Fever is totally normal with illness and is the body's way of healing the body.  It should not be suppressed as that slows healing by stopping the action of fever which is the body’s natural response to sending the little healing factors.  I would reserve use of ibuprofen (not Tylenol-longer story there) for when they are miserable and you can’t get them comfortable by other means.  Ibuprofen is not recommended under 6 months of age.  Don’t even put Tylenol in your house. Reasons to worry about fever where you should go to the ER: Fever in an infant under 2 months of age.   Fever is 100.4 rectally Fever with mental status changes.  Most kids get sleepy with fever and want to sleep more but this refers to strange behavior or strange eye or limb movements. Fever with seizure- febrile seizures alone are not dangerous generally but the first time, you need to be checked out and to make a plan with a doctor. Fever over 105 Fever with purple spots like blood under the skin.  Rashes plus fever is common.  Don't worry too much Natural ways to bring down fever without suppressing healing mechanisms are: Wet sock trick- Cold wet cotton socks with dry wool socks on top. Feet must be warm for this. Essential oils- Lavender to feet of infants, can use peppermint oil diluted to feet of kids over 1, Can also use Frankincense to feet for any age, diluted with any oil Very warm to hot bath depending on age (safe temps only) with epsom salt and apple cider vinegar - I like this before doing the wet sock trick to warm the feet. Febrile seizures- You can also get Calcium Lactate , especially if you are concerned about febrile seizures which is an ionizable source.  Just dissolve 2-4 tablets in filtered water and drink in water or juice.  There is no lactose in this. In general, there is no need to come in to see the doctor right away for fevers.  Most illnesses are viruses that run the course.  Even ear infections often resolve themselves.  I will write another post on ear infections so you can try these things before coming in.   Here is an awesome post on febrile seizures.  It was so good that there is no need to write it any other way by Ashley Everly A great resource is the AAP symptom checker that gives advice on when to call and common measures to follow. https://www.healthychildren.org/english/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/default.aspx Article About avoiding fever reduction in sepsis to improve mortality. https://www.escavo.com/2012/12/23/should-fever-reduced-septic-patients/ Effects of fever versus low body temp on mortality https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312347826_Fever_Is_Associated_with_Reduced_Hypothermia_with_Increased_Mortality_in_Septic_Patients_A_Meta-Analysis_of_Clinical_Trials In several other animal models, administration of antipyretic agents have been associated with reduce survival [26–29] during bacterial infections. https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/31/Supplement_5/S234/335070 Fever is an important mechanism of intrinsic resistance against infectious disease. A variety of studies point to a potential detrimental effect of temperature lowering in infectious disorders, but high-quality evidence from randomised controlled trials is lacking. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2011/195/8/fever-and-antipyresis-infection

In general, most parents are worried about ear infections in kids.  There are inner, middle, and outer ear infections and this blog is referring to mostly middle ear infections. Most middle ear infections are viral and will resolve themselves but that doesn't help the worried parent watching their child suffer in pain.  So I will tell you the tricks used by many parents to avoid the need to see the doctor. During summer time with swimming pools, the outer ear or swimmer's ear infection is more common. Just tug on the ear and if it hurts, it is probably swimmer's ear.  You can use colloidal silver ear drops or mullein garlic ear drops and that can often do the trick.  Best is to do prevention with a little alcohol in the ear after swimming to dry up the ear. If that is not the issue and they are complaining of pain, then it may be a middle ear infection.  With my kids, I would do the wet sock trick, colloidal silver or mullein garlic ear drops, and a trip to your favorite chiropractor.  I was trained that chiropractic care is craziness but apparently craziness works wonders.  I have had very few kids that failed that with middle ear infections. Response is fast and typically within a few hours. Onion ear muffs can help ear infections. Make onion earmuffs. Gently heat an onion half and hold it over your child's ears. or your own if you are the sick one. The volatile oils are anti-microbial and decrease inflammation, while the warmth is soothing to irritated ears. Conscious food introduction can identify food allergies that increase inflammation If your child has sudden onset of pain with the ear infection, then homeopathic belladonna can work fast.  They are in the little blue tubes at your health food store.  Use three sugar pellets every 15 minutes up to two hours.  If better, then continue as needed for pain.  If it doesn't help, then sorry.  At least you didn't waste much money or time.  They probably need another remedy so see your favorite homeopath.  I have two great ones that I adore.  When it works, it will work like magic! Try the natural remedies first and reserve the motrin for failure of those to work and if your child has a lot of pain. Here are some videos on osteopathic relief of ear pain and this video too. If things are still not getting better after a few days, then come see me. Kids are more likely to be given antibiotics if you see the doctor too soon but this is not really good for their overall health and will likely lead to repeat illness.  Antibiotics are a God send when you need them as a last resort. Recurrent ear infections are typically related to food allergies.  Most common are dairy and soy allergies so stop that in the kiddo or breastfeeding mom.  I would combine that plus chiropractic or craniosacral therapy.  If that isn't enough, your child may need more functional medicine approach to correct the underlying dysfunction.

