Natural Treatment Options for Migraine

Headaches are painful and annoying, but migraines are positively debilitating. Many people with migraines must take a day off work and stay in bed to recover.

Symptoms usually include a throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, sensory disturbances like flashing lights, and an extreme sensitivity to light and sound.

Many people tough it out on their own without medical help, especially because they do not want to stuff their bodies with synthetic drugs that have unwelcome side-effects that last longer than the migraine itself.

If this sounds like you, try some of these natural techniques to address your migraine problem.

At this stage migraine cannot really be cured. Each migraine sufferer must find ways to relieve the symptoms and reduce and shorten the episodes.

The best natural treatment for many people's migraines is to identify its cause and address it directly. For example, if your migraines are usually caused by alcohol, flashing lights, direct sunlight or car sickness, avoid these events at all cost.

You can avoid office parties, change the colours on your television and computer screen until the flashing is dimmed, wear sunglasses when you are outdoors, and cycle or take the tube to work.

Keep a diary to help you identify the causes and be creative when devising strategies to avoid it. Prevention is by far the best strategy when dealing with migraine.

Stay Hydrated at All Times

Beyond these simple prevention strategies, another easy technique is to ensure that you drink enough water.

Some studies have found that dehydration causes headaches, which may easily descend into migraines for migraine sufferers. There is also some research that suggests that migraine sufferers can reduce the duration and intensity of migraine episodes by drinking an extra 1.5 litres of water per day.

This should not just be done on days when migraines are likely or when light migraine symptoms are present, though. Dehydration builds up throughout the body over days of consuming too little fluids, a condition which sudden excessive drinking cannot remedy.

If you are struggling to stay hydrated, it may be useful to try our Biocera Alkaline Filter Jug which produces beautiful pure alkaline ionized water.

Chemical Over-Load

It is not only dehydration that can cause migraine, however. Through additives and preservatives in food, chemicals in our cosmetics and cleaning products, and your polluted environment, you consume a lot of toxic substances that may interfere with your body's normal functioning.

If you drink two litres of water every day, your liver, skin, and kidneys have enough ammunition to rid your body of toxins that may cause migraines.

Room Temperature Water Could Help

Not all types of water are effective, however, and some types may even cause or worsen migraines. Fridge temperature water can cause headaches, especially in those people who have regular migraine episodes.

If you are one of the unlucky ones who suffer headaches after drinking cold water, drink your water at or slightly below room temperature.

Filtered Water is Better for Health

Two litres of water is a lot. It certainly dwarfs any other substances that you put into your body. As a result, it is incredibly important that this water is clean. It is unwise to fill your body with two litres of a substance that contains unhealthy chemicals and heavy metals every day. The cumulative effect of such a constant intake of chemicals and metals on your body is unthinkable.

It is, thus, prudent to filter your water to remove the potentially harmful substances that your tap water contains. An excellent way to filter your water may be to use our Biocera Alkaline Filter Jug which helps produce pure alkaline ionized water.

Overhaul Your Current Eating Habits

Eat a balanced diet that contains all the necessary nutrients and as few empty calories and industrial chemicals as possible.

Refined carbohydrates are empty calories because all the nutritious parts of the grains have been removed. Packaged food contains potentially toxic industrial chemicals to change their texture, colour, and taste, or to keep them fresh for longer.

A healthy diet will keep your body clean of toxins that can cause migraines.

Get Sufficient Sleep

Keep your sleep schedule regular by going to bed at roughly the same time every night and rising the same time every morning. Many migraine sufferers report experiencing more migraines after a poor night's' sleep.

Poor sleep is more likely if you change your sleep schedule so frequently that your body does not know when it is supposed to sleep. Early morning exercise can help your body get used to a regular waking time, and a late night bath or novel read can put it to sleep.

Consume More Magnesium

Magnesium is a popular vehicle for migraine relief in the natural health community.

The first step is to ensure that you are obtaining enough magnesium from your diet. Green vegetables, nuts, and whole grains contain magnesium, so a reasonably healthy diet can give you enough.

Alternatively, you can take an oral magnesium supplement or, if all fails, ask your naturopath about intravenous magnesium sulphate, which has also helped many migraine sufferers.

Supplement with Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is another popular natural option. Some foods contain it in small amounts, but the best way to consume it in larger amounts is as a supplement.

One well-designed study with 42 subjects concluded that 300 milligram of Coenzyme Q10 could reduce the number of migraine episodes. An excellent source of Coenzyme Q10 is QuattroCardio which we have in stock.

Feverfew Herb

Many naturopaths prescribe the herb feverfew, and some research backs their belief in its effectiveness.

Some researchers have concluded that it can stop mild migraines from becoming worse and can therefore help those who take it when they perceive the first sign that a migraine might be on its way.

Other researchers have found that its regular use as a supplement can reduce the number of episodes and the severity of the symptoms.

The herb looks like chamomile and can be brewed into a tea or taken as a capsule.

Try some of these natural techniques to prevent and relieve migraines if your physician can only help by prescribing synthetic medicine.

Your naturopath or homoeopath may also have some additional recommendations, but some of the lifestyle changes suggested above, coupled with natural minerals or herbs can often do the trick for many migraine sufferers.