Unfortunately, one’s best efforts at preventing a condition such as migraine may not always work – as has been said the only true certainties in life are death and taxation! If this should be the case, it’s time to look at natural ways to treat migraine symptoms – a gentler alternative to often toxic medications.
A reminder of disturbing facts related to migraines.
Make no mistake, this is a huge problem – an estimated 10% of the global population suffers from migraine – this amounting to more than one billion individuals. Put in further perspective – migraine is more common than coronary disease, diabetes and asthma combined!
Big Pharma pulled in a huge $4.44 billion in 2022, and this is expected to rise year-on-year. It’s not difficult to see the true motives of the pharmaceutical industry.
There are, sadly, a vast array of unpleasant and potentially dangerous side effects of migraine medications – surely, we owe it to ourselves to look for natural ways to treat migraine symptoms?
Natural ways to treat migraine symptoms – the answer in many ways
With that in mind, we offer a number of natural and alternative ways to counter the debilitating and unpleasant symptoms of a migraine episode, including:
Lavender oil
Inhaling lavender essential oil has been shown to be effective in relieving migraine pain. In addition to direct inhalation of lavender oil it may be inhaled diluted in a carrier oil and applied in sparingly to the temple area.
Peppermint oil
Menthol found within peppermint oil may be a preventive measure in relation to migraines.
Additionally, topical application of peppermint oil may be of value in the treatment of the symptoms of tension type headaches and migraines.
Ginger
Ginger is of great value in the relief of the symptom of nausea – a feature of many conditions including migraines.
A 2020 review paper found that ginger had similar pain-relieving characteristics to certain prescription medications for migraine with the notable bonus of being side effect free – which is more than you can say about prescription medicines.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is essentially a relaxation method which teaches you to exert conscious control over autonomic reactions to stress.
During this type of therapy monitoring electrodes are applied to your skin surface to assess your body’s physiological processes that will change with stress – these include your blood pressure, muscular tension and heart rate.
During such a therapy session you are able to manage your stress by using physiological process changes as feedback.
A study in 2019 found good evidence that such techniques can be effectively applied to treating migraine symptoms.
Massage
Massages have been shown to be of value in reducing the intensity of migraine symptoms and also may act as a preventive measure by reducing the frequency of migraine episodes. This is a particularly non-invasive therapy with absolutely no risk of side effects.
Acupressure
Acupressure is the technique of applying digital and manual pressure to specific (acupuncture) points of the body to relieve or remove specific bodily symptoms.
Acupressure has been found to be effective in the management of the nausea related to migraine.
Caffeine
The consumption of small amounts of caffeine can be effective in the constriction of blood vessels – specifically the cranial ones – which can relieve some of the worst migraine symptoms.
However, care needs to be taken to not ingest excessive caffeine as this may act as a migraine trigger in some sufferers.
This one is something of a juggling act!
Cold Compresses
This is a simple traditional therapy – simply lay a small towel containing ice cubes on your forehead as a cold compress for 15- minute sessions. The cold temperature will cause the adjacent cranial blood vessels to contract resulting in a lessening of migraine symptoms such as headache.
Try any number of these natural treatments in any combination to see what works for you. These, as do all health promoting measures, will take a lot of commitment and self-discipline however it has to be worth it to treat these painful debilitating episodes without recourse to potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals.
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“BE TRULY FREE – BE PHARMA FREE”