My grandpa Virgil died a few years back. He had 9 lives for sure but one time was more due to imposed dietary restrictions. This guy was hardcore.  He survived a ruptured abdominal aneurysm that should have killed him. He had survived a dense stroke many years ago that affected his speech and the use of the right side of his body. That slowed him down but he found creative things to do to still be productive. He was an illiterate genius with a third grade education who was tough as nails and could fix anything. He finally got diagnosed with lung cancer near the end and had broken his hip.  This starts the part of the story I want to share. He was found on the floor at the front door when he broke his hip waiting on someone to check on him.  Plug for lifeline here for anyone left alone that is at risk for breaking hips even if someone checks on them regularly.  The typical story I have been trained is that once a feeble grandparent breaks a hip, that often signals the end.  The same seemed true for him. While in the hospital, he was evaluated by everyone and given the typical recommendations of "thickened" feeds which he HATED and refused!  It was for his own good you know.  We wouldn't want him to aspirate (have food go into his lungs) and complicate things more.  Being the doctor in the family, naturally the family asks me my opinion regarding end of life issues as he was wasting away in the hospital bed.   I give them the same information I had always been given regarding the unavoidable downward spiral.  This is a natural process right? The family decided to let him go home on hospice as he was too weak for treatment of his hip fracture and lung cancer.  I love hospice and felt good with this decision.  When he got home, my aunt decided to go against the thickened feeds and give him what he wanted since she wanted him to be happy his last days.  He just wanted some good country cookin'. Being able to eat what he wanted more than made him happy.  He was on his riding mower a week later mowing the yard!  The guy that was about to die was riding his mower.  Basically he was starving to death on hospital food!  Yikes! There are many lessons to be learned here.  Listen to the patient.  Feed the patient.  Certainly one has to balance risks and benefits but why deprive a dying man some good food for risk of him dying sooner?  If the risks are understood, then give them the choice.  This doesn't mean to sneak food in without permission as you don't want to mess up any plans for procedures but really think about how you feel when you are hungry.  I am going to be an old person with a chip on the shoulder.  I don't like being told what to do and what to eat now so I imagine that will not change with gray hair.  If anything, it will be stronger!  We forget that our elderly still have their own desires and thoughts and are not children even if we want to treat them as such.  If they have their cognitive abilities, then we need to include them in decision making. My grandpa did die sometime after that but he died happily eating his eggs and grits and drinking coffee.

