Most headaches are tension or stress related. Others could be caused by musculoskelatal problems in the neck and upper back (massage can help in this case). Caffeine headaches are also common. If you are trying to cut down on the amount of coffee you drink, you will get headaches temporarily until your body gets used to the new routine.

Next time you’ve got a headache, take some time to relax. Remember that no matter how much work you have to do, you need to keep your sanity to do it. You don’t want to create more serious health problems by pushing yourself too far. Try catnip, chamomile, or peppermint tea. Combining catnip, peppermint, and chamomile, sweetened with honey, works as well. Passionflower also helps relieve headaches, as well as nervous tension, insomnia, and muscle spasms.

Aside from herbal teas, using lavender, chamomile, or rosemary in aromatherapy may also help relieve headaches.

Stress is quite an inconvenient feeling. You need to get a lot of things done, but you don’t want to do anything when you’re stressed. Different people react differently to stress, such as with anger, anxiety, depression, or fear. But reacting in these ways without release of the tension can result in illness. Stress can cause muscle tension, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, digestive disorders, psychological problems, and even cancer and heart disease. Stress can also cause weight gain or weight loss, depending on how you react to it.

Stress is mainly the result of emotional or psychological situations. The mind affects the body and the body the mind. If your mind is constantly worried or agitated, the body becomes tense. If the body is tense, then the mind reacts by altering hormone and chemical levels. The body then gets exhausted from adapting to the stressful situation and its day to day functioning begins to suffer. There are various ways you can deal with stress:

Physical exercise is one of the best ways, in my opinion, to relieve stress. It oxygenates body tissues and the blood, dissipates stress hormones, and relieves tension. Regular exercise helps the body relax by releasing tension buildup. I always feel a whole lot better, and less stressed, after I’ve exercised.

Deep breathing also helps oxygenate the body. It also helps still and calm the mind. Meditation and Yoga are also very helpful.

Make sure you are getting your vitamins. During stressful times, make sure you are getting enough Vitamin B complex (regulates nerves), Magnesium (muscle relaxant) and Vitamin C (supports immune system). It is important to take Vitamin C regularly and in divided doses (best after meals) because urinary excretion of the vitamin increases during times of stress.

Certain foods help stressful conditions: Fresh fruits and vegetables (uncooked), shitake mushrooms, potatoes, onions, yam, pasta, oats, whole grains, legumes (like lentils, peas, beans), fatty fish, salmon, sardines, albacore tuna, seafood, honey, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed organic canola oil

Fruit and vegetable juices, especially carrot, are also good in times of stress.

As far as herbs go, chamomile and spearmint have relaxant properties. Chamomile or spearmint tea with honey once or twice a day when you’re stressed can help you relax. Passion flower tincture (1 dropperful a few times a day) reduces stress. Ginseng is also good to strengthen the organs of the body.

Aromatherapy is also very helpful in promoting relaxation and relieving stress. I find lavender and chamomile to be the most effective. Rose, bergamot and other citruses are also good for relieving stress.

Getting a massage once a week or two during times of stress is very helpful. Massage increases blood circulation and removes toxin buildup within the muscles. It calms the body and the mind, especially combined with aromatherapy.

Last but not least . . . just do what you have to do as fast as you can without affecting quality, stop volunteering for more hours or special projects when you know you have enough to do as it is, take a night or two during the week to go out with friends, spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, brother/sister, and turn that darn T.V. off when you know you have things to do . . . it sucks up your time and attention; put on some music instead.

Cinnamon, which originally grew in southern Asia, is an evergreen tree of the laurel family. Cinnamon is from the bark of the tree. It is most often used as a powder and usually as a culinary spice, but it also beneficial to good health.

Cinnamon is a carminative, expelling gas from the stomach and bowel, and is used to aid digestion and also to relieve vomiting. But be careful, too much cinnamon can induce vomiting. Boil a small amount of cinnamon in water and drink (after it has cooled ). Don’t start off with too much cinnamon . . . you don’t know how your body will respond to it. Cinnamon also helps break down fats in the digestive system.

It is also an antiseptic, killing many decay and disease causing bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Cinnamon “flavored” toothpastes and mouthwashes aren’t just for the taste. After washing a minor cut or scrape, try sprinkling some cinnamon powder on it to prevent infection. It also has some anesthetic properties, so it should relieve pain as well.

