Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Natural Remedies for Migraine Headaches





Today I met a very nice woman in the nail salon. We instantly connected and began to talk about health.  There was one thing that the woman said to me that really touched my heart and that was, " I have really bad migraines."

My heart was touched that her migranes were so bad. In fact, I decided to mention to my facebook friends that I was working on a new blog post about natural remedies for migraine suffers.

I was quite surprised at the response. There are many people that suffer from migraines and medication seems to only be a temporary solution. In this blog post you will read about migraine statistics, what causes migranes, supplements for headache support, lifestyle changes, including foods to eat and foods to avoid.

Facts
In the U.S., more than 30 million people suffer from migraines, according to a 2001 report from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. That means there is a migraine sufferer in 25 percent of all U.S. households. Read more


What Causes Migranes
According to the Mayo Clinic, Migraines may be caused by changes in the brainstem and its interactions with the trigeminal nerve, a major pain pathway. Imbalances in brain chemicals, including serotonin — which helps regulate pain in your nervous system — also may be involved, Moreover, Serotonin levels drop during migraine attacks. This may trigger your trigeminal system to release substances called neuropeptides, which travel to your brain's outer covering (meninges). The result is headache pain.

Foods That will Boost Serotonin levels

  • Turkey
  • Almonds
  • Dark leafy Greens
  • Pineaples
  • Cherries
  • A Cup a Day of Black Coffee
Foods that "Trigger" Headaches
  • Alcohol
  • Wine
  • Beer
  • Dairy foods
  • Caffeine
  • Sugar
  • Chocolate
  • MSG (common in chinese food)
  • Pizza
  • Wheat
  • Sulfites
Supplements for Headaches
Before starting any supplements, consult your physician
  • Magnesium
  • 5-HTP (to calm stress)
  • Gingko bikiba
  • Green Tea with stevia
Here are five things that you can do on a daily basis to help manage the on-set of migraine headaches and they are as follows:

  1. Massage Therapy (once or twice a month)
  2. Aromatherapy (Lavendar Oil)
  3. Deep Breathing
  4. Excercise
  5. Ice pack applied to the back of the neck; for nausea, place ice on the throat

As stated above, as you begin to incorporate any of the above natural remedies, be sure to consult with your physician. Moreover, as you can see, your diet and lifestyle plays a major role in your ability to manage migraines.

Further, as you try any of the above remedies, consider journaling about the natural remedies that you consume. This is the only way to know what works for you. If it works, tell your doctor and keep doing what works for you.

If you found this blog post to be very helpful to you, please share it with your family, friends and co-workers that may suffer from migraines.

With your health in mind,
Shiketa
 
Sources for this post:
Causes of Migraines
Natural Health Remedies: An A-Z handbook with natural treatments

2 comments:

  1. Also making sure you are drinking at least half your body weight in water each day may help. Chronic dehydration may lead to headaches.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for adding that Elicia. Yes water is a regulator and the mind needs plenty of water!

    ReplyDelete

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