If you suffer with migraines and have tried everything you can think of to get rid of them, here are 6 migraine treatments to try.
by Troop Atomic Mommy
This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about affiliate links and how they work, please read our Affiliate Disclaimer HERE.
Living with migraines isn’t easy. They can affect every part of your life from your career to your relationships. In a study done on people who were afflicted with migraines, there was a 50% higher rate of dementia among people with migraines compared to those who did not suffer from migraines. And while treatments in rehabilitation for dementia are advancing, it’s safer to treat the migraines before getting to that point.
Yes, treatment of migraines can be hit-or-miss, but there have been some great improvements in treatment options over the past ten years.
It’s important to understand that a migraine is not your average headache. Migraines involve severe head pain, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, smells, and sound. It can also cause mood changes and leave you feeling drained for days afterward. During an attack, it is often so debilitating that you cannot do any of your usual activities.
Despite this, there is no cure for migraines, and treatment can be expensive and have side effects. Many people look to other ways to help reduce their migraines that work alongside their medication, or instead of it. Like most alternative therapies, some work better than others, and what is effective for one person might not have the same success in others. It’s all about finding out what works for you.
Here are 6 migraine treatment options that you may have not tried or even heard of.
Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR was originally developed to help people with PTSD and the psychological effects of trauma. It is used to manipulate the connection between eye movement and enemies. As the therapy has become more widely used, it has also been used to treat anxiety and insomnia.
Recent studies have also shown it to be effective in reducing episodes of migraine and chronic headaches in some people. Check out this guide to learn more about EMDR and what it involves.
Electromyographic (EMG) Biofeedback
For some people, stress and muscle tension play a big part in their pattern of migraines. When undergoing biofeedback, the practitioner will place sensors on your body to record muscle tension, temperature, brainwaves, and many other signs that indicate stress. The goal is to be able to control these responses and reduce them. The results have been shown to be more successful early in a migraine attack and can shorten the duration as well as reduce the intensity.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture has existed for thousands of years and is used to treat everything from chronic pain to fertility. It is believed that your body has a natural energy flow (Chi) that travels around the body. If this energy flow is disrupted or blocked, then problems occur.
Whether or not you believe in this kind of thing, research has also shown the physical process behind acupuncture which explains why it is effective. The fine needles that are placed in the skin across the body cause the nervous system to release endorphins, which act as a natural relaxant and painkiller.
Botox
Not just for wrinkles, Botox has been used over the last decade for those experiencing chronic migraine and daily headaches. Injected into particular places on the head, face, and neck, Botox works to disrupt the transmission of pain between your nervous system and the brain.
It has been found to be most effective on those who are experiencing 10 or more headache days per month and those who characterize their migraines as ‘exploding’.
Supplements
Everybody needs a good range of vitamins and minerals in their body in order to maintain good health. Ideally, this should come from your diet, but supplements can help, too. There are a number of supplements that have been traditionally used to treat migraines and headaches over the centuries. These include:
- Magnesium
- Feverfew Plant
- B Vitamins
- Co-enzyme Q10
You should always check with your doctor before taking any supplements as these can interact with other medications and can have other side effects.
Aromatherapy
Essential oils aren’t going to cure a migraine, but they can be useful in coping with the pain. Certain scents, such as lavender, eucalyptus, and citrus, are known for clearing your head as well as being relaxing. As we’ve already discussed, stress plays a huge role in migraines so anything that you can do to put yourself in a relaxing state is going to help you deal with your symptoms a little better.
Keep a bottle in your bag for when you need it. Or you can use an essential oil diffuser. Try and stay away from synthetic scents and air fresheners as these can often trigger migraines in sensitive people.
The Takeaway
Hopefully one day soon, there will be a cure for migraines that will benefit millions of people all over the world. Until that happens, migraine sufferers need to be able to balance their medical treatments, alternative treatments, and lifestyle in order to keep their migraines under control.
