Natural Cures For Migraine

Many people search for natural migraine cures because they do not like or want the side effects of drugs. Synthetic drugs may prevent or stop the migraine but do not offer a cure.

There are numerous alternative natural remedies that people have tried including acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment, herbal supplements, homoeopathic treatment, food and chemical desensitization, nutritional therapy and biofeedback techniques.

Migraine cures will be different for different people as there are many factors involved in migraine headache. Various researchers have uncovered a number of biochemical imbalances in people with migraine which if corrected can result in a lasting cure.

Various things are known to trigger migraines in susceptible people so avoiding the triggers can go a long way to prevent the migraine occurring in the first place.

Here are some of the most successful natural migraine cures:

Chiropractic adjustment.

If the neck bones are out of alignment and they press on the nerves irritating them then it could contribute to migraine. Chiropractic treatment can put these bones back into place and relieve the surrounding muscle tension. Several studies have reported that up to 80% of people found this to bring about complete relief.

Neck exercises

New revolutionary neck exercise that removes tension from the neck. Tension in the neck muscles blocks blood flow to the brain depriving it of oxygen. Oxygen deprivation is considered by some to be a migraine trigger.

Lately, oxygen treatment has become more and more popular for those people suffering from frequent headaches.

Acupuncture

Chinese practitioners believe that the pain of migraine originates from reduced blood flow and energy to the brain which causes the dilation of blood vessels which causes the pain. They treat the cause by improving the blood flow so that the vessels shrink back to their normal size which stops the pain.

Blood sugar control diet

Scientists have shown that migraines can be related to episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Eating refined sugar and foods containing it such as cakes, cookies, desserts, candy, drinks etc causes the blood sugar to go up quickly.

This causes the pancreas to release insulin which brings it down very quickly again. some people release too much insulin which causes the blood sugar to drop too far.
the body sees this as an emergency and all sorts of natural chemicals are released to bring the blood sugar back to normal which will trigger a migraine attack.

Guidelines for controlling blood sugar:

* Avoid all refined foods and sugar including syrup and honey
* Avoid dried or cooked fruit. Eat only fresh
* Avoid alcohol which behaves like sugar in the body
* Eat 6 small meals a day or have 2 mid-morning and mid-afternoon healthy snacks
* Eat some protein with every complex carbohydrate meal (natural unprocessed starches)
* Avoid strenuous exercise which can lower blood sugar.
* Take a specialized nutritional supplement to help blood sugar control. It will contain chromium

Avoid trigger foods

Food sensitivity

Food sensitivity or intolerance has been shown to be a major cause in a large proportion of migraine sufferers. Eliminating the foods will bring about a migraine cure in 80% of people.

Classical food allergies cause immediate reactions so the person knows which foods affect him. Food intolerance which involves a delayed reaction to food is much harder to detect and the person may not even know he is reacting to food.

Various types of blood tests are available to determine reactive foods. Some look for antibodies (IgG) to food and others like the Fact test look for other chemicals such as histamine, prostaglandin D2 and leukotrienes that are released from the cells. Alternatively find a good therapist who can supervise an elimination diet.

Dietary amines

It is well known that substances in certain foods called amines can precipitate migraines. Amines cause restriction of blood vessels. People with migraines often lack the ability to break down dietary amines.

Foods that contain amines are avocado, banana, cabbage, chocolate, eggplant (aubergine) potato, pineapple, plum, tomato, cheese, canned fish, wine, beer, aged meats, yeast extracts.

Not everyone will react to all these foods and it can vary according to other stresses the person is subjected to at the time. a certain amount of experimentation is needed to find out which foods are the culprits.

Nutritional Imbalances

Magnesium has been proven to be low in the cells of many migraine sufferers. A test for intracellular magnesium levels will determine this. A blood serum test for magnesium does not give an accurate picture as the magnesium functions in the cell.

Many migraine sufferers have improved when supplementing up to 500 mg magnesium citrate or glycinate a day. Others do better on a powdered ionic mixture of calcium and magnesium to increase their magnesium.

The mineral chromium is may be low in people who have poor blood sugar control. Chromium is necessary for proper blood sugar regulation. Refined sugar has lost its natural chromium content so every time sugar is eaten chromium stores are used up leading to a deficiency. A supplement containing 200 mcg chromium can be taken with each meal.

