Headaches and Teething (and Teething Headaches!)

It's  kind of funny that I'm writing about both of these. I was answering some family members' questions about these two topics, and I realized that they kind of go hand in hand, because sometimes headaches are caused by teething babies! Anyway, I thought it was funny. 

So, let's start with babies! Because if your baby's teething is causing the headache, maybe we'll fix it here. 

Well, there are a few things I would try. First, the best oil for babies is Lavender, in my opinion. It can help bring down a fever, which sometimes babies have while teething, it can soothe and calm a crying baby and help him to sleep. Lavender is my go-to for my own baby.

The next oil is Serenity. This is a blend by DoTerra that has several oils in it. It's usually used to help a baby sleep better, and often that means he'll sleep a bit longer. 

Roman Chamomile is another good one, which will help ease the pain (this is in Serenity). 

If you want to help with the pain the number one oil for that is the Deep blue blend. It's more expensive, because of the ingredients, but it's well worth it. DH (Dear hubby) used it after his jaw surgery and it worked better than the meds they gave him. 

WARNING AND APPLICATION: I would NOT put any of these oils in your baby's mouth. They aren't toxic, but they can be strong sometimes, even for adults, and a baby just isn't ready for it. DoTerra actually suggests not letting your child ingest essential oils until age 5 or 6, before that, applying topically is your best bet. The Deep Blue I would always dilute on a baby's skin--using fracionated coconut oil (this is just liquid coconut oil. Normally, coconut oil  is solid at room temperatures) or regular olive oil works great--use about a drop per tablespoon or two. The Deep blue I would rub on your baby's jaw line, a small amount, and that would probably ease the pain. Put the lavender and/or Serenity behind his ears and on the bottoms of his feet. You could also put the diluted Deep blue on his feet. Hope that helps with the teething! I haven't tried it out yet (baby is too young to be teething), so if you try it, let me know in the comments what worked for you!

Headaches! 

Everyone gets these. They're extremely common. 

Headaches are tricky beasts because they have so many causes. Stress, tension, sickness, low blood sugar, dehydration, etc. I always try to drink more water while I have a headache, and sometimes that's enough to make it go away. For low blood sugar, eat! And make it wholesome. Too much sugar can cause headaches, as well as not enough of the right nutrients (try protein-rich foods and good fats). Too much alcohol should definitely be avoided (in my neck of the woods, we just avoid it altogether). For stress and tension headaches I would suggest several oils. 

The basic ones are Lavender and Peppermint. Lavender is warming and relaxing, while peppermint is cooling (it feels like icy hot, if you've ever used that). These are among the least expensive oils, and they can both be used for A LOT of different things, not just headaches. Having these two on hand is always a good idea. 

Another fantastic essential oil is actually a blend made specially by DoTerra. It's called Past Tense. I had a friend in one of my classes who complained of tension and headaches and we had her put some on during the class. By the end (about 30 minutes later) she could already feel her muscles relaxing, the tension melting away.

A very painful headache would benefit from another blend, Deep Blue. This is the one DH used this one on his jaw when he had his jaw surgery, and it worked better at dealing with the pain than his heavy pain meds. Plus he could use it whenever he wanted, instead of waiting six hours between doses! So this one could also help, especially migraines or chronic headaches. 

Rosemary and Basil essential oils are also relaxing, with woody, calming scents.

APPLICATION: put it where it hurts! For headaches I put it on my neck (all over the back), my shoulders, my temples and forehead. You could even have your wife give your head a thorough massage.  You can also diffuse it in the air if you have a diffuser. I don't know if you use DoTerra, but you ought to! I've done my research, and they truly are the purest and best. To get good results you need to be sure your essential oils don't have ANY fillers, and unfortunately, the standard for "100% theraputic grade" isn't very high. 

Oh, and you can never overdose on essential oils, so apply them every FIVE MINUTES if you want to! And, as a note, you might need to. They're not a perfect, magic solution that works in an instant. Sometimes that happens, especially with stress relieving oils, but most of the time it takes multiple, frequent applications. 

Ask your questions!

**NOTE: I am not a doctor, blah blah blah, don't sue me if you get it in your eyes and your eyeballs disintegrate. (Okay, the won't disintegrate, I promise. But don't put it in your eyes! And be smart. And don't sue me.)