Dairy!  I how I adore a cup of whole milk hot chocolate.  I adore butter.  I adore cheese.  Unfortunately, the bodies of myself and kids do not love dairy.  Each of us has had a different reaction to it so it has taught  me a lot how to recognize and fix problems I see in my patients. Giselle, my oldest had big tonsils.  Kissing tonsils they say.  She would snore like a man and have pauses, like she wasn't breathing for seconds at a time.  She didn't drink milk but ate her much loved mozzarella cheese sticks daily.  My naturopath said to stop dairy.  I was like " but it is only one a day and she LOVES them".  He repeats.."Stop dairy".  So we did and within a week, no more snoring.  She still has occasional cheese but if she eats it more than three times in a week, she starts getting tonsillar stones and it drives her nuts.  She is able to do ice cream and yogurt but not milk or cheese on a regular basis. In retrospect, she had significant cradle cap for a long time which turns out to often be dairy related. Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy averted! Sofia, my middle child, had chronic otitis effusion which means that she had fluid in her ears for more than 6 months straight.  We saw ENT who said to give it 6 more weeks and if no better, she needed tubes in her ears.  Naturopath says stop dairy.  Now this kid was a crazy milk drinker so I switched her to almond milk (now we use rice milk which I like better) and within a week, it was better.  We went back to the ENT dutifully to verify resolution and indeed he agreed.  With excitement I told him how we did it.  He looked at me funny and just changed the subject.  Hmmmm.  I would have thought he would be excited to find ways to get kids better.  I guess he wants to only get them better through surgery but that is another subject. In Sofia, her cradle cap was so bad, it went down the face and neck.  I put a little hat on her to cover it up in August!   She also had quite the case of eczema.  The little bit of eczema she had cleared right up with cessation of milk.   She eats yogurt with no problem though. Isabella, poor Isabella.  My main pregnancy craving was milk in the last trimester.  I mean I was drinking 2 gallons of milk per week plus cheese and yogurt.  It was an out of control craving and it turns out lactose was her enemy.  She was born and within the first 24 hours, she had redness and blisters around her labia and rectum.  We thought it was a diaper allergy so she was in the nursery with oxygen blowing on it and we just used cloth diapers.  Nothing helped it.  We did all kinds of prescription creams and still a nasty diaper rash but not in her full diaper area.  So I though maybe it was a milk allergy.  Pediatrician says "impossible", "she would have bloody stools".  Well I stopped dairy (since I was breastfeeding) and within two days, it was gone!   Turns out if I had something with soy or dairy, even down the ingredient line, she would blister up.  Since I figured that out at 12 days of life for her, she never had an ounce of eczema or cradle cap like my other two.  Now that I have done some gut healing things like fish oil, probiotics, and bone broths, she can now be exposed to dairy and not have that happen.  She can't do much but before it couldn't even be an ingredient. So it comes to me.  When I quit dairy for the first time, my dandruff I had my entire adult life cleared up!  I need to do the gut healing stuff myself (too busy with the kids and work so lazy there) because if I have as little as 3 tablespoons per week of butter ( my favorite is Bulletproof coffee), then I get an itchy scalp and it flakes.  My mother-in-law made these yummy bunuelos that have corn meal and cheese when she was visiting.  I just had 2-3 of these hushpuppy like treats three times over the course of a week and I had scabs on my scalp.  Disgusting scabs.  I will just keep dairy to the occasional treat to avoid that.  I also realized my joint pains in my hands were affected by dairy.  I can do small amounts before that happens but if I have two cups of hot scrumptious whole milk hot chocolate (my mouth is watering), then my finger joints swell up.  Ahem! No dairy for me either. Moral of the story, always assess nutritional causes of disease.  It may not always work or it may not always be the obvious foods like dairy, wheat, or corn but look there first.  It may be an easy fix and with some gut healing, we may be able to tolerate some amount of that food.  We also need to clean up our food supply but that is another story.

