Archive for the ‘Migraine relief’ Category
Are there any alternative remedies for migraines?
Posted in Migraine relief, tagged Health (alternative) on October 5, 2009 | 5 Comments »
I’ve got a migraine today. I had it yesterday, too. I’m getting a bit sick of feeling as if someone is drilling into my left eyeball.
I’ve had migraines since I was twelve. My doctor, at the time, helpfully told me, ‘Probably, they’ll tail off when you reach the menopause, as they’re often hormonally triggered.’
Thanks very much. 35 years later I still get them, and I haven’t reached the menopause yet, so I can’t test out his theory.
In the mean time, I’ve tried the following:
Migraleve and Migralift drugs – tasted foul, hardly ever worked.
Paracetamol – tasted a bit less foul, sometimes worked.
Syndol (over the counter drug, amazingly) – very strong. I only ever took them one at a time, not the two recommended on the packet, and was high as a kite within minutes. They contained some drug that was only there ‘to promote a feeling of well-being’, according to the label. Often, the migraine didn’t go, though, but by then I didn’t care. I learnt recently that they now believe that the Codeine in them is addictive. Hmm, I could’ve told them that.
‘Shaped’ pillows, with a dip in the centre so that the neck isn’t too high when sleeping – nice idea, until you turn from lying on your back to your side, when it becomes very uncomfortable.
Aromatherapy – lavender oil smells nice, but didn’t work for me.
Cutting food out of my diet, such as oranges, cheese, and chocolate – hard to do (especially the chocolate!), and made no difference, so I put them back in.
Drinking more water – this one DOES work, most of the time. Six glasses a day does the trick, usually. I haven’t been doing that lately, though 
Regular sleeping pattern – works when it’s possible to do it. Unfortunately, life gets in the way much of the time.
McTimoney chiropractic / Zero balancing - this one cured a lot of the problem. I found out that I had a long-standing (ha, ha) back problem, that was fixed over the course of a few sessions, due to bad posture, wearing high heels, working in a library for years where I’d had to carry books around for a couple of hours each day, and – crucially – an accident on a skiiing holiday where my neck had got thwacked.
’4Head: a natural headache treatment’ – this is what I tend to use now. It’s a solid stick of wax, impregnated with strong peppermint oil. You rub it three or four times across your forehead (hence the name), and within a minute or so, your whole forehead starts to feel cool, and the muscles relax. One stick lasts months. I got mine in ‘Boots’. It works most times, BUT NOT THIS ONE!!
