Few complaints are as common as a headache. Nearly everyone experiences one from time to time. Sometimes the pain is little more than an annoyance. Other times, it can stop you in your tracks.

Homeopathy has been used for headaches for more than two hundred years. The challenge is not finding a remedy for a headache. The challenge is finding the right remedy for the person with the headache.

In homeopathy, the location of the pain is only part of the picture. How the pain feels, what brings it on, what makes it better or worse, and the symptoms that accompany it all help point toward the correct remedy.

Here are a few of the remedies frequently considered when the symptoms fit.

Aconitum napellus

An Aconite headache comes on suddenly and with great intensity. The pain may be bursting, tearing, or accompanied by a feeling of fullness in the forehead. Some people describe the sensation as though the head were tightly bound.

The person is usually restless and anxious, often with considerable fear accompanying the attack. The headaches frequently follow exposure to cold, dry winds or a sudden chill.

Belladonna

Belladonna produces some of the most violent headaches found in the materia medica.

The pain is often throbbing, pounding, or bursting, as though the head would split open. Every jar, every step, and even light or noise may increase the suffering. The face is commonly flushed and hot, the eyes bright, and the pupils dilated.

Pressure against the head may bring some relief. Belladonna is also an important remedy to consider for headaches following exposure to the sun.

Bryonia alba

The person needing Bryonia wants one thing above all else. They do not want to move.

Motion aggravates the headache, even turning the head or moving the eyes. The pain is often bursting or splitting in character, causing the person to hold the head perfectly still or support it with the hands.

Dryness is another characteristic of Bryonia. The lips and mouth are often dry, and there is frequently a desire for large drinks of cold water taken at long intervals.

Glonoine

Glonoine is a well-known remedy for congestive headaches.

The pain is violent, throbbing, and pulsating, with a sensation that the blood is rushing to the head. Every heartbeat seems to increase the pain. The face may become deeply flushed, and the least exposure to the heat of the sun can bring on or aggravate the attack.

Bending over, shaking the head, or becoming overheated commonly makes the headache worse. Glonoine headaches can be even more severe than Belladonna headaches.

Natrum muriaticum

Natrum muriaticum has several very characteristic headache symptoms.

Many people describe the pain as though little hammers were beating inside the head. Others experience a sensation as if the head were tightly compressed. The headaches often begin in the morning, particularly around ten or eleven o'clock, and may continue well into the afternoon.

Exposure to the sun is a common cause of these headaches. It can also be called for in headaches that follow grief, disappointment, or emotional distress.

Sepia

Sepia headaches frequently involve the back of the head and may be accompanied by nausea.

The pain is often aggravated by stooping, coughing, or jarring the body. Bright light can also increase the discomfort.

Many people needing Sepia find relief from sleep. A good nap may leave the headache greatly improved or entirely gone. Hering also notes that vigorous exercise may relieve the pain in some cases.

The Remedy Must Match the Symptoms

Headaches may look alike on the surface, but the details often tell a very different story.

One person may feel worse from the slightest movement, another from bright sunlight. One may crave cold drinks, another may be restless and anxious, while someone else simply wants to lie quietly in a dark room. These individual differences are what guide remedy selection.

If you are new to homeopathy or your symptoms do not clearly point to a single remedy, a well-formulated combination product such as Washington Homeopathic Products' Be Gone™ Headache may be a reasonable place to begin.

As always, a severe headache, a sudden headache unlike any you've experienced before, or a headache accompanied by neurological symptoms, fever, or injury should be evaluated promptly by a healthcare professional.

About Dr. Lisa Samet:

Dr. Lisa Samet, N.D., provides Washington Homeopathic Products with a regular column on using homeopathy for the family. She's a naturopathic physician who specializes in homeopathic medicine. Dr. Samet graduated from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1998 and has been practicing in Montreal since then. She was born and raised in New York.

Dr. Samet has chosen to focus on homeopathy because, in her experience, it is the deepest healing modality available, as it does not just soothe or palliate symptoms but actually stimulates the body to begin healing itself. Dr. Samet sees patients in her Montreal office as well as long-distance using Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime. Learn more here: Dr. Lisa Samet. You can follow her on Facebook as well.