I'm really going out on a limb here, but as khrome had mentioned in her thread about cleaning fleece, we have such a diverse group of people and knowledge here, I figured I see if anyone has any advice that can help me.  Recently in my life I've begun to develop these terribly severe headaches, and I think I had my first true migraine last weekend, it was horrible.  It started as a dull pain in the top of my head, moved into my eyes so that I could not bear any light, and my ears became very sensitive to loud or sharp sounds.  Now, so far these symptoms are not entirely new to me, but, then it progressed so that I actually got body shakes and (sorry, don't mean to be gross) the pain in my head caused me to vomit...violently, I might add.  I'm feeling a bit headachey this morning & am scared of it developing, that's what made me think to post this.  I'm wondering if any of you have taken a natural approach to headache relief/prevention and have been successful and have anything to share.  I know that there are certain vitamin combinations you can take that are supposed to help, have any of you tried this or does anyone else suffer from this?  I am NOT a fan of hospitals, medications, or medical practices in general.  I will always seek out a natural method before ever giving myself up to medicine.  I'm not saying that I never take any sort of medicine, when desperate I will take advil for my head (bothers my stomach terribly), or aleve for menstrual cramps, as these are quite sever for me as well, and aleve does an AWESOME job of relieving my menstrual cramps and sickness.  That's a whole other story!

So what I'm seeking out here is the best, and unfortunately, most cost-effective way of headache and migraine treatment & prevention.  I will search the net to see what is out there, but just thought one of you may have something to offer me.  Thanks!

Migraines are NO fun!  I've found that if I can "catch" one in the early stages, I might be able to stop it before it becomes full-blown.  Amazingly enough, caffiene is what helps to knock down a headache BEFORE it becomes a major......HEADACHE!  :P Once it gets past the "initial" symptoms stage, however, you should avoid caffeine.

Things to avoid:  salt, alcohol, caffiene, chocolate.

I know there are herbal remedies that some use.  I'll let someone else jump in with those.  They've never worked well for me, but I know they can work for others.

I wish I had some advice to give you, Maggie, but unfortunately I don't. If I started to get migraines I'd probably run to the doctor. But good luck to you and I hope the migraines don't become frequent visitors. (((hugs)))

Sorry to hear about your migraines!  People who've never had them just don't understand how awful they are.   :P

If I can catch my migraines before they start (no real pain yet, but I know they're coming  >:() Excedrin Migraine works well for me.

After I have one the only thing that helps is prescription meds; I like Relpax and Imitrex.

I've tried various treatments through the years but medication is the only thing that has helped me.  Sorry.  :-[

wrote on Nov 15^th, 2005 at 3:30pm:

Things to avoid:  salt, alcohol, caffiene, chocolate.

I've had my fair share of pretty bad headaches.  Not migraines, but real hum-dingers nontheless.  I found over the years that caffeine (esp. Dr. Pepper :D), Advil, and a dark space helps me the most.  Usually works better if I can take my glasses off and have some kind of light pressure applied to my eyes (a warm washcloth, eye pillow, etc.).  The really bad ones make me sick to my stomach, so I treat them with lots of fluids and salty snacks.  :D  Guess I'm just weird, huh?

Sorry to hear about the migraine :-/ ((((((hugs))))))

ok, this might be long but this is all the info i found:-

well this is for more minor headaches- boil some water, and add some pepermint oil/herb, or lavender oil then pour it into a bowl, and drape a towel over your head and lean over the water with the towel curtained around your face (like a sauna) then start taking slow deep breaths and when there is no more steam, immediately rub the pressure points on the bridge of your nose, temples and base of your skull.

OR

you could do the same exept use warm water and dip the the towel in it, the wring it and place it on your neck  or forehead.

Drink herbal tea of feverfew or chammomile, or peppermint which are calming.

apply heat or cold, or alternate between the two.
take a hot bath with some of lavender or peppermint essential oil in the water while massaging neck and forehead.

Taking magnesium(sp?) supplement is also very helpful.

well, not to make things too long here's a website that has some good info

Hope they don't come back any time soon ((((((hugs)))))) :-*

Thank you, everyone, I really appreciate the input!  My headache today did not (yet) develop any worse, just a dull, annoying thumper, but I'll take that any day after what I experienced last weekend!  Normally what I do, when at home & able, I lay on the sofa with ice on my head and a towel over my face to block the light.  This will help, but it takes all day, usually I have to sleep it off and am OK by the next morning.  But I can't always do that, especially when they hit me at work, then I am doomed!  From what I read, I am a prime target for headaches/migraines - I drink caffeinated coffee every day, enjoy a beer or so after work every day, I keep a dish of chocolates on my counter for my customers and pick at them myself every day (I'm eating dove dark chocolates as I type this!), and I am stressed out pretty much daily over my business.  So, I guess it's no surprise I'm getting these headaches.  I'm going to have to consciously make some lifestyle changes to deal with this.

