The first thing that I've learned: acetaminophen (Tylenol) does NOT help. In fact, most OTC drugs do not help. Naproxen sometimes can lessen the pain if, in fact, the migraine is partially a tension headache. Excedrin can also do some good, however, only if you're in need of caffeine. In the long run, taking these kids of drugs will cause more frequent migraines and headaches, and trying some of the natural remedies will not work as well until your body is un-trained from having these drugs at the first sign of pain. Acetaminophen is actually poisonous to your nervous and immune systems, so unless it is necessary, my opinion is, do not give into temptation to take it. It will cause you more pain in the long run.
The second thing I've learned: In this case, the old adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is Gospel truth. I can't stress this enough with health in general, but especially for me in the case of migraines.
Honestly, my main level of protection against getting migraines is eating well and regular exercise. This is all about avoiding "triggers" and keeping the blood vessels open and clear. So, "eating well," in my case means eating something every couple of hours; eating as much fresh, raw food as possible (CSA helps); eat hormone-free meats as often as possible; use minimally-processed foods including fats; avoid sodas and other "empty foods"; avoid any processed foods with artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup (or any corn syrup if I can help it), large amounts of plain sugar (if I can help it, though this is least of the "evils" in this way), sodium benzoate, citric acid, mono-sodium glycol or MSG, and other processing products.
Not all the time, not in every case, but... certainly maintaining good overall health is the main thing that has worked for me in prevention of many issues, migraine being at the front.
Finally: Chiropractic care. This is so important for so many things, not just for migraines. But I know that if I don't go when I need to, I will get a migraine. Or, when I do finally go, if I don't ice my neck afterward (because I went too long and the adjustment causes a little bit of swelling in this case), then I might get a migraine. Apparently, the vertebrate of my neck that is constantly pushing itself out of place also causes some of the constriction and spasm of the blood vessels in my head/brain that cause my migraines. This makes sense, of course, because chiropractic is all about having a healthy nervous system, of which the brain is, of course, a major part.
Once I do get a migraine, I personally will try all of these things (though, again, each person and migraine is different):
- eating a green apple or a teaspoon of raw (local) honey (I've heard tell of studies that say the smell of a green apple can for some reason give 30% of sufferers relief. Either way, migraines can be caused by low blood sugar, so if I have a green apple, I eat it and kill two birds with one stone. Honey is a great way to boost your blood sugar quickly, too, but I follow that up with something more substantial so I'm not right back where I was.)
- drinking a couple of glasses of cold water
- ice pack on my neck, base of skull, and/or temples
- between drinks of water, if I have not had any caffeine that day, I'll drink a small amount of coffee, tea, or soda (if my husband has an energy drink, when I'm not pregnant anyway, I'll drink some of one of those), just to get the caffeine into me
- taking my multi-vitamin multi-mineral (or one of each, if I don't have a combined one at the time), and DHA or Omega fatty acids/fish oil. I'm not sure why I do the fish oil, except it is supposed to help with brain function and it just seems like a smart thing to do if I'm already taking a vitamin. However, riboflavin (vitamin B-2) plays a critical role in the proper function of the mitochondria, and it has been shown in studies that a high does (400mg or more per day) can reduce the severity and frequency of migraines. Also (I learned from my neurologist and researched it myself), half of migraine sufferers were found to be deficient in magnesium while in the throws of an attack. Magnesium opens constricted blood vessels, slows inflammation and interrupts the action of neurotransmitters that can lead to migraine. All good reasons to take an extra vitamin if you're suffering, or to start taking one if you don't already.
- lay down and relax in a quiet, dark place. This one is dependent on my mommy duties for the moment. I used to ask for a break if I was at work to go lay in the break room with no lights on and relax, hoping that in 30 minutes or so, it would subside enough to finish the day.
- If all else fails... sleeping may be the only option. Or dealing with the pain and doing my best not to be the crankiest person in town.