When I was in high school, I had this horrible discomfort in my legs that drove me bonkers!  At that time, I was super flexible so I blamed it on not being able to feel the stretch enough.  It would be worse around my periods but would bother me daily enough that I would have to leave the classroom to stretch. I remember it was worst in my first class of the day with Ms. Drye. Sorry Ms. Drye but now I have a reason!  I am sure she didn't know what to do with me.   At night, I would literally feel like I had to hit my legs to get them to calm down. I never told anyone because it was just weird and hard to explain.  Now that I know it was restless legs, I realize that back in the 90's they probably wouldn't have known what it was anyway. I am not sure it was even a diagnosis at that time.  When I got married and went on birth control it totally resolved and I was so relieved.  Once I learned about it in medical school, I learned that one cause is anemia and I probably had anemia due to my super heavy periods that whole time! There are many causes for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).  Causes for RLS include disease that affect the nerves like diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson's, kidney failure, and iron deficiency.  Iron deficiency is common in females with heavy periods, people with stomach and intestinal problems that lead to bleeding, lack of dietary intake of iron and much more.  Metformin, a commonly used medicine for diabetes and polycystic ovaries can cause deficiency in vitamin B12 which can lead to neuropathy, then potentially restless legs. RLS may be caused by medications.  I have found that statins have caused quite a bit of restless legs in my patients, possibly because Coenzyme Q 10 gets depleted when you take it.  So if you really need statins, be sure to take Coenzyme Q10 up to 200 mg with something fatty to help replete that.  If you haven't had a history of a heart attack or stroke, be sure that you would really benefit from taking a statin.  There is increasing controversy over this because it isn't likely helpful for those without a history of heart attack or stroke, or those with very high risk factors.  Do your research on that and discuss with your doctor whether the benefits outweigh the risks.  Stomach medicines like Prilosec or Nexium cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies due to change in absorption of nutrition from food.  It is worth working with a provider to try to get off these medicines when appropriate and replace the nutrients that have diminished.  Believe it or not, there are tons of options to improve your gastrointestinal HEALTH without just suppressing acid that will improve your overall health.   Some antidepressants, antipsychotics often used for depression, and antihistamines can contribute to restless legs.  Birth control can deplete B6, zinc, and folate.  The list goes on as to medicines causing vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Many sleep remedies that end in "PM" have antihistamines so you could be making things worse!  Magnesium glycinate up to 400 mg nightly may help with restless legs and night cramps (caution in kidney disease). Restless Legs During Pregnancy Pregnancy!  To add to the litany of issues plaguing some pregnant ladies, restless legs can top the list causing misery and lack of sleep.  Exercise earlier in the day, massage your legs, consider vibrating pads underneath the legs for distraction, warm baths with epsom salts may help, get your iron levels checked as well as B12/methylmalonic acid, and RBC magnesium.  Also consider drinking 2-3 ounces of tonic water before bed.  Considering minerals as a cause, a safe and cheap way to add minerals is by making a Himalayan Sole.  Buy Himalayan Pink Salt.  Mix 1/3 pink salt to 2/3 hot water and dissolve.  Take 1-2 tbsp daily as this provides all 84 trace minerals and is pretty cheap. So glad to have figured out my affliction from high school.  I am going to share this with my teachers so hopefully they forgive me ;-).  I imagine we will find more causes which hopefully means we can find more solutions!

I am thankful for Western medicine for acute issues.  It is life saving and life prolonging many times. Thankful for everyone who works in a hospital all the way down to the person who cleans the room as this can be just as important as the medicine they get.  However, I am not thankful for a system that tries to squeeze blood from a rock.  To save the almighty dollar, it seems every hospital is short staffed for the true needs of good patient care.  Saving this almighty dollar sets us all up for failure and risk and contributes to the statistic in the JAMA article about western medicine being the third largest killer of patients behind heart disease and cancer. Due to shortages, a lot of mistakes are made.  I hear so many cringe worthy stories from my patients of the wrong medicines being given or the wrong doses given.  I have seen a few die due to medical errors.  None of us are perfect and it is terrifying to have a medical error or over look an allergy but it happens more when there is precious little time to spend doing things well. One person I know had her husband die to pure overmedication of medicines that were not even his!  He was given double doses of pain patches and triple doses of insulin that he didn't even need.  Turns out his nurse had mild dementia that the staff apparently had not noticed but there was a shortage and she came out of retirement to help since they needed nurses so badly.  They noticed something was weird but felt uncomfortable questioning the nurse since she was so certain he was getting what he needed.  It turned out to be fatal!  The wife was hospitalized just a few months later and she questioned everything and found them trying to give her the wrong medicine twice!! I hear these stories way too often and fortunately most do not end up fatal but we have to empower patients to ask questions.  Ask every time a family member is given a medicine.  It is ok to question what it is and what it is for.  If you feel like it isn't right, have them check with the doctor.  If you are still concerned, ask to speak to the doctor.  The life of your loved one may depend on it.  Medicines are powerful and as life saving as they may be, they can also kill.  Even highly qualified people can make mistakes. Ask questions and don't leave your loved one alone if they are not capable of asking the questions themselves.