13bodies:  I have tried Excedrin migraine, seemed to work well the first time, but not so well as time went on.  It made me very shakey and strange feeling, I think it may be from the caffiene in it.

beesan16:  Thanks a million for the page, I didn't have time to do any research on my own yet, so I really appreciate you finding that for me.  There's some good info. on there, I have it bookmarked now!

(((Thanks again!))) :D

my hubby get migraines and over time we found a trigger to his after being told that most have a trigger that brings them on.  his triggers are nitrates (a preservtive found in hotdog and other meat) and exposure to argon gas( from work ) so now he avoids these and it helped to limit them .

I feel for you, maggie. I hate headaches like peeling potatoes.

What I do - when at home - just let all the blindes down and lay down with a cold washcloth on my head. And I try to drink as much as tea as I possible can get into my system.   I have been avoiding any kind of medicine so far, but my headaches are getting worse every time.

My daughter told me to cut out chocolate helped her. Acutally she has no more sweets left in her diet period. She used to get very bad migraine spells when she was still in Germany....I felt so sorry for her. Some of them lasted days......she had no other choice but to take prescription medication. Since she is in the states, the headaches are not as often anymore. I think she went the entire last year without a single one. Weird, isn't it?

What scares me about the migraine headaches the most is the fact that every attack is like a minor stroke. Or so the doctor said.

My suggestion is to consult a chiropractor, a homeopath and/or naturopath.  Regular massage could help reduce the stress and increase circulation.  Yoga is good stress reduction (of course!) and walking.

I hope you find a remedy soon!  Good luck and let us know how you do!!!

hi maggie :),

i hope you feel better. did you go to a doctor yet? well goodluck on anything you try. recently i read ( i dont remember where i read this) that too much protein in your diet leads to migraines. they said thats why ppl on a low carb diet trigger migraines. hopes that helps. good luck.  i would definately try soothing herb teas.

I just signed up, and we haven’t been introduced but I know about migraines! Like you mine are violent vomiting affairs that keep me in bed all day. After having spoken with numerous doctors, nurses, friends and family members I’ve deduced the cause… stress. Most of the people I know who have had or get migraines have auras (ringing in the ears, spots of light in the eyes) which I do not get. For me it’s like being hit with a wrecking ball. Usually I tend toward homeopathic remedies but after three months of having migraines every day I had to go on manufactured meds (though I’ve known some who had great success with bio-feedback). If you haven’t have migraines before it is either a new allergy or stress. As Sakina advised, yoga, and meditation, are the best stress relievers available! If you think it’s an allergy see a homeopath, and if you don’t have money or insurance call your state human resource department or get out the yellow pages—there are sliding fee scale clinics, and frequently within such clinics there are people that are able to refer a patient to a homeopath or naturopath (or maybe I just got lucky). I feel for you, a migraine is one of the worst possible pains imaginable, and I’ve actually gone to the emergency room more than once because of them. But on a lighter side I've also known people who’ve only had them once or twice; it might simply be a rare occurrence. I really hope for you it doesn’t happen again!  

I get these miserable migranes as well. My fix is Exedrin migrane. Sometimes they are so bad I can't function. I feel like vomiting but usually do not. On the real bad days, I give up and go to bed, even if it's only noon.

The trigger is stress, which elevates the blood pressure to the 200/120 mark. It has been as high as 260. Another trigger is reading. Being dyslexic, reading requires hard concentration and stress. Thus, these migranes have contributed greatly to the lack of release of new chapters to my 'Goddess' and 'Destiny' novels.  :-[ :-[

Monday, I got such a quick bad pain in my head, neck and entire back I had to stop and pull off the road.  It was almost demobilizing!  :o

Well, I am certainly not alone here!  I think i can almost definetly pin-point my headaches to stress.  My head is constantly racing.  When I lay down to sleep I find myself thinking about the days work, and the work to come.  Stressing over the work load, or lack of work load sometimes, financial stuff, and just trying to juggle the entire act completely by myself.  I am a one-woman-show when it  comes to my business, and it can get extremely trying sometimes...just feeling spread too thin.  No wonder I am experiencing migraines!

I don't feel that was my first migraine, just the first one that got that severe.  I would love to take yoga, unfortunately no one offers it around here, I could learn on my own, though.  I used to take tai chi, it was so wonderful and relaxing, but this dull area managed to squash that on me, too.  Not enough ppl joining in, so he stopped his classes.  I enjoy the group settings when it comes to things like that, it's more encouraging.  I do go to the gym 2-3 times per week to exersice, that helps to relieve some aggrivation, but I wouldn't say it's relaxing!

