Natural Remedies for Migraines

I've been suffering from migraines for 50 years. The solution for me and many others I've gotten onto this is simple: The herb feverfew. It is a natural dilator. I had used B3 for years but feverfew does not have the flush issue.

Take two tablets of feverfew every day until migraines subside, then every other day. If you are under lots of pressure (job, family etc) make sure you take two daily.

Feverfew works if the sufferer has a "classic" migraine; light halo, light sensitivity leading to blurred vision and usually nausea.

This is to be taken as a preventative not as a pill to be taken when the migraine is upon you.

I have also found Feverfew exceptional for migraines.

I suffered from migraines before low air pressures, when going in the sun for too long and sometimes could be in bed for two or three days. Once I started taking feverfew on a regular basis the migraines left for ever. I don't need to take it these days, I sometimes get some of the migraine symptoms but not the blinding pain.

I take a lot of ACV but it never helped my migranes. I have the classic ones; blurred vision, like a halo, then dull pain following along with nausea. The solution that has worked for 25 years: the herb feverfew. I take two tablets every other day. Feverfew is a natural dilator. My theory is that a large percent of migrane sufferers are genetically predisposed to depletion of their 'B" vitamins when under stress. The feverfew compensates the loss of B, especially B3. Yes, you can also compensate with B3 but the feverfew is much easier. The flush of B3 is sometimes a problem for some.

I have seen feverfew work dozens of times on long time migrane sufferers. Not all so called migranes, are really migranes. I found feverfew when used on the classic migrane works 90 percent of the time. And remember, you are not taking the feverfew AFTER the migraine hits; you are taking it daily as a preventative.

Some perfumes cause severe migraine headaches for me. Debilitating pain, faintness, nausea, vomiting, the whole nine yards. Extra strength aspirin used to help, but that brings other problems. I found an online reference to feverfew and bought capsules. Now, even in the migraine stage where I can't see or walk straight, if I can get to the feverfew, I get relief. One or two capsules emptied into a small cup of water, shoot it down and chase it with more water. In my condition, I don't have time to wait for tea to brew. Within 10 minutes, I have complete relief. Then all I have to do is pray the neighbors have finished their laundry or have left for new vistas. :-)

Feverfew, which is an herb has cured my migraines. You can either grow the stuff, chop it up (a tablespoon's worth) and add it to a cup of hot water to make a tea. Or you can buy it in the health food store in tincture form. Don't buy the dried because it doesn't work. Add a few drops of the tincture to a cup of hot water and drink up. You can drink the tea just a migraine is coming on or drink it as a preventative. It's a nice tasting, soothing tea.

I came across Butterbur and Feverfew as recommendations for Migraines and decided to buy both for my husband who has migraines due to multiple Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI.) Most people who write about treating migraines tend to have had them most of their life, or it's related to their menstrual cycles, so I didn't have high hopes. Previously, the only things that have worked for sure have been Botox (to freeze all the muscles along the skull front and back) or percocet (which pretty much works with everything but it's a pain to try to get that from the doctor's due to drug-seekers.) Otherwise, if he's lucky, at the start of a migraine, he can take 1600 milligrams (that's right, 8 200mg pills) and get it to go away. However, this doesn't always work, and on top of that his doctor warned him that he'd be at risk of renal failure if he happened to be dehydrated when taking such a dose. The doctor was otherwise worthless.

I've been giving him 3-4 Feverfew (380mg per pill) pills a day, and 3-4 Butterbur pills a day as well. It's not til now that I've realized the Butterbur has extra Feverfew thrown in. (ButterBur 75mg and Feverfew 200mg.) So far, it's been three days since he's had a headache or migraine. February 9th and 10th he had a headache (which is fairly unusual--he tends to get migraines every other day--sometimes everyday, sometimes only 2-3 times a week.) It's now the 12th-- so clearly not definitive at all, but I wanted to put this out there since it's promising so far. I plan on giving him these high doses until the two bottles run out (which I bought at the natural food store) and then buying online and bringing down the dose and seeing if a migraine shows up or not.

I've looked into overdosing and it's mainly digestive upset-- he hasn't had any of that.

There is some great information here, but no one has addressed the possibilities of migraine due to non-food sources. My biggest triggers are environmental air quality factors. Things sure to trip my migraine activity is fragrances of all kinds (personal care items or cleaners, candles, incense, etc., scented fabric softeners are evil to me), chemical off-gassing and odors, cleanser odors, new materials off-gassing (new plastics, new leather, etc.), mold, pollens, animal dander, dustmites (big offender for me), dust, smoke of any kind, gas fumes, even unscented off-gassing from formaldehyde or welding fumes. New stereo or video components off-gas for months and will put me down so fast. New furniture will do the same. While I have specific food triggers, what is more vital is making sure my home environment is fragrance, chemical and as odor-free as possible.

I thinks it's silly telling people not eat certain foods. For each individual Migraine Attacks are different.

