Natural Remedies for Migraines

Hello everybody. I used to experience very debilitating headaches. It has been for sure more than 10 years. I have been to several doctors and have tried different types of medicines. I even tried natural remedies, drinking water and exercise. But nothing helped. I used to think that it was related to my bowel movements because that was not going very well either. I tried a lot of things went to therapy, which helped for a while. A doctor told me to look for information on Botox. Well I decided to go online and read more about Botox and saw that there is a chance that it might help. I went to the doctor that performs it. I have not had a headache since. Thank you

Cristina, just in case, you may want to consult your dentist on your migraine. Since you report that you have them many mornings, you may be grinding your teeth in the night. A fitted mouth guard may stop that and thus the associated headache. It is worth mentioning to your dentist. Just another possibility that would eliminate other pharma. I am a grinder and probably need a new guard as well as some applied stretching of my upper palate.

A friend who I have known for roughly 30 years always has had migraine headaches for as long as I have known her. About two years ago, she started showing symptoms of early onset Alzheimer's Disease (AD), which is advancing very rapidly.

I was wondering if migraines might be a forewarning of future AD, and according to the following article, it definitely is with people who regularly have migraine headaches being three times more likely for men and 6 times more likely for women to get AD than non-migraine people :

https://www.migrainedisorders.org/migraine-and-alzheimers-disease/#:~:text=The study found that a, 9.9% of cognitively intact participants.&text=They also found that people, dementia than people without dementia.

Here are two very relevant quotes from this interesting article :

' A 2001 study examining the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease found that men and women with a history of migraine were three times more likely to develop AD.5 Looking at women alone, the study found that they were almost 6 times more likely to develop AD.5 '

' Another study was conducted to determine if migraine was a risk factor for dementia subtypes; Alzheimer's and vascular. The study found that a history of migraine was noted in 23.5% of participants with AD compared to 9.9% of cognitively intact participants.6 They also found that people with a history of migraine were three times more likely to have dementia than people without dementia.6 Similar to the previous study, they found that people with AD were four times more likely to have a history of migraine disease.6 Interestingly, when looking at the subtypes of dementia, they found no correlation with a history of migraine and vascular dementia.6 '

I tried to convince my friends to try alternative means of improving her situation, but my other friend, her husband, will not try any alternatives even though she is declining very rapidly. She is now so bad in just two years that she could not remember to take helpful supplements without someone giving them to her.

If you have migraines regularly, you are at increased risk for AD, especially if you are a woman. It may be worth taking steps early on to improve your chances against getting AD.

Art

Never had migraine before but had right side headache twice within 2 years. 3rd time this week n had been on paracetamol. I'm 48. Tried 400gm of magnesium citrate and it didn't go full blown. It's there but bearable. At least I can reduce paracetamol for now. TQ for the tip.

There are quite a few reports on internet that Taurine is helping many people with migraines. I had occipital neuralgia and it greatly calmed down the pain. I took 2000 mg twice a day untill it was gradually minimized. I think mine starts with very subtle anxiety that eventually translates to pain in back of neck and head. It hurts when I put my head on pillow.

I speculate that if you have osteoarthritis which is caused by systemic infection, that will also contribute. You can take minocycline for osteoarthritis.

I realize the neuralgia makes your life very miserable so I hope this added information will help solve the puzzle.

Thank you Art, so much! I do see the Lutein and ALA were started on the 27th of Feb., D-3 and Citicoline on the 1st. I'm going to read the info you've sent on the D-3, and sticking with everything else as well on the supps.

No weird dreams last 2 nights so maybe my body is adjusting. I'm so hopeful but will continue to let you know how it's going.

There are so many things these different supps I'm taking can help that I haven't even thought of. Like I mentioned, I just attack the things that are the worst for me and my quality of life. I'm sure I mentioned that somewhere but I don't remember, LOL!

Denise,

The vitamin D and ALA are noted for helping with migraines in some people :

https://thejournalofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s10194-020-01090-w#:~:text=According to the current findings, probably through attenuating CGRP levels.

Here is a relevant quote :

' According to the current findings, vitamin D supplementation in episodic migraineurs, particularly in those with migraine with aura, may potentially improve migraine headache characteristics and disability probably through attenuating CGRP levels. '

https://www.mdedge.com/migraine-icymi/article/251102/headache-migraine/therapeutic-alpha-lipoic-acid-supplementation-may

Art

I'm a little nervous to write this review but I am going to as this seems to be a lasting effect I am having on daily migraine pain. Please understand I had full-blown migraines all my life, I'm 70 now. I had first the aura for about 30 minutes, then my left arm would go numb for just about 5 minutes only, and then excruciating pain in one temple or the other. I actually was taken to emergency a few times over the years. I finally found out about Immitrex which stopped the actual pain about 7 years ago. Sometimes very mild migraine, sometimes not.

