Vegan natural ways to get rid of migraines?

Question

Please no flaming, bashing or the like. You will be blocked if you do.

Answer 1

My migraines were so bad that I laid in bed and cried most of the time.

After seeing a migraine specialist,  I learned most migraines are triggered by foods. I had to do an elimination diet in which one primary food source was taken out of my diet at a time to see if it stopped the migraines. Decreasing my dairy has worked for me personally.

The problem with giving a definitive answer on this one is that everyone's different. Migraines sufferers each have their own set of triggers (weather can be included as well!). I suggest first logging down the weather, your emotions, what you eat, etc. for two weeks, then when you see your biggest food source, eliminate that for a couple of weeks while substituting it for something else. If it doesn't work, add it back in and move on down the list.

If you find that weather does effect when you have a migraine, try to plan around that as best you can. If you can take it easy on days that the weather will effect you, that would be good. :)

Eventually, I have crept my dairy intake back up. I just couldn't do without it! However, something that has taken the migraines away again has been adding a few things to my daily routine: sea salt water with iodine several glasses a day, at least one each day, zinc tablets and vitamin B complex. I have also heard of others having their migraines disappearing by doing this, but like I said, each person is different and you may need something different than I do. :)

However, I know of several people that do this as well with good results like I have had. Check out Yahoo Groups for support, great places!

Answer 2

Try massage therapy. This helps decrease the pressure on the blood vessels that lead to the brain...which is the major cause of migraines.

Answer 3

I think it would be a very good idea to try and work out WHY you are getting migraines in the first place.

Could it be your vision?

Could it be something you are eating?

I think if you make an effort to find out the cause, and you tackle that, the migraines will just go!

Good luck!

Answer 4

chiropractic

acupuncture

meditation

petadolex

feverfew

I get migraines & use all these methods as preventives--- once you actually have a migraine the only thing to do is ride it out or use medication.

good luck

Answer 5

For treating symptoms:

Feverfew will help the pain, ginkgo biloba aids circulation and can reduce sensitivity to light and sound, peppermint will help with the nausea.

At the onset:

Take lecithin (between 3 and 6 1,200 mg capsules ) at the first sign of a migraine- it lessens both length and severity of the headache.

Inhale essential oil of lavender at the beginning of a migraine- this also can lessen pain and duration.

To prevent occurrences:

Avoid avocados, chocolate, MSG, nitrites, and alcohol. And get regular Chiropractic adjustments, they really do help.

Answer 6

Coenzyme Q10, taken every day, is supposed to be good for the prevention of migraines.

Answer 7

Feverfew is an herb that relieves pain, and that helps some people with migraines.  Valerian root is another herb that relaxes a person, makes a person sleepy, and relieves pain.  You can eat feverfew right off the bush (leaves) but it is EXTRMELEY bitter and usually eaten with bread and lots of butter or margarine ... use a vegan bread and vegan margarine and you should be okay.  Valerian root is usually dried and you can take it in gelatin capsules (unfortunately, most gelatin comes from animal by-products), make it into a tea (which smells like terribly dirty socks, but sweetened with honey is actually drinkable ... and if it works this is the quickest way to ease the pain ... or you can make a 'decoction' which is basically boiling the root (1/2 cup dried) in a quart of water until you have a cup of water left, sweeten (honey) and take a tablespoon at a time.  Other than those, I know of no 'natural' things you can do to get rid of migraines ... I tried feverfew which didn't work for me (it does work for some, though), but the Valeiran Root worked for the 'minor' migraines ... I had to go to the hospital and get shots of demerol and vistaril for the 'major' ones, and I don't know that they even give those to migraine patients any more, since they have the new and 'better' medications you can take at home ... I don't know if the new medications are 'vegan' though, and doubt most doctors would know, either ... I hope this helps.  If it's any help at all, I had terrible migraines for years, but since a year before I went into the beginnings of my menopause, I haven't had one ... just the 'visual triangles' that warned me one was coming and those only rarely and NOTHING for the past five years.  I know I had migraines, but I also have brown hair (late greying in my family) but have two small 'white streaks' at the temples ... where I got my migraines, with the larger streak on the side I got the headaches most.  My doctor says that is because of the 'blood pressure ups and downs' that cause migraines also 'starves' the hair of what keeps the 'color' in it ... and I do still have extreme blood pressure problems (both high and low blood pressure at the same time so I can't take 'blood pressure medication' or I'll faint frequently) ... basically the same as the migraines but in my whole body without the 'pain' of the headaches.  Good luck ... talk to your doctor or homeopath to see if they don't have some other ideas, too ...

Answer 8

Acupuncture

Pressure points

Answer 9

I doubt there is a non-drug solution if you get bad or frequent migraines--until immetrex came out there was nothing that could get rid of one of mine and few things that helped.  

Anything that lowers blood pressure could help, both with prevention and for relief, so maybe that will help point you in the right direction.  

Also, many doctors believe in migraine triggers--things you eat or come into contact with that cause migraines.  For my sister, peanuts would give her a migraine almost every time--cutting peanuts from her diet cut the migraine frequency down to about a third.  There is a list of about twenty items (probably shorter for a vegan--I know that cheese is near the top of the list) that trigger migraines for some people, so you can try cutting them out one at a time until you find out what triggers you.

(I tried massage and pressure points without sucess, but I didn't go to see an expert for that--I was trying it at home based on things I read).

Answer 10

Magnesium oxide. start with 250mg then increase up to 500mg per day. It works for my migrains with aura

Answer 11

Petadolex supplement, has been shown to work in clinical trials, this can only be purchased from a company called Weber-Weber. This treats/prevents migraines

Feverfew - This will also prevent migraines.

Allergy test - check for allergies, some allergies cause migraines.

Take a good multimineral/vitamin - Biocare is a good brand as it is in a bioavailable form

Look into Gerson Therapy - Dr. Max Gerson suffered from migraines, he developed a fruit/veg juicing regime that cured his migraines. Gerson therapy is now used for a variety of diseases, and claims to even cure cancer.

Hope this helps.

Answer 12

Try a low amine diet, and a migraine elimination diet. Eliminate the foods that could trigger your migraines and slowly introduce them when you know whats causing your pain. Even pineapple can be a trigger:-(

Answer 13

try a long hot bath.

sounds stupid but to me it relaxes me loads and i always fee way better.

if they are quite regular though this may not be an option.

hope it gets cleared up!!