One of the women on my staff, Astrid, used to pop over-the-counter pain relievers like candy for her chronic headaches. She was taking acetaminophen and NSAIDs at least two or three times a week.
Astrid was already having side effects like an upset stomach and heartburn, and she was worried about developing more serious side effects.
Astrid had good reason to be concerned. Drugs like NSAIDs and acetaminophen can cause real problems for you… like ulcers, kidney problems and high blood pressure.
Using them can even dramatically increase your risk of heart failure.
The British Medical Journal recently published a large analysis involving 10 million people. They found regular use of painkillers like ibuprofen raised the risk of heart failure by 20%.1 They also found that the risk increases with the amount you take. In some cases, the chance of being hospitalized for heart failure doubled with a higher dose.
The risks are so serious that even the FDA has taken notice. Just last year, they strengthened the warning label on NSAIDs. It now warns about the elevated risks of stroke and heart failure.2
Astrid doesn’t take OTC pain pills anymore. And she rarely gets headaches.
The reason? The vitamin D supplements she started taking after a blood test revealed her levels were low.
Vitamin D may seem like old news. But every day, researchers are discovering more and more ways it affects our health.
Vitamin D helps build strong bones and teeth. It reduces your risk of arthritis, depression, diabetes and cancer.
Now a new study from Finland shows that vitamin D is an effective way to prevent chronic headaches.
Researchers followed 2,600 patients for five years. Nearly 70% were vitamin D deficient. At the end of the study, they determined that the patients with the lowest vitamin D
levels had at least two times the number of headaches as those with the highest vitamin D levels.3It makes sense. Vitamin D is a strong anti-inflammatory. Just like an NSAID. But without the side effects.
I’ve been singing the praises of vitamin D for decades. But still, more than 90% of people get too little.
To boost levels, l tell my patients to get out in the midday sun for at least 15 minutes a day. And roll up your sleeves and pant legs. It’s important to expose as much skin as you can. Especially skin that doesn’t usually get much sun exposure. You’ll get between 8,000 and 10,000 IUs of vitamin D just by doing this.
And along with eating vitamin D-rich foods like wild salmon, mackerel and sardines, I suggest a supplement. Just be sure it’s vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol. That’s the kind your own body produces. Avoid the synthetic vitamin D2. I recommend 2,000 IUs in the morning.
What To Do for the Occasional Headache
Even if you’re getting enough vitamin D, you may still get a headache every once in a while.
If that happens, here’s what I suggest:
1. Practice deep breathing. In a large study, patients with cluster headaches were told to practice deep breathing techniques. Nearly 80% reported relief compared to just 20% in the control group.4
Place your hands on your belly and inhale. Then expand your breath into the sides of your lower chest, pushing your side ribs out. Finally, lift your upper chest and let it fill with air. Exhale in the same order, from your abdomen to your ribs to your upper chest. Do this for 5 to 15 minutes.
2. Try an ancient remedy. For almost instant pain relief, brew a cup of ginger tea. Studies show this old-fashioned remedy relieves headache pain as well as a prescription painkiller.5
Researchers divided migraine sufferers into two groups. Half took 250 mg of ginger. The others got 50 mg of sumatriptan, a prescription drug for migraines and cluster headaches. Results showed that ginger was just as effective as sumatriptan at achieving 90% relief within two hours.
Here’s my favorite ginger tea recipe…
- Remove the skin from a piece of fresh ginger root and chop into small pieces or slices.
- Fill a small pot with two cups of water and boil.
- Add the ginger and cover. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon for flavor and a teaspoon of honey to sweeten.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1 Arfè, A., et al. “Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of heart failure in four European countries: nested case-control study.” BMJ. 2016 Sep 28;354:i4857. doi: 10.1136/bmj.i4857.
2 FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA strengthens warning that non-aspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause heart attacks or strokes.
3 Virtanen, J., et al. “Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with higher risk of frequent headache in middle-aged and older men.” Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 39697 (2017).
4 Petersen, AS, Barloese, MC, Jensen, RH. “Oxygen treatment of cluster headache: a review.” Cephalalgia. 2014 Nov;34(13):1079-87.
5 Maghbooli, M., et al. “Comparison between the efficacy of ginger and sumatriptan in the ablative treatment of the common migraine.” Phytother Res. 2014 Mar;28(3):412-5.