Natural Migraine Remedies

Migraine headaches, ocular migraines to be exact, have plagued my life for some time now. I typically know a migraine is coming on when I develop a small squiggly line in my vision that slowly gets bigger until I can’t see clearly, then it disappears. Ah, relief! I can finally see again. But then the pain hits. Terrible, excruciating pain. I can only describe it as feeling like someone is taking an ice pick and stabbing it into my eye, sharp, throbbing pain. Sometimes it can be debilitating, and I feel like I can’t move.

Ocular migraines usually start out with visual disturbances such as aura, shimmering lights, stars or lines. It can also cause blind spots in your vision for a short period of time. These visual disturbances appear between 10-30 minutes prior to a migraine. While some experience the aura without pain, many suffer with severe pain on one side of their head and behind the eye.

I have been struggling with treatment for my migraines for a while now, as they have become much more frequent. Previously when I felt a migraine coming on, I would take 1 Excedrin Migraine tablet to help alleviate the pain. As my headaches became more and more frequent, I noticed I was taking 1 tablet daily, multiple days in a row. Excedrin has 3 ingredients, Acetaminophen, Aspirin, and Caffeine. These can be damaging to your stomach and liver when taken in excessive amounts. You slowly build up a tolerance to any medication when more is taken–meaning you need more of the drug to help relieve the symptoms. I knew I needed to find something better to help combat these horrible migraines. Wanting to get away from medications altogether, I went looking into natural remedies.

{Disclaimer: All information provided is for informational purposes only. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.}

Natural Remedies

Lavender Oil: known for its anti-inflammatory properties, it helps to alleviate the pain of migraine headaches. Rub a small amount of oil on the temples of your head, back of your neck or put a few drops into your bath. Inhaling the oil can also help to aid in pain relief. I like to diffuse Lavender oil throughout the house, especially at bedtime.

Peppermint oil: contains menthol which is known for helping to relax muscles and relieve pain. Again, applying a small amount of diluted oil to your temples can help relieve your headache. To dilute use a carrier oil such as coconut. This oil is also great in relieving nausea related to your headache.

Himalayan salt and lemon drink: While researching natural remedies, I came across an article written by Cary Byrd that states drinking a mixture of water, Himalayan salt and lemon juice helps to stop a migraine within minutes. Himalayan salt is made up of trace minerals such as magnesium, calcium and potassium that can be beneficial in aiding dehydration. Lemons are loaded with vitamins and detoxifying properties. These two together help to restore the body’s natural pH balance, decrease dehydration, boost our immune systems and increase energy levels. I had to try this.

Mix: 10 oz filtered water, the juice of 1 lemon and 2 teaspoons of Himalayan salt.

Drink the entire glass and wait for the relief to come!

One morning after reading up on this new remedy, I woke up with a horrible migraine. I knew I had to go to work and was already struggling to get myself together. I went ahead and made the lemon and Himalayan salt drink and started to chug, ha. I continued to get ready for the day. By the time I was ready to leave for work, I had already noticed a significant decrease in the pain I felt. When I got to work, my migraine was completely gone! I continued to drink the mix anytime I started having a migraine. Each time I’ve used this mix, it’s helped with reducing the pain, and eventually the migraine subsides.

Now that I have found something that works for me, I try to drink at least 1 glass of this mix first thing in the morning to help minimize the risk of a migraine coming on. While I still get migraines, I find that they are not as severe and have a shorter life-span.

Other Tips

If you suffer from migraines, make sure to track their onset. This will help you and your physician to better understand their pattern. After tracking my migraines, my physician informed me that my migraines seem to be closely related to my hormone levels during ovulation and menstruation.

Limiting screen time: I can’t stare at my phone or computer screen easily during a migraine. It can sometimes make the pain worse.

When I have a severe migraine, sometimes the only thing that helps me get relief is curling up in a dark room and sleeping it away.

Many of the foods and drinks we consume can have an effect on our migraines, excessive caffeine, sugary foods/drinks, alcohol. Try to know what foods are migraine triggers for you and what to avoid if at all possible.

Magnesium supplements: The American Migraine Foundation has supporting evidence that proves daily magnesium supplementation can help to prevent migraines. “It is believed magnesium may prevent the wave of brain signaling, called cortical spreading depression, which produces the visual and sensory changes that are the common forms of aura. Other mechanisms of magnesium action include improved platelet function and decreased release or blocking of pain transmitting chemicals in the brain such as Substance P and glutamate. Magnesium may also prevent narrowing of brain blood vessels caused by the neurotransmitter serotonin.” (Magnesium supplements can be purchased over the counter and as with any medication have possible side-effects to consider.)

If you suffer from migraines give these remedies a try and see if they help. What remedies do you live by to alleviate your headaches? Comment below!