BPAL for headaches, pain, colds, seizures, sickness, illnesses...

[ivyandpeony]

Lora, I was really sorry to see your post & hear what you are going through. I have a dear friend who suffers with disc problems so I know from her that it can be beyond painful. I just had a couple thoughts that I hope might be helpful...

 

Don't know if you have ever seen a magazine called Natural Health on the newstand, but the most recent issue (I just got it in the mail) has several articles about spinal pain/health. I have only skimmed them so far - one is about a doctor with a controversial theory that 90% of back problems are caused by emotional tension (I do think this is largely the case with my husband but wonder about the generalization!), another is about exercises to keep your spine healthy... If you happen to be in a bookstore or Whole Foods/Wild Oats type grocery, you might want to take a look.

 

My other idea was acupuncture - I first consulted an acupuncturist for some hormonal issues and she has really helped me with several other nagging things that I had pretty much accepted as part of my makeup. If anything, acupuncture might get you some pain relief from your bulging discs without the grogginess, upset stomach, etc. you get from prescription painkillers (or the lack of relief you probably finf from OTC stuff!). My husband recently began seeing this acupuncturist as well and his complaints about backaches, neckaches and headaches seem to be less frequent.

 

Wishing you the best of luck in overcoming this!

[evanesce]

Bath and Body Works has a muscle relax/pain line. I bought my mother the lotion for her feet (she has chronic pain in her feet and will be operated on Dec 3).. It really helped her a lot and the scent of it relaxed her.. I believe it had rosemary and spearmint and eucalptus in it.. I don't remember off the top of my head - they also have a soak, powder and other stuff made specifically for muscle aches and pains...

[sarahmarie]

Hi everybody

 

I am prone to migraines and tension headaches. When I have a migraine or when one is brewing, I get very sensitive to scents. They can make me sick or make me feel worse, and they seem more intense. So, there's a lot I'm afraid to wear because of migraine-inducing tendencies, or because I'm afraid a migraine will put me off them (which has happened with foods as well as scents - if I experience them with a migraine, I may not like them for a long time).

 

But I was thinking - I know there must be some oils that might help people with migraines - aromatherapy and all that. I could just google it (and I will), but I want to know if any of you have found any particular BPAL scents helpful for headaches or migraines. Any that make you feel better, help ward them off, or even ones that smell good/comforting/calming when you have one. Recommend some to me?

 

Thank you!

[lavinia]

thats too bad sarah migraines suck.

from what i have tried, 9 mysteries is cooling and minty and this helps me when i have a headache.

also, sudha segara is very light and creamy in a comforting way.

[Eldritch]

I suffer from migraines as well--not to disagree with lavinia, but I avoid strong minty stuff when I have a migraine. I've found minty stuff helps sinus headaches, but only makes me nausous with migraines.

 

I haven't found any BPAL scents that actually help--what does help evil migraines?--but I've worn very light scents like Severin and Morella without them bothering. Actually, I've burned Severin as a room scent before and it tends to clear up and tighten up my head in good ways that I find theraputic. I think it's the earl grey tea that does it.

 

Migraines suck.

[teza]

I suffer from migraines as well--not to disagree with lavinia, but I avoid strong minty stuff when I have a migraine.  I've found minty stuff helps sinus headaches, but only makes me nausous with migraines. 

 

I haven't found any BPAL scents that actually help--what does help evil migraines?--but I've worn very light scents like Severin and Morella without them bothering.  Actually, I've burned Severin as a room scent before and it tends to clear up and tighten up my head in good ways that I find theraputic.  I think it's the earl grey tea that does it. 

 

Migraines suck. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hah. Migraines. <3

 

I agree about the minty stuff. STRONGLY. I was in the car once with a bad headache combining with a rather awful case of vertigo. My sister had the audicity to chew spearmint gum and I nearly vomitted. I'm sure you wanted to know that. I avoid mint like the plague when I have a bad headache.

 

sarahmarie, I suffer from chronic headaches too, which is sounds like you might, but I've found the BPAL scents tend NOT to aggravate my headaches, unlike most traditional perfumes, body lotions, etc. I wouldn't say this is a sweeping reccomendation to go out and apply them all at once, but at least for me, personally, they have not been a problem.

 

I don't know that there are any scents that will necessarily HELP, however. Scent can be just as bad as light and sound for me when I veer towards a more 'migraine'y headache.

 

But if you can wear a BPAL scent that makes you happy, it might keep the demons away.

[pekeana]

My migraines are pretty much considered chronic, so I just go on with life and wear whatever I darn well please to wear...

 

Until I realized that Mabon was what triggered one of my worst migraines ever. *siiigh*

 

In me, it seems that apple/cider/blackberry notes tend to trigger headaches -- except when worn lightly when I go to bed -- and most florals tend to make my migraines worse. The light florals in Snow White, and the floral in Sacred Whore of Babylon don't bother me nearly as much as rose, lavender, and pansy, though.

 

I have noticed lately that vetiver, or something like it, strangely enough, helps relieve the tension from my headaches -- it's the deep, herbal/woody note in Helping Hand, which is a herbal/woody with very bright mint scent.

