May 2006 | Whole Health
Mastering Migraines
The 10 Best Holistic Remedies
By Amy Gonigam
My migraines announce their imminent arrivals with great fanfare. After 30 years, I know the drill: silver stars swirl before my eyes, and as I watch the psychedelic light show — the classic pre-migraine aura — I realize with growing dread that misery is on its way.
A few hours later, a vague tightness in my right temple gives way to a nauseating one-sided pounding. If left untreated, the pain is so intense in its jackhammer-like regularity that the faintest light appears blinding, small sounds are intensified and smells are unbearable. The only relief is to sleep, fitfully, with an ice pack perched precariously on my head while my husband hovers, empathic but powerless to help. As the hours wear on, I actually welcome the inevitable vomiting as a blessed sign the end of the migraine is near.
For years I sought relief in medication — and still take Relpax when the migraine is full-blown. However, a few years ago my chiropractor suggested acupuncture as a migraine preventative. Intrigued, I began treating my migraines through alternative and complementary medicine.
Can gentle, holistic healing methods really control a disease that affects 28 million Americans and costs their employers $13 billion annually in lost worker productivity? These 10 holistic remedies may provide relief either alone or in conjunction with traditional medicine. Before embarking on a course of treatment, however, be sure to consult with your natural health practitioner.
1. Biofeedback: A surprisingly simple technique to learn and administer, biofeedback is a favorite at the nationally recognized Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. Utilizing sensors placed on the body, biofeedback teaches a patient to monitor bodily functions like muscle tension, heart rate and blood pressure. As the patient watches the feedback from the sensors on a monitor, she learns how to control her body’s response — techniques she can implement later in the early stages of a migraine to promote muscle relaxation and lower blood pressure, both of which contribute to migraine pain. For more information, visit: diamond headache.com/biofeedback.html.
2. Acupuncture: A 2003 study in the Journal of Internal Medicine concluded that acupuncture was effective in preventing migraine. The premise of acupuncture, based on 2,500 years of Chinese medical tradition, holds that energy, or chi, circulates along specific meridian points on the body; hair-thin needles are inserted along meridian lines to balance and restore energy. Some research indicates that acupuncture may affect the central nervous system, increase circulation and increase endorphins — all of which can act as a balm for migraine sufferers. The individual therapist determines the actual acupuncture points for a specific patient, but a typical puncture site for migraines is the area between the thumb and forefinger, and the insides of the ankles. Though acupuncture points are generally painless, I have noticed that a looming migraine causes increased tenderness in these areas.
3. Shirodhara: This ancient Ayurvedic technique calms the nervous system to prevent and relieve migraines. The treatment, which takes place with the client face-up on a massage table, consists of a continuous stream of warm sesame oil poured over the forehead and down the scalp, and induces a state of deep relaxation. The Surya Spa in Pacific Palisades offers this technique, as do a number of Ayurvedic practitioners. Some more traditional spas have also begun including this treatment on their menus.
4. Butterbur: A 2004 study of butterbur in the journal Neurology showed promising results in migraine prevention for this herb. Patients in the study showed a 48 percent reduction in migraines when given two 75 mg tablets of butterbur per day. One of the main ingredients in this herb, petasin, is said to reduce inflammation and may thereby prevent the swelling that leads to migraines.
5. Anti-Headache Diet: According to the National Headache Foundation (NHF), nearly 20 percent of migraineurs can consistently identify a food trigger. MSG, found in fast foods and snack foods, is often cited as a culprit in migraine attacks. Chocolate, red wine and aged cheese are other common triggers. “These foods may cause chemical changes in the brain that activate the migraine attack process. That process involves excitability of nerves and reaction of the blood vessels,” says an NHF rep. To maintain preventative migraine health, the NHF stresses the importance of eating healthy meals on a regular schedule and not skipping meals.
6. Meditation: Meditation teaches us our true nature is not comprised of illness, but a state untouched by migraines and other disease. Reaching this level of awareness through meditation can be deeply healing. Studies show that meditation creates a physiological reaction in the body that is the exact opposite of stress.
7. Feverfew: Feverfew was considered a remedy for inflammation in ancient Greek medical literature. Modern science speculates that feverfew blocks serotonin, which causes abnormal blood vessel dilation during a migraine attack. According to HolisticOnline.com, “Appropriate dosing of feverfew leaf for migraine prevention is based on parthenolide content. A recommended daily dosage of 125 mg of a dried feverfew leaf preparation containing a minimum of 0.2 percent parthenolide is often prescribed for migraine prevention.”
8. Magnesium: New research is leading doctors to speculate that magnesium deficiency, present in many migraine sufferers, might be to blame for migraines. Magnesium may work to prevent constriction of blood vessels in the brain and scalp, helping to circumvent the problem. The RDA for magnesium is 400 milligrams — find yours in foods like whole grains, fresh green vegetables, Brazil nuts and almonds.
9. CoQ10: Coenzyme Q10 has been touted as an extremely effective migraine aid. The journal Cephalalgia reported in 2002 that during a trial of this supplement, 61.3 percent of the patients achieved at least a 50 percent reduction in frequency of migraine attacks by the end of the four-month trial, with a 150 mg dosage of CoQ10. Like the other supplements mentioned, CoQ10 seems to work best as a preventative rather than a migraine abortive.
10. Mind/Body Musings: John Sarno, MD, a professor at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Medical Center, raised skeptical eyebrows a few years ago with the publication of his book The Mindbody Prescription. The book mainly dealt with the psychological underpinnings that caused back pain, but it featured a fascinating section on migraines in which Sarno discussed how he cured himself of migraines by examining his own patterns of repressed rage. Louise Hay, author of the perennially popular You Can Heal Your Life, attributes migraine pain to the thought pattern of perfectionism. As a migraine treatment, it is certainly worthwhile to examine psychological or spiritual factors that may be contributing to your pain.
Perhaps one of the worst aspects of migraines is the pervasive feeling of hopelessness that often accompanies the disease, particularly when one has suffered for decades and taken scores of medications, often to no avail. The prospect of staying on these medications permanently — many of which have severe side effects — is enough to cause a feeling of discouragement and even depression. Holistic remedies not only provide real prevention and relief, but also engender a sense of hope, comfort and freedom from migraine pain.
Amy Gonigam is a new contributor to Conscious Choice .
![[Send]](http://consciouschoice.com/sendlink/send.gif){kind=small}
Recommend this page to a friend
Top Ten pages recommended to friends:
