Things I do to combat migraine.

[Oestwing]

Hi there,

After reading on my news feed recently about a lady who suffers from migraine for up to six weeks at a time, I felt moved to write to the Migraine Trust, in the hope that sharing my own remedies and the preventative actions I have taken to avoid migraine myself, might help her and possibly other sufferers to gain a better quality of life. From there I was directed to the HealthUnlocked forum and this is my first post. I make no apologies for the time it may take to read, nor require any thanks for any positive effects my advice may bring. I just hope that somebody out there gains some relief from the negative effects of migraine attacks on their life by reading this post. Please be aware however that to my knowledge not everything I do to combat my migraines has been tested for efficacy by clinical trial, or is recommended as a remedy by a GP. So in other words following any of the steps in this post is taken entirely at your own risk. Please read on after allowing yourself adequate time to fully read and digest my recommendations, and after making yourself comfortable with a beverage of choice to hand, and if required the correct prescription spectacles in place.

•As a sufferer of migraine myself since my mid teens I am all too aware of the debilitating and frustrating nature of migraine attacks, and the general lack of both causal understanding and helpful remedial advice I've received from conventional medical practitioners over the years.

I am now forty seven years old and much as I do still have the odd singular migraine, and at times clusters of migraines over a spell of a week or so, I am now able to reduce the frequency, duration and severity of these attacks when they do happen.

I do this via various methods which I'll share here in the hope someone might benefit from my experiences. It's worth noting here that my migraines always start with visual disturbances and aura, followed shortly after by headache and nausea. If untreated the visual auras last anywhere from two to six hours, and the associated headaches and nausea anywhere from two hours to three days after the visual aura commence.

Using the methods I describe below I have managed to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks, and also the minimum interruption to my day from 2 hours to 20 minutes. Maximum duration of symptoms has also been reduced as has their severity, but these results are variable according to many factors. Life is rarely ideal.

•I'll start by explaining the easiest to implement method, which is also the method I use as soon as I notice the onset of an attack.

•Primarily I use two to three drops of essential oil of peppermint rubbed on the temples and just below the occipital protrusion on the rear of the head, and if required another couple of drops rubbed on the neck and upper shoulders.

FYI CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO AVOID GETTING THE OIL DIRECTLY IN THE EYES, so ensure hands are washed thoroughly immediately after application, or wear surgical gloves to apply.

The way this seems to work is when the oil is applied the vapours circle the head for a while and enter the body through normal respiration and also through the eye sockets, again DO NOT APPLY PEPPERMINT OIL DIRECTLY TO THE EYES AS THIS CAN CAUSE EXTREME PAIN AND IRRITATION.

There may be an initial slight burning sensation on the skin where the oil is applied, so a couple of hours after use if required I apply aloe vera gel to the areas where the oil was applied to help alleviate any dryness of the skin.

This method does take a little getting used to but is very effective for me. I find the peppermint oil helps me breathe and relax. It reduces the severity of an attack exponentially according to how soon after onset I use the oil. The sooner after onset of attack, the better for reducing the duration and severity of an attack. So I always have a bottle handy. Especially when out of the house.

•Tension and tight muscles seem to be another regular side effect and possible cause of migraines for me. The age old darkened room and deep cyclical breathing also help massively to reduce tension and relax the body and mind. When a room has not been available I have used the peppermint oil in conjuction with deep breathing and a darkened spell sat in my car. Wearing sunglasses with my hood or hat covering my glasses to completely block out the light I have reduced my migraine duration to a minimum of twenty minutes. This depends on noticing the onset of an attack as soon as it starts. For me this always displays as a very slight visual disturbance, which escalates in my worst attacks to the point of losing forward vision completely due to multi coloured flashing lights and other visual disturbances blocking my forward vision. It is of note that my peripheral vision does not seem to be as badly affected by the visual phenomena.

I have recently managed to continue working even in bright daylight while a migraine attack was ongoing. Using only the oil to combat it, my migraine that day was gone within the hour, leaving me with light sensitive vision for 24 hours and slight nausea and headaches for 48 hours or so after the visual disturbances commenced.

I have also used essential oil of peppermint as a preventative and it works well for that too. If you feel today is a migraine day then use the oil as directed above during the early part of your day, and again a few hours later if required. A couple of drops of peppermint oil in a glass of water will also provide relief from nausea. Stir well then drink immediately.

•Next on the preventative list is hydration.

I find if my hydration levels are good then the frequency of attacks is less often. Clear or light yellow urine means your body is adequately hydrated, darker yellow and Gods forbid brown urine means you MUST drink more water. Do not rely on other liquids to hydrate the body. Adequate water intake is essential. As are mineral and nutrient intake. Do your research into what your body needs according to your age, occupation and any health conditions you currently suffer from.

•Next is to reduce histamine loading.

I have found migraine attacks to be more frequent when I have high histamine levels in my body. Histamine also seems to cause me both inflammation to and associated pain from old injuries, and a blocked or stuffy nose.

