This frequently debilitating, recurring problem, more common in women, can often be helped by complementary health care. The prognosis for migraine headaches is positive if you take time to have a thorough assessment and get an individualized programme developed which addresses the underlying biochemical factors in your system which may increase the likelihood of migraines. With proper understanding of your nutritional status, your hormonal status, the stressors in your life, and your personal history with migraine (including therapies tried), your natural health care provider will be able to develop a course of therapy for you.

What are migraines?
Migraine headaches are painful, often debilitating headaches which are typically is typically described as throbbing and sharp and pound on one side of the head. They may include nausea and vomiting and are preceded by psychological or visual disturbances such as blurring or bright spots of vision, anxiety, fatigue, disturbed thinking or numbness or tingling of a hand or foot. Sufferers generally become sensitive to light and noise and must lie down in a quiet, dark room until the pain resides (usually hours, but these can last days).

What causes migraines?

It is generally believed that an individual’s levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin (a brain chemical) drop in response to certain triggers. This causes a series of events that eventually lead to enlargement and inflammation of the blood vessels in the head, resulting in head pain. Migraines are also known as vascular headaches and differ from non-vascular headaches such as the tension headache where the pain is steady, constant and dull and tends to spread over the entire head.

There are many known triggers for migraines. Some of the most common include:

• Hormonal changes such as low oestrogen leading to lower serotonin that occur before or during periods, with pregnancy and menopause but can occur at any time or in times of stress and anxiety.
• Tension in the neck can cause cluster headaches and migraines
• Serotonin and nutrition deficiencies.
• Low blood sugar. Stress and irregular eating habits trigger low blood sugars leading to migraines
• Foods intolerances, including alcohol (especially red wine), aged cheeses, chocolate, caffeine, fermented, pickled and marinated foods, soy, dairy, wheat, food additives, MSG and aspartame.
• Stress.
• Sleep disorders.
• Environmental changes such as with weather, seasons, altitude, barometric pressure and time zones.
• Sensory overload, including loud noises, bright lights and strong smells.

If you have frequent and severe migraines it is important to “rule-out” certain conditions. Make sure your doctor assures you that you don’t have any of the following: Brain tumour; Hemangioma; Carotid aneurysm; Meniere’s disease or Seizure disease.

Treating migraines naturally
In natural medicine an important part of prevention and treatment is to identify which trigger may be the underlying aggravator.  Often, there is more than one trigger. And so we suggest patients keep a “headache diary”, where they note when the migraines occur, what foods they have eaten, stressful events or situations, and menstrual symptoms. Writing these down on a calendar can give insight into patterns and their relationship to the headaches.

Diet and nutrition
Food triggers are commonly identified through an elimination diet, in which the most common problematic foods are taken out of the diet for up to three weeks and then reintroduced one-by-one to see if the migraines return. Sometimes blood tests are used to identify potential problem foods.

However, before eliminating foods it is often just as important to clean up your diet – sticking to a healthy varied diet high in fruits and vegetables and cutting out alcohol, coffee, caffeine, chocolate, fried and processed foods

Supplements and Herbal Medicine
Sometimes diet alone is not enough. This is where supplementation with specific vitamins, minerals or amino acids may be necessary, at least at first, to bring your metabolism into balance so that you reduce the possibility for the onset of a migraine. Here is a list of supplements which may help you; but please consult with a qualified nutritionist or naturopath first:

Current research supports the use of5-HTP, riboflavin (vitamin B2), magnesium and CoQ10, Quercetin and Omega 3 and 6 in decreasing both the frequency and severity of migraine headaches in many patients. Herbal medicines such as Feverfew, Black Cohosh, Valerian and so forth are also extremely effective, and prescribed depending on cause of the migraines.

Stress management and relaxation
Try doing relaxation breathing, with consciously slow, deep, even breaths, at some regular time during the day, every day. Also, regular aerobic exercise is known to decrease the frequency of migraines. Choose an aerobic activity that’s fun for you, such as hiking, swimming, running, tennis or whatever, and do it 3 times a week for at least 20 minutes.

Stress has a knock on effect – negatively influencing hormones (and causing PMS and so forth), reduced immunity, tension headaches, neurotransmitter imbalances and inflammation …the list goes on. Knocking stress and anxiety on the head is key to migraine support and relief. Check out https://www.sheenahendonhealth.co.nz/stress-syndrome-tired-wired/ and https://www.sheenahendonhealth.co.nz/stress-level-questionnaire/. Ot talk to us about how we can assit you to manage your stress symptoms and causes naturally.

Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, such as cold compresses applied to head, forehead and back of neck can be very helpful with migraines. However some people actually want warmth and so a hot compress may assist in this case

Sorting out physical triggers
Also, make sure your spine is in alignment. Check with your local osteopath or chiropractor. Some folks find relief from the use of therapeutic ultrasound to the neck area. Others use a micro-current device called TENS (“transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator”) which applies a tiny frequency to the affected nerves, causing conduction to be blocked and pain to be relieved.

Migraine medication overuse
People who use acute pain-relief medicine more than two or three times a week or more than 10 days out of the month can set off a cycle called ‘medication-overuse headaches’ (MOH). As each dose of medicine wears off, the pain comes back, leading them to take even more. This overuse causes your medicine to stop helping your pain and actually start causing headaches. MOH can occur with both over-the-counter and prescription pain-relief medicines.

The best way to reduce migraine frequency is go to bed and wait until the attack is over, using as little medication as possible. Unfortunately, bust people take the medication and carry on and over time frequency and severity will worsen

Next Steps

This article just gives an overview of natural migraine treatment. However we are all individuals and your migraines may have a variety of causes and symptoms and that is why we treat all our clients individually with a different prescription. Please do contact me, Sheena Hendon, for an appointment or to discuss how I can assist you in beating migraines and headaches. I look forward to seeing you soon x