Warning: Do not put cinnamon oil on the skin because it may cause redness and burning. Also, do not ingest cinnamon oil. It can cause nausea, vomiting, or even kidney damage.

Mint is a great household herb to have. It grows quite easily, but keep in mind that it will spread like crazy (if planted in the yard vs. a pot). Peppermint is the most effective, however, I have had success with spearmint too . . . but peppermint is more potent.

Mint is a stimulant. Try drinking a strong cup of peppermint tea instead of coffee in the morning. It strengthens the heart muscles and is generally cleansing and strengthening to the whole body.

Mint helps stomach or digestion problems in adults and children. Next time you’ve got a stomach ache, drink some peppermint or spearmint tea, or chew on some peppermint or spearmint leaves (after they have been washed of course ). If you’re son or daughter has a stomach ache, give them a little bit of peppermint or spearmint tea to drink, or a leaf or two to chew. Drinking mint tea or chewing on the leaves will also help with cramps (including menstrual). Mint is a harmless herb, unless you are allergic, so feel free to eat the leaves . . . you don’t have to spit them out after chewing on them. Drinking a cup of peppermint tea also helps with flatulence (farting).

You can put crushed fresh peppermint leaves on the forehead for a headache. You can also apply crushed mint leaves on insect bites or stings.

Also, next time you have a sore throat, try gargling with spearmint tea . . . after gargling, swallow a spoonful of honey.

Note: If you are trying to get rid of mint from your garden, wet the dirt where the mint is and let it soak for about an hour to soften the dirt. Then pull out the mint, roots and all. Just cutting them won’t do it.

If your muslces are tired after a long day, or sore from a hard workout, try taking a eucalyptus bath. As the bathtub fills with warm/hot water, put up to 20 or 30 drops of eucalyptus essential oil in the water. Grab a small towel and make a support for your neck and then just soak in the tub for a while. If your muscles are very sore, you might want to do this for a few days in a row.

Garlic, part of the onion family, isn’t exactly perfume or cologne, but its characteristic smell comes with several healing properties. It purifies the blood and eliminates toxins from the body. Garlic reduces blood pressure, cholesterol, and clotting. It also helps remove stagnant food from the intestines.

Garlic is antibacterial and antiseptic. Its juice (after being crushed and grinded) can be used to disinfect wounds by washing the wound with it.

Garlic also helps cure the common cold and some flus. Holding a clove of garlic in the mouth, between teeth or in the cheeks, (for 15-20 minutes) and then eating it (yes, raw ) will help get rid of a cold, or even a sore throat.

Garlic alleviates respiratory problems. Next time you are congested and have trouble breathing, crush some garlic and inhale the smell in long deep breaths.

Garlic powder is a remedy for athlete’s foot. Sprinkle the powdered garlic on wet feet and let it dry (don’t put socks on until dry).

Do your pets have intestinal worms or other parasites? Try feeding them a clove garlic with their food everyday (for a small pet, try 1/3-1/2 a clove). Garlic has been shown to get rid of worms and parasites in pets, and in people. Garlic, when given with your pet’s food, will also help keep fleas off. Also, if your pet is sick and doesn’t want to eat, put a little garlic in their food . . . they like the strong smell and should eat. Just be careful . . . too much garlic can give your pet an upset stomach.

And, if you don’t mind smelling like garlic, eating raw garlic everyday will help keep mosquitoes away.

Note: For the healing properties of garlic to be potent, the garlic must be used raw. Also, a whole lot of garlic is not always a good thing . . . some say it can damage the liver when eaten excessively.

Eucalyptus is a tree, whose leaves have healing properties. Essential oil of eucalyptus is also used for healing purposes.

Getting hold of eucalyptus leaves isn’t easy if there isn’t a tree around, but they would be quite handy for minor wounds. After the wound has been cleaned, wrap up the wound with clean eucalyptus leaves under the bandage. Eucalyptus oil is also said to help if applied to a minor wound, but I would advise against it because it is very potent and may cause further irritation. I would put a few drop of the essential oil in water to dilute it (as best as it can, since the oil will stay separated from the water), then soak a soft cloth in the water and put that on the minor wound.