In the last few years, maybe only 1 bad migraine a year but what was a game changer to start with was a ketogenic diet, basically very low carbs, no sugar at all, just carbs I get in things like brocolli, spinach, yogurt, nuts. All I can eat to on Keto.

Then I began a supplement regime just 7 days ago recommended by Art in California but I never mentioned the nagging migraine pain every day of my life in the last few years. It's because I could pop a couple of tylenol, aspirin, or ibuprofen to end them within 30 minutes. I was just so focused on issues I that were way more nagging and no fix so far.

At this point, because I am still on the same foods that seemed to keep me with mild migraine, but started the supplements for other issues I'll list below, I think I've found I do not need aspirin as there are no more pains in my temple, usually left one. I'm thinking something I've added in is blocking the pain. I just don't know and want to stick with the 5 supps so I can let Art know if they are working for my other issues. Of course letting him know if my lack of head-pain keeps on.

Just hoping we can figure out what I'm taking that might be helping, I'm also knocking on wood here because if anyone here has experienced what they've called classic migraine and even hemoplegic (I also get aphasia with the bad ones) they will know the pain. I also usually had bad nausea during the pain part of a full-blow migraine.

Here are the supps I'm taking according to dose on the bottles:

Magnesium citrate 1000mg in 2 doses https://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/magnesium.html

ALA 600mg in 2 doses https://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/ala.html

Lutein 40mg 1 a day https://www.earthclinic.com/mobile/cures/eyes-vision/lutein/)

Vitamin D-3 1 a day https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/art-solbrig-protocol-for-memory-loss.html

Citicoline 250 1 a day https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/art-solbrig-protocol-for-memory-loss.html#ar_192059

I want to do more of Art's Protocol on memory loss but I am starting out slowly, for one thing, I can't afford everything at once, and also, I need to watch closely for side-effects. Seems if there are any, I seems to get them. I have my MD appointment on Friday 3/9/2023. My doc will probably order more labs since he'll be told my new supplements etc. I get regular labs for cholesterol and HbA1c for my type 2 diabetes, no meds, just food and supps.

Sorry this is so long, and I just put 3 stars because I am new at a review, only 7 days but sort of profound how I'm no longer having to take aspirin every day which is dangerous for many reasons. Denise

PS I also should add I've been doing a tsp of turmeric a day, heaping tsp collagen powder, tsp of nutritional yeast, tsp of flaxseed, tsp of chia seed, which I still had the headache and I didn't do any of those except turmeric for inflammation.

If you'd like a good site to hear about Keto, here's a link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8153354/

If you don't have a bag handy, you can also cup your hands and place over your nose and or mouth and breathe. Make sure your hands are “sealed” and not letting too much air in. Saw that on the movie “Patch Adams” with Robin Williams lol

Also, some cloths or clothing are good in a pinch. I know when I was little, I would instinctively put my shirt neck up over my nose and breathe that way whenever I had a migraine coming on

Hi LMF... It is incorrect to say that Alka-Seltzer Gold ingredients contains "potassium bicarbonate instead of sodium bicarbonate." The full list of ingredients for Alka-Seltzer Gold is shown below:

Anhydrous citric acid 1000 mg
Potassium bicarbonate 344 mg
Sodium bicarbonate (heat-treated)* 1050 mg

*When sodium bicarbonate is heat-treated it becomes sodium carbonate.

After the acid-base reaction between the citric acid and the bicarbonates when water is added, the drink then essentially contains sodium citrate and potassium citrate -- notably with the sodium citrate in much higher quantity than the potassium citrate.

This drink mixture of sodium citrate and potassium citrate is more or less in exactly the same amounts and proportions as advised in Ted from Bangkok's alkalizing sodium/potassium citrate remedies on EC. Except that his version is made with the bare ingredients, which is perhaps a much cheaper way of doing it than buying Alka-Seltzer Gold.

I too, use Alka-seltzer. I get the “Gold” one. It doesn't contain any aspirin and is potassium bicarbonate instead of sodium bicarbonate. It works well on migraine with nausea and ones that have an intense pounding feeling.

Wendy,

Just check out the Wikipedia entry for "Gunpowder Tea".

There are so many kinds online and my impression is that it is just green tea. What is it that makes "gunpowder" tea so different? Does anyone know?

Once migraine becomes chronic the nerves in the head become over sensitised, small triggers become a major cause of pain and the cycle is difficult to break.

