Best Herbal Remedies for Migraines
a recurrent throbbing headache that typically affects one side of the head and is often accompanied by nausea and disturbed vision.
Best Herbal Remedies for Migraines
Many people suffer from migraines. As such, several herbal remedies for migraines are developed and distributed anywhere in the world.
Nevertheless, herbal remedies for migraines are not really as popular as more commonly advertised pills that we see in television. But still these remedies are gaining certain level of popularity as many people discover their efficacy.
In the first place, there is basically a few contrasting theories for the onset of migraines. And one of those theories is known as Neural Theory.
According to such theory, migraines occur since when certain chemicals are released by the body which causes the blood vessels in the brain to become inflamed. Such action then provokes the nerves into a painful response, hence migraines.
Since there is still no concrete proof for the safety and effectiveness of herbal remedies for migraines, it is then important to know that herbal remedies
for migraines should be comprised of essential nutrients that can assist the pain with the least probable amount of some unfavorable side effects.
And the herbal remedies for migraines are not really bale to treat migraine that has already occurred.
As part of a preventative measure, herbal remedies for migraines can aid in eliminating or lessening the symptoms that are connected with it and some other forms of headaches.
Numerous studies have found out that the herbal remedies for migraines can assist in such action by means of easing the blood vessel constriction, and by that it can treat the cause and symptoms of migraine headaches.
To mention, there are some proven effective herbal remedies for migraines as opposed to synthetic drugs. And one of those promising herbal remedies for migraines is chamomile.
This herb is considered as one of the best natural sedatives for the fact that it can provide relief to migraine including tension headaches. Chamomile can also lessen the symptoms like irritability and nervousness.
Aside from that, ginkgo biloba, which is one of the oldest herbal remedies for migraines, ahs been demonstrated to enhance the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Thus it can assist to dilate blood vessels and ease migraine pain.
Gotu Kola is another one of the best herbal remedies for migraines. It was found out that this herb can develop the circulation in the brain and enhance the strength of the blood vessel. It also harbors anti-inflammatory qualities and as such, it can ease migraines.
There are still some other herbal remedies for migraines such as SAMe, DMAE, passion flower, rosemary, yucca root, and 5-HTP.
All of these herbal remedies are generally acclaimed as great solutions for easing the unfavorable effects of migraines.
Migraine Headaches
Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches. Migraines occur more commonly in women than in men and typically occur in people aged 15 to 55 years.
A recent study of 171 migraine sufferers, published in the journal Headache, suggests that over-the-counter Excedrin Migraine works better the prescription Imitrex (sumatriptan) for treating migraines.
The patients who took the Excedrin Migraine at the onset of a headache experienced less pain after four hours than those who took Imitrex.
This result is probably true for some patients but not all. Excedrin Migraine contains acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine.
The problem with continual use of this combination is that it often leads to rebound headaches. You should also not take more than two tablets per day and no more than twice per week.
This greatly reduces your chances of rebound headaches. If you are experiencing more than two migraines a week, you will need a prescription medication.
Another study found that taking an NSAID, like naproxen, with Imitrex (sumatriptan) works much better than taking either medication alone for migraine headaches.
The researchers concluded that the best combination is 50mg of Imitrex (sumatriptan) combined with 500mg of naproxen.
Imitrex (sumatriptan) is in a class of medications called triptans. There are seven triptans currently available in the United States.
They are Imitrex (sumatriptan), Maxalt (rizatriptan), Zomig (zolmitriptan), Amerge (naratriptan), Frova (frovatriptan), Relpax (eletriptan), and Axert (almotriptan).
Triptans are used only for migraine treatment because they are effective only at relieving the pain caused by migraines. They are slightly useful for some other headache types but not for all headache pain or for any other type of pain.
The current guidelines for migraine headaches state that NSAIDS are first line therapy. That means they should be used first.
If someone is allergic, or the NSAIDS do not work, then the triptans are the drugs of choice.
Patients who suffer from migraine headaches should have a treatment plan in the event they get a migraine.
This plan should include both preventive medication and medications to stop the migraine. The first line medications, NSAIDs and triptans, are the primary choices.
This study suggests that the NSAID combination of acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine is more effective than oral sumatriptan at relieving migraine headache pain, when taken at the onset.
More studies should be conducted to confirm these results since patients with headaches that cause vomiting or require the patient to lie down were not studied.
This study did confirm that both the combination of acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine and triptans appear to be effective first-line therapies for patients with migraine headaches.
I would recommend using a store or generic brand headache medication containing 250mg of acetaminophen, 250mg of aspirin, and 65mg caffeine first, for mild migraines.
This combination costs about 4¢ per pill. If this is ineffective, or the migraine is severe, move up to the triptans.
