Natural Home Remedies for Migraines Headache at Headaches-Migraine-Relief.com

As any seasoned migraineur will tell you, they can list the migraine food triggers that send them off into a headache.

For me, alcohol is the winner. And I mean just about all forms including most wines, beer and mixed drinks. (Hey, the good news is..I will never be an alcoholic. The pain is just not worth it!) Funnily enough, when I was young, I thought a horrible pounding headache with nausea and vomiting just after drinking a few drinks, was normal! Hmm.. With alcohol, the most common culprit is red wine. Generally, the dryer and redder the wine, the bigger the risk for migraine attack. This is due to the amount of tannins in red wine.

Another huge trigger is MSG or monosodium glutamate. This little chemical is a food additive that is a taste enhancer. Unfortunately for some people, even a small amount can trigger a severe migraine. Historically, it was used in cooking in Chinese restaurants here in the U.S., and while many restaurants now claim to be MSG free, I can assure you that some are not! Occasionally, it is still used in salad bars as an enhancer and a preservative.

What about caffeine? Well, caffeine by itself doesn’t cause a migraine, but if you have chronic severe migraines, all caffeine does is make them worse. It irritates nerve tissue (that would be your brain!) and over time revs up headaches. Many people are unaware of just how much caffeine they imbibe on a daily basis. The average cup (not mug!) of coffee has 107 mg of caffeine. Red Bulls come in at 80 mg per can, Mountain Dew is 55mg. How about the national favorite, Starbucks? Well hang on: a short coffee is 180mg, a tall is 260mg and the grande is a whopping 360mg of caffeine. Oh yes…decaffeinated coffee at Starbucks has about 60 mg of caffeine.

Let’s talk about the MYTH OF CHOCOLATE causing headaches. Not really true. Nope. Nada. Zip. One recent study suggested that since chocolate contains copper, it may increase copper levels and then trigger a migraine. However, you would have to eat a LOT of it not just a few pieces to cause a headache. So why do you get a migraine after eating chocolate? Migraines have a pro-dromal phase where you “feel” something is coming one. During this time certain parts of the brain are firing off and one of them can stimulate food cravings, particularly sugar or sweets. Well we all loovve chocolate, right? Then after eating it, the headache always follows. Hence the assumption, chocolate causes headaches. So next time, recognize this, it may be the beginning of a migraine phase. Still doesn’t give you or me permission to eat a pound of the stuff but you get the idea.

Additional Migraine Food Triggers:

Nuts, aged cheeses, foods containing nitrates (bacon and lunch meats), smoked or pickled foods. Some patients tell me onions are a trigger, as are packaged foods with lots of chemicals.

Some recent studies are now looking at the effects of gluten or wheat products in the diet and migraine. Aspartame (artificial sweetener) is also known to trigger migraines.

Try to identify those foods that are a trigger through keeping a diary for at least 90 days to find your triggers..then avoid them. Sort of under the old adage of: if it hurts when you do that..don’t do that. As your migraines settle down and become less frequent, eventually you will be able to tolerate small amounts of a previously identified migraine food trigger.

When it comes to migraine triggers, sometimes it’s not so much what you do as what you don’t do. Below is a list of the top migraine triggers and further information on them. As always, make sure you consult your physician before changing diet or implementing new methods to relieve migraine headaches.

1. FOOD – Be selective in what and when you eat. Food is a primary migraine trigger. Studies show that a majority of migraines are triggered by food and food additives. Foods to monitor include aged cheeses, chocolate, lunchmeats and hot dogs that contain the food additive nitrate, as well as foods high
in monosodium glutamate (MSG). Build up of nitric oxide in the blood stream is a major cause of migraine headaches.

2. EXCESSIVE CAFFEINE – Caffeine in high does can be a major migraine trigger. More than 6-8 oz of a beverage containing caffeine may be considered
excessive for migraine sufferers. Do not drink caffeine if you know it causes migraine attacks in your case.

3. SMOKE – Cigarette smoke or other, whether directly inhaled or secondhand, is a top migraine trigger and should be avoided whenever possible.

4. VISUAL STIMULATION – Sudden contrasts between light and dark or exposure to bright lights, can trigger migraine headaches. TV and computer monitors will frequently cause migraines if the surrounding light and the light from the monitor(s) is too bright.

5. HIGH STRESS LEVELS – Stress levels contribute greatly to migraines. While it’s almost impossible to avoid stress it is possible to decrease it.

6. DOUBLING UP ON PAINKILLERS – If the recommended dose isn’t effective in relieving your migraine headaches, don’t increase the dose otherwise using more than the recommended dose of prescription
and/or OTC(over the counter) medications can result in a rebound headache amongst other complications. Consult your Doctor frequently and let him or her know if the prescription or OTC medication isn’t working.

7.IRREGULAR SCHEDULES – Try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time. Regular sleep patterns have been found to be very effective in combating migraines.

