The one drink that completely relieves painful headaches

When you feel a headache coming on, instead of popping a pain killer, Dr. Fred Pescatore has one simple solution: Pour a glass of water.

As Dr. Pescatore explains in his Essential Pain Protocol, “I’ve been obsessed with hydration for almost as long as I’ve been practicing medicine. At every single visit, one of the first things I ask my patients is how much water they drink. If they’re not drinking enough, I strongly advise they increase their intake—it’s vital to good health.”

Research shows that drinking plenty of water flushes toxins out of the body, sends your energy levels soaring, and helps you feel fuller for longer, ultimately aiding in weight loss.

On the other hand, not drinking enough water can have a host of unfortunate consequences—physically, mentally, and emotionally. It can drag down your cognitive performance and memory. Make you depressed and anxious. And it can cause headaches.

In fact, dehydration is one of the most common causes of headaches.

Dr. Pescatore cites a Dutch study where researchers divided people who suffered recurrent headaches into two groups. One group was asked to increase their daily water intake by about 50 ounces.

Nearly half the people who significantly increased their water drinking reported fewer headaches and improvement in the negative impact of headaches on their lives.

In another study, people with migraine or tension headaches who drank about 32 ounces or more of water every day had 10.5 fewer hours of headaches per week. And the headaches they did have were less painful.

And another clinical trial shows that just a glass or two of water can completely relieve headaches…

In a study of 34 people with recurrent headaches, 22 reported “complete relief” from their headache within 30 minutes of drinking 25 ounces of water. Another 11 had relief within 1 to 3 hours. In other words, water worked just as well as common OTC painkillers.

So how much water do you need? Probably more than you currently drink—even if you drink the recommended “eight glasses a day.”

Here’s Dr. Pescatore’s simple rule of thumb: “Every day you should be drinking half your body weight in ounces. So a 150-pound woman would need 75 ounces of water daily.”

And when you exercise, you need even more. Dr. Pescatore recommends an additional eight ounces of water for every half hour of working out, walking, biking—whatever exercise you choose.

He points out that caffeinated beverages don’t count in your total ounces of water. “In fact,” he advises, “each cup of coffee you drink requires another cup of water to make up for it. I realize that may seem like a lot of water—but it doesn’t take long to make a habit of it.”

Dr. Pescatore offers several more suggestions for relieving painful headaches in his Essential Pain Protocol. Not yet a member? Click here to get started today.

SOURCES

“Increasing the daily water intake for the prophylactic treatment of headache: a pilot trial.” European Journal of Neurology 2005; 12(9): 715-718. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2005.01081.x