How to get rid of migraine headaches?

I suffer from chronic migraines and I can't afford health insurance but I make to much to get free medical help, is there way to get rid of migraines other then over the counter meds b/c they don't work? I watch what I eat and drink I know some of my triggers but not all (No bananas, avocados, peanuts or diet soda). Any alternative methods?
Answer:
This is one of my favorite topics! Wanna know why?Because I've suffered from migraines for 2 years, and my unique position as an herbalist and acupuncturist has allowed me to learn about and experiment with a number of home migraine remedy you may not have heard of.
Chinese herbal medicine is still new and unknown to most westerners. I've found some effective solutions from China that few people know about.And now I get to share them with you!On this page, I'm going to talk exclusively about home migraine remedy - if you want to read more about migraine symptoms, causes, and acupuncture, check out my previous articles:What is a Migraine, anyway?
It's more than a headache. It's a neurological configuration - any number of symptoms can show up, and more than one thing can cause it.It's as if you tend toward this neurological configuration, called migraine - like you're already on the edge of it, and certain things can push you over.Or, it's like you're filling a water glass, but you can't stop pouring, and it overflows. In this analogy, the water is all the factors that cause your migraine, and the overflow is the migraine itself.How do you stop the Migraine tendency?
The way to prevent it is to balance the imbalances that lead to migraine. Your home migraine remedy should take care of at least one of these imbalances.I'm going to suggest our basic home migraine remedy, called "Relieve Constraint" that will help with a number of the causes of migraine.Here are the major migraine contributors,
with at least one home migraine remedy each:1. Stress and emotional constraint: Relieve Constraint herbal formula2. Sinus congestion and sinus headaches: Relieve Constraint herbal formula, and possibly a sinus infection home remedy3. Indigestion and dysbiosis: Relieve Constraint herbal formula, get any complicated or chronic digestive problems diagnosed and treatment by a natural medicine specialist4. Inflammation: Relieve Constraint herbal formula5. Neck misalignment and tension headaches (this is your author right here, sitting at a computer): Chiropractic and acupuncture, stress reduction, and Relieve Constraint herbal formula6. Food allergies: Get good IgG and IgE food allergy tests, make sure you don't also have systemic candida, and avoid/rotate the foods you are allergic to.If you can't afford the $100 food allergy test from your alternative medicine provider, you can instead try going 1 month each without wheat, dairy, and yeast. Those are the most common offenders. If any of them is involved, you should notice a difference!7. Irregular eating: Eat more regularly. Identify and deal with hypoglycemia - research shows, and specialists know that hypoglycemia can cause rebound migraines. See below for eating tips.If you don't have a regular appetite, Relieve Constraint will help somewhat, but you may want to consider medical-quality enzyme supplements.8. Fatigue or lack of exercise: If exercise makes you worse, then you need strengthening herbs. However, you may have to wait til #1-6 above are better before you can tonify yourself.
If exercise makes you better, then you're stagnant. Keep exercising, especially aerobic like basketball, running, or swimming, and take Relieve Constraint.Dietary Home Migraine Remedy Options:
As mentioned in the chart, hypoglycemia can lead to rebound migraines. There's some research to back that up - see the references at the bottom of the page.How to control your hypoglycemia:* Increase the amount of protein in your diet (meat, poultry, fish, nuts, beans) and eat smaller meals more frequently during the day to sustain energy.
* Never go for more than four or five hours without eating 锟?preferably no more than three hours.
* If you sleep in on weekends, but find you wake with the beginnings of a migraine, keep a starchy snack by the bed.
* Eat small, starchy snacks, but not sugary or processed foods, on a regular basis. Crackers, rice, bread, and pasta are all good, as are fruits and nuts.
* Many migraine sufferers find that strenuous or prolonged exercise lowers their blood sugar levels and makes them more prone to attacks. Try taking a glucose tablet (or a teaspoon of glucose) before exercising, and a starchy snack within half an hour of finishing. This may help compensate for lost energy. However, once your diet has been corrected, glucose tablets shouldn't be necessary.
Not having an appetite is a problem!Most people worry about their weight and want to get rid of their appetites. But for a migraineur, not having an appetite is a problem. Whether you are enzyme deficient, or your gastrointestinal system is all backed up, or both, you need to fix it.If you don't have an appetite, you won't eat enough (leading to hypoglycemia), and even if you do eat enough, you won't be able to digest it properly. Indigestion will create more problems, like acid reflux or intestinal stagnation. Since everything in your body is connected, and migraineurs are so sensitive, all of these things can contribute to a migraine.Herbal Home Migraine Remedy Options:
Let me tell you about a modern migraine formula, called
Relieve Constraint.This is a modern Chinese herbal formula, a home migraine remedy. It comes from a book by Philippe Sionneau, a famous European Chinese medicine translator and author. Philippe translated it from the Chinese article written by Dr Cao De Ting in the Shan Dong Chinese Medicine Journal (1988, #1).The full name of this home migraine remedy is the "Order the Qi and Resolve the Depression Decoction." It's based on what has become one of my favorite Chinese herbal formulas, "Yue ju wan," also known as the "Escape Restraint Pill." This formula was written by herbal master Zhu Dan Xi in the 14th century A.D.The Relieve Constraint home migraine remedy relieves all 6 types of constraint (with the herb for each):qi (cyperus)
blood (ligustici)
dampness (atractylodes)
food (shenqu)
phlegm (atractylodes)
heat (gardenia)Added to the basic Escape Restraint Pill (to make the Relieve Constraint home migraine remedy) are several other herbs for emotional constraint, nourishing, moving the excess qi and blood down out of the head, relieving tension, and stopping pain. These herbs are chrysanthemum, cassia, tribulus, uncaria, peony, and licorice.How do you use it?
Take it when you know a migraine is coming, or even before that after one of the migraine contributors has occurred in your daily life. It can help once the migraine is already there, but as with other home migraine remedy, it's much more effective the sooner you take it.Depending on how bad and how frequent your migraines are, you might use this home migraine remedy every day, or every few days. If they're really bad, I'd take it every day for a while (2-4 weeks) until it's much better. Then, you still may need it occasionally unless you eliminate all migraine triggers, move to the countryside, and live a perfectly relaxed life ;-)Nutritional Supplement Home Migraine Remedy Options:
Here are some nutrients suggested to be very important in the Balch's Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing:Calcium and Magnesium: 2000 mg daily Ca, 1000 mg daily Mg
CoQ10: 60 mg daily
Essential Fatty Acids
Multivitamin and mineral formula
Vitamin B3 (niacin) plus niacinamide: 200mg 3x daily of niacin, 800mg daily of niacinamide - but do not take if you have a liver disorder, gout, or high blood pressure
Rutin: 200mg daily

