Migraine headache sufferer? You’re not alone.
Apart from the typical symptom of a severe headache, a migraine can also have symptoms that include vomiting, visual changes, nausea, numbness or tingling, and sensitivity to smell, sound, or light. This debilitating chronic condition can also affect your children. It can also affect your daily life significantly.
You can use several available medications to cure migraine. However, there are natural remedies that you can use as alternatives in your home to treat your annoying migraine. Here is a list of the different natural methods that you can use to treat migraines.
Cure Migraine At Home Naturally
1. Essential Oils
Essential oils have many natural remedy properties because of their antimicrobial properties. This is why they are also used in cleaning products that you use at home.
Lavender, especially, is an essential oil that is recommended for the treatment of headaches, anxiety, and stress. The European Neurology published a study that determined the ability of lavender oil to reduce headaches in some individuals. All you have to do is inhale the oil.
Hence, buy lavender oil and use it to relieve your severe headache. Inhale the oil for fifteen minutes to attain fast results.
2. B-complex vitamins
B Vitamins aid in the regulation of neurotransmitters in the brain. People that suffer from severe headaches can have a deficiency of these types of vitamins. This causes energy slumps, foggy thinking and unhealthy effects in adrenaline and blood cells.
B-complex vitamins are water soluble; thus, consuming excess is efficiently secreted through the urine and out of the body. Regardless, the vitamins can improve the brain cells, immune function, blood circulation, and cardiovascular health.
Hence, to cure migraine, you can consider taking one tablet of B-complex vitamins daily. These vitamins also have added advantages of reducing stress, anxiety, confusion, and depression. Nevertheless, consult your doctor before you start taking a daily dose of B-complex vitamins.
3. Magnesium
When the levels of magnesium in your body reduce, it can trigger the occurrence of a headache. It can also initiate an aura. This aura is a visual disturbance that happens before the headache.
If you have diabetes, alcoholism, or heart disease, you are prone to having low levels of magnesium in your body. Therefore, using magnesium supplements is an effective way of combating severe headaches.
You can also get magnesium from consuming certain foods. These foods include almonds, sunflower seeds, cashews, oatmeal, milk, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, peanut butter, and eggs. Regardless, speak with your doctor before you start taking any magnesium supplements.
4. Herbal Supplements
There are two main herbal supplements that you can use to reduce the effects of your migraine. These include feverfew and butterbur. Feverfew is effective in reducing headache symptoms such as pain, vomiting, nausea, and sensitivity.
Butterbur reduces the inflammation effects of the chemicals that cause headaches. When you take one hundred and fifty grams of butterbur daily as a dose for three months, the frequency of your headaches occurring will be reduced. Feverfew is less effective than butterbur.
Regardless, it is still beneficial for some individuals. However, remember that using both herbs can present certain risks. Some of the effects of using these herbs can be severe.
Therefore, talk to your doctor before you start using butterbur and feverfew.
5. Massage
When you massage the muscles that are in your shoulders and your neck, you relieve any pain and tension that is caused by a headache. Massage also has an added benefit of reducing stress.
Hence, you can take a tennis ball and use it to massage yourself along your shoulders and your back. However, if you can afford a professional masseuse, make the use of their services and let them relieve any tension you might have in your muscles.
6. Yoga
When you start doing yoga, you will use your breath, you will meditate, you will also do body postures that will promote your overall well-being. A research done by the Advanced Biomedical Research has discovered that yoga can cure migraine through reducing its intensity, duration, and frequency.
Yoga also releases tension and improves anxiety when you are in areas that can trigger a severe headache. Overall, yoga is right for your health. Therefore, yoga is an excellent complementary therapy for your health.
7. Managing Stress
Your severe headaches might be a result of the constant stress that you have been under lately. This is because stress is a headache trigger. Additionally, stress can make the pain for the headache worse, and in turn, you get a cycle of occurring headaches.
Hence, take time to find activities that will help you relieve stress. For instance, you can decide to meditate, journal, or exercise. If any of these do not work, you can consider a stress management class.
