If a pounding headache frequently puts a crimp in your lifestyle or makes you sick to your stomach or super-sensitive to light, it’s almost a sure bet that you’re suffering from a migraine, not just a run-of-the-mill headache. At least 70% of America’s 28 million migraine sufferers are women, which means that some migraines are linked to hormone fluctuations.
Migraines vary from person to person, so what works for one may not work for someone else. You’ll probably need a little trial and error to find what works for you. It also helps to keep a notation in your calendar when you experience them. Many women find their migraines are linked to their menstrual cycles or, if they are peri-menopausal, to the surges and ebbs of hormone production.
Experts say one of the following safe, natural remedies has a good chance of working for you:
Try the supplements that prevent attacks. According to a study in the journal Headache, twice daily doses of 25 milligrams of the herb butterbur reduced the number of migraine days by 62% over a six-month period. Be careful, though. The wild butterbur that might grow near your home is toxic. Use only specially prepared commercial remedies to be sure they are safe. You’ll find them in most health food stores.
Or try coenzyme Q10. In research from Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University, patients with a history of migraines cut their numbers of headaches in half when they took 150 milligrams of CoQ10 daily for three months. CoQ10 somehow improves the function of mitochondria, the cells’ little energy furnaces, which we know is impaired in people with migraines.
Take more of the headache-busting vitamin. A small Belgian study shows that migraine sufferers who took 400 mg. of riboflavin (vitamin B2) daily for three months had half the number of headaches as before. Riboflavin also works to correct deficiencies in the firing of the mitochondrial energy furnace. Be careful, though, the recommended anti-migraine dose is more than 200 times the 1.7 mg. recommended daily intake of riboflavin, so you should have medical supervision if you’re using it at such high dosages.
Needle the pain away. Weekly acupuncture sessions have been shown to reduce the frequency of migraines by 34% in just three months – and the treatment provides lasting relief for a year or more. Plus, subjects in a British acupuncture study required 15% less medication and took 15% fewer sick days.
Acupuncture works to relieve migraines by stimulating the release of neurotransmitters like pain-killing endorphins and calming serotonin. Acupuncture also eases muscle tightness that can trigger a migraine.
DIY with acupressure.
If you’re squeamish about needles, you can get migraine relief in the comfort of your own home with acupressure. Try pressing along the edges of your earlobes with a small pointed instrument, like a ball pen cap or a toothpick, until you feel a sharp jab. Hold that point with your fingers for 30 seconds, release and repeat several times.
This works much like acupuncture and relieves a migraine in less than five minutes for about 80% of migraine sufferers.
Thanks for that! How about magnesium? I don’t see it on your list and many migraines are magnesium deficient. I don’t have citations handy and no time to look it up. I also have found CBD to be useful since migraine has been associated with a low Endocannabinoid System. I had a great blog about it that I had to remove since it’s a disease claim for a supplement that I carry on my website, http://cassmd.com. Too bad! Happy Holidays!!