luck. Headaches are NO FUN.

[Erudite]

Great suggestions!

I woke up today without a headache and it was like birds singing and rainbows overhead. I gotta get a bunch done!

But I'm still more curious than my headaches. Do you all have other ailments you don't treat with drugs? How do you treat them?

[5ft Diva]

Define drugs.

[runamyrun]

I know you were interested in other things, but mine relates to headaches. I am extremely prone to headaches. I can get them if I am hungry, thirsty, tired, traveling, slept weird, had too much sleep, a tv or radio is on too loud, etc. I HATE it! At one point I was getting severe headaches and often migraines everyday. I went to a chiropractor and that helped immensely.

Now I am going to one with a different approach. He had me stand in front of a mirror and he evaluated my posture. Then he was able to point out areas that would be tight or sore or cause different problems.

I have been going to a chiropractor once a month for the past 3 or so years and I feel stuck because I had been told in the past that I would have to come in once a month basically for the rest of my life. And even though my headaches are a lot better, I still use a ton of ibuprofen. I have to bring it with me anywhere I go!

So, this new chiropractor has the goal of helping my body learn to do what it is supposed to, so I don't ever have to go back to see him again. A great plan! He has a soft approach, where it almost feels like massage. So far it has felt good, but I am not positive about if it will work completely or not. I guess time will tell!

[Erudite]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing! Does he have you do specific exercises to strengthen some parts of the body?

5D, I was thinking "drugs" like what you get a prescription for or buy over the counter.