Natural Remedies for Migraine Prevention

Many medications used to prevent migraines come with some serious side effects. Patients complain of memory loss, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, tingling of hands and feet, mood swings, depression, and much more. Some of preventives can lower blood pressure to dangerous levels, trigger seizures, cause weight gain or loss, kidney problems, liver problems, vision problems, even heart attack or stroke. With all these scary side effects, many people are afraid to treat their migraines. Loved ones might even wonder aloud why in the world migraineurs would risk such dangers for “a little pain relief”. But that’s the point. Isn’t it? This pain is so bad that we would risk our lives to gain a few more moments of normal. It’s not “just a headache”. If it were, then we’d all just pop a few Tylenol and move on. But we can’t.

I meet with a lot of migraineurs who are desperate for safer ways to prevent migraines. Many turn to natural remedies for relief. Most experience the bitter disappointment of wasted time and money because they lack the knowledge to know what to look for, how to use it, and when to know it’s time to move on. Like any preventive, natural remedies must be used properly for a sufficient amount of time to assess their effectiveness. Additionally, they do have side effects, carry risks, and are not recommended for everyone. Natural does not equal safe. These remedies must be used with wisdom and respect. If you’re not serious about getting educated and taking personal responsibility for using natural remedies, you’re safer to stick with ice packs and heating pads.

Years ago I owned a health food store. During that time I studied Herbal Medicine and became a trained Reiki Master. It’s time I put that knowledge to good use again. Over the next few posts, I will be covering the details of what you need to know about several popular natural migraine remedies. If you have a special request for a certain topic, please post a comment or send me a message.

Next up: Feverfew: What migraineurs need to know