Headaches Linked to the Weather

Wow, I know exactly what you are talking about. Mine even happen on the left side too. I suffered for years until my Husband told me he thought I had an allergy. I never had a runny nose or watery eyes, and I had a blood test done that showed I wasn't allergic to anything. Now I take a claritin at the first sign of trouble, or when I know the weather is going to change. It has really helped me.

A.,

For an alternative approach, you might try Dr. Margaret Christensen www.christensencenter.com. You need to research the underlying cause of the headaches if you want to get off the meds. A steady diet of tylenol and motrin is not healthy over the long run. I fixed my need for these meds with yoga (and I mean completely fixed it) but I had different symptoms, not headache. She has a holistic approach. If you have trouble getting an appointment, ask to be put on the waiting list.

Good luck.

Try a Nettie Pot. It will clear your sinuses and give you the relief from a pressure sinus headache in minutes. You can get them at most pharmacies, Whole Foods or Central Market. It helps me within 5 minutes and is even better if you use it every day. Google it and it will show you a video and list its benefits.

It's very common, especially in people with allergies. I get this as does my DH, my mom too. We find relief from a sinus rinse. The one we use is by Neilmed. It's basically a bottle & packets of sodium solution you mix with distilled water to rinse out the sinus passages. It helps to clear away the stuffiness and opens up the sinuses naturally. You can pick one up at Walgreens or CVS. My DH recently found that Costco carries a 2 bottle pack complete with holders, he says it was around $15, but can't remember exactly.

Here's a link for the company:
http://www.neilmed.com/usa/sinusrinse.php

It sounds like you and I have similar issues - I like to call mine the barometer in my head. It responds to changes in atmospheric pressure, and any congestion intensifies this effect. (From past experience, you want to have a handle on this before you fly anywhere.) My issues are largely allergy related, so I've taken claritin-D or Zyrtec-D to combat both problems at once. You could try those to see if they help - the decongestion relieves the pressure and the allergy meds reduce the symptoms in the first place. Nasal decongestants also work for immediate relief, though a bit messy and you don't want to take them for very long. Finally, there are other prescription decongestants available that won't make you loopy or drowsy, of none of the OTC stuff works for you. Both my daughters have the same issue, and something different works best for each of us so try different things until you find what works for you. Tylenol makes an allergy/sinus product that also works well for immediate relief. Finally, if the problem is chronic, why not follow up with an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist to rule out any structural issues (deviated septum, etc.) or infection? Good luck!

Do you sleep with a fan on? Where's the air conditioner/heat vent in your bedroom? What I am getting at is when I'm sleeping, if I do not cover my face to block the "breeze" of my husband's isolating fan and the normal central air/heat vent, I wake up with a seering headache. Also, if you have not been to an eye, ear, nose specialist, I would recommend one. Sometimes, if I'm in a vehicle or an office and the vent is blowing toward me, I have to either turn the vent off or move away from the vent.

Try a Neti Pot. It is totally natural and an ancient treatment for sinus problems. I just used it this morning and it made a huge difference. I am the least "holistic-medicine" person you'll meet, but Dr. Oz convinced me....it's a really good alternative to constantly medicating yourself.

I ditto the Neti Pot. Most health food stores carry them or you can buy one online. The best recipe for sinus rinse that I have had I got from a nurse practitioner.

1 cup warm water
1 tsp Pickling salt (has no additives)
1/4 tsp baking soda (buffers the salt, no-sting and sooths sinus tissues)

This solution will keep 1 week in fridge but be sure to warm it a bit before using it. Brr-r-r! You don't need an "icecream headache" on top of everything.

You can either use a neti or a bulb syringe. My husband prefers the neti. Before the neti he would use the bulb syringe in the shower. You can use it as many times a day as you need to keep sinuses clear. If you can keep sinuses clear it should relieve pressure in head and ears.

I have a friend in Baton Rouge that gets these headaches horribly. Her husband has on numerous occassions had to fly in early from a business trip to drive her out before hurricanes hit. The headaches totally incapacitate her. If they guess the wrong direction to evacuate she is in trouble.

You might want to see if you can get in to Dannette Goodyear, I don't have her phone but she is listed. She is a nutritionist that specializes in finding root causes to stuff like this. She can't officially diagnose but she can definately treat possible underlying causes. She is in Plano/Richardson area. I have a lot of friends that rave about her.

D. M

Pure & simple either rub peppermint oil on your temples or sit & smell it a few seconds & no more headaches. All natural & no side effects!