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Prescription called Feoriset (I'm not sure of the spelling of that), pronounced "fee or a set" it has codeine and something else in it, comes in a pill form and it works great. That is the only thing that I have found that will take them away. Smoking and lack of sleep are triggers also. My doctor told me that the triggers are in a book that is about 2 inches thick, so that's alot.Even without insurance, it would be worth it for you to go to the doctor and ask for it, it works.

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smoke a joint and take a nap. it works.

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You need to see a Dr. and I know it is expensive, try saving your money up. My daughter had migraine headaches since she was a teenager, almost everyday. When she was just 34 she had a stroke and lost 50% of her vision, almost her life. They told her it was from the blood vessels being weakened from all the headaches. She now has to take really expensive medication for life to stop headaches from happening. Good Luck!

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Xtra Sharp - 21 herbs and 5 minerals. No caffeine, no sodium, no sugar, no drugs. Works great in less than 1 min. I have a good friend that has stopped all migraine meds once he started Xtra Sharp. I know, how can an energy tonic address a headache? Well, there are 4 herbal stimulants, several calming herbs and 765 mg of potassium in this. I have yet to find a single person with a headache that has taken 1 oz of this and within 1 min not experienced considerable relief. Some of the herbs are: chamomile, ginkgo balboa, grape seed, milk thistle, licorice root and ginseng. There are a variety of benefits from this tonic, only one of which is reliving headache

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take a prophylactic (a preventative) called "Topamax". It was originally made for seizure sufferers. I have had migraine headaches since I was about 16 years old and had to go to the ER to get a shot nearly every week (sometimes more often). Ever since I was prescribed this medication, I have not had the whopper of a migraine in almost 18 years. I have had MAYBE two trips to the hospital because of forgetting to take my medication, but that is it. I have had the best pain-free life. This drug is also a mood stabilizer and a weight-loss drug. Best of luck.

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If you, A. take other posters advice and see a doctor (MD)...you're going to get drugs. Or if you, B. do process of elimination and determine what's causing it...that 'treatment' is free.And if you're a female...the vast majority of migraines are caused by low progesterone (that's what caused mine) but OBGYNs don't know/don't tell you. Once I found a ND who prescribed progesterone when I had a migraine...I haven't had one since. Mainstream docs won't give it to you...because A. They don't keep up with current stuff (they just listen to what ever the drug reps tell them and pass that out like candy) or B. they just don't care.It took me 13 MDs that looked me all glassy eyed before I tried an ND...and I will forever be blessed by the MDs lack of knowledge!Visit a natural food store/vitamin shop for assistance...GOOD LUCK!

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For some people, including me, taking a quick dose of caffeine can stop a migraine, such as a single or double shot of espresso (depending on your tolerance) or an Excedrin Migraine. Unfortunately caffeine withdrawal can also be a migraine trigger, so you need to avoid it the rest of the time and only use it to treat migraines. Caffeine isn't a healthy alternative, but it can be a very effective, inexpensive one for some people. Healthier options include feverfew, essential oil blends, and homeopathic remedies, all of which can be found at any health food store. I recommend going to talk to someone who works there and then just using the trial and error method to see what works for you. My best recommendations for avoiding migraines, from experience, is to have a very consistent sleep schedule (same time every night), drink A LOT of water (going to the bathroom a lot is still way better than a migraine), and totally avoid alcohol and spicy foods like peppers, garlic, and raw onions. Getting enough exercise and using relaxation techniques like mediation, visualization, and self-hypnosis (guided CDs are great ) can be very helpful too. Best of luck to you.

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Many people have actually found that they are dehydrated. So, next time you get a migraine, drink 17 oz of water (not too cold) within 10 minutes. Many have been suprized with such a simple thing. Perhaps you will too.

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There is a new development in migraine therapy:
http://www.neurologyreviews.com/feb04/nr...

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Although I don't suffer from migraines, I have heard that caffeine is a huge contributor to migraines and should be avoided if you have them. A quick simple remedy when you feel one coming on is to put pure lavendar oil on your temples.Kim at: http://www.peaceful-organic-planet.com...

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