Home Remedies for Migraine

Migraine pains are not always about prescriptions and over the counter medicines. Home remedies for a migraine may also be useful in lessening the effect. All it needs some common information as simple as our common sense and know-how. It is highly inexpensive in comparison to the various prescribed medicines available.

Ice Wraps
It is packaged in the open market. When bought from stores, it is meant to be applied on the forehead and neck of the patient. These help to constrict the blood vessels to their normal size. Hold them close to the temples and forehead. Alternate the positions in every few seconds. A three minutes is ideal. These may also be made at homes.

Liberally wet a towel
Squeeze out some of the water but do not wring (twist to squeeze out water)
Fold the towel into a smaller size so that it can be placed inside the freezer
Leave for about five minutes
Wait till the towel gets stiffen
Unfold the towel and refold
Place the frozen section towards the middle
Place the wet sections toward the outside
As soon the towel gets reasonably frozen, apply around the eyes and head
Ice packs may also be used wrapped inside towels in case ice wraps are not available

Salt Consumption
This is another effective kind of home remedy for migraine pain relief. When a migraine is in its initial stage, try to consume more salt by eating salt poured over some fried items or some highly salty foods. Your attack might get calmed.

Massage
Sleep and relax quietly in a darkened room. Request someone to massage your scalp, your head but not your temples (the flat area present on either side of your forehead). Also, try to massage with the ice towel wrap on the head and eyes. Try this for not more than ten minutes.

Niacin
Niacin is vitamin B3, also known as Nicotinic Acid. It is also been a very effective migraine pain reliever. The valuable sources include green leafy vegetables, yeast, whole wheat, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, liver, nuts, and fish. Daily intake of Vitamin tablets consisting of at least 100mg of niacin is ideal.

Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is considered to be the most powerful home remedy for headaches. But it is not very similar to all. Eucalyptus, Lavender, Sandalwood, and Peppermint are considered the most powerful Headache Killers. Try each of them and even combination. Find which suits you the best. Essential oils may be used for massage along with the use of candles and soap. But be doubly sure about the commercial products. Some cheap and unworthy products may worsen your symptoms. Try to find the purest forms.

Put 5 drops of lavender essential oil in cold water. You can use warm water if you feel like
Swish a soft cloth around
Put it onto your head and neck

Exercises
Regular exercise and walk in the fresh air is a must. But do not go for a rigorous exercise suddenly. It can elevate your pain. Start with mild exercises and then you can increase the intensity later depending on your effect on pain. A short walk for half-an-hour a day, or a brisk walk in the fresh air during headaches is also effective. Exercise can help our body to release natural painkillers and endorphins.

Heat And Cold Plan
Some people with migraines find better results with heat application while some others feel good with cold application. But experiments with extremes must be inadvisable. Extremes of either of things can worsen the symptoms.

Excitotoxins And Migraine Headaches

Excitotoxin stimulates a neuron (nerve cell) to a very unusual extent such that the cell dies. Glutamate is one of them which can cause the most damage. The most common form of glutamate, which is used in food preparations as a flavor enhancer, is Monosodium glutamate (MSG). Its trade names being Accent, Ajinomoto, and Vetsin.

These Glutamates are required by our brain in very minute amounts. They are helpful in thinking, movement, senses activities, and memory functioning. But these can begin a migraine on more amount of consumption. These are addictive.

Generally, L-glutamate is present in our body and in many of the foods we ingest. So our body has developed enzymes to break it down for use by our body. But D-glutamate is not produced inside our body, hence is considered as a foreign substance by our body tissues. So no enzymes are available in respect of this glutamate which makes it unfavorable to consume. But this does not mean that D-glutamate can be consumed in higher quantities.

Another excitotoxin, called Aspartate can also increase your migraine occurrence. This compound is found in most of the artificial sweeteners, which produces similar results as with L-glutamate. Liquid forms are more toxic as they get absorbed faster by our body tissues. Many researchers are also claiming that it can be even more dangerous after cooking. But no particular profs are associated with this statement.

So it is always better for everyone to avoid any forms of Excitotoxin as far as possible. It might not be causing migraines in many, but still, the neural damage continues. It can also lead to Alzheimerâ€™s Disease and Parkinsonâ€™s Disease.

Other Home Remedies For Migraine

Following a systematic lifestyle can yield very good results for all those suffering not only from a migraine but for all other kinds of headaches
Try to give up all unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking alcohol consuming tobacco or other addictions
Go for medical advises if severe symptoms persist and interrupt in your daily life to a great extent
Try to drink lukewarm water instead of consuming cold or normal water. This will help in cleansing your bowels and help in maintaining the moisture balance in your body
Fomentation (applying hot wet covering) to our neck, stomach, and spine may also help in pain relief
Take some carrot juice and mix it with beet, spinach, and cucumber. Mix all these ingredients together in a juicer. Drink this juice to alleviate migraine pain.
Fresh grape juice is also very effective in migraine treatment. Grind fresh grapes in a juicer and drink this ripe grape juice. Do not dilute it by adding water.
Another great migraine home remedy is garlic. It is a strong detoxifier and helps in reducing the headache due to a migraine. You can eat it raw or cook it.
Ice compresses also do wonders to cure a headache. By applying the ice the blood vessels get constricted, reducing the pain. Hold an ice pack on the temple and keep changing the position. This will decrease a migraine headache in about three minutes.
Chamomile tea is also said to be an excellent natural remedy for migraine. It will relax you and bring down the severity of the pain. Sip on a hot cup of chamomile tea.
Mix some sandalwood powder with water to make a paste. Apply it on the forehead and let it dry. Rinse it off after some time. It will cool and bring down the pain.
Lemon crusts are also used to treat migraine naturally. Make a paste of lemon crusts and apply it on the forehead. It will relieve the pain.
Have a diet which is rich in magnesium. Deficiency of magnesium might be one of the causes of a migraine. Try to include, green leafy vegetables, nuts, fruits etc., in your diet.
Aromatherapy and meditation are also considered beneficial in curing migraine naturally. Essential oils like peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus can calm the senses. Meditation will also soothe the body.

What Are The Different Types Of Migraines?

Migraine pain is classified into three types basing on its intensity of pain:

Mild pain: This type of migraine pain is very mild in its severity as per the name suggests. It does not interfere with our usual activities.
Moderate pain: This pain is more severe than the mild pain and may inhibit your daily activities. However, does not prevent usual activities totally.
Severe pain: This type of pain is very severe which can make you feel extremely sick and can hinder all your activities.

Classification on the basis of symptoms:

Migraine with aura (Classical migraine):
This kind of a migraine is preceded by an aura before the attack. The aura occurs for about 10-30 minutes and then is usually followed by a headache. It is quite similar to a common migraine except in the aspect of the aura.
Migraine without aura (common migraine):
A migraine without aura shares the same symptoms as with a classical migraine except that it does not exhibit any aura. This is not a life-threatening disorder but can be chronic and recurrent; interfering with a person’s daily lifestyle.

Both the above types show usual pain, intolerance to light & sound, nausea and vomiting in common. These symptoms gets worsened by any physical activity.

A Migraine equivalent occurs in association with visual symptoms like psychic disturbances or partial vision, blind spots, without headaches. The most common form of migraine equivalent is abdominal migraine’ or ‘periodic syndrome’. It is common in female children, which results in frequent episodes of vomiting and abdominal pain without a headache lasting for hours. Usually, a family history is associated. Nausea, vomiting, yawning, flushing, and drowsiness may appear during abdominal migraine attacks.

Home Remedies For Migraine