When my wife and I first got married, she used an oral contraceptive. It was also during that time that she experienced frequent headaches and migraines.

Although some dietary changes she made improved things, I now believe that the birth control played a role in inducing the headaches.

Anecdotal evidence: my wife has been off of oral contraceptives for a few years now and hasn’t had a migraine. She gets mild headaches maybe a couple times a year.

More anecdotal evidence: my sister-in-law has suffered from chronic headaches for years. So much so that it’s become a point of frustration for her and her husband (my brother).

Recently, my sister-in-law stopped taking oral contraceptives and had an IUD (Intrauterine Device) inserted. Since then, her chronic headaches are no longer chronic. In fact, she now rarely has headaches at all.

Some non-anecdotal evidence: the American Council for Headache Education says this about the relationship between oral contraceptives and migraines…

Many women with migraine who take oral contraceptives (OCs) experience no difference in their migraine pattern. One third of women may actually experience fewer attacks or they may be less severe (and about one third have more severe headaches). However, significantly more women start having migraine when starting OCs than when not using OCs, suggesting a causal relationship.

If you are female… you take oral contraceptives… and you experience chronic headaches or migraines—consider using a different form of birth control like condoms or an IUD. This simple change may rid you of your headaches for good.

This past summer I was driving to Las Vegas when I got a splitting headache. It took me by surprise because I never get headaches. The pain was so intense that I had difficulty enjoying the drive through the Rocky Mountains or the music I was listening to.

When I decided I’d had enough, I began to talk to myself out loud. I asked, “What can I do to get rid of this headache without pain relievers.” (I had not brought any with me because never take pain killers.) After a few minutes of putting my brain to work to find a solution, I came up with an idea. I thought if I could better regulate my breathing, I could make the headache go away.

I began with slow deep breaths, then shifted to fast shallow breaths. I repeated this cycle for a period of about 10 minutes. And by the end, my headache had totally vanished. I was amazed and thankful.

After doing a Google search, I discovered other sources that verify proper breathing techniques can help eliminate headaches. Next time you have a headache, try regulating your breathing. You might be amazed by how fast and how much you can reduce the pain with this simple tactic.