They are expensive at about $17.00 per pill. Anyone with a migraine will tell you that cost is not a consideration when it comes to migraine relief.
Home Remedies for the Ordinary Headache
If you are suffering from frequent headaches, there is always some medication available over the counter which can help alleviate the pain that they bring.
But if you are the type of person not usually keen on taking over the counter drugs, there are also some home remedies that you can try out for your headache.
There is a wealth of ingredients that you can find around your own home that can help you get rid of a nasty headache.
Home remedies for your headache help you make use of more natural methods of treating your headaches. Here are some home remedy examples that you can use to treat that headache.
Ginger
The ordinary ginger can help you get rid of your nasty headache. It inhibits a substance known as thromboxane A2 that prevents the release of chemicals that make your blood vessels expand. With this effect, ginger is useful for treating migraines as well as other types of headaches.
Eating crystallized ginger or adding some grated ginger in your drink will be enough as a home remedy for your headache. Using fresh or powdered ginger when cooking your food will do just as well.
Essential Oils
Peppermint oil is also a well known home remedy for headache. Just put a couple of drops of this aromatic oil into a carrier oil or lotion and rub around your temple, neck and forehead. But make sure that you do not get any of the oil too close to your eyes as its vapors can be very overwhelming.
You can also place a drop or two of peppermint oil on your handkerchief and sniff it to help you get rid of your headaches.
Peppermint oil has been known to relieve headaches caused by too much tension. Rosemary Oil can also be just as effective as a home remedy for headaches. Rosemary oil helps relieve your headaches by helping keep the blood vessels dilated.
Herbal Teas
Herbal teas have also been known to provide headache relief. Peppermint tea and rosemary tea are examples of popular home remedy beverages for your nagging headache.
Drinking a cup or two of your favorite peppermint tea will do wonders for your headache. Preparing a teaspoon of rosemary in a cup of hot water and steeped for about 10 minutes will also do as well.
Drinking this wonderful concoction three times a day will help you get rid of that headache.
Anxiety and herbal remedies
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Anxiety and herbal remedies
Anxiety often comes as a feeling of impending disaster and inadequacy in dealing with the pressures of daily life. This is emotion is often associated with depression.
Fortunately, there are a number of herbal remedies for anxiety that one can use to counter symptoms of anxieties.
Anxiety and herbal remedies to counter it include the following:
Kava kava. This anxiety and herbal remedies treat anxiety and promotes sleep. Recommended dosage should be 250 mg three times daily with meals. You can take four to six capsules for sleep. Not recommended for long term use.
Valerian. For anxiety and herbal remedies, this herb also treats insomnia and is used as sedative and painkiller. This should not be taken before bedtime to prevent panic attacks. Recommended dosage is 150 mg for daytime anxiety, three times daily.
Difficulty of sleep, 150 mg 45 minutes before sleep. You can increase the dosage to 600 mg.
For anxiety and herbal remedies, the following herbs are effective:
Ashwaganda. This is for anxiety and herbal remedies that serve as strengthening tonic in Ayurvedic medicine. Take one caosue or ½ teaspoon tincture twice a day.
Borage juice is anxiety and herbal remedies for the glandular system. Take 1 tbsp. with water daily for two weeks.
Bugleweed is an anxiety and herbal remedies that soothes nerves. Make infusion of one teaspoon herb and one cup boiling water.
California poppy is an anxiety and herbal remedies that serve as tranquilizer. Take ½ teaspoon of tincture or two capsules 3-4 times daily.
Catnip is an anxiety and herbal remedies that soot upset stomach. Make an infusion of one ounce of herbs and one pint boiling water.
Chamomile is an anxiety and herbal remedies for upset stomach. Boil one ounce of blossoms in one pint for 15 minutes, strain and add honey.
Fennel is anxiety and herbal remedies for gastrointestinal upsets. Take it as a tea.
Feverfew is anxiety and herbal remedies for migraines. Infuse an ounce with one pint of boiling water.
Ginseng is a great energy booster. Take 1 tsp of royal jelly in one cup of ginseng tea twice daily.
Hops relieves insomnia. Boil one teaspoon of herb in one cup of water in pot for ten minutes. Strain and drink.
Meadowsweet is anxiety and herbal remedies for headaches. Drink the tea or extract.
Passion flower is anxiety and herbal remedies for nervous tension and insomnia. One half teaspoon of herb in one cup boiling water; drink every three-four hours.
Skullcap is the best nerviness. Boil one teaspoon in one cup water for ten minutes.
The Four Phases of Migraines
Migraines are a neurological disease, of which the most common symptom is an intense and disabling episodic headache.
Migraines are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head and are often accompanied by hypersensitivity to light, hypersensitivity to sound and nausea.
