Headaches: 5 Home Remedies to Cure and Prevent Migraine
Headaches are common and everyone experiences them at some time or the other. You can get occasional headaches due to various reasons. A migraine is however something different. It is a severe headache that can have many other symptoms, including nausea, and extreme sensitivity to light, sound and smell. While a headache may disappear after a short nap, a migraine attack can last for hours together causing severe pain.
photo/ Pete Linforth
Treatment for migraine
Migraine is a severely intolerable pain. In most cases, people make use of various medications to treat migraine. A medicine like Ajovy can also be used to prevent migraine headaches & reduce its side effects on the body. Apart from medications, there are various other natural methods of treatment. This includes many home remedies. Let us take a look at five home remedies that you can try out to treat migraine and also prevent it from recurring.
- Yoga and exercise
Exercise has been proven to help in not just curing symptoms of migraine but also preventing a major migraine attack. Regular exercise does not only help you avoid migraine but also keep you fit. Some people can get a headache when they exercise too much. In such cases, Yoga is recommended. Yoga makes use of various bodily postures, breathing exercises and meditation that can keep both your body and mind fit.
There are many benefits of exercise as a home remedy for migraine. These include:
- Release of endorphins in the body which makes a person feel good and therefore acts as a natural painkiller and helps to relieve symptoms of pain.
- Exercise helps to relax mentally, leading to reduction in stress levels. Yoga can be of special use in relaxing and distressing. Since stress can be a leading cause of migraine, exercise is a must.
- Exercise also helps in sleeping well at night. Lack of sleep can cause migraine.
One can practice various asanas/yoga postures as a form of exercise followed by light breathing exercises. Alternately, a brisk walk is also a good enough exercise that can be helpful.
- Managing triggers
There are certain factors /triggers that can be a leading cause of migraine and bring about a sudden attack, and therefore identifying them is an essential task. The help of a medical practitioner may be taken for this. For some people, eating a hot dog can kick off a severe migraine attack while for others it might be a cold drink.
For some cheese or even some chinese food may trigger a migraine attack. Very bright lights or even some scents/smell can acts as a trigger. One needs to take extra precautions to avoid these triggers as it is a great way of preventing a migraine attack.
- Essential oils
Essential oils are liquids that are extracted from parts of a plant. These oils are used in aromatherapy. Smelling these oils can have beneficial effects. Lavender oil is one such essential oil that can be smelt to relieve symptoms of migraine. Peppermint oil contains menthol and when applied on the forehead can be useful in reducing the pain symptoms of migraine.
- Dietary supplement
Feverfew is a plant from the daisy family that is used to treat headaches and migraine. A supplement prepared from the feverfew plant has shown to be beneficial in curing migraine.
Magnesium is another supplement that is useful in treating migraine. Magnesium can be found in nuts, spinach, and grains. It can also be taken as a food supplement around 400 mg per day. It would also help in controlling blood pressure. Vitamin B2 or riboflavin that is found in eggs, milk, meat, and green vegetables is a good supplement for migraine treatment. A regular dosage of around 400 mg has been found to be useful in preventing migraine attacks.
- Cool and quiet
For many people cooling down can help in reducing the pain from migraine. An ice pack on the head or sitting in a cool place in front of a fan can help them to reduce pain. There are many others who can’t stand bright lights and loud sounds. For them spending time silently in a dark and quiet room with the lights off would help in reducing the symptoms. While medicines may be required to cure and prevent migraine, there are many home remedies that can also be tried. These can be of great help in the treatment and prevention of migraine.
Conclusion!
Experts believe that a migraine is caused by an imbalance of the chemicals present in the brain. Certain food and drinks can act as a trigger for a migraine attack. Stress, hormonal changes, missing sleep, and environmental changes can also lead to a migraine attack. However, we are sure this article will help you combat migraine and its symptoms.
Author: Ravi Kumarr Gupta
