You can get rid of a headache in 5 minutes without having to take pills. Here's how.

It's been confirmed by scientific studies.

 Heidi Lux
06.06.19

Getting a headache can feel like somebody's taken your head and put an invisible clamp around it. But you don't always have to pop a pill to make the pain abate. There are many alternatives to taking a pain killer, and they're worth a shot. Here are some tricks you can try to get your head feeling like your head again.

Try taking electrolytes

A headache can mean that your body is running low on electrolytes. So, when your body turns on the pain, it's basically trying to tell you to drink some water and eat a banana. Your body loses fluids and electrolytes, especially when you sweat. You're going to want to make sure you stay hydrated when you've been working out. Otherwise, your body will let you know.

Try acupressure

There are certain pressure points around your head and body, and you can help your headache go away just by massaging these points for 30 seconds to a minute. There are six main points that you can hit:

The Yintang point (where your third eye is)

The Zan Zhu points (the inner point where your eyebrows start)

The Yingxiang points (on either side of the nostril, in line with the eyes)

The Tian Zhu points (in the back of your head near your harline, at the beginning of the spine)

The Shuai Gu points (near your temple, just a few centimeters back from your hairline)

And the He Gu points (the fleshy point of your hand between your thumb and pointer finger)

Try hot or cold

Cold compresses have been known to help with migraine headaches. People have been using ice to treat migraines for 150 years. Additionally, a study conducted in 2013 revealed that applying cold to your neck at the onset of a migraine can reduce pain. Conversely, applying heat has been known to help with tension and sinus headaches.

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Try some caffeine

If you're a coffee drinker and you've skipped your daily dose of joe, your body might start screaming at you by developing a headache. You might have to give your body some caffeine in order to make the headache go away. Unless you're trying to give up coffee. In that case, you'll just have to grin and bear it until the headaches subside.

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Try eating some ginger

A study found that taking ginger can actually help ease migraine headaches. You can take it in the form of a tea, or in a pill. As an added bonus, it'll soothe your tummy, too.

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The next time your head hurts and you question why we even need to have heads if they're just going to feel bad, why not try some of these remedies?

migraine acupressure headache cure headache caffeine electrolytes cold compress ginger ginger root
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Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

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The app uses a traffic light system to tell kids which foods are a "green light" and can be eaten as much as they want, which foods are a "yellow light" and should be consumed with caution, and which "red light" foods they should probably avoid.

It seems like a simple system to teach kids what's good for them and what's not, but it regulates kids' diets in an unhealthy way. Gaining weight is a normal, healthy part of child development. Putting on a few pounds means your body is doing what it's supposed to do. While the app classifies foods with too much fat or calories as "red," children need to consume some of these foods to develop their brain.

WW is calling the app "common sense." As Gary Foster, the chief science officer of WW, puts it, items in the red foods category "aren't foods that should be encouraged in kids' diets, but they also shouldn't be vilified or demonized, and there has to be a system that's simple and science-based that highlights that so everyone in the family can understand."

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via Stratford Festival / Twitter

Service dogs are invaluable to their owners because they are able to help in so many different ways.

They're trained to retrieve dropped Items, open and close doors, help their owners remove their clothes, transport medications, navigate busy areas such as airports, provide visual assistance, and even give psychological help.

The service dog trainers at K-9 Country Inn Working Service Dogs in Canada want those who require service dogs to live the fullest life possible, so they're training dogs on how to attend a theatrical performance.

The adorable photos of the dogs made their way to social media where they quickly went viral.

On August 15, a dozen dogs from Golden Retrievers to poodles, were treated to a performance of "Billy Elliott" at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada. This was a special "relaxed performance" featuring quieter sound effects and lighting, designed for those with sensory issues.

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"It's important to prepare the dogs for any activity the handler may like to attend," Laura Mackenzie, owner and head trainer at K-9 Country Inn Working Service Dogs, told CBC.

"The theater gives us the opportunity to expose the dogs to different stimuli such as lights, loud noises, and movement of varying degrees," she continued. "The dogs must remain relaxed in tight quarters for an extended period of time."

The dogs got to enjoy the show from their own seats and took a break with everyone else during intermission. They were able to familiarize themselves with the theater experience so they know how to navigate through crowds and fit into tight bathroom stalls.

via Stratford Festival / Twitter


via Stratford Festival / Twitter


via Stratford Festival / Twitter

"About a dozen dogs came to our relaxed performance, and they were all extremely well-behaved," says Stratford Festival spokesperson Ann Swerdfager. "I was in the lobby when they came in, then they took their seats, then got out of their seats at intermission and went back — all of the things we learn as humans when we start going to the theater."

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The dogs' great performance at the trial run means that people who require service animals can have the freedom to enjoy special experiences like going to the theater.

"It's wonderful that going to the theater is considered one of the things that you want to train a service dog for, rather than thinking that theater is out of reach for people who require a service animal, because it isn't," Swerdfager said.

The Stratford Festival runs through Nov. 10 and features productions of "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "The Neverending Story," "Othello," "Billy Elliot," "Little Shop of Horrors," "The Crucible" and more.

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