Home Remedies For Migraines

We will not only provide you with some handy little tips, but we'll also let you know what you can do to avoid getting migraines in the first place.

So if you're ready we'll get started.

Migraines can be split into the following categories:

Migraine without aura - This type of migraine is defined as follows : "Recurrent headache disorder manifesting in attacks lasting 4–72 hours. Typical characteristics of the headache are unilateral location, pulsating quality, moderate or severe intensity, aggravation by routine physical activity and association with nausea and/or photophobia and phonophobia." By The International Classification of Headache Disorders

Migraine with aura - The International Headache Society describe this kind of migraine as. "A typical aura consisting of visual and/or sensory and/or speech symptoms. Gradual development, duration no longer than one hour, a mix of positive and negative features and complete reversibility characterise the aura which is associated with a headache fulfilling criteria for migraine without aura".

Basilar type migraine - This type of migraine is pretty rare and is caused by brain stem (the lower part of the brain that is adjoined continuosly to the spinal chord) dysfunction. Severe complications can result from a basilar type migraine such as stroke, coma and death.

Famillial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) - This is a headache that can be triggered by more than one cause and can last from anything from 4 hours to 3 days. FHM manifests in the following; a typical migraine headache, which is preceded or accompanied by unilateral, reversible weakness of the limbs and speach and sensory difficulties.

Abdominal migraine - This migraine has an unknown origin and is recurrent in nature, usually affecting children. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and various degrees of abdominal pain.

Acephalgic migraine - Acephalgic migraine is a neurological syndrome and is a variant form of migraine, where the sufferer might experience some of the symptoms of migraine with aura, but without the accompanying headache.

Menstrual migraine - As the name sugests only women suffer from this condition. Studies show that out of all the migraines suffered by women each year, a whopping 60% suffer from menstrual migraines.

There are two types of menstrual migraine, they are the Menstrually Related Migraine, which is catergorised by a headache with varying degrees of pain that happens around a woman's period, as well as other times of the month. And secondly, the Pure Menstrual Migraine, which is practically the same as the Menstrually Related Migraine, but only happens around the time of the period.

Now that we have gained a little understanding about the diffrent types of migraine we can now get to work on the different home remedies for migraines. However, I will be concentrating on the most common forms of the condition, namely migraine without aura, migraine with aura and the menstrual migraine.

So without further ado let's get started.

You are probably wondering by now, how exercise as a home remedy for migraines actually benefits the sufferer. Well, regular exercise reduces tension, anxiety; increases your ability to relax as well as the efficiency of your blood vessels and can help combat sleeplessness, amongst other things.

Grapes - At first glance this may sound like one of the stranger home remedies for migraines out there, but it can be pretty effective.

Here just grab some grapes and grind them, collect the juice and drink it straight.

Niacin - Also known a vitamin B3, Niacin can act as a very good migraine remedy and can be found genrously in yeast, liver, fish, sunflower seeds, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes and nuts. Why not visit your local health food store, to talk with them about taking a vitamin suppliment.

Cabbage leaves - In Roman times the simple cabbage was used to treat nearly every illness known to man, so with that in mind it may NOW come to no surprise to you, that perhaps the Romans could have had something there and that the cabbage can still have its medical uses nowadays, namely - in the context of this article - to treat migraines.

The idea here is to make a cabbage compress, by crushing a few of the vegetable's leaves, placing them in a tea towel, or something similar and applying to the forehead until the leaves dry out.

Spinach and carrot juice - Believe it or not a concotion of spinach and carrot juice can prove to be a pretty effective remedy in curing migraines. Here, just mix 250ml spinach juice with 250ml of carrot juice and drink.

Beet, Cucumber and carrot juice - As with the above tip, this may seem like one of the most bizarre home remedies for migraines you may have come across, but it does work. With this recipe, you need to combine 100ml each of beet and cucumber juice with 250ml of carrot juice and drink.

Massage - A massage is a nice way to eleviate the symptoms of a migraine headache. If you feel that you've got an episode coming on, why not ask your partner or somebody who you feel comfortable with, to give you a massage. You should preferbaly lie flat, stomach down on a sofa and allow yourself to become as relaxed as possible, whilst you have your shoulders and neck massaged. Doing this will help you release the build up of tension, which usually precedes a migraine.

Foot massage - Having your feet messaged can be very soothing and can help relieve the pain as quick as any of the other home remedies for migaraines. A similar tip to this one is to massage the area between your thumb and first finger. This is because it's one of the many pressure points situated around the human body, and can really help you relieve tension.

Hot or cold temperatures - Depending on the person, hot or cold items placed around the neck, head and shoulders, such as ice packs, heat pads and hot water bottles can work wonders when relieving migraine pain.

Have a nap - As a sufferer of migraines, myself, I find that having a nap in a dark, quiet room is one of the most effective ways of shifting my migraine. Although I can appreciate that sometimes the pain can be so acute that, sleeping is not an option, why not combine a nap with any of the tips above?

The following tips are natural remedies only.

Drink plenty of water - What many people don't know is that one of the biggest causes of headaches in people is down to dehydration. When the body - which is made up of between 55% and 75% water - loses too much moisture, then it will give you tell tale signs such as thurst, headache and muscle cramps. Therefore ensure you drink plenty of water in order to reduce the chances of a migraine from being triggered.

Cut down on alcohol - Alcohol excess proves to be one of the biggest migraine triggers, not only does it dehydrate you, it also seriously disrupts sleep patterns, as well as making you irritable and tense, the morning after. All these are a great recipe for the onset of a migraine.

Cut down on caffeine - Caffeine has become a notorious migraine culprit over the years. however researchers have discovered that it effects people in different ways, some people are severely troubled by it and some aren't troubled at all. However, as completely stopping caffeine right away, can also trigger migraines, may I suggest that you ween yourself of it slowly. Finally, if you weren't already confused enough, some people's symptoms are even reduced by drinking, let's say, a cup of coffee.

Adopt a regular sleep pattern - Both too much and too little sleep have been earmarked by researchers as migraine triggers. Make sure you strike a nice balance between the two. Try and go to sleep at the same time every night - where possible - and don't have too long a lie-in, as this could mean you won't be able to sleep, which again can throw your sleep pattern out of sync.

Eat a well balanced diet - Eat a healthy vaired diet consisting of fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, milk, yoghurt and fish. Perhaps try eating a diet of all fruit for two or three days each month, to detox the body and help keep it cleansed.

Avoid certain foods - In order to prevent migraines you should think about cutting back on certain foods such as sugar, white flour, cakes, confectionery, refined cereal greasy food, sauces, condiments, pickles, tinned and preserved foods as all these contain different properties that can triggger migraines.

Avoid stressful situations - This tip is a lot harder to undertake than many of the others, but avoiding situations that cause stress, will ease tension and therefore reduce the power of one of the biggest factors that trigger migraines.

I hope you found the article on home remedies for migraines useful. Remember before you undertake anything suggested in this article, talk to your doctor.

Thanks for reading.

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