Are you trying to conceive? Are you obsessively checking the hashtag #TTC, charting your ovulation, and buying pregnancy tests in bulk? If you’re reading this article, chances you’ve been having a lot of horizontal time with your partner (eh hem), because you are trying to conceive a baby.  I’m a family physician, which means I see patients at every age and stage of their lives. I give advice to 20-year-olds with painful menstrual cramps, help 70-year-olds who are having trouble sleeping, and counsel women who are trying to conceive.  I’m also an integrative physician, which means I take a whole-person, natural-minded approach to health issues, which can really help when women are trying to conceive. Integrative Say What? If you’re new here, you might never have heard the term “integrative medicine” (also called “functional medicine”) before. Integrative medicine combines the best of conventional western medicine with the best of other health practices, including nutritional counseling, acupuncture, and chiropractic. So instead of prescribing a pharmaceutical drug to a woman who is trying to conceive, an integrative family physician or an integrative obstetrician- gynecologist will first try to uncover the root causes of infertility. Once we know what those root causes of infertility are, we can heal the body without medication that may have harmful side effects. Serophene, also known as Clomid, is an oral medication that stimulates ovulation and is what most conventional medical doctors immediately prescribe. But for integrative doctors our first go-to is to solve the problem of trying to conceive with natural methods. The conventional approach: costly and increasingly expensive and invasive treatments, starting with pharmaceuticals and moving on to IVF (in vitro fertilization). The integrative approach: The healthier you and your partner are pre-conception, the more likely you will be able to conceive, carry to term, have a healthy birth, and have a healthy baby. Start with nutritional and lifestyle changes. If those don’t work, then turn to pharmaceutical help. The Problem With Infertility In America If the popularity of fairytale princess movies is any indication, a girl waits her whole life to grow up, marry her Prince Charming, and start a royal family of her very own. But unfortunately, for many Cinderellas, conception doesn’t actually happen right away, if at all. No matter how many times we stand on our head, how long we’ve charted our cycle, or how hard we stare at that life-changing stick, our princess powers fail us month after month. Infertility, defined by the CDC as not being able to conceive a baby after one year of trying, affects about 10% of American women ages 15-44. When you are trying to conceive and not able to, you feel like the world is full of smiling moms holding babies in their arms. But think of this statistic another way: Over six million women in America are having difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant at any given time. You feel like a failure, you’re devastated every time a pregnancy test comes back negative, but you are not alone. So what can you do to be healthier while you are trying to conceive? You’ve already been told not to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or eat fish high in mercury, but chances are your doctor has not told you about the other toxins you need to avoid. Avoid these 5 toxins when you're trying to conceive 1. GMO-Food free. Ditch the genetically modified foods. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have not been properly tested for human consumption and studies show they decrease sperm count, and may cause sterility, infertility, miscarriages, and spontaneous abortions. The herbicides and pesticides sprayed on these plants cannot be washed off and may also cause sterility, infertility, sexual dysfunction and hormone disruption. Studies done by the Italians, Austrians, and Russians confirm that GMOs act as birth control, cause DNA incompatibility between mates, and impair DNA function between a mother and fetus.The easiest way to (almost entirely) avoid GMO food is to eat organically grown fruits and vegetables and skip processed and package junk food. 2. No Fat/Low Fat Say YES to healthy fats.If you’re trying to conceive, now is NOT the time to go on a “No Fat/Low Fat” diet. Eating a low fat diet has been linked to decreased fertility. Fat gets a bad rap but don’t be fooled: the truth is that good fats are essential for making and baking a healthy baby.Pass on the daily helpings of fried foods and the potato chips, for sure, but add coconuts, avocados, walnuts, and organic, pastured butter to your diet. 3. Stress Skip the stress. Reading this article right now may be stressing you out. Research shows that stress can lower a man’s sperm count and disrupt the hormones needed to make his equipment function properly. It’s worse for women: Women who work more than 32 hours a week are less likely to conceive and 30% of women who visit infertility clinics have some form of anxiety or depression. To