Tips for reducing migraine headaches naturally.
Migraine headaches can be debilitating – I know from dealing with them myself for over 20 years and while the cause of migraines can vary from person to person I wanted to share with you some of the secrets I’ve learned over the years to help me prevent and reduce and recover from a migraine.
1. Learn about food triggers and stay hydrated
Most people tell you to stay away from wine and chocolate but did you know that cashews can be a major trigger for migraines as well? Basically, any kind of food that may cause inflammation in your system can trigger a migraine so I highly recommend getting a basic food sensitivity test to find out what your individual triggers are. You might be surprised – when I did mine my top foods were kale, garlic, grapes, corn, potatoes and mangoes…all of which I ate A LOT of. Removing those from my diet made a huge difference.
Hydration is always important so if you feel a headache sneaking in – drink a 16oz of water immediately – bonus points for adding fresh lemon juice to it.
2. Keep your liver healthy
Did you know that most migraines are actually LIVER headaches?! That was a huge eye-opener for me. Often times a migraine can be triggered from a sluggish liver so keeping that baby moving, releasing and regenerating can help ward off migraines. Here are my top tips for keeping your liver good and healthy. You don’t have to do all of these but choose 1 or 2 that you can incorporate into your life.
1. Poop. If you aren’t eliminating at least 1x a day consider adding aloe or magnesium to diet
2. Take a bath 1-2x a month with Dr. Signa’s Mustard Bath. It smells amazing and it will help you gently eliminate toxins.
3. Visit an infrared sauna during your monthly cycle.
4. Add L-Glutamine to your diet. It is THE super anti-oxidant so it will help flush your liver while also building it back up. It also aids in muscle repair, weight loss and boosting your metabolism. I use 2 scoops a day.
5. Use Castor oil packs nightly. Castor oil packs have changed my life. They are an easy, inexpensive and gentle way to help your body eliminate toxins. It also helps with menstrual cramps so I especially recommend it during your cycle.
CASTOR OIL PACK INSTRUCTIONS: All you need is a bottle of Organic Castor Oil, a heating pad and an old cotton t-shirt that you don’t mind ruining. Before you go to bed rub the Castor oil on your belly and pay extra attention to your liver area. Cover with your t-shirt and place the heating pad on top and keep it there for 20 – 40 minutes.
LEMON POWER FLUSH: If you feel a headache coming on do this immediately. Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a mug. Put the juiced lemon in a saute pan with 2 cups of water and boil for 5 – 10 minutes. Pour water into your mug with the lemon juice and drink it up. It will flush your liver and might make you need to use the bathroom but that’s a good thing.
3. Stress
This is probably the number one cause of migraines. I know that when I am stressed a ton of tension builds in my shoulders, neck and back and after several days, weeks or months of that my migraines would be off the charts bad.
Learning how to reduce the stress in your life is crucial but for the sake of this article I am going to focus on the tools I have used to help me through stressful times.
1. Good quality B vitamins. When our bodies are stress we lose b-vitamins like crazy. Whenever possible look for methylated B Vitamins because they are much easier to absorb into your system.
These are my favorites: Max B -ND. It’s expensive but it’s the best. Thorne B-Complex is also VERY good.
2. Magnesium. This is nature’s muscle relaxer and I’m telling you – it works like magic!
Epsom salt baths when I am super stress because the Epsom salt is full of magnesium and a bath always relaxes me. If you want to supplement it I recommend Coral Legend Plus. I take 2 – 4 capsules daily.
3. Lavender essential oil, an eye mask and an ice pack. Put a couple drops of lavender essential oil on the eye mask and cover your eyes, lay down somewhere comfortable and place an ice pack on your neck and shoulder area for 15 minutes. Then take a 20 – 30 minute nap.
I hope this was helpful and you learned a couple of new remedies to help you recover and prevent migraines from happening. Always remember to consult your doctor or physician if you have any concerns about medication or other health issues associated with your headaches.
Lastly, listen to your body. Give it rest, love and compassion. You are worth it.
xo,
Chassie
