Holistic healing

Headache and migraine: natural remedies

Arm yourself with expert advice on headaches and migraines, plus natural and homeopathic remedies to soothe your pain

It’s pretty safe to say that most people will experience a headache at some point in their life. Most of the time, these are harmless and can be easily remedied by drinking more water and resting for a while. But some people experience headaches very regularly, or even suffer from severe headaches known as migraines. This can be worrisome, but by arming yourself with knowledge, you can alleviate symptoms and even prevent headaches in the first place. Read on to discover more about headache and migraine, with headache and migraine: natural remedies to soothe your pain.

Types of headache

You may find that your headaches follow a pattern, always occurring at a similar time in your menstrual cycle, for example; but they can also strike without warning and seemingly randomly. An ice pick headache (or primary stabbing headache) might feel like one of the most excruciating stabbing headaches you’ve experienced, but it generally only lasts a few seconds to a minute, whereas some people get afternoon headaches nearly every day.

Common headaches include tension headaches; these are especially common amongst teenagers as recurrent headaches. For detailed information on remedying a tension headache, the NHS website is a great resource. Exertion headaches are also quite common, and are caused by strenuous physical activity, and even heavy coughing. These are usually harmless, but if you find that you experience these often, it is worth consulting your GP.

If you suffer from cluster headaches, the NHS website also has plenty of information on these. This type of headache pain is quite rare, and it is important to consult your GP the first time you experience a cluster headache. This can become a more chronic headache over time, occurring regularly over a few weeks.

What are migraines?

Migraines are severe headaches that usually affect one side of the head, and can sometimes result in facial pain. There are three types of migraine headache: migraine with aura, which involves warning signs such as flashing lights occurring before the headache; migraine without aura; and silent migraine, where migraine symptoms are experienced, such as migraine face pain, but a headache doesn’t develop. For more information on migraines, the NHS website is a great resource, as well as The Migraine Trust.

If you suffer from a migraine attack, it’s likely that you can identify a certain migraine trigger by recording the pattern of your migraines. Some people may experience a ‘sugar migraine’ caused by hypoglycaemia, or a ‘menstrual migraine’ monthly, while a ‘dehydration migraine’ can affect those who don’t monitor their fluid intake. There are many other potential triggers, including light and stress.

You may also experience a ‘migraine hangover’ which is medically known as migraine postdrome. Once the migraine pain has subsided, you may feel groggy, fatigued or dizzy, amongst other symptoms.

Foods for preventing migraines

Nutritionist and author Dale Pinnock has a few ideas when it comes to nutritional causes of migraine: “One group of food compounds called salicylates, found in fruit and veg, are common culprits of migraine. There is also a lot of anecdotal data to suggest that coffee, chocolate, and red wine can be trigger foods for individuals that suffer from migraines. As this tends to be a unique picture, my best piece of advice is to keep a symptom diary to look at your headache history.

“A few things nutritionally may offer some relief. The main thing is to increase your magnesium intake. Magnesium is a great natural remedy, as it works as a muscle relaxant, increasing relaxation of the smooth muscle lining the walls of blood vessels, and widening them.

“During a migraine there’s a constriction of blood vessels in the temples and neck, which can greatly increase pressure, which is partly responsible for the symptoms and migraine pain. Increasing dietary magnesium with more green vegetables, nuts and seeds can help, as can supplementation. Another little trick to use during an attack is to apply magnesium oil locally. This ‘spray-on’ topical oil can be sprayed directly onto the temples and neck and massaged in, which can cause constricted blood vessels to relax rapidly, giving notable relief.”

Naturopath Caroline Langmore suggests taking a food sensitivity test to discover what may be causing your migraine pain: “A food sensitivity test can check your reactions to over 1,000 foodstuffs in around 15 minutes. Increase the amount of almonds, watercress, parsley, fennel, garlic, fresh pineapple and protein in your diet. Make sure you eat small amounts often to help stabilise wide swings in blood sugar that may precipitate a migraine. Try taking the following supplements: magnesium with calcium, 1,000mg once a day; vitamin B complex once a day; 5HTP 100-200mg three times a day; omega 3 or evening primrose oil, 2-4g once a day; vitamin C, 1,000-2,000mg once a day; and CoQ10, 100mg once a day. Herbal remedies administered by a herbalist or naturopath can be effective, like feverfew, salix, gingko, ginger, chamomile and cayenne.”

Homeopathic remedies for headache and migraine

Reflexology for migraines and headache relief

This subtle yet powerful holistic treatment is based on the theory that different points on the feet, lower legs, hands, face or ears correspond with different areas of the body. By massaging certain points aligned with different organs, you can help to boost energy and vitality in your body. What’s more, it’s very easy to do yourself once you’ve learned the main reflexology points. And remember: there aren’t just pressure points for headaches on the feet. If you’re feeling tension headache symptoms coming on, press the acupoint in the middle of the palm of your hand. This point is located on one of the most important meridians (or energy channels), which affects the heart, liver, and pancreas, where stress is often stored.

According to reflexologist Sophie Esdaile, reflexology can ease migraine and muscle tension: “Common causes of migraine are stress, muscular tension, poor elimination of toxins, eye strain or hormonal changes. One of the great benefits of reflexology for headaches is deep relaxation, which also encourages the body to self-heal. As your body unwinds, muscular tension and anxiety decrease, digestion is eased which helps with elimination, blood flow around the body is improved, and hormones become balanced.

“For migraine relief, start by relaxing the neck muscles and head area. On your hand, work your way up the outside edge of the thumb, from the joint below the nail, over the top and back down the other side. Do this several times. You might notice that your thumb feels a little tender. Apply pressure to the pituitary gland reflex just off the centre of the thumb towards the fingers. Draining movements down each side of your fingers, as though you are squeezing something out of a tube, will work areas of the face which will give an added boost. Relax the spine by thumb walking back down the outer edge of the thumb towards the wrist. Pressure on the solar plexus point about an inch down between the first and second finger will calm nerves.”

Acupuncture for migraines

Acupuncture for headaches has grown in popularity; and as with reflexology, acupuncture pressure points aim to ease these aches. But have you tried acupressure? David James Lees, Chinese medicine expert and head of practice at Wu Wei Wisdom explains this in more detail: “In traditional Chinese medicine, acupressure uses various points along the energy pathways or meridians of the body. Ill health is thought to arise because of imbalances in energy flow along these pathways and acupressure will help to clear this up.

“There are several acupressure points that are helpful for headaches. One is a powerful point on your hands called ‘he gu’ or union valley, located in the web between your thumb and index finger.

“To try acupressure yourself, apply pressure firmly and deeply on this point, hold for three seconds and release. Repeat three times on both hands, using your right hand to apply pressure to your left hand and vice versa. This will help relieve frontal and sinus headaches and release tension from the neck and head.”

Ginger for headaches

Recently, promising research has been released suggesting that ginger can be beneficial for migraine sufferers. According to Healthline, “Most of the promising research on the beneficial effects of ginger for migraine used supplements that contain ginger extract or powdered ginger. Therefore, ginger supplements are the most likely form of ginger to alleviate symptoms of headaches and migraines. A typical dose is a 550mg capsule at the first sign of a headache. This dose may be repeated once or twice.”

Should I use a hot or cold compress for headaches?

Ice packs can be used to relieve headaches: “Applying a covered ice pack to the back of your neck can give relief from a headache,” says Dr Surinder Sandhu from Bedford Chiropractic Clinic. “The cold from the ice helps reduce inflammation that contributes to the pain. Make sure your head is up straight at all times while doing this.”