increase your chances of conception, avoid stress like a bad hair day. 4. Chemicals like 1,4-Dioxane and Quarternium-15 Kick the chemicals out of your life.This is much harder than it sounds. Chances are your bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room are teaming with chemicals you don’t realize are toxic: conventional cleaning products (which will poison you or your baby if they are accidentally swallowed); cosmetics that contain quarternium-15, a preservative that actually off-gasses formaldehyde; and hair relaxers and baby soaps tainted with1,4-Dioxane, a petroleum-derived carcinogen found in over 90% of hair relaxers and 57% of baby soaps even though it’s not listed on the ingredients.There are over 80,000 chemicals used in everyday products that have never been tested for safety in humans; many of the chemicals that have been tested are known endocrine disruptors, which can directly interfere with the hormone magic needed to get and stay pregnant. Read the labels on everything in your home, including soaps, shampoos, laundry detergents, toothpaste (yes, toothpaste!), personal skin care products, and cleaners. If you can’t pronounce or recognize the ingredients, they are likely to be poisonous. Toss them in the trash, which will make you feel less stressed (See #3). Then enjoy some horizontal time with your partner to celebrate. 5. Antibiotics Abandon the antibiotics. Antibiotics can alter the friendly flora of the vagina and increase a woman’s chance of getting bacterial vaginosis or a vaginal candida infection. Just like fresh water fish can’t swim in a salt-filled ocean, your man’s sperm can’t swim in a hostile vagina. Most antibiotics have not been shown to be safe for a developing baby. As my colleague Aviva Romm, M.D., explains in this post, don’t take em’ if you don’t need em’ and look for alternatives if you’re trying to conceive. It’s hard. It can be discouraging. It may seem like every one of your friends (and her sister) is getting pregnant when a guy so much as looks in her direction.  But these lifestyle improvements won’t just help you conceive, they’ll help you feel happier, healthier, and more grounded. Your turn will come, mama-to-be. Soon you’ll be holding your own little prince or princess in your arms.

Dementia is an ever growing, looming epidemic and we are watching our parents and grandparents disappear into this awful illness.  There were 30 million patients affected by Cognitive decline in 2012.  That is crazy!!  Until now, there were no cures or treatments to reverse this condition.  This is why I love Functional Medicine. There are so many causes of dementia to include vascular causes (hardening of the arteries), inflammation, diabetes, toxins, genetics, trauma (See the movie Concussion), hormone deficiencies, vitamin deficiencies and more.  Yet, all we have been offered is one pill to address one part of the cause.  I don't know about you but my body is pretty complex!  There is no magic bullet. In March, I attended the Institute of Functional Medicine's first conference on Reversing Cognitive Decline.  They discussed the MEND trial out of UCLA, nine of 10 participants displayed subjective or objective improvement in their memories, beginning within three to six months after the program's start. Of the six patients who had to discontinue working or were struggling with their jobs at the time they joined the study, all were able to return to work or continue working with improved performance.  This is amazing!!  They measured significant increases in size of the Hippocampus, a part of the brain that shrinks with this complex disease.  So measurable changes in the brain and function! This occurs by addressing the very complex human body and brain like never before.  Now the goal is to recognize earlier changes of neurodegeneration like memory loss, tremors, slow gait (how someone walks), increasing anxiety about things done with no difficulty before, word finding issues that are new (we all have some of this at times), worsening handwriting, and more.  We need to not just accept this is the way to go. I noticed my father-in-law start about 15 years before he passed away asking every day where the trash can was.  He was just forgetful enough to drive the family crazy but not enough for them to notice that he had Alzheimers.  From the time I noticed that, it took about 3 years to get the neurologists to diagnose him even though I kept pushing them.  He was smart so he did well on the testing.  I only imagine if I knew this stuff back then how it would have gone. When you notice this start happening in your loved one, get them evaluated.  The recovery from this is very complicated and needs a multi-disciplinary team approach on the medical side but also on the family side.  There is a lot involved and someone with memory impairment could not manage alone.  See a Functional Neurologist or ask your local Functional Medicine doctor to see if this could help your family member that is just not themselves anymore and don't wait too long to get help.

