Friday, May 2, 2014

Ways to prevent or relieve migraine headaches

I'm pretty sure everyone has had or will have a headache in their life time. Sometimes it can last a few minutes, other times a few hours. But can usually be treated with some sort of anti inflammatory pill or something as simple as a nap.

Many people (myself included) suffer from migraine headaches. These types of headaches are usually on one side of the head, can cause nausea and vomiting, and can last for days. Light and sound sensitivity is very common as well.
For me, I've been dealing with migraines for about 8 months and almost on a daily basis. The pain is there but only gets severe after a long run in warm weather or after a very stressful day. I also have an ultra sensitive occipital nerve in my neck that I need to keep stretched out because if it tenses up, it triggers a migraine. I am so thankful for the stretches I learned in physical therapy. They can be found here.

After doing some research I found some interesting ways to fight migraine headaches and prevent them from happening.

One of the most interesting things I learned was that certain foods and spices help but some foods could be triggers. Here are some of the helpful foods:
Flaxseeds- A natural anti-inflammatory with omega-3's and fatty acids.

Coffee- Moderation is key! Sometimes caffeine can trigger a migraine. Drinking a cup of strong coffee at the first sign of attack will give the best relief. Try to keep the sugar and sweetener to a minimum. 

Fish-Omega 3's (Red meats can be triggers)

Millet- Magnesium and B vitamins

Spinach- Riboflavin or vitamin B2.

Cinnamon- A natural pain reliever when used in warm beverages. It can also lower blood sugar, reduce cholesterol, and even numb a tooth ache! It's a good thing I love cinnamon! 


One thing I know for sure that can cause headaches is artificial sweetener such as aspartame and sacharine. 

Another trigger for headaches is low iron levels. If you do not have enough iron, your body makes fewer and smaller red blood cells. Which can lead to lets hemoglobin and less oxygen. And obviously if you're low on oxygen this is a major cause for dizziness and headaches. This is something I struggle with so this will be my main focus along with cutting out possible triggers and keeping up with my stretches. 

I hope I didn't bore you into a deep sleep. And I hope you learned at least one thing. :-) I really love finding natural ways to fight off illnesses or aches and pains. 

Do you suffer from migraine headaches?
If so, what do you do to prevent or treat them?

Have a great weekend everyone!




2 comments:

  1. Oh, this is interesting. I had no idea that these foods could help with migraines. I used to get migraines but it hasn't happened recently. I'm not sure what the triggers were but it's happened less since I've begun eating and hydrating better.

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    1. There is a long list of triggers too! I just didn't want to go into all of that here. And drinking plenty of water is a very good way to keep headaches away! Not being well hydrated last summer is the reason I started getting exertion headaches. Those are the absolute worst!

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