Six natural remedies to help relieve migraines

Tuesday, July 17, 2012 by: Ben
Tags: migraines, relief, natural remedies

(NaturalNews) For everyone who has had a migraine, you know how extremely painful they are. You know what the first symptoms are, such as vision loss or pins and needle feeling, and you dread what is to come.

There are many that depend on over-the-counter or prescription medication to relieve migraines, in particular Excedrin. Unfortunately, the manufacturer, Novartis, voluntarily recalled certain bottles of Excedrin due to chipped and stray pills.

Although this occurred in January, you may still find yourself without the popular over-the-counter pill that delivered relief at one point. With migraines being so painful and burdening, you may think that your only option is medications that are prescribed or over-the-counter. However, there are a number of natural options to ease the pain. The American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society specified some of the natural remedies to treat migraines.

Feverfew - This is one of the oldest herbal remedies for migraines; this plant can be eaten raw or steeped in tea. Alexander Mauskop, M.D., and a board certified neurologist who focuses on headaches states that this herb can help treat migraines. The reason is because it contains a powerful chemical called parthenolide, which has been known to fight migraines. The earliest study comes out of Great Britain in the 1980's, showing that 70 percent of people who chewed a few leaves each day saw their symptoms improve.

Butterbur - Any form of this herb is toxic, except for the processed supplement. The chemicals in butterbur help relieve spasms and decrease inflammation, which can cause headaches. Another study on migraines showed that patients who took 75 milligrams of butterbur twice daily experienced 48 percent fewer migraines.

Magnesium - Research done by Mauskop showed that people who experience migraines can be deficient in magnesium. A small study showed that the daily consumption of magnesium supplements reduced the frequency of migraines by 42 percent, compared to only about 16 percent in patients given a placebo pill.

Riboflavin - Although this study found that riboflavin in doses that would need to be prescribed by a doctor helped migraine relief, it still helped ward them off. Riboflavin is found in foods like milk, meat, nuts and green veggies.

Omega 3s - These healthy fats can fight off inflammation, which is likely to be the cause of many headaches and even migraines. A few daily recommendations are flax seeds, salmon, and fish oil supplements.

Water - As obvious as it sounds, many headaches are caused by dehydration. If you know how to catch migraines early, drinking water immediately can actually stop a migraine in its tracks says Mauskop.

Most of these recommendations are person specific, and it is beneficial to try a number of things to see what works best for you. If you are tired of relying on medications to help your migraines, this is a great place to start.

Source for this article include:

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/headachemigraine/a/Migraine.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://www.mayoclinic.com

About the author:
Ben enjoys writing about the benefits of green tea at Tendig.com, a revenue sharing site that publishes unique and interesting articles.