Any blog on migraines could be a mile long but we are going to focus on some easy tips for your common migraine.  This does NOT apply to the worst headache of your life (go to the ER) unless it is established as your normal migraine.  Also if you have worsening headaches, you need to see your doctor. For your occasional, standard migraine -light sensitivity, nausea, one sided or all over headache, here are some easy things to do.  First, you must treat any migraine ASAP!  Try peppermint oil to the temples (avoid the eyes completely) and back of the neck and just a dab under your nose.  Do the bicycle exercise where you lay on your back and put your feet in the air but try to touch the floor.  That stretches your whole spine.  When sitting, do good, slow head rolls. You can try acupressure which is where you squeeze the web of your hand between your thumb and forefinger for several minutes until it resolves.  There are several more points but you can look for those online. For any headache, a hot epsom salt bath with apple cider vinegar is awesome and get someone to rub peppermint oil to the back, neck, and temples (avoiding the eyes). If you have to take an Excedrin migraine tablet.  I am not a fan of Tylenol but it does work.  Another option if you have to resort to over the counter medicines is take some ibuprofen with a caffeinated drink like coffee.  The two work awesome together. If you have time, go see a chiropractor, acupuncturist,  or massage therapist.  They are helpful for acute and chronic migraines. If you have recurrent migraines, see chiropractor, acupuncturist, or a massage therapist as already mentioned.  You can also get a cervical traction kit from the local medical supply store for under $20 however, "less is more".  You have to put water in to the bag to just feel the tiniest pull.  Too much can cause injury.  More is bad! Keep a diary for your headache to see what could be triggering it.  Causes for migraines are many.  This may help you find one of many causes especially food related.  Common causes are MSG, gluten, preservatives, Computer work due to position and the light can cause headaches so work related headaches may warrant a visit with an ergonomics specialist or occupational therapist that cares for work related problems.

Back in residency, when I was 28, I was feeling much older than my age.  I felt tired and run down.  I could blame it on the 100 hour work weeks but it felt like it wasn't just sleep deprivation.  I had rosacea which where my cheeks were red, with deep pores, and little telangiectasias (little blood vessels) around my nose creases.  Make up couldn't cover it up.  I also had an inflammatory eye condition called episcleritis where I had bright red nodules in my eyes and everyone would ask me if I knew I had red eyes.  Ugh.  I was so frustrated and maybe vain but nonetheless, I didn't feel healthy.  I felt bloated after every meal and just wanted to desperately take a nap, which was a combination of the 100 hour work week but also my diet. I started taking doxycycline orally which is an antibiotic and another topically for the rosacea.  I was using steroid eye drops for the eye condition which will some day maybe still cause cataracts.  With all this, it barely helped.  I started Evening Primrose Oil twice daily which seemed to help more but still it was there. I wanted to eventually have kids but I didn't want to be taking medicines while pregnant for something vanity related. Meanwhile, my best friend talked me into doing the South Beach diet in which I got rid of the "white stuff" and higher sugar fruits and veggies.   I did this because I was always hungry.  Literally I would keep food at the night stand to eat when I woke in the middle of the night hungry and first thing since I would wake up ravenous.  It was tough!  For the first two weeks I was so crabby and irritable and I didn't think I would make it.  By the end of the month, all those hunger and mood swings went away completely!  I couldn't believe it.  By balancing my protein and healthier carbs, I felt tons better.  My energy improved, no more belly bloating, no more having to lean back in my seat after eating and unbutton my top button!.  On top of that, in spite of doing whole milk, whole milk yogurt, bacon, butter, etc( I had been doing the low fat stuff), my LDL ( " bad cholesterol") went down from 140's to 60's!  Thankfully the "low fat" fad is no longer recommended since that is not what causes abnormal cholesterol. Back to my vanity.  Within a few months, my rosacea and eye condition cleared up and I was able to go off the medicines.  It wasn't until years later after playing around with my diet that I realized it was really wheat that was the culprit.  If I eat too much wheat, my eye condition will flare up and my cheeks turn red.  Total bummer I am missing out on croissants but it is worth it!  I still eat the occasional wheat but it is far and few between that I save up for yummy sins like delicious fried bologna sandwiches.  Yes I eat them once a year! So, the moral of the story is start with nutrition first, not medicines when possible!