"Green Pharmacy" or "Natural Cures" for Migraines: Dr. James A. Duke is known as the "Green Pharmacist" and has written a few books about herbal remedies. He is supposedly the "world's foremost authority on healing herbs," but he also talks about OTC drugs and remedies that are more commonplace in the US (which is weird to me, because they've been around shorter periods of time and have not been proven to work as effectively, and they're more expensive most of the time; but that is another post for another time). I learned this statistic about migraines from his book, The Green Pharmacy: "For unknown reasons, about three times as many women as men experience this painful condition [migraines]. Women often develop migraines just prior to menstrual periods or during pregnancy, and migraines disappear after menopause in about three-quarters of women." Whew, that's a relief. He also reminds us that no single therapy works for every type of headache or for every person. Any kind of herb that contains "parthenolides" are extremely useful in preventing migraine. Dr. Duke's suggestion is to make a tea/tincture of Bay leaves, which are high in parthenolides, and feverfew. Feverfew is a flower in the family of dandelion and marigold, and is famous in the green community for preventing and curing migraines and other headaches. Steeping 2-8 fresh leaves of feverfew (with the bay, if you desire) leaves in boiling water (but do not boil them, as the parthenolides and anti-inflamatory effects can break down) can create what is called a "tincture" that you can ingest just like a tea. This was Dr. Duke's suggestion and what he would try himself if he suffered migraines.
Other beneficial herbs include willow (the OTC derivative for willow bark is aspirin, and is useful because it contains salicin, a pain-relieving chemical similar to what is in modern aspirin), evening primrose, garlic and onion (blood-thinning herbs etc, also great for preventing heart attack and hardening of arteries), ginger (large quantities, usually combined with other herbs such as turmeric), ginko (improves blood flow to brain), hot peppers/red peppers (capsaicin is what makes things "hot" and spicy, and can also relieve pain; you can snort it, which I've seen done and though effective, is not recommended; you can also use it as a topical treatment, which works kinda like "IcyHot" or other products such), lemon balm/melissa (can be added to the above tea, if anything it improves the flavor), peppermint (mix w/ alcohol or carrier oil and rub on temples a/o pressure points; can be used with rosemary a/o eucalyptus, but be warned that eucalyptus in high doses can cause contractions in pregnant women), and again, turmeric (anti-inflammatory).
Rubbing the rind of a lemon on your temples has been said to work. I've never received much relief from this. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.
Caffeine can either help or hurt migraines. If you drink a lot of caffeine and get frequent migraines, cut your caffeine intake to one or two caffeinated beverages a day, and wait a week or two for the withdrawal to wear off. If you don't intake ANY caffeine, try some at the first sign of a migraine, or drink one lightly caffeinated drink a day for a couple of weeks, and see what happens.
Something that may sound "kooky" or crazy: one of the so-called "super juices", Noni juice, prevents migraines better than any medication I've been given. Two ounces or so every day seems to prevent the spasm or constriction of the blood vessels. I heard this after I had already bought a mixture of four juices, mangosteen, noni, gogi, and acai. However, I did not want to drink 8 ounces of this a day to get the amount recommended for migraine prevention, as it is nasty-tasting and expensive, so I bought some noni separately. It does seem to work to prevent about 80-90% of my migraines. But it tastes TERRIBLE! So, I often don't take it. I know, I know...
I think, in this vein, my next post will be about my chiropractor and chiropractic care as a whole. I feel like, just like with modern medicine and doctors, I only know the "tip of the iceberg" as far as what there is to know about chiropractic. But... it's important, and a fairly regular part of my life, my husband's life, and my daughter's life. And it is directly related to health and wellness, and, obviously, to this post on migraines!
So, migraine sufferers, I hope this was of some help, and if you have any remedies to comment/add, feel free! I love to find out what works for different people.
I'm not satisfied with this post, therefore, I will be doing a massive edit. FYI.
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