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Home remedies for migraine
Naturally treat migraine yourself
The crippling pain of migraine, which is characterized by massive, often one-sided headache, often hits migraineurs so hard that they can barely cope with their everyday lives. The attack-like symptoms often appear together with nausea, sensitivity to light and noise. For many sufferers, the pain can only be tolerated in bed, in a darkened and cool room.
Treating the most uncomfortable condition is not easy because many triggers are associated with their onset. This article shows which natural home remedies for migraines can help to relieve the pain or, at best, prevent it from developing. Not every measure helps everyone, but it's worth trying it out. Many sufferers report significant improvements when they have discovered the right home remedy for themselves.
contents
- Naturally treat migraine yourself
- What helps quickly against a migraine attack? A short overview
- How to prevent a migraine attack? A short overview
- With home remedies, it depends on the right time
- Important: Always absorb enough liquid
- Natural help through water treatments and healing earth
- aromatherapy
- Vanilla and ginger relieve headaches
- The aspirin of nature: silverweed tea
- Behaviors that can reduce or prevent migraine attacks
- Diet for migraine
- Causes of migraine
- Trigger for a migraine attack
- The four phases of a migraine attack
- Abdominal Migraine in children
- Prevention: Effectively prevent migraine
- How other people can help those affected
- Summary
What helps quickly against a migraine attack? A short overview
If a migraine attack announces, you should withdraw immediately. With strong light sensitivity, the room can be darkened with curtains or roller blinds. If this is not possible, sunglasses or a sleep mask can help. In the case of an acute seizure, cooling the forehead with a cold washcloth or a pad of healing earth paste can be pain-relieving. Also, changing showers and a cold arm band can help with mild acute pain. The water treading, in which the affected person walks slowly through a bathtub or a stream filled with cool tap water and lifts the leg up over the water surface with every step, can also help with mild seizures.
A wrapped with a cloth cooling pack can be placed as a support on the neck or forehead, in some patients achieve pain relief. Espresso with fresh lemon juice is also considered a proven home remedy for migraine attacks as well as half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a glass mixed with warm water. Also, the food and the smell of green apples at the first signs of a migraine helps some sufferers.
How to prevent a migraine attack? A short overview
Basically, migraineurs should drink a lot. In addition to water, rooibos tea and silverweed tea as well as infusions with willow bark and butterbur are also suitable. Ginger and vanilla extract may also be mixed with fluid to help relieve pain. Ginger can also be chewed as a piece. With the help of essential oils, aromatherapy can have a positive effect on the autonomic nervous system and have a calming, relaxing and refreshing effect. Healing earth can, taken over a longer period, contribute to the detoxification of the body.
Longer times on monitors should reduce or interrupt people at risk if possible. A daily routine can help to avoid stress and migraine attacks. By documenting all circumstances in a seizure, the triggers can be better identified. Yoga, massages and relaxation techniques also contribute to reducing stress, which can reduce the number of seizures. Magnesium from bananas, whole grains, soybeans, legumes, nuts, dairy products and seeds have a preventive effect on some migraineurs.
With home remedies, it depends on the right time
A migraine should definitely be diagnosed by a doctor to differentiate other types of headaches or diseases. There are some home remedies for the disease - but these must be used at the right time to have an effect. The best way to take them is when the sufferer realizes that a seizure is starting, but is still feeling no pain. If this point is exceeded, however, usually only help appropriate painkillers in the correct dosage. Accompanying home remedies for headaches but can bring some relief at any time.
In order to be effective, home remedies for migraine must be used as early as possible. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com) Important: Always absorb enough liquid
For migraineurs, it is particularly important to always drink enough. This is true not only when headaches are on the march, but in general, so that no toxins accumulate in the body.
In addition to water is recommended, for example, the rooibos tea, because it can, enriched with cloves and swallowed swallowed, relieve headaches. Tea is even more suitable as a preventive measure when the first signs indicate that an attack is taking place. Other healing teas that can help with migraines are infusions of willow bark and butterbur. It should also be drunk, if there is no pain, but already there is a premonition that the next attack is on the march.