Here are the common TRIGGERS:

Foods and food additives - Alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, artificial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin), monosodium glutamate (MSG), citrus fruits, meats with nitrites, salt

Foods containing tyramines - Aged cheese, yogurt, sour cream, chicken livers, sausages, bananas, avocados, canned figs, raisins, peanuts, soy sauce, pickled fish, freshly baked breads, pork, vinegars, beans

Family history

Stress

Too much or too little sleep

Medications - Vasodilators (drugs that make blood vessels widen), oral contraceptives (birth control pills)

Smoking

Exposure to bright or fluorescent lighting

Strong odors - Perfumes, colognes, petroleum-based products

Hormonal changes -

Menstruation (common association), pregnancy, ovulation

Head trauma

Weather changes

Metabolic or infectious diseases

Physical exertion or fatigue

Motion sickness

Cold stimulus (eating ice cream)

YOU need to find your TRIGGER. Food is not mine but avoid MSG at all costs, Migraine or not. It's amazing how this screws up your body, yet it's everywhere.

I suffer from Sever Aura-Migraines, the worst kind. I figured out after 12 years it was a lack of sleep. Somehow my body requires at least 8 hours of sleep. If I get less sleep, I have to exercise much more than normal to avoid an attack.

The main problem is finding YOUR TRIGGER. I've never taken any pills for the headaches, But I'm very keen on trying some of the remedies here if I get an attack.

THE GOOD NEWS is the you won't suffer after 50. Migraines go away after 50 according to doctors.
Cool only 22 more years to go.I'm not sure I believe this unless I've heard it from a sufferer. Anyone care to add to this theory?

I hope this helps someone, I know there is a lot of suffering out there. I am a nutritionist, researcher and have used the GAPS diet in gut and brain related conditions over the years. One client, a mid-30s mother of 3 boys had daily migraine seizures so severe that she was unable to function.I recommended she try the GAPS diet as I had so much success with ASD children improving. GAPS requires a bone broth, to meat stock, advancing diet to heal the gut lining and prevent leaky gut and, ulimately, leaky brain.

After 30 days she was seizure free, and no longer having the migraine headaches she had had since she was 13. She was a miracle, but I have come to know that miracles are not rare but happen everyday all over the world.....more and more as people wake up and take control of their own health.

I have found that raw garlic actually can trigger my migraines. Use with care.

I have started taking garlic tablets EVERY DAY Because in the past I have had over the period of 2 yrs flashing bright lights, like lightening) in front of my eyes. Even when I put my head under a pillow I still saw them, and it was very scarey. I went to a nuerologist and had a cat scan of my brain, his conclusion was' he said I have the side effects of a migraine with out the headaches. Well, since taking one garlic tablet every day, I am very excited to say, that I have had NO problems for about 4 years. So of course I told the Doctor. He didn't say much,I guess he was skeptic.

My migraines with aura became more and more frequent until they were occurring about once a week. It was during that time that my doctor found out that I had thyroid cancer with goiters on both the left and right side. Since I had my thyroid removed I have not had another migraine.

For 14 years I have had 3-day migraines approximately once a month (more or less). This week my 3-day migraine morphed into a 5-day full head headache. I haven't had a traditional "headache" since the migraines began, so I was very concerned. My standard migraine Rx (Relpax) only takes pain away for a few hours and it didn't even do that this week. A couple of times I tried 3 ibuprofen, which worked for about 2 hours each time. On earthclinic, ACV seemed to work for some people, so I decided to drive (nauseated and in pain) 20 minutes to the health store. I bought ACV capsules and took 2 (500 mg each) with water in the parking lot. By the time I reached home the headache/migraine pain was gone. I was exhausted and aching from 5 days of pain so I went to bed early. I took my normal nighttime supplements (200 mg chelated magnesium and 1 gr L-Glutamine), I woke up refreshed and back to normal. I will try ACV capsules the next time pain strikes. Thanks.

I get digestive problems from wheat, peanuts, cooked eggs, coffee. Taking senna and then eating only raw fruit and green veggies the next day helps a lot. Rice pudding is ok too. Cantalope. Canned peaches. Filtered water with a little baking soda sometimes helps after the senna, too.

One guy I knew got migraines from bananas.

I have suffered with migraines for 61 years with relief only from sesame oil pulling and acv. It never completely alleviated migraines but helped. The past five years the migraines increased from two or three a week to five. I missed so much work, was out of it most of the time and unable to function when a new naturopath suggested I might be gluten sensitive! After yrs at pgh and Cleveland clinic no one had ever suggested that! I had been living on toast, too I'll to eat much else! I immediately started a gluten free diet and amazingly have been migraine free four months today! I feel my life has been a gift returned to me! I still use avc and sesame oil pulling every day for the remarkable health benefits but want to share my experience for any of you migraine sufferers. Our modified wheats now have over 500 times more gluten than they did 20 yrs ago. It is estimated that 50%of the population of the U.S. have some gluten related illness. Our livers simply cannot process this load. I hope my experience may help someone out there!