[jessamynit]

ugh. never fun! and almost impossible to pin down (damn those headaches!).

 

my recommendation is mainly to avoid trying a bunch of different scents at once! even sniffing the imps. I always blow it, cause when I get 6 or more imps I want to smell them all RIGHT NOW! and sometimes this results in overwhelm and a headache, if not a migraine. another tough one for me is just trying a little tiny bit on my wrist at first (so if it bothers my head, or just doesn't work for me, it's easily rinsed off). I usually slather first and ask questions later.

 

so to you I would say, be careful and be patient! do as I say not as I do

 

also, I have noticed that the more complex a scent is, the more likely it is that I will get a headache in reaction to it. not always, but sometimes. it seems like if there are several notes fighting to be heard/ smelled, my head tends to more frequently get overwhelmed. so maybe try some of the more simple scents first... the calmer sounding descriptions.

 

hope that helps, good luck!

[Fulltiltredhead]

Black Phoenix cures headaches for me. I don't get migraines, at least not debilitating ones, but I do get sharp pain from time to time that feels like I'm being stabbed in one temple with an icepick, and Black Phoenix has helped with that.

Edited November 7, 2004 by Fulltiltredhead

[rainbow]

My sympathies- I'm a migraine sufferer too, and with a migraine I get hyper-sensitive to sensory things of all sorts (smell, noise, light, etc.) I've not found any scents that help the actual headache, but the one note I've found that does seem to make a positive difference is ginger. I've found it really helps reduce nausea (part of the fun migraine package). I've been using Lush's ginger soap, but now that you bring this topic up, I'll have to try some ginger BPAL scents myself.

 

I did a search for ginger and came up with 11 results:

 

Pele

Sudha Segara

Kumiho

The Apothecary

Baobhan Sith

Gingerbread Poppett

The Lady of Shallott

Siren

Vixen

Nemesis

 

The only one of those I've tried is Kumiho, which smells not at all of ginger (at least to me)- I'm not sure there's enough ginger in that one to make a difference. Gingerbread Poppett seems like the obvious choice, though perhaps others could weigh in on which of the above actually smell strongly of ginger.

[jessamynit]

out of the ginger ones I've tried, I would HIGHLY recommend kumiho and sudha segara. they smell similarly (kumiho's a little fruitier or something) but both are very clean, not too "perfumey", and very gingery (and delicious!).

good luck ladies!

[Penance]

I get horrible migraines, too, and I'll back up what's been said about mint and migraines...mint makes me horribly nauseous when I have a migraine (I learned it the hard way trying to brush my teeth when I had one, not fun).

 

Although I have heard that peppermint oil is fantastic for headaches, I don't think it works for me.

 

Kumiho's a little on the sharp side for me when I have a headache, so I personally avoid it at times like that.

 

Pele would probably be a good choice, nice and light and calming. I've found it's very benign when it comes to wearing perfume during a headache, it's light enough not to make it worse and very pretty and calming smelling.

 

Just my two cents, though.

[blackrayne]

Lavender itself is great for migraines (I too am a daily migraine sufferer), though offhand I don't know of any particular BPAL's with it (but I am sure they'd come up in a search). When I am feeling overly icky and migrainey, I tend to avoid most scents, though the one scent that always makes me feel better is Dragon's Milk. The warm creaminess of it is very soothing to me.

 

If you can get some straight Lavender Essential Oil, apply a tiny dab of it onto your temples when you have or are getting a migraine... it should help.

[sarahmarie]

Wow, thanks everyone!

 

I do find that strong scents are a bad thing if I'm not careful. Sweet scents sometimes bother me, as do florals. I can wear all of the above sometimes, if I'm feeling good, but perfume is sadly often a gamble. (Someone mentioned apple - I think that one bothers me too. Samhain went all sweet and apple-y on me, and gave me a headache. Sniffing lots of different things one right after the other can do that too.) Cinnamon seems to be safe for me, and I think the suggestions of ginger and lavender could be good too. I will try the lavendar essential oil, and look into perfumes with lavender in them.

 

It's also nice to know that I'm not the only one here with a passion for BPAL and frequent headaches and migraines. Sometimes they really don't go well together, but I am trying my best to work around it.

[Eoywin]

I've found the BPAL scents tend NOT to aggravate my headaches, unlike most traditional perfumes, body lotions, etc. I wouldn't say this is a sweeping reccomendation to go out and apply them all at once, but at least for me, personally, they have not been a problem.

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This is one of the reasons that I love bpal. I don't suffer from migrianes, per say, but have chronic headaches... and most of the bpal scents I've tried have not given me/made worse my headaches.

 

I'll have to try some of the suggestions on here... Anything that helps would be great!

[spaceprostitute]

Lavender, peppermint, roman chamomile, rosemary, and marjoram. I've always heard lavender and peppermint in equal parts for migraines.

 

I am one of the ones who is actually helped by mint. I get horrible nausea with my headaches, and mint is about the only thing I can tolerate smelling without throwing up, so you'll often find me clutching my bottle of Freeze shower gel by LUSH when I have migraines.

