Battling migraines can be exhausting, time consuming, and expensive!
I encourage you to search out the root causes of your migraines so that you don’t have to keep dealing with these harsh symptoms! Sometimes the doctors don’t have the time or patience to help you uncover what is actually going on inside of your body, instead they reach for a pharmaceutical that will give you symptom relief. Of course, that is all well and good until the migraine comes back around and you have to keep going through this process over and over with no permanent resolution.
Nutritional counseling can help you draw specific conclusions from your own individual physiology, and map how your body responds to the food you eat to determine the real causes. Since everyones headache pain varies and has unique triggers its important to obtain an individualized treatment plan for the best results.
While you are on your journey of figuring it all out, here are a few action steps that can give you some natural migraine pain relief:
1. Make sure you are well hydrated! The recommendation is 1/2 your body weight in ounces daily. Eating a diet high in sodium, coffee, processed foods can be dehydrating. The Standard American Diet has low mineral and water content. Increased stress and exercise regiments all require significant replenishing of liquids. If your daily routine includes many dosages of supplements and or pharmaceuticals this can be very dehydrating and you will need to replenish water frequently.
2. Reach for some caffeine which helps dilate constricted blood vessels in the brain and can often help relieve the pain of a migraine.
3. The use of CBD is highly effective and can ease and relieve the pain of migraines. Some people have success using it topically and others by ingesting it.
With CBD supplementation it is important to start slow and gradually increase the dosage. You can purchase our CBD products here.
4. Topical essential oils can help to relieve pain tremendously. Try Peppermint Oil, Lavender, Valor, Pan Away and Deep Blue just to name a few. Remember to combine the oils with a Carrier Oil for slower absorption.
5. Some vitamins that can help more rapidly are B2, B6, Magnesium, and
Vitamin C. These vitamins increase the metabolism of energy, improve your immunity and decrease muscle cramping systemically.
6. Ginger in the form of powder, tea, oil, or raw can help greatly when ingested orally . Ginger is anti-inflammatory and can also relieve muscle contractions.
7. Several herbal teas and extracts can be effective such as Feverfew and Butterbur. Both of these have been studied clinically and found to decrease inflammation in your blood vessels as they inhibit muscle contractions within your head thus reducing migraines.
8. Melatonin has been studied and found that it may reduce migraine frequency. In fact, the drug amitriptyline, which is prescribed for migraines was shown not be as effective as melatonin. Since melatonin is over the counter, it is easily accessible.
9. Epsom salt baths have been studied to treat migraines and raise magnesium and salt levels in the blood. The minerals and electrolytes in Epsom salts have been found to improve cellular hydration in our bodies. This improved absorption transdermally which means absorption through the skin gives the body what it needs to provide migraine relief. Ultimately, cellular hydration does not take place without a balance of electrolytes in the body. If the gut has increased inflammation, or difficultly absorbing minerals, the transdermal approach may be what is needed to provide migraine relief.
10. Another important method is improving your methylfolate levels for natural folate absorption. A great way to accomplish this by using the Vitamin B9. B9 is a vitamin that is water soluble and is used in just about every process in the body. It helps to break down and build proteins, produces red blood cells, activates DNA synthesis, improves nerve and immune function with much more. If you are deficient in folate, replenishing this nutrient has led to tremendous success in improving migraines. Twenty to forty percent of the population does not produce enough of the enzyme, dihydrofolate reductase, needed to break down the synthetic folic acid. This synthetic version of folate found is in our fortified foods and supplements. This is a complicated process, however, I'm going to touch on it briefly because I believe so many people could benefit from this knowledge. Genetically, if you have the MTHFR gene mutation you do not break down folic acid into folate. So when your body ingests folic acid, it plugs the receptor cites meant for folate. Thus the body is unable to use this folic acid for the folate metabolic cycle and the folate that is ingested in your food can't be utilized either, because the receptor cites are now plugged up. This results in the body accumulating unusable folic acid. The synthetic folic acid ends up in the bloodstream with deficiencies of folate occurring and side effects of folic acid resulting.
Migraines top the list of side effects along with:
*Neural tube defects
*Recurrent miscarriages
*Midline defects including tongue tie
*Neurological problems
*Anxiety
*Growth problem
*Thyroid problems
*Chronic fatigue
If you suspect you may have a MTHFR gene mutation or you have been tested with verification that this exists, you may want to consider these suggestions. Remove fortified foods or supplements with folic acid, and begin supplementing with nutrients that support natural folate or methyl folate, which is easily absorbed into the body receptor sites.
Check out our products here:
We carry supplements that include natural folate to aid in boosting your levels.
Sometimes natural remedies are a process of trial and error. When you are beginning new supplement routine you may not always see results right away, and may take at least a month to three months before the benefits are noticed. Try not to get frustrated in the process. It may help to keep a notebook of things that you have tried and how your body responds so that you can find the best remedy that works for you you. Also, there is great value in using combinations of herbs and vitamins and oils etc. to stay pain free. Also, it is important to note, that sometimes people need higher dosages of the herbs, and vitamins to actually see a result. Progress gradually, and listen to your body.
It will be worth it in the long run to go as natural as possible for pain relief and to search for permanent solutions. Natural remedies are always preferable to pharmaceuticals which can often have side effects. They can be expensive and often may have long-term health consequences.
There is so much more I can say about this top of Migraines and how to get them under control naturally. If your interested in booking a session for health coaching feel free to contact me directly. I would love to help you get your migraines under control and live a pain free life!
Written by Elizabeth Sutter Certified Health Coach