Other methods that will help you to relax and relieve your stress include listening to your favorite music, and taking a warm bath. All these activities involve taking control of the reactions of your body. In turn, you will reduce stress in your life.
8. Ginger
In 2014, a study was done by the Zanjan University Of Medical Sciences that compared the effectiveness of sumatriptan and ginger in relieving migraine. The results from the study showed that the two treatments were equally effective in reducing severe headache. Ginger also has the ability to ease nausea.
The advantage of using ginger is that it has no side effects. Regardless, you have to ensure that you do not suffer from any allergies.
9. Biofeedback Therapy
This is a type of therapy that is used to initiate the relaxation as well as the release of the tight muscles. However, biofeedback requires training and practice.
During the therapy, sensors are placed on the muscles. These sensors feed into a machine that indicates the real-time results of your muscle tension. Hence, you can release the tight areas in your muscles.
To target those muscles that cause severe headaches, the sensor is placed on the forehead, shoulders, or the jawline.
10. Change of Diet
Certain foods can trigger severe headaches. The foods that are commonly known to be triggers include processed foods, alcohol, caffeinated beverages, red wine, and chocolate. Other foods that can trigger headaches include foods that contain nitrates and monosodium glutamate, cheese, cold foods like iced drinks and ice cream, beans, cultured dairy products, picked foods, and dried fruits.
Therefore, keeping track of the foods that might be triggering your headache is essential. You can keep a food diary to ensure that you track the foods that you eat daily. Once you have identified your triggers, change your diet to cure migraine.
You can also consider changing your eating patterns. Drink a minimum amount of caffeine to ease the pain. However, too much caffeine can increase the severity of the headache. It can also lead to caffeine withdrawal.
11. Acupressure
This is the process of applying pressure to certain parts of the body. The aim is to stimulate specific body points that can release muscle tension. The result is a release of pain.
The LI-4 point is a standard pressure point that is found in the space between the pointer finger and the base of the left thumb. When circular pressure is applied to this point firmly for five minutes, it can alleviate headache pain.
Another point that can be used to alleviate headache pain can be found on the inside of the arm, three fingers up the base of the wrist. This specific PC6 acupoint can relieve symptoms of vomiting or nausea.
Another point that can be used to alleviate headache pain can be found on the inside of the arm, three fingers up the base of the wrist. This specific PC6 acupoint can relieve symptoms of vomiting or nausea.
12. Acupuncture
The effectiveness of acupuncture for treating many conditions has been reviewed. Among the conditions examined was the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat a migraine. The results of the review showed that the process was effective in relieving any pain caused by severe headache.
However, there might be other factors that contribute to the effectiveness of acupuncture. Therefore, if this is a solution you want to consider, get the help of a trained practitioner. Ensure that your professional is a licensed acupuncturist.
13. Hydration
You already know that failing to drink enough water during the day can lead to a severe headache. Even the most minimal dehydration can cause a headache.
Therefore, drink more water during the day to ensure that you remain hydrated. If you are severely dehydrated, you might need an oral rehydration treatment as an initial solution so that you can replace your missing electrolytes.
Also, ensure that you maintain a diet that is healthy because it will help to keep you hydrated.
Also, ensure that you maintain a diet that is healthy because it will help to keep you hydrated.
14. Rest
Sometimes, all you need to cure migraine is a good night rest. Regardless, remember that having too much sleep or lacking enough sleep can lead to severe headaches.
Enough sleep also reduces the chances of getting stressed. Thus, sleep for seven to nine hours a day to prevent headaches.
15. Compresses
In some cases, when you place a compress on your head, it will reduce the pain caused by the headache. You can use a cold or a warm compress to soothe the pain away. Many people prefer using a cold compress.
However, if you have any skin issues, you should avoid using extreme temperatures. Additionally, if you have diabetes or circulatory problems, avoid using extreme temperatures on your compress.
Manage Your Migraines at Home
Before you start any of the above remedies, it is essential that you collaborate with your doctor or another specialist. They will help you to determine the best treatment for your migraine. Also, you can keep a journal that will keep track of your triggers as well as the remedies that work best for you.