Vitamin B3 as niacin is a vasodilator and 100 – 200mg can cause blood vessels to vasodilate which can often stop a migraine. This dose will cause a hot flushing sensation of the body which some people find uncomfortable. Try the smaller dose first.

Fish oils may help some people who are deficient in Omega 3 oils. Trials with migraine sufferers showed promising results in reducing migraine attacks but very high doses of 15 – 20 gms a day were used. It is important to make sure any fish oil you take is free from pollutants.

Hormone Imbalance

Many women have disabling migraines triggered at certain times fo the month triggered by the fall in estrogen or an imbalance of the various hormones.

Dr Sergey Dzugan discovered a migraine cure by testing hormone levels of sufferers and giving them natural replacement hormones to create balance.

Herbal Migraine Cures

The herb feverfew works for many migraine sufferers but they may have to be taken for at least 3 months before any improvement is noticed. Feverfew works as an anti-inflammatory and probably blocks the chemicals that affect the blood vessels in the head causing pain.

Butterbur (Petasites hybridus root) is also effective in 50 – 60 % of people. An extract of butterbur prevents migraine by blocking the formation of inflammatory substances and histamine and relaxes blood vessels . 75mg taken twice a day is an effective dose. It should bring results in about 4 weeks.

Make sure your product has had the pyrrolizidine alkaloids removed as they may be toxic to the liver.

Eliminate your migraines fast and for good with a guaranteed all natural 3 Step System – The Migraine Solution

So severe is their migraine pain that some people are now to be offered a new electrical solution. The new device is an electrical stimulator that can be operated by a remote control. Clinical trials have suggested that it can ease pain as well as reducing nausea, sickness and sensitivity to light and sound.

The device consists of a rechargeable generator which is inserted just under the skin in the neck, back or chest. Electrodes are attached to nerves at the back of the neck that supply feeling to the back half of the head.

When switched on by the migraine sufferer with a small hand held remote control pulsed electrical signals stimulate tightened nerves. The intensity of the signals can be turned up or down as needed. A slight tingling feeling may be felt around the area of the implant.

With over 25 million Americans and 5.6 million Britons suffering migraine headache researchers are eager to find a cure. About three times as many women are affected thought to be due to hormonal influences. A number of theories about the cause of migraine have been put forward but the exact cause is not known.

A long held theory was that the contraction and expansion of blood vessels in the head was the cause of pain. The latest research suggests that genetics and a disorder in the brain itself cause electrical changes rather than the blood vessels being involved.

Certainly there are different triggers for different people and as with most conditions there appear to be a number of factors involved rather than just one cause.

Whilst drugs have their uses many people are gaining control over their migraines with natural health remedies. Finding and avoiding the triggers while taking specific vitamins, minerals and herbal remedies have enabled many people to transform their lives.

Triple therapy with natural remedies is gaining in popularity as sufferers seek relief without the worrying side effects of drugs. A combination of a higher than usual dose of Vitamin B 2, magnesium and the herbal remedy Feverfew is having extraordinary results for many in 4 – 6 weeks.

As with all health problems a proper diagnosis from a doctor is advised to rule out other possible causes of headache before trying out migraine remedies.

Pure oxygen relieved the pain of cluster headache in 78% of people in 15 minutes in a new trial at the Institute of Neurology, London, England. Cluster headaches affect 1% of the population and tend to occur mostly in men.

Cluster headaches are excruciating headaches that are often brief but can occur many times a day in clusters and last several weeks. Visual symptoms and nausea are not usually present as in migraine headache. There may be long periods of remission when the person does not experience any for many months.

Migraine headaches are experienced by 15% of the population in both men and women although women tend to have three times as many attacks as men thought due to monthly hormonal changes.

There are biochemical, hormonal and blood vessel changes in both cluster headaches and migraine although what exactly causes these changes is not yet clear.

Many natural health practitioners believe that both cluster headaches and migraine have the same underlying triggers. These triggers can be food and chemical intolerance, blood sugar imbalance, stress factors, excessive exercise, nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalance or fluctuations especially in women. Identifying and eliminating the triggers will ultimately cure the headache.

Returning to the oxygen treatment Christian Goodman has discovered that boosting oxygen in the brain can cure all types of headaches. While cluster headaches can be cured by breathing pure oxygen from a tank it does not prevent them from returning.

To permanently cure migraine and other headaches you must ensure your brain has enough oxygen all the time. His simple but highly effective step-by-step program teaches you how to boost your oxygen levels by 20% to permanently cure your headache.