Ollave:  Thanks for the info., insurance & cost IS an issue for me, a big one.  Another stress added to being a new small business owner is having to provide for your own insurance, and unfortunately I just can't afford any right now.  I know there are plans out there I could probably swing, but the coverage offered hardly seems worth it.  For me to pick up a good plan would mean that some other bills just wouldn't get paid, and that's not an option for me.  Insurance really stinks!  I was not aware that there were other options for me, I will certainly look further into this.  By the way, Welcome to the boards!

Rodent:  Sorry to hear of your sufferings, too.  I don't find that reading causes headaches for me, but they certainly do aggravate them once they've started, reading becomes torture!  It's so hard when they hit you in a situation like you experienced, driving and you can't lay down or cover your eyes from the light.  You need to keep concentrating, and that makes it so much worse!

Thanks so much for the input everyone.  I'm going to double check to see about yoga classes around here, if not, I'm really thinking about learning on my own.  This also makes me realized that I'm way overdue for a chiropractic appt., maybe that will help too.  (((Thanks again!)))

I haven't had a migraine, but I've had other stress-related problems.  One of the things you mentioned that I experience daily is trying to juggle everything.  What I've found really helps is keeping an organizer (could be paper, could be electronic) where you can write things down as soon as you remember them.  So you can start formulating a to-do list.  And when you have all the items in one place, you can re-prioritize without having to remember everything you need to get done.  Most of the stress we feel is anxiety over forgetting to do something.  Also, checking things off of the list gives us a sense of accomplishment.

Hope this helps!

Cynde

Just a small tidbit that I thought I'd share. I never had migraines until I was about 21 or 22 years of age, and they were caused by lack of sleep.

So be careful of that too!

khrome:  Organization really is a problem for me, maybe a planner would be the ticket for me, then I wouldn't have that fear of forgetting.  Your absolutely right about stress coming from fear of forgetting to do something majorly important, it really makes your head spin!  It makes total sense.  My problem is that once I start one thing, I am interrupted with 20 different distractions, and no one thing is ever really getting accomplished.

angel spun:  My sleep patterns are so strange anymore.  I can't tell you the last time I had a solid block of sleep.  Typically, I may fall asleep from 10-12, then 1-3, then 4-6, once the sun comes up, I'm up, that's it!  I used to be able to sleep a solid eight hours easily, boy, are those days ever gone!

My to do list for migraine prevention:
* LEARN TO UNSTRESS!  Learn yoga or meditation
* Cut out the caffiene- replace some coffee w/ herbal tea (started this!)
  Change to decaf. coffee, watch general crappy food intake.
* Keep up on the daily vitamins & supplements (magnesium is supposed to
  help with the headaches, menstrual cramps, too -thanks beesan!)
* Make regular chiropractic appointments
* Get organized- start using a daily planner and to-do lists

Look, my first to-do list (thanks khrome  ;)), I'm on my way already!

I totally hear you on the sleep irregularity, Maggie. I cannot remember the last time I slept for 8 hours straight either. It's almost always broken up by work or insomnia. *sigh!* Old age happens to the best of us, I guess...  :P

I get migraines almost regularly. It's like being hit in the head with a club. The doctor said due to stress, even though my lifestyle is pretty laid back I still get them.  Usualy I just lay down and take it, talk on the phone so I have someone to cry to and wait it out. My boyfriend's brother suggested a pressure point(I think, between the thumb and forefinger) that can help. I've tried this, but usually I'm not paying attention enough to see what particularly helps.

I'd probably drop a brick on my foot just to have something else to focus on. Luckily the bad ones aren't too often, just regular. I get smaller headaches all the time and I've learned to ignore some of them.

A hot cup of tea always helps at least a little, and a hot bath would be icing on the cake(if this house had bathtubs anyway). Warmth helps me, so into a nice hot shower I go, if I feel like standing. If not, I get some hot water, soak a rag, and press it on my forehead when I'm laying down.

Quote:

My boyfriend's brother suggested a pressure point(I think, between the thumb and forefinger) that can help. I've tried this, but usually I'm not paying attention enough to see what particularly helps.

I do not get migraines, but that pressure point works on my regular headaches about 95% of the time.  It is between your thumb and forefinger, just below the knuckles.  Just squeeze with the thumb and forefinger of your other hand, or have a friend do it for you.  Place your thumb against the palm side of your hand and your finger opposite on the back of your hand.  It is a sensitive spot and hurts your hand a bit, but nothing like the headache does.  I can feel the headache pain dissipating as I squeeze my hand.  I just keep the pressure on til the headache is gone.

