One in ten people suffers from migraines. Most migraine sufferers know firsthand how debilitating these headaches can be. According to the Migraine Research Foundation, the condition is a neurological disorder that involves neural pathways and brain chemicals.
These throbbing headaches are recurring, usually affecting one side of the brain. Patients experience additional symptoms involving the gastrointestinal system (nausea and vomiting), and vision (temporary blindness, scrambled sight, bright sparks, and lights).
Sufferers never know when they’ll strike. Migraine headaches can last several hours, days, or even months. For some unlucky sufferers, they can turn into a chronic condition.
Although you can’t always prevent a migraine headache, it’s possible to identify triggers and reduce their frequency.
If you’re a migraine sufferer, OpenEye Wellness has a detailed guide to help you manage your painful migraine days.
Migraine Symptoms
According to the Mayo Clinic, patients can experience their first migraines during childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. The majority of sufferers are women.
These painful headaches have four stages: prodromal, aura, headache, and post-drome. Not all sufferers experience these stages.
- Stage 1 – Prodromal: The prodromal phase begins two days before a migraine. Individuals suffer from constipation, mood changes, a stiff neck, fatigue, and thirst.
- Stage 2 – Aura: This stage happens immediately before a migraine. Aura involves visual phenomena like bright lights and vision loss. Physical symptoms include pins-and-needles sensations, numbness, or jerking muscles.
- Stage 3 – A Migraine: The attack lasts four to 72 hours. Sufferers experience pulsating headache pain, light sensitivity, vomiting, blurred vision, and light-headedness.
- Stage 4 – Post-Drome: The final phase is the post-drome. Some individuals feel euphoric; others drained. Individuals feel confused, moody, weak, and dizzy after a headache ends.
Go to the emergency room if you have:
- An abrupt, severe headache.
- A headache with a fever, mental confusion, seizures, weakness, or double vision.
- A headache following a head injury.
- A chronic headache.
- A severe headache (if you’re 50 years or older).
Preventing Migraines
Although sufferers can’t always prevent migraines, you can reduce their frequency with alternative therapies and diet. Keep in mind that these are suggestions.
They are not a substitute for medical advice. Get evaluated by your family doctor before starting any complementary treatment.
- Keep a migraine diary. Migraine sufferers can have products, foods, or stressors that trigger their headaches. Pinpoint your triggers by keeping a journal. You can get a plain notebook or a leather-bound one. Use a bullet point format to chronicle events. Catalog your diet. You may notice a pattern. Remember, no two migraine sufferers are the same. Everyone has different triggers.
- Track your migraines. You can use applications that track migraines like Curelator or Migraine Buddy.
Avoid Triggers
- Avoid scented products. Some headaches are triggered by scented hand soaps, lotions, and shampoos. Don’t use products with strong smells. Ask your partner to stop using colognes or perfumes that can make you sick.
- Avoid foods that trigger migraines. Food sensitivities and allergies can initiate headaches. Triggers include food additives, aged cheeses, processed meats, monosodium glutamate (MSG), chocolate, caffeine, gluten, and histamines.
- Manage light-related migraine attacks. Computer screens, indoor lighting, and televisions can also trigger headaches. Wear indoor shades specifically made for migraine headaches.
Additional Triggers
- Hormonal changes before menstrual cycle. Female sufferers get migraine attacks before menstruation due to hormonal changes.
- Stress and emotional upsets. Traumatic events can instantly trigger a migraine.
- Fatigue and exhaustion. Overexertion or physical fatigue can spark headaches.
- Changes in sleep patterns. Get sleep. Erratic sleeping patterns can initiate a headache.
- Stormy weather. Another common cause of migraines is weather pattern changes. The barometric pressure drops during storms. This can trigger a migraine headache.
Easing Migraine Symptoms with Alternative Therapies
If you are suffering from a migraine headache, these tips can reduce its severity.
- Use Precision-Tinted lenses. Indoor lighting and sunshine can hurt a migraine sufferer’s sensitive eyes. Wear precision-tinted lenses to block out harmful light.
- Massage your painful area. Press the area where you hurt the most with a steady, rotating pressure for seven to 15 seconds, then release.
- Incorporate ice packs. These cold packs soothe the throbbing pain. You can purchase ice packs from your local drug store.
- Purchase a migraine cap. You can buy specialty caps with warming and cooling compresses to reduce a painful headache. Try the Icekap, Migraine Hat, or Migra Cap.
- Block out light with a sleep mask. Sometimes, migraine sufferers need to sleep during the daytime. Wear a sleep mask to block out all light. The mask eases eye strain and light sensitivity.
- Use noise-canceling earphones. Migraine sufferers usually experience sensitivity to sounds. Wearing noise-canceling earbuds will help.
- Generate white noise. If you don’t have specialty earbuds, don’t worry. Generate white noise to reduce loud sounds. Running a fan can create it. You can also play a CD or YouTube video with the soothing noise.
- Use glare screens to minimize light sensitivity. If you’re experiencing light sensitivity when using a computer at work, place a special glare screens over it.
Additional Alternative Treatments
- Meditation: This Ayurvedic practice reduces stress and decreases the frequency of migraines.
- Cannabis oil (CBD oil): This oil is still being researched. Cannabis researchers believe the oil inhibits the body’s pain response and reduces inflammation.
- B6 supplements: Some migraine sufferers have a lower level of serotonin in their systems. To optimized body’s serotonin use, add a B6 vitamin to your diet. Additionally, it is available in fortified cereals, eggs, spinach, potatoes with skin, and other foods. For more information on supplements, visit Nature’s Sunshine.
- Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium): This supplement reduces menstrual symptoms. Feverfew can ease hormonal migraines.
- Magnesium supplements: Migraine researchers believe a magnesium deficiency can trigger migraines. Add this supplement to prevent attacks.
- Daith piercings: This piercing passes through the ear’s innermost cartilage. It prevents migraines.
- Botox injections: These shots have shown promise in calming nerve pathways involved in migraines.
- Eat a healthy, whole foods diet. Include leafy green vegetables and organic foods. Exclude sugary treats, sodas, and processed foods. A good diet lays the foundation for long-term health.