Well, I don't know if you have the same as me, but I will tell you what I experience.
Anytime it rains, I have horrible pressure behind my eyes and my ears hurt. There is something in the air that gets stirred up by the rain and I have an allergy to it.
I take allergy meds everyday there is even a slight chance of rain and it seems to help. If I catch it before the pressure starts I am good. If I wait, I am in a world of pain for a while. Go to an allergist, they will help you identify what is getting you down.
If it is an allergy, eat local honey. Bees, pollen, immunity

I understand what you are talking about. I use to have the same problem. I had a friend suggest going to a chiropractor. It has helped greatly. I also recently found out that my blood pressure is high. I would suggest checking out your blood pressure first and then trying a chiropractor. I have not had a migraine in 6 months now.

K.

I suffered with migraine headache for 20 years and found a nutritional supplement that has cleared it and it has been 9 years now that I have been pain free. When you give balanced nutrition, the body can take care of itself. Let me know if you would like information.

A.

I went to bed Sunday night with a dull headache, took ibuprofen, and woke up with it still on Monday. I have suffered from migraines since I was 16 and I can tell you that what you are experiencing (as I experienced today too) is weather/allergy related. If you find that the tylenol doesn't seem to help, try an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen. It helps to relax the blood vessels that are giving you the headache from the congestion. Also, try a pseudoephedrine-free decongestant (like sudafed PE). I can't take anything with pseudoephedrine because it makes my heart race. Also, if you have a moment to relax, try alternating warm & cool compresses on one side of your head. Try to sleep with your head elevated at night to keep the congestion from building up. And, ask your doctor for an allergy medicine (either prescription or over the counter) - this might help prevent your body from creating all that congestion in the first place. My doctor gave me a nasal spray, which gives me almost instant relief.

Hello,

I hear your frustration! I have a similar issue which causes body/joint pain rather than headaches weather pressure changes. I am far more accurate than any meterologist and often know before anyone else when there's going to be a weather change sometimes a week even in advance. I'm not good at determining WHAT will take place or how much but know a change is comming though time and time again I have questioned it and tried to rationalize it as something else.

I deal with extreme fatigue which means low motivation and have had sleep issues my whole life as well. I'm a night owl by nature but struggle with insomnia even when not in pain.

I also deal with congestion on and off with ear pain or muffled hearing as a result on a nearly constant basis.

My diagnosis was Fibromyalgia and TMJ. I have also experienced headaches and used to deal with migraines before the body aches/joint pain turned up. I was popping Ibuprofen like candy to ward off pain and knew it was bad for me which is what made me go to dr. after dr. after dr. until someone was able to figure out the root problem. Dianosis is more of finding out everything you DON'T have and then researching to find out if you match up with what is known of FM. I sincerely hope you do not have it but if you do, I can share what I know and what has helped me. It is similiar in all who deal with it but is individual in the symptoms are wide spread and it's a mix and match for each individual.

The solution for me was to have my liver and kidneys checked (to see if I'd destroyed them) and then to locate a pain reliever at a set dose to take to manage the pain I have each day without risk of over doing it in my body.

Other possibilities for your issue are scarier such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, or Lyme Disease. I certainly hope yours is just allergy triggered migraines and not anything I've shared but I've now learned Drs are human too and can't catch everything and now a days they rarely strive for the root cause and are only too happy to prescribe for symptoms.

I recommend the www.goninowellnessgroup.com as this is where I go and who I attribute as helping me the very MOST. Blessings to you!

Sincerely,
S.

It does sound related to the weather. This happens to me. My family takes an allergy treatment of some sort daily until the first freeze.

My house is on a heavily wooded lot with cedar elms (one of the worst for allergies) and if we do not take something light not heavy daily we all feel the effects. Hubby and I take Astelin nose spray and daughter takes allegra. This really helps along with a nasal rinse done regularly.

Like you, we do not like to take meds so we take the minimum dosage per the Dr. As for aspirin and tylenol we don't use that at all.
Good luck.

My mom goes through this exact thing. She has severe allergies. She is allergic to sooo many foods and grasses and trees, etc. I would recommend taking some claritin. It might just be something in the air that you are having an allergic reaction too. Maybe talk to your doctor and see if he thinks it might be an allergy. There are other allergy medicines out and he can let you know if he thinks claritin is the right one to help.
Good luck! HTH
C.

A., I feel your pain! I've had weather-related headaches for years! Especially when there are fronts moving around in the atmosphere - sometimes it will feel like my left eye socket is going to just explode! It's just miserable, especially when my ears start hurting, too. I have to second all of the responses that mention the Neti Pot. I got mine at Wal-Mart for less than $15 and it's been a huge help. The one I got came with 50 packets of the nasal solution and I think you can buy more at Wal-Mart. I can't take sinus and allergy meds because of a heart condition and asthma, so having my Neti Pot has been a real relief! I hope this all helps! God bless! S.

You can try 1 of 2 things...rub melaleuca oil on your temples or for a stronger headache - rub pain-a-trate on your temples and back of neck. They work great plus no toxins or chemicals in them...very safe! Won't make you loopy, you'll just smell really good :o)

Good luck to you!
T.