A regime of anti histamine tablets taken daily, or to suit symptoms and/or environmental conditions helps a lot. As does avoiding high histamine foods and drinks. Being able to breath properly through my nose seems to help prevent migraines.

Reducing time spent in environments where mould spores and allergens are present, especially black mould and pollen, and wearing a filtration mask when avoidance is not possible to reduce or avoid the ingestion of spores and other allergens, helps me massively as a preventative measure too. I am a construction worker so respiratory pollutants in the workplace can be an issue. After long research I would recommend anyone to look at the RESPRO range of filtration masks for this purpose. These masks suit most applications at a reasonable price point. A mask that fits well and that has clean filters is essential, so change the filters when they need changing. Respro has different sized masks available for different sized facial features. See their website. FYI I am not sponsored in any way shape or form by any company. All the recommendations I make here are from long, and at times expensive personal research. I share my findings with you here for free in the hope it may help you as it has me.

A drop of peppermint oil in the filter of the mask below the nostrils also works well as a preventative measure against migraine and keeps my sinuses clear for me, but again be careful not to get the oil directly in the eyes.

•I have found that inflammation in the body can also be a migraine trigger. Try to reduce inflammation wherever and however possible.

I use two anti inflammatory ibuprofen tablets and for pain two paracetamol tablets at the onset of an attack from time to time, especially if it feels like being a bad attack or comes on rapidly, I also especially do this if I am late getting to my peppermint oil after the onset of an attack.

Specific migraine relief products available at most pharmacies I do not find to be any more or less effective than bog standard Boots paracetamol and ibuprofen tablets at 50p or so a box.

•To combat inflammation I also take turmeric supplement tablets daily along with other dietary supplements to aid my general health and wellbeing which include magnesium, fish oils and a good multi vitamin daily. I recommend the Lamberts range of vitamins and minerals. Choose from their website to suit your lifestyle and any specific needs your body and mind have, in order to maintain a healthy balance to your system.

CBD oil has also been a massive help to me in reducing both inflammation and pain. I recommend Blessed, Hapi Hemp or Ethica, all are reputable and effective. See websites for details.

• Another preventative measure is to not overdo the intake of alcohol, nicotine, recreational and certain prescribed drugs into your system, especially through smoking, as all can contribute to inflammation and throwing the body and mind out of balance. Especially in higher doses. All of the above can trigger migraines, both during their use and during the required recovery period after use.

• Penultimately diet is very important.

I have changed my diet to an anti inflammatory one which has helped my general health in various ways. This is a mainly plant based diet with some fish, minimal dairy, no cows milk, no meat, plenty of fruit either fresh or fresh frozen, and no gluten as my partner has Coeliacs and I also carry the gene for possibly developing coeliacs disease in the future. I have also removed processed sugar from my diet. Reduce your sugar intake gradually and replace with natural sugars, maple syrup is a good natural replacement for golden syrup for example and also works in tea and coffee as a sweetener. I avoid honey as I have been told it can be high in histamine.

I try to stick with natural and organic foods as a rule. Processed foods can be a trigger for migraines and many other health issues in my experience. You cannot control their ingredients. So go fresh or fresh frozen and locally produced wherever possible. Artificial additives, preservatives and sweeteners are best avoided.

Also avoid caffeine after 6pm if on day shifts, but adjust this to suit your schedule, and try to keep caffeine intake to a couple or three cups of coffee before lunch and the same of tea (Earl Grey is my choice) after lunch. A couple of cups of decaff in the evening is also fine for me but again experiment and tailor intake to suit and drink water throughout the day too. Not just when you are thirsty. Thirst is your body telling you that you'rve already entered a state of dehydrattion.

You may need to cut caffeine and other food and drinks out entirely for a while to see how you go on, or even permanently if required. Rule nothing out in your search for relief with the exception of giving up trying. Experiment with your diet by cutting out or adding one thing at a time. In this way you can hopefully isolate cause and effect.

•Keep daily records of attacks, medication, treatments, diet and environmental pollutant intake, and the steps taken to reduce/prevent future attacks.

A pain or symptom management diary is an excellent tool when the abilty to reference previous symptoms, frequency of attacks, environmental factors and what works and what doesn't is required.

•Look into the pollution levels in your living and working environments and reduce them wherever and however possible. A mechanical home air filtation and ventilation system may help, do your research on air filtration. A pro biotic house purifier has helped me massively by reducing allergen and bacteria levels in the home. Try the one from BetterAir.

Adequate management of air cleanliness in the work environment is also crucial.

•Above all relax and enjoy your good days to the max more often than has previously been possible for you. Rest and decompress regularly, not just when you feel you must.

•Yoga or another good stretching routine, plus regular activity both physical and mental, combined with a proper sleep regime are all great as remedies and preventatives too.

•Positive mental attitude helps.

•Do your research and experiment in a positive and safe manner. Some change/s you make will almost certainly bring you general health benefits, some will not, but hopefully one at least will bring you some marked migraine relief.