There is another stretch you can try that sometimes works for my headaches.   Hopefully I can explain it so it makes sense.  Put your right palm under the right side of your chin/jaw, your left hand to the top/left side of your head.  Then press your hands as if you are trying to make your palms meet.  Start off gently so you dont hurt yourself.  You will know how much pressure feels right. You will be pressing your head sort of up at the neck but then down and to the rightish from the top.  You should feel the stretch on the back left side of your neck.  Then switch hands and try the other direction.

Hope it works for migraines too!

That stretch sounds interesting. I'll give it a try sometime and see how it goes.

Hey, I hope your migranes lessen.

My sister had a scary slew of migranes.  From her experience, I would almost say to get a CT scan just to be sure.  Sometimes migranes can be a precursor to a stroke.  I don't mean to scare -- but if it's something that you never had until now, it is best to get it checked out.

My sister's anemia is a big factor for her migrane headaches.  

Panpeus--How's your sister? Is she doing okay?

oh, right I remeber i read an entry in your journal about her. How is she now?

Birth control pills--a known source of migraines (among other harmful things........)

Nutrasweet--known source of migraines.

wrote on Nov 18^th, 2005 at 1:18pm:

Look, my first to-do list (thanks khrome  ;)), I'm on my way already!

No problem!  I hope it helps.

I updated my list today too.  Sometimes I slack off (shhhh) ;-)

Cynde

wrote on Nov 20^th, 2005 at 12:46am:

Birth control pills--a known source of migraines (among other harmful things........) Nutrasweet--known source of migraines.

Well, I can rule those out, never was on a stitch of BC in my life, and I wouldn't touch nutrasweet or any other artificial sweetener w/ a 10 ft. pole.  That stuff is TERRIBLE for you, says right on the package that it causes cancer in lab rats!  We try to eat as naturally and organically as this area will allow us.  We use sugar in the raw in place of white sugar, unbleached flour, sea salt and we grow most of our own herbs.  One thing I wonder about is soy, does that cause headaches?  We are vegetarians and eat a lot of soy-based products, I wonder if that could be a contributor.  We are careful to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and we keep up on daily vitamins so that we are not missing any vital nutrients...we try our best, anyhow!

khrome:  The first thing I did when I came into work today was make a list of everthing I wanted to accomplish.  I glance at the list every time I pass it so it all stays fresh on my mind and hopefully, nothing will be left undone.  I'm really going to try to stick to this, I feel a little more organized already!

Panpeus:  What happened to your sister?  Is she OK?  I hope you don't mind me asking.  Unfortunately, with no health care,  I could never afford to have a CT scan, or any of the medical treatment I may need.  I keep my fingers crossed and pray every day that nothing serious happens to me or my husband.  We would probably lose everthing.  I can't even think about it...

One of my all time favorite yoga videos is "Yoga Mind & Body"  with Ali MacGraw (yes, the actress).  Erich Schiffmann is the yogi on the tape-he is awesome!!!

Re: soy.  It mimicks the estrogen your body produces.  Too much soy causes your body to produce less hormone 'cause it gets tricked into thinking there's already enough.  I'd check w/ a naturopath.

Let us know how you're doing!!

Maggie,

I have another thought… Have you tried Valerian? It helps with both migraines and sleeplessness.  

There is also Feverfew (I’ve tried it without any luck though I know it helps some).

Or Lavender, which helps headaches, depression, and sleeplessness (also good on hair).  

That’s all I can think of now, but maybe you could try an internet search for natural migraine remedies.

Hope this helps a little! :)

I did another search and found these sites

Home made Medicine

This has alot of info on other things too

This is a whole website about migraines

P.S. I hope you like seafood cuz i read that seafood helps ALOT, there was a lady who ate two servings of seafood a day to stop the migraine headache- that is the amount for the people who get them REAL bad ALL the time, you could probably eat it about twice a week

HTH :)

I too use Excedrin. I have a friend who takes vitamins that have magnesium, potassium, and calcium and it helps her.
I am looking for a herbal remedy for when I get pregnant. My mom has migraines and for my little sister had them all the way through her pregnancy and couldn't do anything about it. I am hoping I can find a way to prevent that from happening to me. This discussion has been very helpful.

Meg

ollave:  Yes, I have tried valerian and feverfew, they are both good for sleeplessness.  Currently my husband and I use skullcap to help calm anxiety and help with sleeping, it works very well.  I have never taken lavender internally, only used it topically for its soothing effects.

beesan:  No, being a vegetarian, I don't eat any animal form at all.  In fact, I have never had any seafood in my life.  It was just something that my family didn't eat for whatever reason, and I gave up eating meat before ever getting to try it.  My husband's been veggie for 15 years, and me for 13...wow, time goes fast!

Off subject.........

IT'S SNOWING! Looks like we're in for a white Thanksgiving...

Lavendar can be made into tea but I'd recommend putting a satchet of it in your pillowcase.