How to Get Rid of Migraines Permanently at Home – Have you ever felt a throbbing pain in your head which leaves you sensitive to light and sound? If “yes”, that was a migraine. It can really hurt and severely disrupt your life if you don’t handle it well.
There are different migraine treatments and some migraine remedies can even be permanent.
According to a WHO report on their website, more than 30% of adults aged 18 to 65 have reported having a migraine. That is a lot of people and we are sure you know one or two people who battle this condition often. Maybe even you!
If this is true for you, it is your lucky day as we are going to present you with different migraine remedies that will help you deal with, not temporarily but permanently.
What Is a Migraine?
A migraine is a type of headache that is often accompanied by feelings of nausea or maybe even vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound.
How long do migraines last?
Research has shown that a migraine headache can last between 4 to 72 hours if left untreated. If you have ever experienced a migraine before, you already know you don’t want to experience it for even a moment.
The American Migraine Foundation says that in excess of 36 million Americans get a migraine.
It also said that women are 3 times more likely to get one than men. However, the pain can reduce or even stop altogether from 50 years an above.
What Causes Migraines?
The real cause of a migraine is not yet known.
With current advancements in technology and medical research, it has been discovered that migraines are a neurological disorder.
This type of disorder involves brain chemicals and nerve pathways.
Migraines can be genetic but certain environmental conditions too can trigger it.
Certain foods and drinks can also trigger a migraine.
When you are dehydrated or you skip meals, you run the risk of paying with a migraine attack.
Hormonal changes, especially in women, stress, or some types of illness can lead to migraine episodes.
If your migraine occurs at intervals, for instance, more than twice a month, especially if it is a chronic migraine that prevents you from functioning properly, you might want to prevent it.
It can be a good idea to prevent a migraine before it happens.
This will save you a lot of productive time and the pain you will avoid makes prevention a good option.
Some of the ways you can prevent migraine are by getting botox for migraine or by using certain antidepressants.
Types of Migraines
There are two main types of migraine headaches and are classified based on signals you get before the migraine starts.
- Migraine with aura
- Migraine without aura
The aura can start to show about an hour before the pain sets in.
Some of the symptoms include blurry visions, blind spots, flashing dots, etc.
Some others can affect other senses such as ringing in ears, changes in smell, touch, and taste.
Other types of migraine are:
Ophthalmic Migraine
This type of migraine is quite temporary but the symptoms are a bit scary.
You feel a dull headache behind the eye or lose vision one eye.
It is advisable to seek medical help immediately when you notice this.
Ophthalmoplegic Migraine
This type of migraine is characterized by paralysis of the muscles around the eye which causes pains.
This is a medical emergency and should be treated as such as these symptoms can also be caused by pressure on the nerves behind the eye.
Status Migrainosus
This can cause intense pain that may warrant medical attention.
To make matters worse, they can last for more than 72 hours.
Withdrawal from certain medications can also cause it.
Migraine with Brain Stem Aura
Some of the auras that can happen before the headache sets in include, confusion, dizziness, or loss of balance.
This type of migraine has been strongly linked to hormonal changes.
It mainly occurs in young adult women.
Hemiplegic Migraine
You will identify this type of migraine with temporary weakness or paralysis on one side of the body.
It requires urgent medical attention and can often be mistaken for symptoms of a stroke.
Migraine Remedies – 9 Tips of Instant Migraine Relief
There are different ways you can handle migraine when it strikes.
Some will help you prevent it so you don’t experience the full-blown pains.
Others help you manage and relieve the pain. Here are 9 different migraine remedies that will do you a lot of good.
1. Migraine Relief Pressure Point
This involves applying pressure to certain parts of the body to relieve pains and release muscle tension.
There are migraine relief pressure points in the body that acupressure experts can use to treat migraines.
The space between your left index finger and its thumb is one of such points.
Since there is no drug or external factor involved in this treatment method, it is often classified as a natural remedy for migraine.
A certain study of 40 individuals with migraines without aura shows that the PC6 acupoint was effective for relieving a migraine associated with nausea and vomiting.
