Headaches have different categories and reasons for occurring.
Older people may experience headaches when they are working or while they are on an escapade allowing their body and brain to be used too much. Some may even be doing something that resulted in an accident and hence getting a headache.
Meanwhile, others, experience headaches because of the stress and pressures they are surrounded with. It could be because of the demands of their school or job, complying with deadlines, and fulfilling their tasks and their role.
While others, may suffer from headaches because of their body’s condition or it might be a symptom of a particular illness.
Whatever the reason for your headache, it’s good to know that there are products that you can use to manage it. People who prefer to heal using the natural way can use oils such as peppermint essential oil.
As mentioned above, headaches have different categories. This post presents different cases that are categorized according to the kind of headache the patients are experiencing.
Pathophysiology of headache
The combination of peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, and ethanol was investigated in the 1994 study of Göbel et al. In this study, 32 healthy subjects were tested and the blend was applied on the forehead and temples of the participants using a sponge. The finding of this study revealed that the blend with peppermint oil can increase cognitive performance. It also has a muscle-relaxing and mentally relaxing ability. Peppermint oil with eucalyptus oil and ethanol had little influence on pain sensitivity. But when peppermint was mixed with ethanol there was an analgesic effect with a reduction in sensitivity to headache. (1)
Tension-type headache
Gobel and his colleagues conducted another study in 1996 about using peppermint oil as a medication for headaches. During the clinical trial, he investigated the efficacy of peppermint oil on tension-type headaches. The study included 2 capsules of oral medication (acetaminophen or placebo), 10g of peppermint oil with a 90% ethanol solution, and the placebo which is a 90% ethanol solution with traces of peppermint oil. Participants of this study are 41 patients male and female, with an age range of 18 to 65. The study used oral medication and topical solution on four headache episodes of the participants. The oil was applied topically on the forehead and temples of the patients and was repeated after 15 and 30 minutes. (2)
The result of this study showed that after 15 minutes, headache intensity was reduced by using 10% peppermint oil in an ethanol solution, and the degree of pain continued to reduce over the one-hour observation period. Moreover, the test result yielded that there is no significant difference between 1,000 mg of acetaminophen and 10% peppermint oil in ethanol solution in terms of efficacy. In addition, there are no documented adverse effects. (2)
The work of Göbel et al., about peppermint oil and tension-type headache, continued in 2016 when he presented a review on the same topic. They purported that peppermint oil has the same effect as acetylsalicylic acid or paracetamol. They also mentioned that 10 % peppermint oil in ethanol can be used as standard treatment for tension-type headaches for children aged 6 years and above as well as adults. (3)
Migraine
A 2019 study conducted by Rafieian-Kopaei and his colleagues reported that headache intensity and frequency can be reduced by the nasal application of peppermint oil drop of 1.5%. The effect of peppermint oil was compared with an intranasal lidocaine drop of 4%. It was found in their investigation that peppermint oil is effective and can relieve the participant’s pain similarly to lidocaine. The participants in this study are 120 adult patients with migraine. Doses were given to them every 15 minutes through nasal application. (4)
Headaches are sometimes inevitable. Different circumstances and factors result in headaches, hence it is important to understand the kind of headache you have and how it can be treated effectively. It is also good to remember that patience is needed if you are experiencing chronic headaches. Meanwhile, if you are suffering from an acute headache, it is helpful to believe and have faith that it will heal in time and it is crucial to follow the right treatment or therapy to cure your headache.
Endure the pain and have faith
References:
- (1) Göbel, H., Schmidt, G., & Soyka, D. (1994). Effect of peppermint and eucalyptus oil preparations on neurophysiological and experimental altimetric headache parameters. Cephalalgia: an international journal of headache, 14(3), 228–182. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1468-2982.1994.014003228.x
- (2) Göbel, H., Fresenius, J., Heinze, A., Dworschak, M., & Soyka, D. (1996). Effektivität von Oleum mentha Piperita und von Paracetamol in der Therapie des Kopfschmerzes vom Spannungstyp [Effectiveness of Oleum mentha Piperita and paracetamol in therapy of headache of the tension type]. Der Nervenarzt, 67(8), 672–681. https://doi.org/10.1007/s001150050040
- (3) Göbel, H., Heinze, A., Heinze-Kuhn, K., Göbel, A., & Göbel, C. (). Oleum mentha Piperita (Pfefferminzöl) in der Akuttherapie des Kopfschmerzes vom Spannungstyp [Peppermint oil in the acute treatment of tension-type headache]. Schmerz (Berlin, Germany), 30(3), 295–310. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00482-016-0109-6
- (4) Rafieian-Kopaei, M., Hasanpour-Dehkordi, A., Lorigooini, Z., Deris, F., Solati, K., & Mahdiyeh, F. (2019). Comparing the Effect of Intranasal Lidocaine 4% with Peppermint Essential Oil Drop 1.5% on Migraine Attacks: A Double-Blind Clinical Trial. International journal of preventive medicine, 10, 121. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_530_17
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