I am going to make two separate posts.... one for headache treatment and one for natural lifestyle things I learned to optimize my brain health. Hope they will be helpful.

First, for immediate natural headache relief, you can put your feet in hot water (as hot as you can stand) while icing your head and neck. Do this in a dark quiet place for 20 minutes or so.

What helped long-term with my headaches was a combination of things.

The first thing that helped was vision therapy. To find a provider, check out http://www.braininjuries.org or http://www.nora.cc

I got on a headache preventive medication. The first one I tried was elavil (amitriptyline), and then I switched to topamax (topiramate), which I still take.

I had therapy to strengthen and align my neck.

I stopped taking painkiller medications including tylenol, hydrocodone, and imitrex, all of which can cause rebound headaches.

Finally, I switched to a whole foods vegan diet high in omega-3s and tryptophan. This reduced inflammation throughout my body. I also helped kick-start the reduced inflammation with hydrotherapy and algal DHA/EPA. At this point, my headaches finally disappeared for good. I still eat vegan but no longer do hydrotherapy or the algal supplements.

I have been headache free for eight months now, after nearly 18 months with serious migraine-like headaches.