2. Essential Oils for Migraine Remedies
Essential oils for migraines are also a great option if you need home remedies for migraines.
According to a small study, lavender essential oil, in particular, works great for migraines.
It shows that inhaling the oil reduces the intensity of migraine headaches in some people.
While this is a good thing, it must be known that research is still ongoing on the efficacy of lavender essential oil as a treatment for migraines and larger sample sizes are being used.
3. Yoga for Migraine Relief
Yoga is great for the mind and body. We have published several articles on this site about yoga and how it can benefit you.
Certain yoga poses can help to increase blood flow and release muscle tension.
These can help to relieve the symptoms of migraine in some people.
A certain study in 2014 offered migraine treatments to people with and without the inclusion of regular yoga practice. The result showed that those who received the treatment along with yoga got more relief from their migraine symptoms than those who did not practice yoga.
4. Magnesium Supplements for Migraine
Magnesium is an essential mineral in the body and a deficiency of it might trigger a migraine aura.
Using magnesium might not prove useful during a full-blown migraine attack but it is quite useful in preventing migraine and how often it occurs.
However, it is important to note that you should consult with your doctor before you start taking magnesium supplements for migraine, especially if you have other medical conditions.
5. Cool Down
In some cases, people have reported getting relief from migraine symptoms by putting an ice pack on their neck, scalp, or forehead.
Experts have not figured out why this migraine remedy this works but it is said that the reduction of blood flow might be involved in the relief.
You should give it a try when you have a migraine to get soothing relief.
Kindly note that people with skin issues, diabetes, or circulatory problems should avoid extreme temperatures.
6. Change Your Diet
As we mentioned earlier, migraines can be triggered by certain foods.
This might not be an all-out migraine remedy but some people have learned to prevent migraines by figuring out which foods trigger it, thereby avoiding them.
You could use a migraine diary or a food journal to keep track of foods that do that for you.
Food to Avoid with Migraine
Generally speaking, some of the foods that have been common culprits are as follows:
- Red wine
- Processed foods
- Alcohol
- Caffeinated beverages
- Chocolates
Kindly note that these we are not suggesting that these foods are detrimental.
We are only suggesting that these are the common ones that people have reported triggered a migraine for them.
7. Ginger for Migraine Remedies
Ginger has been proven to be an effective migraine remedy.
In fact, it is as effective as some of the migraine medicines available.
A study of 100 participants shows that the efficacy of ginger powder on migraine is statistically comparable to a commonly known migraine drug.
One good benefit of using ginger as a migraine remedy is that asides allergies to ginger, there are no side effects as against using some migraine drugs.
8. Massage
This might seem like a luxury to some but it is quite essential as a migraine remedy.
Stress is known to trigger migraine and it could also cause a cycle of pain as the migraine can also increase the stress.
Getting a massage can help you relax and stimulate blood flow which can relieve the pains in your head and neck.
There are other ways too you can release stress such as exercising, meditating, or writing in a journal.
The main thing here is to release the stress before it triggers the migraine.
9. Herbal Supplements for Migraine
Using certain herbs as supplements can prove to be an effective migraine remedy.
Butterbur and feverfew are some of such herbs.
American Migraine Foundation suggests that 150 mg of butterbur can be effective as a migraine remedy as it lowers its severity and frequency if used over a period of 3 months.
The body also said that feverfew might not be as effective as butterbur as a migraine remedy but it can work well for some people.
Depending on what is convenient for you, you can put these herbs in powder form inside a capsule and take it just like a regular drug.
Conclusion
Migraines can be really painful and have some negative effects. For this reason, it is always better to prevent it than to cure it.
So, if you are prone to having migraines, it is better to know if there are things that trigger it for you.
That way, you can easily avoid them rather than looking for migraine remedies.
It is often wise to combine some of these migraine remedies we have presented you with.
That will give you longer lasting relief.
It is important to talk to your doctor to help you find a good migraine regimen.
That will help you choose which of these migraine remedies is best for you.