Blog

You’re on the verge of finally relaxing after a long day’s work with favorite beverage in hand, feet up in your comfy sweats, and light music playing in the background. In such a carefree spirit, you let your mind wander into thinking of complete relaxation. Without warning, you feel a sharp pain near the temple of your brain.

This is an all too familiar feeling for many migraineurs whose immediate reaction is to reach into their medicine cabinet for temporary relief; however, this could cause your body to become accustomed to the medicine so that it cannot fight off the smallest headache on its own. Aside from the potential dependency on medications, migraineurs have to suffer from side effects such as nausea and difficulty sleeping. In extreme cases, people were willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for a bottle of Excedrin Migraine as its maker had recently recalled it and stores have not yet re-stocked the product. For some, the dependency on migraine medication provides temporary relief but is not a sustainable long-term solution.

Over the years, alternative treatments to provide migraine relief have been developed and tried. It is important to distinguish which treatments are bogus and the ones that can effectively provide relief over a length of time. Some look to activities that appeal to their interests, such as yoga or painting, which promotes relaxation. Non-traditional treatments can be a sustainable alternative but not many people have embraced it. Ubiqi Health recently analyzed migraine episodes that have been recorded by our users. Of the 24,000 episodes recorded only 1,600 (7%) were treated by using non-medical therapies; such as darkness, relaxation techniques, or herbal remedies.

Dr. Alexander Mauskop, director and founder of the New York Headache Center, writes, “We have many effective medications, but all of them have potential side effects. Serious side effects are rare, and the risk is worth taking for those who have severe attacks. However, many headaches can be prevented and treated without taking this risk.” Dr. Mauskop explains several natural remedies that control the pain and frequency of headaches. A few examples include:

• Feverfew. An herb that can limit the number of migraines and its intensity.
• Aromatherapy. The scent of peppermint can relieve tension headaches and by rubbing peppermint oil on your forehead when you feel a headache coming on, it will ease the pain.
• Acupuncture. When needles are inserted into the body (don’t fret, it’s completely safe!) they can offer the migraineur headache relief by relieving tension.

There are various natural remedies a migraineur can turn to for relief. Yoga reduces headache pain by providing relief to sensory overload and relaxes the mind. Certain music uses binaural beats, which affects the brainwaves directly. Some migraineurs took a more simple approach. They stop whatever they are doing when a migraine is starting and take deep breaths. Every migraineur has a unique approach but it is reassuring knowing there are other treatments rather then resorting to your medicine cabinet. If you are considering trying a non-medical therapy, make sure you speak to a healthcare professional because every therapy can have risks, depending on your medical history.

Have you tried any of these natural remedies before? Successful or not? Share with us your experiences!