George P Nyamanga

9 Natural Remedies for Migraines Migraine, Definition. It refers to a type of recurring headache that is accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to sound and light. Headaches that come as a result of migraine causes pulsing in a particular area of the body (usually one on side of the head) with varying intensity. Some of the common factors that are known to trigger Migraine are: Certain foods and food additives such as: Alcohol Chocolate Yeast Cured or processed meats Chocolate Stress Anxiety Strong smells Loud noises Medication overuse (it involves taking medicines for migraine too often) Migraine can be enervating and a chronic condition that affect people’s lives on a daily basis. There are various ways that can be used to treat and prevent migraine. But recently many people prefer natural treatment as an alternative to medical treatment. Some of the natural ways of treating and preventing Migraine are discussed below: Natural Remedies for Migraine 1. Diet changes A change in someone’s diet can trigger migraine. Some of the common foods that trigger migraine are: Alcohol Red wine Processed food Having the knowledge of the kind of foods that might be triggering migraine is critical. Most people use food diary or migraine journal to keep track of the potential triggers. It is important to note that changing your eating patterns to avoid triggers may help prevent migraine in the future. 2. Stress management Stress is one of the symptoms that triggers migraine. Stress may also create a cycle where by the migraine pain worsen the stress, which in turn triggers another type of migraine. Stress management practices such as such as journaling, exercising and meditation are useful preventing future migraines. Some people also prefer taking stress management classes. They, for instance chose to take a warm bath or just listen to a soft music so as to help them relive the stress level. By using the above-mentioned methods, one is able to choose the method that they can use to take control of their body’s reaction in order to live a stress-free life. 3. Biofeedback therapy It refers to a type of therapy that many people use to trigger the release and relaxation of tight muscles in the body. How does it work? Well, the sensors from the muscle feed are placed into a small machine that is used to relay real-time feedback about muscle tension, thus allowing the release of tight areas better. Also, the placement of these sensors along the jawlines, forehead or along the trapezius muscles in the shoulder can help in targeting the muscles that might triggering the migraine pain. 4. Sleep well Regular sleep is healthy to help stave off migraines. Too much or too little sleep can either trigger headaches or lower your threshold for pain. It is advisable to aim for 7 to 8 hours of restful sleep. This helps in reducing stress and prevent migraines. 5. Gingers Ginger is always a common remedy used when one wants to ease nausea caused by conditions. It can also work for migraines as well. According to research conducted by Migraine Research Foundation, a combination of ginger powder with sumatriptan, a common migraine drug, was found effective. The results further found that the effectiveness of ginger could be compared statistically to sumatriptan, and most of the users were willing to continue with either treatments. Using of ginger in treating and preventing migraine is encouraged since ginger cannot hurt and it has no notable side effects when using it. 6. Magnesium Lack of magnesium, a very important mineral in the body, may trigger other types of migraines such as migraine aura or a menstrual migraine headache. Migraine aura is said to be the visual disturbance that in most cases occur at the onset of migraine. It is also important to have in mind that not everyone who gets affected by migraine will experience this type of migraine aura. Research shows that magnesium oxide supplementation helps prevent migraine with aura. And it may also be used to prevent menstrual related migraines. Magnesium can be got from foods such as: Almonds Sesame seeds Sunflower seeds Brazil nuts Eggs Milk Peanut butter 7. B-complex vitamins The B vitamins may play an important role in reducing migraines frequency and severity. They are also known for the role they play in regulating the brain neurotransmitters. The B vitamins are water soluble hence the excess levels will be excreted in the form of urine from the body. B vitamins are quickly excreted from the body, so it is unlikely someone could take too much. Nevertheless, it is important to seek for a doctor’s advice before starting to take a daily B-complex vitamin 8. Herbal supplement The most common supplements that are used include; Butterbur and Feverfew. They are always helpful in reducing migraine pain and frequency. According to American Migraine Foundation, daily doses of 150 milligrams (mg) of Butterbur for three months was effective in lowering the migraine frequency. The Foundation further suggests that Butterbur is the most effective than Feverfew. However, Feverfew may still be useful to some people. They also advised that those looking forward to trying these herbs should first seek the doctor’s consent since there are some risks involved. 9. Exercise Regular work outs can prevent headaches associated with migraines. Exercises furthermore helps the body in releasing endorphins, these are the chemicals that fight the migraine pain. Exercising also affluences stress and help you sleep better. However, in the middle of a migraine attack exercising is discouraged since it will make you hurt even more. Bottom line Migraine patients should from time to time consult their doctor or a migraine specialist in order to get the best treatment or prevention method that works better on them even when trying out the natural medications.