I've had a Cefaly neuromodulation device for about 2 years. It was almost unendurable to use at first, probably due to this over sensitisation effect. I used it as recommended, daily, for the first month or two but I admit I slackened off and used it only occasionally thereafter. Gradually it became easier to use and I restarted the daily use this year. Only then did it really work. I've had only one migraine in the last two months (usually average 13 per month).

It's not cheap (about £300) and the electrodes have to be bought regularly (they last longer if you're scrupulous about cleaning your brow before use, and putting them straight back on their plastic sheet afterwards). However, this device has broken a chronic migraine condition that's lasted decades.

I should add, I've been careful never to overuse migraine medicines, though I suspect the bar is set too high, especially for ergotamine-containing meds and some people can probably go into overuse while keeping well within the recommended limits.

Eliminating any source of inflammation, so far as possible, also has a role to play. Gum health is critical and food intolerances should be explored.

I also take a couple of supplements and it's taken a few years to hit on a combo that seems to work for me. Magnesium L-Threonate, a B multi; and Vitamin D in Winter. I do better without the high dose vitamin B2 recommended by headache doctors.

I've been enduring migraines for over 20 years. They started after completing chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease. Many of my migraines appear to be food sensitivities. I'm working on healing my gut….. but the other day I tried dates but they triggered a migraine. I had just received some CoQ10 I ordered and took 2, total 400 Mg. My migraine stopped within 30 minutes. I've tried other supplements, and medications but none were effective except Nurtec but it takes 2-6 hours to kick in and messes with my guts. So far I've only used CoQ10 once but it will be my go to first choice from here on out.

I thought you may be interested to read that there's a complex connection between migraine and capsaicin (as in cayenne and chilli) and that while a topical application might help, eating chilli can trigger migraine. I'm inclined to wish to believe that chilli is a curative, as I love the stuff, so it was awful news to me to discover there's evidence of capsaicin triggering migraine by increasing sensitivity to CGRP via ion channels and Schwann cells.

There's a clear and simple explanation here:

Https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220203083601.htm

Or here:
Https://mineralsformigraines.com/avoid-spicy-food-if-you-get-migraines/

Or here: https://www.futurity.org/migraine-pain-schwann-cells-2692282-2/

I've had no chilli or cayenne for 2 weeks, and though it's too early to be sure (migraine is unpredictable. I do occasionally, though rarely, have 2 weeks without an attack) so far so good.

Patty - glad you got relief. Yes, the enema will usually give instant relief from the headaches!

Not giving medical advice. Talk with your doctor for the best remedy for you.

I also have gotten relief from migraines by getting enemas!

I used to be shy to tell this but now tell everyone I can help.

Instead of the prepackaged saline small bottle enema, find the two quart red rubber enema bag. No won't leech toxins from the rubber.

If you can't find the bag one, then buy the 8 oz enema bulb syringe one. May take one or two refills to do the two quart enema.

and, it can be used for the child in the home as well.

Prepare yourself (stripping and putting robe on).

Prepare the bed with a towel on it. Then prepare the enema bag in the kitchen sink. Carry it to the bedroom. May feel silly or nervous carrying a full enema bag down the hallway! Hey get over it. It is healing and health.

Of course you have privacy and are alone at home. Filled full with plain warm water or mild warm soapy water or herbal enema you are getting.

In the bedroom, Hold or hang it a few inches above you. Lay on the bed and take very slowly the full bag enema. This may take a few enemas to work up to getting a full bag.

Relax. Relax! Breathe in and out of open mouth when getting the enema.

if feel a cramp coming on…relax, stop the flow,, relax more…take deep breaths… the start the flow again. It is not a race. Take your time!

after a few enemas you will be able to lay there and retain it for a few minutes.then go expell.

if you are nervous about your first ever enema ask a neighbor friend if she will assist you and give you an enema. Don't be shy. Most likely she has experience giving enemas or wants to learn too.

I did this my first ever enema. Thankfully she had some nursing experience and had given the enema before. I was surprised when she was giving me the enema she told me she does one often and had given them to her boy when he needs one. And she gave to patient ms before in the home.

she told me he is 5 so she uses the bulb on him. When older she told me he will get the bag one.

omg couldn't believe I was talking about the enema with her.

My headache went away right after each enema.

I now get one if a headache comes on. I get a monthly enema no matter what.

Feel good after getting the enema.

Patty, omg hon so happy that you found a remedy that helped you! Yes, getting a enema!
Hugs ❤️
Not a doctor or any type of medical person here.
Please, don't take this as medical advice what, or what not, to do.
Patty, pray others read your comment and they too may get relief from migraines with the enema.
When I had a headache growing up, not often, but had a few. I remember being given enemas!
And I have done one a few times for a headache.

