Headaches in History

As long as there have been headaches in history, there has been a headache specialist trying to provide cures. We use the term 'specialist' loosely as we look through headache relief history. We can only imagine what prehistoric headache pain relief looked like. Rudimentary mortar and pestle begins our tour of headaches in history, as sufferers 'rack their brains' so to speak, in curing uncomfortable sensations of the cranial variety.

In America it was the Native Americans who first looked to nature to cure our throbbing, stabbing and various dull aches of the head. The bark of the White Willow Tree was used in primitive cultures as headache pain relief. Various methods of boiling, pulverizing and soaking were used to create a tea or edible substance that most likely did help, due to salicin, a natural component in the bark which is similar to aspirin. Though slower and weaker than aspirin, chewing on a tree was probably the first option in headache relief history.

The ancient Chinese took this all a step further by digging up the plants and confiscating the roots. Ginseng and Licorice root have been used to provide headache relief, cough cures and pretty much anything else that ails a human. When it comes to your headache pain, something is always better than nothing. The Ancient Chinese were also proponents of cupping the skin with small cups to create a vacuum effect on the skin. This may have gotten the blood flowing, but likely one's head was still pounding.

The ancient Greeks and Romans used various herbal teas still popular today. Chamomile has long been used for a soothing, relaxing result as tea. Peppermint and Rosemary leaves are popular headache cures with its proponents touting mellow moods and calm feelings. Peppermint and Rosemary are also used as an insecticide. Instead of those, back then one would simply apply something to the head such as an onion or cabbage. The Ancient Greeks and Romans found this handy, but not extremely effective.

Early Indian tribes drank wild basil tea and then poured some over the patient's head, providing the first dual action cure. There is no secure evidence that any of these ancient historical headache remedies actually worked, but they are interesting to look back on and see where headache relief stemmed from. It is, however, a good thing we don’t use these types of headachecures today.

While some of the earliest forms of headache relief may have prevented a patient's total despair, none provides the actual cures that a real headache specialist like Dr. Rayl dispenses. In this modern day in age, headache and TMJ specialists like Jeffery Rayl have more advanced technology to treat your headache or TMJ pain. If you have severe or mild headache pain and are looking for help, call the Denver Institute of Headache, TMJ and SleepDisorder Relief today! We can treat any pain you may have an can guarantee your treatment will be much more effective than what the ancient Chinese or Greeks came up with!