If you have ever experienced a migraine headache, then you are familiar with its unpleasant symptoms. They include throbbing pain on one side of your head, light sensitivity, and sometimes, nausea. Pain relief treatment for migraines often include prescription medications, however, these can cause serious side effects. Here are three drug-free remedies for migraine headaches and how they work to keep you comfortable:
Chiropractic Massage
Therapeutic massage administered by a chiropractor can help relieve back pain, neck discomfort, and migraines. Massage reduces muscle tension and can help lessen inflammation. During a massage, your body releases chemicals that induce a feeling of well-being.
These chemicals are known as endorphins and are often referred to as "feel good" chemicals. Endorphins can also reduce anxiety, enhance sleep patterns, and diminish the perception of pain. They can even help promote restorative sleep, which is often elusive when you have a migraine headache.
Caffeine
While you probably know that coffee, energy drinks, and chocolate contain caffeine, you may not know that it is an ingredient in many pain medications. It can enhance the analgesic effects of aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen. When you have a migraine, the blood vessels in your head dilate, pressing on nearby structures.
Caffeine helps constrict these inflamed blood vessels, and when this happens, they no longer press on the surrounding structures, reducing pain. While caffeine can help you find relief from migraines, too much can lead to palpitations, anxiety, sweating, and insomnia.
Magnesium
Magnesium may help reduce both the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches. Magnesium helps to relax smooth muscle tissue and can help ease muscle contractions. For migraine relief, try incorporating more magnesium-rich foods into your diet, such as almonds and avocados.
If magnesium-rich foods do not appeal to you, consider taking supplements. Be sure to talk to your doctor before you start taking magnesium supplements because they can interact with certain medications. If you take magnesium with prescription anticoagulants or aspirin, you may be at risk for abnormal bleeding. Also, if you take magnesium with beta blockers or other cardiovascular medications, you may be at risk for developing a cardiac arrhythmia, or abnormal heartbeat.
If you have migraine headaches, consider the above natural remedies. They are usually well tolerated by most people, however, before you begin a new natural remedy regimen, be sure to check with your chiropractor or family medical practitioner to make sure that it is safe for you to do so.
Share9 October 2018
After struggling with months and months with back pain, I could tell that things weren't getting any better with my DIY methods. I was tired of having trouble every time I needed to move, so I decided to start working with a chiropractor. When I arrived, the doctor worked really hard to diagnose my condition, and then he talked with me about treatments--letting me decide how to proceed. It made me feel really great about working with him, and within a few treatments my back was feeling a lot better. This blog is all about improving your back pain by talking with the right professionals.
