How to Make a Migraine Go Away | Avoid Migraines

How to Make a Migraine Go Away

Do You Suffer From Migraines? We’re going to tell you how to make a migraine go away, or at least alleviate the pain to a tolerable level. We will also show you ways to avoid migraines.

Thankfully I have never had the horrific experience of suffering through the excruciating pain of a migraine.

However, I have been present when others fought their way through that terrible experience so I can attest to just how debilitating they are.

I am sure that most of you are familiar with migraine modus operandi. Pounding pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and sometimes a strange aura. They can last a few hours or several days. This neurological disease affects over a billion people worldwide. Migraine makes the brain vulnerable to factors such as stress, insomnia, hormones, weather, and certain foods.

Speaking of foods, here is a list of the real bad guys:

Foods to Avoid to Prevent Migraines

– foods with nitrates such as weiners, bacon, and sausages, and other processed foods.

– chocolate

– cheese that contains tyramine (feta, cheddar, parmesan, and Swiss) (oh drat)

– pickles

– alcohol, particularly red wine

– very cold foods like ice cream (heavy sigh)

– MSG

– dried fruits

– buttermilk, sour cream, and yogurt

These are the main foods to avoid to prevent migraines. Some say that coffee also causes migraines but I have read that a small amount may ease the pain in some cases. The best thing to do is keep a food diary to discover which ones you need to eliminate.

Herbs and Essential Oils

Essential oils such as lavender and peppermint  often ease the pain. Lavender oil should be inhaled steadily for about fifteen minutes. The menthol in peppermint oil applied to the forehead and temples helped ease the pain, nausea, and light sensitivity.

Feverfew, a flowering herb similar to a daisy, is a folk remedy said to ease migraine symptoms.

Ginger eases nausea, and the powder has been proven to decrease migraine severity and duration as well or better than the prescription drug Sumatriptan with the added bonus of no side effects.

Another kid on the block is White Willow, this being a tree with bark that contains salicylates, which are the natural precursors to what we know as aspirin. It provides headache relief but is not so hard on the stomach lining. Adults should take 30 drops of White Willow tincture 3-4 times daily in a little water and on an empty stomach at the onset of a migraine.

 

Magnesium and Other Deficiencies

Magnesium deficiency is linked to migraine. Foods that contain magnesium are almonds, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews, peanut butter, oatmeal, and eggs. If supplementation is needed avoid labels that say magnesium oxide.
Apparently a recent study has shown that it is not effective in increasing overall magnesium levels in your body. Both magnesium glycinate and magnesium citrate give you more bang for your buck. In the same vein, B-Complex vitamins reduce the severity and frequency of migraine. This is due to their role in regulating neurotransmitters in the brain. CoQ10 and riboflavin have also been linked to prevention of migraines.

*All of the links to the above supplements will lead you to this store, which is a great source for natural supplements and essential oils, and just about anything else we refer to on Un-Pharma.com.

Other Ways to Alleviate Migraine Symptoms:

– Acupressure, which is the
practise of applying pressure to specific points on the body, similar to acupuncture without the needles, is known to relieve the headache as well as the nausea.

– Stay hydrated. Not drinking enough water is a  well known migraine trigger. Be sure to get in the habit of drinking water throughout the day. Whether you like it cold (oops, in this case not too cold), room temperature, or hot, it is a habit that migraine sufferers must get into.

– Sleep, both lack of and too much can be triggers. Try to get 7-9 hours per night. With our busy lives and our constant stress, not to mention plain old insomnia, this can be tricky. Ashwagandha, bay leaf tea, melatonin, and several other natural supplements can aid in this endeavor.

– Either cold or hot compresses
applied to the aching head is soothing and many say it helps to reduce migraine pain.

– Apparently there are now eyeglasses you can purchase that are designed to filter pain triggering light due to their specially coated lenses. Radiyah Chowdhury (associate editor at Chatelaine magazine) found that putting them on immediately at the first twinges of migraine helped reduce the intensity of the pain.

– Nerve stimulation devices such as Cefaly work by sending electrical pulses to the part of the brain where the migraine starts. Wear it on your forehead daily for twenty minutes to prevent migraine, or during an attack to lessen the symptoms.

Journal

The best advice I can offer to understand your affliction is to keep a daily journal. List your symptoms, lifestyle habits, menstrual cycle, and weather. There are apps available to assist you with this. From what I have witnessed, I would follow the old adage “whatever works” to gain relief.

I am rooting for you!

 

To Conclude

Some migraine sufferers may not be able to completely make a migraine go away. But we have gone through many ways to alleviate migraine symptoms, and ways to prevent a migraine altogether.

We have listed foods to avoid to prevent migraines, as well as some things you might be deficient in, if you tend to suffer from migraines.

And, it can’t be stressed enough – Journal!

Please leave a comment below if this article has helped you, or if you have any personal knowledge or experience that you would like to add.

Thanks!

 

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