Caution: Alcohol should be consumed with caution by migraineurs, as alcoholic beverages may cause seizures. Often this is related to the amount, the type of drink and the time of day consumption. Where a beer causes no problems in the evening, a glass of wine at lunch may be devastating or vice versa. Migraineurs should watch their alcohol intake and any associated migraine attacks, drink plenty of water to drink alcoholic beverages and in case of doubt refrain altogether.
Natural help through water treatments and healing earth
Healing earth is known for use in diarrhea. The healthy soil binds poisons and allows the excretion in a very natural way. In a migraine predisposition, this is an easy way to remove toxins from the body. For this, the healing clay is taken over a longer time away. If you do not like the sandy taste, you can easily grab capsules.
As long as the pain is low and those affected are still in the vertical, the hydrotherapy area will benefit from alternating showers, water and dew treads (or snow) and / or a cold arm band. If the attack could not be prevented, cool pads of healing earth paste (mixed with a few drops of peppermint essential oil) will relieve the pain.
If neither of them is present in the household, cold water-soaked pads or a cool pack help, the latter should never be applied directly to the skin. The cooling source is wrapped in a cloth and placed on the neck or forehead. A hand bath in ice water can also achieve a good effect. Simply fill a bowl or sink with ice-cold water and add a few ice cubes at best. Now put your hands in the water and alternately ball to fists and relax again. The hands should only stay in the water as long as it is tolerable. Cold therapy should not last for more than fifteen minutes, but it can be repeated several times after a pause of twenty minutes.
A tummy mask with peppermint oil can be just as effective as a painkiller. (Image: kazmulka / fotolia.com) aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is often recommended in alternative medicine for occasional migraine attacks. Here, certain fragrance essences are used, which have a positive effect on the autonomic nervous system and thereby have a calming, relaxing and refreshing effect. Peppermint oil, which is applied locally to the painful areas of the forehead and temples, has proven its worth for the relief of headaches. This stimulates the cold and pressure receptors, has a relaxing effect on the smooth muscles and promotes blood circulation. Other suitable essential oils that can relieve headaches and nausea include oils of lavender, marjoram, eucalyptus, chamomile and rosemary.
Danger: However, those who want to treat the headache with peppermint oil naturally, should never give pure essential oil in pure form directly on the skin, as it can quickly lead to skin irritation. In the pharmacy, drugstore, etc., there are different, ready mixed products that are effective and safe in the application. Alternatively, a ten percent peppermint solution can be self-produced with little effort.
Make peppermint oil yourself:
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Vanilla and ginger relieve headaches
Vanilla extract is known as a natural home remedy for headache and therefore worth a try for migraine. One teaspoon of pure extract is mixed with about two hundred milliliters of water or tea and swallowed. The effect of vanilla has not been explored, but those affected report positive effects over and over again.
The miracle ginger ginger helps against diseases and has proven itself among other things as a home remedy for nausea and colds. It can help with headaches or even prevent them - if taken in time. For this purpose, one centimeter of the peeled root is minced on a vegetable grater and drunk mixed with a fruit juice. If you like the ginger's fire, you can also chew the piece.
Grated ginger can be an effective remedy for headache if taken in a timely manner. (Image: M.studio/fotolia.com) The aspirin of nature: silverweed tea
An old-known home remedy from the field of herbal medicine is a tea with white willow. This is one of the proven analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents and is considered "natural aspirin". For the treatment of the complaints, the bark of the white willow is used, which is peeled from the branches for this purpose in the spring.
Recipe for an anti-migraine tea with white willow:
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Behaviors that can reduce or prevent migraine attacks
Different behaviors can have positive or negative effects on a migraine. But not every migraine the same factors play an equally important role. The following behaviors can help to reduce the seizures or to better identify the triggers.