Eucalyptus also helps to get rid of a cold, a flu, and even helps with breathing problems (that are not too severe); it is antiviral and kills some forms of bacteria. Using the essential oil in aromatherapy is very beneficial, especially during the cold and flu seasons. It helps reduce phlem and congestion in the throat, sinuses and lungs. If you feel like you might be getting a cold, or if your friends are getting colds, you should have eucalyptus aromatherapy at home.

Eucalyptus essential oil in a hot bath is helpful as well, in the case of sore muscles or minor cuts and scrapes (although a hot bath may be very uncomfortable in the event of cuts and scrapes. Just put several drops into the bathtub as it is filling, then soak in it.

Note: Tea tree goes very well with eucalyptus.

Warning: Eucalyptus essential oil should never be taken internally. It is highly potent, and toxic if swallowed and could cause severe complications.

Acne is often the result of a stressed liver. Greasy, fatty foods, chocolate, junk food, and foods with lots of preservatives are all hard on the liver and tend to have acne associated with them. The most obvious thing to do is eat healthy foods, but something else you can do, which I have had personal success with, is drink detox tea once or twice a day for no more than 2 or 3 weeks consecutively . . . If you go too long drinking detox everyday, there may be adverse effects. The tea box will usually also have directions. Detox tea is made with herbs that cleanse and promote the healthy functioning of the liver and kidneys. My acne starts to go away after about a week of drinking detox tea twice a day (it depends on how bad my acne is). Most markets have Detox Tea, although I usually buy mine from Whole Foods. Traditional Medicinals, Yogi, and Triple Leaf have good detox teas.

There are some easy and natural ways that can treat nausea:

Ginger is one of the most popular treatments to help reduce nausea. You can add ginger powder, or fresh ginger root (one or two small, washed cut pieces) to tea, but be careful not to put too much because that can make the nausea worse. Drinking ginger ale (real ginger ale, as in made with real ginger) also helps.

Rice can also be used to reduce nausea. Rice, which soothes the stomach, should be cooked and eaten, but in small amounts . . . you don’t want to throw too much food into an already sensative stomach. You could also add some cinnamon to your rice, since cinnamon also helps.

Peppermint and Spearmint are good as well. Drink peppermint or spearmint tea, sweetened with honey if you need it sweetened . . . do not use sugar. Also, if you happened to have peppermint or spearmint growing in your garden, you can wash a few leaves and eat them.

Insomnia can be caused by several different things, stress being one of the most common. It is also sometimes caused by a combination of things. So if you try one thing and it doesn’t help much, you might want to try something different. Here are a some different suggestions that can help you sleep:

First of all, you need to make sure you are not having any caffeine or sugar before you go to sleep. Also, be sure not to go to sleep right after you eat . . . 3-4 hours is the ideal wait time. When you finish eating is also important. The human body has a clock . . . when you sleep is when the regeneration/healing/repair cycle occurs. If you eat late, your digestion, which consumes the most energy, interrupts this cycle, not to mention putting a strain on your heart because its got to pump a bunch of blood to the stomach and intestines for digestion. The last meal of the day should be eaten between 4 and 7 p.m., and should not be the biggest meal or the most fried meal .

Trouble sleeping can aso be caused by a vitamin deficiency. If that is the case, taking a multi-vitamin daily will help.

Having an irregular sleeping pattern will also cause insomnia. If your sleeping pattern is irregular because of your job schedule, it may not be something that you can help, that is if you have to stick with that schedule. If your sleeping pattern is irregular because of something you can help, such as going out very often and staying out until 4 a.m. and sleeping until 1 or 2 p.m., or waiting last minute to do weekly reports for your boss, all you have to do is make sure you go to sleep at the same time every night (before 11 p.m.), then make sure and stay awake for the entire day. It may take a bit of time for your sleep pattern to readjust, but it will eventually.

Something else you can do is drink chamomile or linden tea every night before you go to sleep. Both chamomile and linden have a calmative effect. You may not see results right away . . . just make sure and drink it regularly before you go to sleep and you will eventually see a difference.

If stress or worry is the culprit, make sure you express it in a healthy way (don’t start yelling at people for no good reason or throw plates into the street for example . . . don’t hold it in because that would just drive you nutty. Don’t be afraid to think about what is stressing you out. I find that doing a specific activity or two when feeling stressed out helps. For me, exercising and gardening help relieve stress and worry.

Relaxation and meditiation are also beneficial. Just take some time every day to just sit and relax . . . play some nature sounds, light some candles . . . whatever helps.