8. LACK OF EXERCISE – Exercise can help with migraines. It is an established fact that physical fitness in general helps prevent migraines. However, warming up before exercise is strongly recommended otherwise it may lead to build up of nitric oxide
in the bloodstream and precipitate an attack.

9. LACK OF COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR DOCTOR – Keep your physician informed of your migraine headaches and communicate with him or her often, especially if they get worse. Keeping a diary or journal is also a good idea so you can enter details such as when attacks usually occur, what causes the attacks, which prescription or OTC medications are effective, what non drug remedies help.

By keeping a diary or journal you may get a clearer picture on what works and what doesn’t and communicating this information to your Doctor may enable him or her to use a different approach in treating your migraine headaches.

If you have ever had a headache so bad that the sound of your own heart beating was like cymbals crashing in your ears and the slightest amount of light was blindingly painful, probably accompanied by nausea and vomiting, you have had a migraine. Migraines, also called “sick headaches”, affect thousands of people each year.

When in the grip of a migraine attack, the sufferer wants nothing more than to hide in a quiet, dark room and for something, anything, to make the pain stop.

The good news is that there are medications available now that can treat and, in many cases, prevent a migraine attack. Even so, people sometimes still get a migraine despite their best efforts with medications.
No one knows exactly what causes migraine headaches.

It is believed that some people have a genetic predisposition for migraines, but the particular gene marker has not been identified. While the causes can not be positively identified, there are certain things that have been shown to trigger the onset of migraine headaches in certain individuals who suffer from them.

- Stress is believed to be one of the most common triggers of migraine pain. People under a lot of stress tend to have muscle spasms that tighten in the neck and head, causing the onset of the headache.

- Food sensitivities have been linked to the onset of migraines in certain people. Artificial sweeteners, peanuts, tree nuts, and chemicals in food such as MSG are known to trigger migraine attacks.

- Just as flashing or strobing lights have been linked to the onset of epileptic seizures, the brightness and quality of light around a person may be a trigger for migraine headaches.

- Loud or continuous sounds, sometimes even sounds we don’t consciously notice, may trigger the onset of a migraine.

- Smells can bring on a migraine attack if the person is particularly sensitive to certain odors.

- Exercise and sleep habits can be a contributing cause of migraines. People in poor physical condition or who do not get enough sleep are more likely to have a migraine than someone who is fit and gets plenty of rest.

Many people confuse the pain and pressure of a sinus headache with migraine pain. While sinus headaches can no doubt be quite severe, there are qualities of migraine headaches that those with sinus headaches do not suffer.

The vomiting that accompanies migraines is one such symptom that does not normally accompany a sinus headache. Migraine sufferers do not respond as well to pain medications as those with a sinus headache.

Migraines cause chemical changes in the body that tend to counteract most known medications and make the nearly useless when in the middle of a full blown migraine.

Many might wonder if there is help for those suffering with migraines. They are more likely to wonder about this when experiencing one. The answer is, however, yes. Changes in diet and exercise habits, Avoiding places with noises that irritate, changing the lighting around you, and taking certain prescription medications can provide some relief from migraines or prevent migraine attacks.

Migraine headaches are a type of headache resulting in pain so severe that it can be disabling. Typically, migraine headaches are accompanied by other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to both light and noise. There are many different causes attributed to migraine headaches, and these migraine headache triggers can affect just about anyone.

All you have to do for proof is examine the statistics. In America alone, over twenty-eight million people suffer from migraine headaches. Migraine headaches are more common in women; for every one man who suffers from a migraine headache, there are three women.

Migraines and migraine headache triggers have become somewhat easier to manage than they used to be. Often times, you can just examine the migraine headache triggers and determine which aspect of your life is the cause of your migraine headaches. Once you know which migraine headache triggers relate to your situation, it will become easier to find a treatment.

What Are the Most Common Migraine Headache Triggers?

Of all the migraine headache triggers, the most common one is stress. Another common trigger of migraines is certain foods, such as alcohol, aged cheeses, chocolate, aspartame, caffeine, msg, seasonings, and some canned or processed foods. Migraines can also be caused by fasting or skipping meals.

Physical factors such as increased sexual activity, intense exercise, or a change in sleep patterns are also migraine headache triggers. Changes in the environment and certain medications often act as triggers of migraine headaches, as do sun glare and bright lights. Hormonal changes can also cause migraines, and this may be why a significantly greater number of women than men are affected by migraines. Some women experience migraines during pregnancy or menopause.

Are You at Risk?

There are several risk factors that make someone more prone to migraine headaches. Migraine headaches most commonly occur in girls that have already passed through puberty. Women who experience migraines find that their likelihood of experiencing one increases during menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause. Migraine headaches also run in families; if even one of your parents’ experiences migraines then you are much more likely to develop them yourself.

Treating Migraine Headaches

Although previously, the only way to treat migraine headaches was to take aspirin, this is no longer the case. Now, there are both preventative medications and pain-relieving medications that are intended specifically for migraine treatment. There are also other alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, massage, vitamins, herbs, minerals, and biofeedback. Migraine headaches can be prevented by maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle.