Tension headaches are caused by anxiety, nervous tension, eyestrain, poor seating position, and tight muscles in the shoulders and neck and migraine headaches are caused by expansion of blood vessels in your head.

Headaches can also be caused by colds or flu, or even digestive problems. If you don’t want to take over the counter pain remedies or see your doctor here are 5 effective natural remedies to chase the headache away easily:

Note: If your headaches persist be sure to make an appointment with your doctor.

• To tackle tension headache, massage your temples with some lavender essential oil. Also, you can place your fingers at the top of your spinal column, where your neck meets the skull. Then move your fingers out 5 cm along the base of your skull until you find a small little indentation on either side. Apply firm pressure with the pads of your fingers, making a small rotating motion with your fingers. It will feel slightly tender as you apply the pressure. It will feel better as you massage deeper. Breathe deeply while you massage, and let yourself relax. Do this for one to three minutes. Repeat as often as you like.
• Here’s an herbal tea mix that can smooth the tension in you. Take 250 ml water, 1 teaspoon fresh chopped ginger root, and simmer the ginger in water in a covered pot for five minutes. Next add 1 teaspoon dried chamomile and 1 teaspoon dried linden flower and steep for another ten minutes. Strain and drink it hot.
• Lavender is helpful to tackle headaches as it can ease mental and physical stress. Add five drops of lavender and five drops of marjoram essential oil into a basin of cool water. Then soak two towels in the water and wring it lightly. Lie down on a bed and apply one towel to your forehead and one to the back of your neck. Rest for 30 minutes and you will feel relaxed afterwards.
• Valerian helps to relieve the pain of tension or migraine headaches. Take half a teaspoon of valerian extract and dilute in warm water. Drink a cup every 30 minutes till the pain is gone. But make sure you can only take up to 3 teaspoon a day of valerian.
• Lastly, try immersing your feet in a bucket of hot water for 15 minutes. Make the water as hot as you can withstand. At the same time, wring out a towel in ice water and apply cold compress on your forehead, temples, back of neck, or where the pain is concentrated at. This will increase blood flow to the feet and at the same time constricts blood vessel in the head, reducing blood flow and hence reduce pain.

Blueberries could help prevent one of the most common cancers, a study has found. The berries – already hailed as an anti-ageing ‘superfood’ – contain a compound called a preventative pigment with fewer side effects than commercial preparations.

A U.S. study is the first to show the cancer-fighting potential of pterostilbene – one of the antioxidants in blueberries. It is found in the pigment that gives blueberries their colour and the darker the berry, the higher the concentration of antioxidants.

The findings of the study were released at the March 2007 American Chemical Society meeting in Washington by scientists at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Bowel cancer affects around 34,000 Britons each year. Blueberries have also been found to improve short-term memory loss and enhance balance and co-ordination.

It’s spring! The flowers are blooming and many are yellow, the colour which research tells us makes us feel most optimistic and energetic.

A pot of daffodils will brighten your mood so put them on your desk or table. Research by Washington State University showed employees with blooms on their desks felt 10 percent less sleepy in one day.