 

I'd stay away from florals or fruity/foody scents.

[Fishwomon]

I know that, in terms of folk remedies, what helps can vary quite a bit from person to person. This is what I do when I start to get a migraine; I get them several times a month.

 

1. Take an Imitrex and drink a full glass of water.

2. Make a cold compress and put two drops of lavender essential oil on it.

3. Wrap my head firmly in an ace bandage.

4. Lie down with the compress on my head, by myself in a quiet room, no smells other than the lavender. (My eyes are covered by the bandage and compress.)

5. Do some yoga breathing, or just breathe deeply and evenly, without straining.

6. Loosen the bandage after a while.

7. Sleep for a couple of hours.

 

That usually does the trick.

 

Migraines are hell.

[BubbleDragon]

Peppermint and lavendar are great for me. Usually I only go with the peppermint, since the only lavendar I have is from Bath and Body works roll-on headache releif applicator. Before that, I used a little dram vial of peppermint candy flavoring on my forehead. I'll reiterate everyone else on this - miracle.

 

I get about 2 a week, and I had one so badly last week that it took two zomigs, peppermint, multiple upheavals of the lonely apple I'd managed to eat, and a near trip to the emergency room. I was wearing Lampades - I can't decide if that prompted it or not, but I'm traumatized now, so I can't have any more of it. Blech.

 

There's also those "Migraine Ice" pads that are basically some sort of menthol gel on cotton that you stick to your head. Which is all well and good... unless you need to go to class or be in a meeting or something. Then the peppermint is at least a little less obtrusive.

 

~bubbles

Edited November 8, 2004 by BubbleDragon

[AllyKat]

Oh, now here's something I know a lot about.... finally!

 

In all seriousness, I have migraines a lot, too, and I have found that Pain works wonders. It's a combination of mint and lavendar, and it works like a charm.

 

Plus, it's relaxing yet focusing, if that makes sense. I would definitely give it a try if I were you. I went ahead and bought a 10 mL, so I can always keep some with me!

[AllyKat]

Oh, one more thing...

 

If you don't have any Pain handy and can't wait to receive it, go to Bath and Body Works and get one peppermint and one lavendar oil. Mix them together, and it's almost exactly what Pain is.

 

I had to get creative while waiting for my 10 mL....

[fallow deer]

I find Tushnamatay the most comforting and soothing BPAL oil I've tried so far. To me it smells like sandalwood and lavender and I wear it to bed when I'm feeling tense or stressed.

 

Have you tried massaging the pressure point on the muscely part of your hand between your thumb and forefinger? When I have a headache (I get wisdom teeth headache really badly) I do this on the hand that corresponds to the side of my head the ache is and it works every time.

 

You need to squoosh around with your other hand until you feel a slightly tender place, then firmly squeeze that place or massage it - hold for about five minutes at a time.

 

I usually end up with one very red hand, one slightly aching one, but no headache.

 

It works on every other person I've tried it on, too, although I havn't tried it on a migraine sufferer yet.

[Eoywin]

There's also those "Migraine Ice" pads that are basically some sort of menthol gel on cotton that you stick to your head.  Which is all well and good... unless you need to go to class or be in a meeting or something.  Then the peppermint is at least a little less obtrusive.

 

~bubbles

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These are great... my problem is that I can't find them readily in the town I live.

 

My dad heard that peppermint would work for headaches, and he got a bottle for me... unfortunely, I tried it when I had a very bad headache and it didn't work.

 

I'll have try the peppermint and lavender sometime.

[Diana]

Lavender, peppermint, roman chamomile, rosemary, and marjoram.  I've always heard lavender and peppermint in equal parts for migraines.

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I get wicked bad migraines and become super sensitive to sound, light and smell. I think lavender is pretty unobtrusive, though I don't know if it's helpful. Rosemary seems to help a tiny bit, but I don't know of any BPAL scents offhand that are rosemary-heavy.

[pekeana]

I get wicked bad migraines and become super sensitive to sound, light and smell. I think lavender is pretty unobtrusive, though I don't know if it's helpful. Rosemary seems to help a tiny bit, but I don't know of any BPAL scents offhand that are rosemary-heavy.

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Nero, Nero, Nero -- I can't emphasize Nero enough on the rosemary front. [And it helps with migraines, too, yes.] It's a very underrated scent, but definitely one to give a try.

[sarahmarie]

I get wicked bad migraines and become super sensitive to sound, light and smell. I think lavender is pretty unobtrusive, though I don't know if it's helpful. Rosemary seems to help a tiny bit, but I don't know of any BPAL scents offhand that are rosemary-heavy.

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Nero, Nero, Nero -- I can't emphasize Nero enough on the rosemary front. [And it helps with migraines, too, yes.] It's a very underrated scent, but definitely one to give a try.

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Funny - I just ordered that as one of my imps in my last-minute order last night. It was completely on a whim, since I'd never heard anything about it. It just sounded like a good one that wouldn't bother my head. So I'm glad you mentioned that