Reduce the time spent on monitors, televisions and smartphones
This is easier said than done, because there are screens almost everywhere and some people look alone for a long time on the monitor due to work. This is very stressful for the eyes and brain and can promote migraine. Regular breaks and conscious abandonment can help reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. If this is not possible, you should take a look every 30 to 45 minutes into the distance, for example, look out the window or close your eyes for a short period of time.
Lead migraine diary
According to the motto: "Know your enemy", a journal about the disease can help you to find out how and when a person attacks. Because often the triggers in a person are similar or the same. All circumstances should be noted in the diary if a seizure occurred. These include the duration, quality and length of sleep, the food supplied, drinks and sweets. Stress and physical stress such as exercise, alcohol consumption, type of discomfort and possibly taken medication.
Women should also document their menstrual cycle. Also, the weather should be recorded in writing, since bad weather can cause people a headache. The findings can help to live better with the disease and to prevent seizures, or to detect and counteract oncoming seizures.
Routine in everyday life
A consistent daily routine can help protect against seizures. Changing times at night and getting up can cause stress in the body and promote migraine. The mealtimes should take place almost daily at the same time. This applies to working days as well as for the weekend or for the holidays. A change of these times should not be made abruptly, but leisurely.
Yoga, massages and relaxation techniques
Two to three times a week yoga training can release tension and also relax mentally. Especially for people who sit a lot or have to do one-sided acts at work, training can help. Because tensions can promote migraines or lead to other headaches. Even massages can reduce stress and release tension. In addition to professional providers, a self-massage of the temples can help. To do this, slide your fingertips over the temples with circular movements and slight pressure. Various methods of stress reduction, such as breathing meditation, autogenic training and progressive muscle relaxation have also been proven in some migraineurs.
Relaxation techniques such as yoga, massages, breathing meditation and progressive muscle relaxation can help reduce migraine attacks. (Image: gstockstudio / fotolia.com) Diet for migraine
Food and drink can also have a positive as well as negative influence on the course of the disease. Many sufferers have no appetite for pain, which can cause hypoglycaemia, which makes the headache worse. Small amounts of easily digestible foods can help against low blood sugar and also counteract the nausea. Vegetable soups, dried fruits, soft-boiled potatoes, rice, rice waffles, wholemeal bread, natural yoghurt and papaya are examples of this. According to doctors, migraine patients should regularly consume carbohydrates to reduce their discomfort.
Espresso for pain relief
A well-tried home remedy for migraine attacks is the coffee with lemon, preferably espresso. The caffeine has a stimulating effect that can have a pain-relieving effect. This effect can be enhanced by the addition of some fresh lemon juice. No sugar should be added to the drink. However, the effect on people who drink a lot of coffee may be toned down as the body gets used to caffeine over time.
Chili and cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper and chillies act as a natural pain reliever, stimulate the circulation and dilate the vessels in the brain and are therefore also suitable as a home remedy for migraine in some people. The hardened among the migraineurs can simply eat a chili pure. Alternatively, half a teaspoon of Cayenne pepper can be mixed in a glass of warm water and drunk in small sips. The drink can be tasted with fresh lemon juice and honey.
Apples and apple cider vinegar
In some migraineurs, apples have a positive effect. At the first sign of a seizure, eating an apple may reduce the course. The scent of green apples is also suitable as an aromatherapy. Apple cider vinegar has also proven to be a general home remedy for headaches. One to two tablespoons a day, pure or mixed in a glass of water can have a preventive effect.
Apples and apple cider vinegar are proven home remedies that can also help with migraines. (Image: Heike Rau / fotolia.com) Causes of migraine
Physicians and science are still not sure what the actual causes of the disease are. This type of headache probably existed long before Christ. At the time, it seemed more like something scary. So it was blamed for ghosts that literally settled inside the brain. As therapy, prayers, offerings, and in the worst case, measures such as piercing the skull were used to get rid of the evil spirits.
It was not until about 600 BC that it became clear that headaches are not necessarily something mystical but have real causes. For example, the well-known Greek doctor Hippocrates, about 400 BC, argued that migraine was caused by toxic substances from the liver. He treated this with leeches.