Sincerely wishing you better health 🙏

[ruefreedom]

Thanks for the advice in your post. Some really useful things to consider. I've looked at a lot myself over the years and see things worth carrying out. It sounds like your saying basically that many of us need a more holistic approach to managing/reducing/eliminating migraine and to keep taking action. Its the kind of positive attitude those of us with bad migraines need.

[Oestwing in reply to ruefreedom]

Yes I think that's a pretty good summation. I've found it both important and helpful in my quest to understand the possible triggers of a migraine attack and avoid them wherever possible, to look in detail at every factor of my life, and be as in tune as possible with my body, mind and living environment.

For example; Am I run down? Tired? Fatigued? Exhausted? Mentally or physically stressed? Eating properly? Hydrated? Emotionally drained? Had a mould/pollen/air pollution exposure? Is my spine misaligned? Do I have inflammation and associated aches and pains? Is there a mouse in the house? Etc. Etc.

That last point is a serious one by the way, we had a mouse move in with us a while ago, and his or her two week presence caused me many problems with my health: blocked nose, streaming eyes, headaches and various other inflammatory pains etc. Which in turn triggered a cluster of strong migraines. Once he/she was trapped, released a few miles from home and the kitchen thoroughly cleaned, my system soon settled and so did the migraines.

For better or worse I think us migraine sufferers are quite possibly a touch more sensitive to a potential whole host of different things than the average non sufferer. So we must therefore take positive action, firstly by trying to gain understanding of our sensitivities, and then by taking steps to reduce or avoid them.

Unfortunate and inconvenient as an attack can sometimes be, it's crucial to remain as calm as possible in the face of your enemy, and never give up in your search for a better quality of life.

Hope that helps.

Sincerely wishing you better health 🙏

[Kasbrown]

Hi, I am 64 and have had Migraine since my teenage years. I agree with so much of what you have said. I changed my diet three years ago and now exclude dairy, gluten and eggs. ( a food test showed high reaction to these) I now suffer far fewer days of migraine per month with less severity and the brain fog has gone. I take magnesium, omega 3, a symbiotic, and tumeric as daily supplements. I also use QiGong exercises daily. If I get an attack I take maxalt tablets immediately ( not the melts as they contain aspartame!) which generally end the attack within an hour. I will now give the peppermint oil a try, many thanks for your post.

ps. There was an interesting tv documentary on channel 5 this week on Migraine and treatments.

[Cara71 in reply to Kasbrown]

Hi can I ask where you did your food intolerance testing for migraine? Assume you are based in the UK like me? I'm looking to get this done due to nothing else working for chronic migraines. Thanks

[Oestwing]

You're welcome, I hope the peppermint oil works as well for you as it does for me.

I'll look out for the show on 5.

By the way did you mean a probiotic?

[Claire27]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share all your knowledge here, I'll certainly be following up a few things which I haven't explored yet. It's overwhelming I must say, t feels as though every aspect of our lives and lifestyle has to be microscopically examined, altered, tracked etc. And dealt each change should happen one at a time so you can see which factors are having an impact. As much as I suffer, I also don't have the time in my life to do this. I have a job and two very small children. On that note, I have inferred from your post that you're male (correct me if I'm wrong), since there wasn't any mention of hormones and cycles - I think for a woman even one whose migraines aren't strictly menstrual only, this plays a role. It's a slightly mysterious one though, I've had two pregnancies in the last 4 years, during one my migraines significantly improved and during the other they worsened. It's situations like this that make me just give up on finding causes and reach for the drugs instead!

[e7seif]

That's a lot of rules, guy. We all already live by our own sets of rules we have figured out for our own migraines. Not all things work the same for different migraines. I have yet to find a good solution for my perimenopausal hormonal migraines that hit like a freight train and last for days. Be grateful you are a man!

Also organic vs non organic makes no difference to the body. There may be less nutrients in some non-organic food, but there is still plenty there for the micro amount the body actually uses. Anything more is flushed out anyway. Both organic and non-organic used pesticides. They have to, to produce large successful and reliable crops. And sugar is sugar is sugar. The best sugar is from fruit --- if you eat the whole fruit because the fiber slows everything down and is beneficial in it's own right, but there is no "best" sugar additive. It's all the same once your body breaks it down. Highly processed foods can be problematic and unpredictable though, I'll give you that. Also, not everyone can can relax on their good days, that's when things need to get done. And I get massive fatigue after my bad migraines that lasts days or weeks and that makes any kind of exercise difficult, and more likely to trigger another attack.

I'm just making a point that no one person has everyone's migraine solution. You can only figure out what works for you and it sounds like you are happy with your regime and that's awesome.

[Pompom6]

I would caution use of essential oils directly and undiluted though, they do have warnings on them for a purpose and especially menthol ones like peppermint. Always best to follow warnings and dilute them in a neutral carrier oil. Happy it helps you but as I've made products with essential oils before, I know you are warned not to use in their pure form.