I don't know why, or how, the enema helps.
Possibly by cleansing toxins out? Or, relieves stress? Hopefully someone on here with more knowledge of this can elaborate some.
Recently I was talking with my new neighbor. She told she got horrible headaches off and on.

Few weeks later she told me she was experiencing one and asked if I knew of a remedy.
I went over to her apartment and told her about my experience with the enema. That a enema or series of enemas would do wonders for her.
After calling her doctor and told it was ok…she agreed.
This was her first ever enema. So it was a good time to teach her the enema.

Don't know how she made it but she went to the store with me.
Purchased a enema bag. Yes, the two quart red rubber one. It is still sold and used in the home today. Should tell you something about the benefits of the enema.
Also got a bar goats milk soap (good to use in the enema), Vaseline.
Sorry TMI…
I showed her how to prepare the bedroom and bed, clean the bag (always clean before using), prepare for the enema. Taught her how to make a large pan of mild soapy warm water and pour it into the bag. Fill it up full.
Told her to get on the towel on the bed. On knees, bent at waist, head on the bed.
I gave her, very slowly, the full enema bag. Two quart enema given to her. Taking deep breaths as she got it. Relaxing.
For her first ever enema she took it very well. While expelling I prepared a plain filtered warm water enema in the kitchen sink.
Always give a plain water enema after a mild soapy water enema. Filled the bag up full.
As she came back to the bedroom she asked “I get a second enema?” “Yes to rinse the soapy water one.”
Administered the second enema to her.
After she expelled the second enema had her rest on the bed. Covered with a blanket. She told me her headache was gone!
Amazing!
She told me the enemas will be taken anytime she gets another headache-migraine. It was the first relief she had in years!
She told me her 7 yo b gets headaches off and on. I told her to check with her doctor because he may also get relief by given an enema!

Few weeks later she told me he was at home from school with a bad headache and nothing was working.
After she got ok from her new holistic doctor she asked me to help her with the enema for him.

Knowing she would tell me one day that he was suffering from a headache, I had already purchased a 8oz enema bulb syringe. Just in case.
I took the syringe over to her apartment.
She was taught how to prepare him, the table and the enema for him to get.
He wasn't overly happy when he was told a second enema he was needed.
Surprisingly he also took his first ever enema very well.
Like her he told me he already felt better! Amazing what a cleanse does!
I would see her off and on and she told me I got a headache and it is gone…smiling.

I have terrible migraines regularly for years. Nothing has worked. Today I remembered a doc using the paper bag approach on a movie. I tried it and this migraine disappeared pretty much instantly. Pain rummaged a bit behind my ears, did the bag again for 5 breaths and it's gone. This is a game changer for me!! I'm here to find out what it actually did :)

Raw Local Honey for Migraines

I have suffered migraine headaches since I was 30 years old. They identified were so bad that I would vomit. I have used Sumatriptan to abort a migraine, which normally works. I am now 50 and am going through menopause. While I believe that my migraines are hormonal in nature and may be ameliorated by a change in my hormone levels, I have had a much better time since having two cups of black tea each morning, and in each cup putting a spoonful of raw, local honey. I also cut way back on dairy, but I think it is the honey that has made my situation so much better (and made me really regular too! ) I am so pleased! I did not see honey here as a remedy for migraine, but I definitely think it is.

Hi Melissa!

Sounds like my story, too. Except I do drink organic coffee, twice a day. Now I opened my essential oil box and took the peppermint oil and rubbed my right side of the head. Today is the 7th day of my migraine. Pills work, but I got allergy and this morning because of such desperate state I took my ibuprofen and then antihistamine. My poor body... But it gave some relief. I am having hormonal migraines (at least I think so, because they appear before ovulation and after, and if pain is for 7 days, then I would say it longs my whole ovulation period). Then short after there is the first day with its weird headache and then again the same. These days I tried: acupuncture, lavender oil, ginger, pine pollen, bamboo, vitamins B, ice packs, peppers. Now I just read that cardamom bean can help. Once I am ready to get up to search for it, I will try it, too. What is that demonic pain that us women must experience? What are we paying for? Anyway, thank you for your comment, I feel already ease from the mint oil!!! Be blessed!

Inga.

ORH here and my tractor driver has learned that keeping her magnesium up reduces her mirages. When she has one coming on her vision starts to go, so she takes more magnesium and puts ice on her neck. That normally works. I had them in my youth and no one knew what to do. I just got in the bed and cried. ====ORH====

I've suffered 30yrs of on and off debilitating migraines. I've always experienced sickness and diarrhoea with the bad ones, difficulty speaking and emotional weakness. After I hit my mid 20s (now 40) I started having loss of vision before most attacks too, and increased vertigo more recently.