Later, in the seventeenth century, the British physician Thomas Willis came to the conclusion that the cause of migraine are circulatory disorders. Also Edward Liveings represents in his book, which was published in 1873, the same theory, where he later published a second cause, namely migraine due to so-called "nerve thunderstorms".
Researchers have discovered that the cause of this particular type of headache is an interaction of several factors. The predisposition to migraine can be inherited. The affected persons perceive stimuli more intensively. Accordingly, there are a variety of triggers that initiate such an attack. The nerve cells subsequently produce a plethora of messenger substances, with the neurotransmitter serotonin in the center of attention, which narrows the blood vessels. The body then makes an effort to get rid of this excess of messenger substances, which relatively suddenly there is not enough serotonin. The vessels then become wide and permeable to tissue-hostile substances which - triggered by the release of proteins on the vessels - cause small inflammations.
Due to the inflammation, the sensitivity to pain is always greater and there is the throbbing pressure pain that affected feel. The body works fully against the inflammation, which can sometimes take up to three days. When the pain is gone, relaxation finally comes.
Accordingly, the migraine is a neurobiological dysfunction of the brain, in which the meninges and all blood vessels involved react. Added to this is the hereditary predisposition. An attack means a malfunction of the pain regulation system in the migraine center, which is located in the brain stem. Also here is an overactivity of the nerve cells in the brain stem the speech.
For severe or chronic migraine, preventive measures play a particularly important role. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com) Trigger for a migraine attack
Internal and external factors in connection with the predisposition are able to trigger an attack. Home remedies can help when those affected know the right time, that is, when they feel exactly when a seizure is approaching.
The cause of the unbearable headache may be a disturbed sleep and wakefulness, an unregulated daily routine, overstimulation, hypoglycaemia, hormonal imbalances and stress. There are also external stimuli such as light, noise and smells. Strong emotions such as grief, joy or fear can also trigger a seizure. Foodstuffs such as chocolate, cheese, hard sausage, deep-fried, red wine and animal products in general are among the potential triggers, and this can vary greatly from person to person.
Age and gender also play a role in those who are at increased risk of migraine. Women are statistically more likely to be affected by migraine than men. In many people, the disease already occurs during puberty and reaches its zenith between the 30th and 40th year of life. Often, the severity and frequency of seizures decreases from that point on.
Other possible trigger factors are an onset of weather change and the weather phenomenon Föhn and certain drugs containing nitro compounds. Women have been found to have migraines often due to their cycle. This is related to the messenger serotonin, whose level drops shortly before the onset of the period.
The typical harbingers announcing a seizure are:
The four phases of a migraine attack
A seizure consists of four phases: Prophase, Auraphase, Headache Phase and Postphase.
preliminary phase
About thirty percent of migraineurs suffer from the precursor phase, also called a prodrome. This announces the attack by various symptoms days to hours before. These include hypersensitivity of the senses, mood lability, fatigue or increased activity, loss of appetite or cravings for sweet, massive yawning, sensitivity to light and taste, a stiff neck and tight shoulders, constipation or frequent urination.
aura phase
After the preliminary phase, between ten and fifteen percent of the patients have a so-called auraphase, which lasts about an hour and then passes into the actual pain attack. Aurasymptoms are neurological in the form of eyelashes, flashes, visual field defects and sensory disturbances, such as numbness or tingling in the limbs. This phase lasts between 20 and 60 minutes for most migraineurs.
Headache phase
After the aura begins the headache phase, which can also use without notice. Some patients initially experience pain in the neck, which then concentrates more and more on one side of the head, while in others the pain is initially unilateral. Any movement aggravates the pain, leaving those in need a quiet location in a darkened room, free from noise and smells. The pulsating pain is accompanied by loss of appetite, light-shyness, sensitivity to noise, nausea and vomiting.
