Natural/home remedies for migraines?

Absolutely the biggest thing for me is catching it in the 'aura' stage -- if I do that, I can kill it before it starts with the oils.  Once it's a full blown migraine there's not much that does kick it -- help? yes ... but not completely get rid of it.  

jennie_c_d

 Ok, which way is north?

The sun sets in the west, so go outside when it's setting and stand facing it.  North will be on your right. I absolutely never new which direction was which when I was growing up on the beach in San Diego because we lived very close to the little hook like part (a good atlas will show this) where Cabrillo National Monument is and water was all around me - when the sun set, it set everywhere.  Once I moved into the valley, it all fell into place.

Joyce

 My brother in law swears by heat to draw out the pain in his head.  He puts a warm wheat bag on his head with peppermint oil on it. 

It didn't work for me, but I think I didn't have a migraine, just a bilious headache... and the smell of minty bread was the thing that finally made me throw up.  After which I did feel much better, so I suppose it did kind of work, after a fashion. 

Did anyone mention pinching the skin between the thumb and index finger on your dominant hand, kinda works but you need to hold it for a while. It's an accupressure point.

Sometimes I can get them to go away with visualizing. I will think of my body as a volcano and the pain is lava.  i draw it up to my head and let it explode out of the top of my head.  It's incredibly painful, but it often works.

I started getting bad migraines in high school and was getting them so badly in college that I was getting them 3-5 times a week.  It was miserable.  I was able to cut back on the amount of migraines by changing factors in my environment.  Once I identified triggers, I was able to cut back on them a lot.  A few big ones for me were:

• sleep - too much or too little and I would get a migraine the next day
• salt in the mornings - don't know why, but if I have something really salty in the morning, I will have a migraine about an hour after eating
• flickering computer screen - flat screen monitor has been a god send, as well as frequent breaks to give my eyes a greak
• florescent lights (I think it has to do with the flickering)
• I need some kind of physical activity in the morning, even if it is a 10 minute walk
• certain smells (a lot of perfumes and some chemical that is in a lot of lipsticks)
• stress
• allergies - my sinus headaches would frequently turn into migraines. 
  

Some things you can't cut out or avoid, so that is when prescription stuff is the only thing that will help.  I have tried a lot of natural remedies but have yet to find anything that will help, especially if the migraine is already fully set in.  If I take the meds at the onset of the migraine, it's gone in under an hour and I feel great.  If I don't take my meds until it's a full blown migraine, the pain will be dulled after an hour and a half enough for me to still function.  There are a lot of different migraine medications out there, so if he didn't like one he could see if the dosage can be lowered or try another one.  I have had no weird side-effects to mine, but my sister has really weird reactions to it...so I really do believe it is different for everyone.  I hope he finds something that helps.  Migraines really suck :( (and that's putting it lightly!)

 

 Dagoba chocolate.... the one with the lavendar in it.... helps a LOT.

 

My head is killing me. That point in the hand does work, but it hurts like OW. My acupuncturist hits it, too. Hurts less with a needle, but it hurts, either way. I've gotta call about an acupunture appointment, this week. 

Thanks, DogPark, interestingly you sound very similar to my son - developed in college, several migraines per week, and some of the same triggers. 

fluourescent lights - MEGA trigger!!  I always keep some of the tubes "out" of the lights above my cubicle -- everyone thinks I"m nuts but it helps avert headaches!!