The signs and symptoms of migraine vary among persons. Therefore, what a person experiences before, during and after an attack cannot be defined exactly.
The four “signs and symptoms” below are common among persons but are not necessarily experienced by all migraine sufferers:
1.The prodrome, which occurs hours or days before the headache.
2.The aura, which immediately precedes the headache.
3.The headache phase.
4.The postdrome.
The first phase or prodrome
Prodromal symptoms occur in 40% to 60% of migraineures. This phase consists of altered mood, irritability, depression or euphoria, fatigue, yawning, excessive sleepiness, craving for certain food (e.g., chocolate), and other vegetative symptoms.
These symptoms usually precede the headache phase of the migraine attack by several hours or days and experience teaches the person or observant family that the migraine attack is near.
The second phase or the Aura
The migraine aura is comprised of focal neurological phenomena that precedes or accompany the attack. They appear gradually over 5 to 20 minutes and usually subside just before the headache begins. Symptoms of migraine aura are usually sensory in nature.
Visual aura is the most common of the neurological events. There is a disturbance of vision consisting usually of unformed flashes of white or rarely of multicolored lights (photopsia)
or formations of dazzling zigzag lines (arranged like the battlements of a castle, hence the term fortification spectra or teichopsia).
Some persons complain of blurred or shimmering or cloudy vision, as though they were looking through thick or smoked glass.
The somatosensory aura of migraines consist of digitolingual or cheiro-oral paresthesias, a feeling of pins-and-needles experienced in the hand and arm as well as in the ipsilateral nose-mouth area. Paresthesia migrate up the arm and then extend to involve the face, lips and tongue.
The third phase: The Headache
The typical migraine headache is unilateral, throbbing, moderate to severe and can be aggravated by physical activity .
Not all of these features are necessary. The pain may be bilateral at the onset or start on one side and become generalized, usually alternates sides from one attack to the next.
The onset is usually gradual. The pain peaks and then subsides, and usually lasts between 4 and 72 hours in adults and 1 to 48 hours in children.
The frequency of attacks is extremely variable, from a few in a lifetime to several times a week, and the average migraineur experiences from one to three migraines a month.
The head pain varies greatly in intensity. The pain of migraines is invariably accompanied by other features. Anorexia is common, and nausea occurs in almost 90 percent of persons, while vomiting occurs in about one third of persons.
Many persons experience sensory hyperexcitability manifested by photophobia, phonophobia, osmophobia and seek a dark and quiet room.
Blurred vision, nasal stuffiness, diarrhea, polyuria, pallor or sweating may be noted during the headache phase. There may be localized edema of the scalp or face, scalp tenderness, prominence of a vein or artery in the temple, or stiffness and tenderness of the neck.
Impairment of concentration and mood are common. Lightheadedness, rather than true vertigo and a feeling of faintness may occur. The extremities tend to be cold and moist.
The fourth phase: postdrome phase
The person may feel tired, “washed out”, irritable, listless and may have impaired concentration, scalp tenderness or mood changes. Some people feel unusually refreshed or euphoric after an attack, whereas others note depression and malaise.
The information presented here should not be interpreted as medical advice. If you or someone you know suffers from migraines, please seek professional medical advice for the latest treatment options.
Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as no changes are made, and the entire resource box is included.
Acupuncture for Migraines
Acupuncture is one of the oldest medical techniques in the world, practiced in China for over 2,000 years. It is a FDA-approved treatment modality for a number of illnesses, especially pain management and chronic pain, and is particularly effective in treating migraines.
Acupuncture is a Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment that involves stimulating some of the over 800 vital energy points in the human body with fine,
hair-thin needles to release chi and encourage the body to heal itself. The vital energy points are on the meridians that run through the body from head to toe.
Chi (pronounced chee), or life energy, flows through these meridians and energy points.
The obstruction of the flow of chi leads to illness and is considered the source of many bodily aches and pains. The flow of chi along the meridians can be obstructed by illness, poor diet, the weather, and other outside factors.
Most acupuncture practitioners work with patients to form a treatment plan that addresses both the blockages themselves and the things that cause them.
These treatment plans, like those of Western Medicine, often include diet and lifestyle changes to enhance the patients’ well-being.
Migraineurs (people who suffer from migraine headaches) need to tell their acupuncturist exactly where they hurt when seeing one for pain mitigation.
The location of pain is important due to the large number of acupuncture points in the head, face, and neck. Where to apply pressure depends on where the migraine pain is most acute.
Migraineurs can find long-term relief from their migraines by working with an acupuncturist who specializes in headaches.
These specialists do an individualized assessment of the patient to create a long-term treatment plan. Many people who undergo an acupuncture program like this experience relief from migraines for years afterward. For some the headaches stop completely.
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