Regression phase
Thereafter, the recovery phase, also called Postdrome, begins. The pain decreases more and more. The patients are tired and need a lot of sleep. Often after the symptoms have resolved, there is a flood of urine. This is a very natural excretory function of the body to release what has accumulated during the seizure. It can also lead to mood swings, sensitivity to light and noise, confusion and dizziness and dizziness in this phase.
A migraine attack lasts between four hours and three days. These can repeat themselves regularly, unfortunately also at shorter intervals, or even stay away months and even longer.
Diffuse abdominal pain and poor appetite in children may indicate a specific form of migraine. (Image: Tanja / fotolia.com) Abdominal Migraine in children
A special type of this disease is the abdominal Migraine of children. Here, the headache is projected into the abdomen, causing diffuse abdominal pain, associated with loss of appetite, nausea, and facial blanching. This pain is very difficult to associate with the disease. However, it is often the case that affected children develop later into a "normal" migraine.
Prevention: Effectively prevent migraine
Migraines should definitely be prevention. This includes regular detox days or weeks. In no case, here is to renounce food. This could possibly trigger a seizure. However, it is important to have a healthy diet that will continue after detoxification. This includes a lot of fresh fruit, also in the form of self-pressed fruit juices. One or several consecutive days, where only fruit is consumed from morning to noon, stimulate the excretion. Vegetables are generally not eaten raw, but always blanched or lightly steamed. In the evening after 18.00 o'clock no raw food should be consumed more, so that intestine and liver are relieved. Animal and sugar are generally drastically reduced.
As detoxification tea, a mixture of nettle and dandelion is recommended, which is drunk three times a day, over a period of four to six weeks. This tea can also be well fortified with butterbur herb, which is known to minimize migraine attacks. The purifying is additionally supported by regular alternating showers, brush massages, and sauna sessions.
Alcohol and nicotine should be avoided or at least massively reduced. It is advisable to limit the consumption of coffee. Daily exercise in the fresh air is also one of the possible prevention measures. If you have not done any sports yet, you should start with walks, the intensity of which gradually increases over time. Regular exercise is important for everyone, but especially migraine sufferers should definitely pay attention to sufficient physical activity. In return, relaxation and rest are needed to relieve stress and tension. Relaxation techniques for stress relief such as meditation, autogenic training or yoga help.
Scientists have found that in migraine sufferers there is usually too little magnesium in the blood. This defect could also trigger a seizure. Foods containing vital minerals such as whole grains, bananas, dairy products and soya thus have a preventive effect. If this is not enough, it may be necessary to think of a suitable dietary supplement to compensate for the magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium from foods such as legumes, bananas, whole grains, nuts, dairy products, soy and seeds can have a preventive effect against migraine. (Image: photka / fotolia.com) How other people can help those affected
In a poorly understood illness, such as migraine, an understanding of others can be very helpful for those affected. However, well-intentioned advice can increase the suffering of those affected. However, some behaviors can actually help migraineurs. This includes, for example, to keep calm and give those affected the time they need to recover from the attack. Patients should not be motivated to make additional efforts shortly before, during or shortly after a seizure. Instead, a migraine should be motivated in frequent attacks more to seek a pain consultation with a specialist.
For colleagues, friends, relatives or employers, the diffuse causes and the sudden onset can also be felt as a burden. Nevertheless, sentences such as: "Tear yourself together" or "It can not be that bad" should be avoided as they can cause additional pressure and stress on those affected and thus aggravate the situation. Such behavior is understandable, but counterproductive. Instead, it can help to show understanding for the difficult situation.
Summary
Migraine is a condition in which massive headaches occur as seizures. It is inheritable and is usually caused by certain, very individual triggers. A regular daily routine, enough sleep, regular exercise, relaxation exercises and a healthy balanced diet with many alkaline foods are the cornerstones to get the disease under control. Most patients suffer so much that they have to take high-dose painkillers. But these are usually and especially during long-term use not without side effects. Home remedies for migraine are free of side effects and can, if used in good time, definitely help. (sw, nr, vb; updated 07/02/2018)
Scientific sources