During covid lockdown I'd been cooking our food from scratch, just because I had more time and couldn't get to the supermarket. It then became apparent that I was only getting migraines after ordering Dominos pizza as a treat, like clockwork. This led me to research msg and omg what a difference! Msg is only the starting point, and I've been trying to avoid most processed food with glutamates added (or manufactured) under different names, as other posters have noted. It means no more takeaways for me, or restaurant food, but it's so so worth it. The only migraines I've had since are monthly hormonal ones and they've been mild headaches only. More recently I've been looking at whether I've got too much copper/slightly oestrogen dominant but that's another story.

I'd recommend that everyone avoids msg. Even if you don't have migraines, it's probably doing untold silent damage.

I've been vegetarian since I was a child and all those meat replacements are loaded with msg, and all the takeaways over the years must have done so much damage too. Still, onwards and upwards!

I hope this helps others out there xx

I had debilitating trigeminal neuralgia. Let say pain score 1-10 I have had 15. Classic therapy Gabapentin 600 mg, Stugeron 50 mg, Diclofenac or either Naproxen, Magnesium bisglicinate gave me just temporary relief.

Then I took 200 mg of Nattokinase because it was throbbing in spite of all this and started in the middle of the night while I was sleeping, so to take all this again was a bit too much. After about 1 hr pain stopped. In the morning I had just a vague sensation of throbbing maybe 1-2 out of 10.

So I took 200 mg of Nattokinase more and NO PAIN. AND I DID NOT TAKE ANYTHING FROM THE LIST ABOVE.

I am so happy! I will continue to have Nattokinase 100 mg as a support for the next few days. I am an emergency physician myself and I can say this supplement is miraculous. In the way to replace Aspirin, but now with Elaine's 2011 post (nattokinase page), it saved my life. Thank you.

Hi there,

I would like to share my cherimoya (Graviola) experience. I have terrible headaches and migraines everyday and sometimes the whole day if I don't take strong Paracetamol or Uboprophen.

My mother brought me cherimoya fruit one day because they had many from their trees. I consumed 2 to 3 of these fruits a day not knowing the medical properties they have. By the second day, I didn't have any headaches or migraines and I had to sit down and think what I did differently to my normal daily routine. I came to the conclusion that the only thing I did differently was eating cherimoya.

I theorized that there must be something in the cherimoya that helped me. I had enough cherimoyas for 2 weeks and during those 2 weeks, I didn't get one headache or migraine...I was astounded because I've had these daily headaches and migraines for years now. So I did research and found that it's rich in vitamin B, so I went to buy myself some vitamin B complex tablets from the pharmacy since cherimoya fruit are only in season 3 months per year....I had to get a subsidy.

My fruit was finished and I was purely on vitamin B and it worked...for 3 days. The headaches came back so my vitamin B theory wasn't correct. There must be something else in cherimoya that helps with headaches and nerves. I found a study of South American Indians that made tea from the leaves for medicine that helped the nerves and other things. I then came across this website today (18/05/2021) and saw the same method working for cancer: https://www.earthclinic.com/graviola-tea-for-cancer.html

I just finished my first cup of cherimoya tea :)...so far so good.

To receive pain relief from a migraine, the protocol is:

Put feet in small pan of Hot Water. You should have extra boiling water on hand to add to your pan. Your feet need to gradually acclimate to the hottest water you can stand.

Add a few drops of peppermint oil to this water and soak your feet 10-15 min. I also reccomend 1/4 cup of Epsom salts. Next place 1 drop of oil in the palm of your hand. Cup both hands together leaving an opening by your thumbs just big enough to place your nose into.

Take a long deep breath through your nose... hold then exhale through mouth. Repeat 30x. Your relief should be forthcoming if not already achieved. Another thing to note: one should raise the chin up- leaning back on a couch to allow drainage. This speeds up the process, along with the upper palate therapy. Place both (clean) thumbs on the upper palate and gently press out ward to the sides.

This helps to dilate the sinus cavity thereby giving relief of sinus pressure.

Again it is best to have one's head leaning back- chin elevated to achieve best results.

Had a migraine that was escalating and a search for remedies brought up breathing into a paper bag. I was sceptical but willing to give it a shot. I added a drop of peppermint essential oil to the bag and did 20 mins of breathing. And it worked! Didn't cure it, but there was an 80% improvement in pain & other symptoms. Definitely worth trying.