Home Remedy for Migraine Headaches

– Is that possible?

If you have suffered from recurrent migraine headaches, you will definitely be wondering if at all there is a simple home remedy for migraine headaches management. My answer… Yes!

We will, here, explore an often overlooked natural remedy for migraine dimension – the role and use of diet for migraine headaches prophylaxis.

What 7 tips to expect from this post

So here is a heads up of what home remedy for migraine headache tips you can get from this article and the associated Munch and Mull video…

1. What is migraine headache?
2. What (typically) are triggers for migraine headaches?
3. What is the role of diet for migraine headaches prevention and reduction?
4. What is the best food for migraine headache?
5. What does scientific research on migraine have to say?
6. What are the Do’s & Don’ts  to avoid a migraine?
7. Can health supplements be used to prevent migraine headache?

Believe it or Not!

10 to 15% of the world’s population suffer from migraine!

It’s a very curious coincidence that women are more prone to migraine.

Typical Symptoms of Migraine Headache

Migraine headaches are typically characterized by a throbbing pain. Generally, this pain is one sided. It could be accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

Typically, a person suffering a migraine headache has extreme sensitivity to light and sound. This pain can last from a few hours to a few days.

The Causes of Migraine Headaches

– Also called “Triggers for Migraine Headaches”

Despite all the medical advances, the how and why of migraine is still not known. However, scientific research suggests that there could be a variety of reasons that could trigger a migraine headache. They include the following:

1. Hormonal changes – particularly in women
2. Stress
3. Physical exertion
4. Skipping meals
5. Alcohol and caffeine consumption
6. Bright lights or exposure to strong sunlight.
7. Strong smells like paints and pesticides
8. Processed foods having a lot of salt and sugar
9. Food additives like monosodium glutamate
10. Dehydration
11. Oxidative Stress

A very important but not so acknowledged, and often overlooked reason for migraine is oxidative stress.

What is Oxidative Stress?

We all know that when we cut an apple and leave it open, it turns brown due to oxidation. Similarly, oxidation is a normal result of chemical reactions in our body. These reactions can lead to what is called oxidative stress. 

Oxidative stress is known to lead to production of particles called Free Radicals. These free radicals are known to impact all parts of our body. They are also known cause various health issues ranging from impact to the nervous system, thyroid, DNA damage, right up to cancer.

Unfortunately, the lifestyle of today tends to significantly increase this oxidative stress. The reasons include…

1. Stress
2. Insufficient sleep
3. Chemicals in our food and environment
4. Environmental pollution
5. Poor nutrition

Antioxidants – Mother Nature’s Antidote

Interestingly, Mother Nature has also provided an antidote to free radical damage. They are chemicals called ANTIOXIDANTS. And by the way, antioxidants are found ONLY in plants.

Watch this video below to understand what & how of antioxidants

Antioxidants have the capability to immobilise free radicals, thereby reducing the damage they cause.

These antioxidants are the basis of planning a simple and natural home remedy for migraine headaches

Antioxidant Fruit Punch

Your Home Remedy for Migraine Headaches

Custom-make it YOUR way

• You can choose fruits of your choice
• Fruits & berries in season is preferable
• Choose from a wide array of colourful fruits & berries – A “Rainbow Diet”

Ingredients

• Pomegranate – 1 Cup
• Strawberries – 1 Cup
• Apple (diced) – 1 Apple
• Banana (diced) – 1 Banana
• Almonds – 2 Tbsp (soaked for 2 hours in water)

Antioxidant Cocktail

• Pomegranate – Anthocyanins, Polyphenols, Ellagitannin, etc.
• Strawberries – Anthocyanins, ellagic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, etc.
• Apple – Q uercetin, catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin, cyanidin, coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, phloridzin, etc.
• Banana – Vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids, β-carotene, etc.
• Almonds – Tocopherol, Proanthocyanidins, isorhamnetin, quercetin, etc.

Rainbow Diet – The smart diet for migraine headaches

Have you heard of “ Eating the Rainbow “?

“Eat the Rainbow” means eating various vegetables & fruits of various colours. These natural colours in various fruits & vegetables indicate the presence of various plant nutrients & antioxidants in these foods. These phytochemicals are beneficial for health in many many ways.

For example,

• Red coloured foods like tomato, watermelon, etc. are rich in Lycopene – great anti-cancer support.
• Blue / Purple coloured foods like beetroot, purple cabbage, blueberries, etc. are Anthocyanin-rich. Anthocyanins are also known for their anti0cancer properties and are beneficial for the heart
• Yellow & Orange coloured foods are rich in Carotenoids. They boost immunity, helps eye health and improves vision. Carrots & pumpkin is rich in carotenoids.

Watch this video below to understand how to bring a Rainbow Diet into our life … and innovate your very own home remedy for migraine headaches

Diet for Migraine Headaches – What Research has to say

Paper 1

I have come across some very interesting research that show very interesting correlations between our diet and migraine headache occurrence. You ill find a detailed list in the Referencessection below . But I must make a specific reference to one of these…

One interesting research paper compared the diets of two groups of women. One group had frequent  migraine attacks & the other group had no migraine attacks.

I was surprised to see the discussion section of that research paper.

The women who had frequent migraine headaches consumed more red meat, white meat & eggs, etc! Apart from the non vegetarian diets they had more processed food like pasta, chocolates and also consumed more fats! 

On the other hand, the group which had no migraine attacks consumed large quantities of fibre-rich vegetables, fruits and nuts in their diet.

In other words, processed foods, high fat diet, high sugar drinks, high salt foods and high caffeine drinks can trigger migraines! So a suitable diet for migraine headaches is not a myth!

Paper 2

I also came across another interesting research paper that explained the role of a diet rich in antioxidants and nutraceuticals rich in antioxidants that could help to reduce and prevent migraine attacks.

Is that not interesting?

So… How do we prevent Migraine?

Here is what NOT to do…

Let’s look at how to prevent migraine headache. Let us look at the Do’s and the Don’ts

While there is no one sure-shot way, a simple step to do is to avoid these triggers

1. Do not skip meals
2. Stay away from strong smells like paint, pesticides, etc.
3. Regular practice of Yoga & meditation help relieve stress
4. Get a good 7 to 8 hours of sleep everyday
5. Avoid the five white poisons
6. Avoid exposure to strong sunlight

And here is what to do…

And what are the home remedy for migraine headaches “Do’s”?

Drink plenty of water, as dehydration could also lead to migraine!

Have a healthy diet comprising of a good balance of Carbs, proteins & healthy fats

Even more important is to have a diet rich in antioxidants. That means…

1. Use unpolished and unrefined grains and pulses.
2. Eat lots of colourful fruits, vegetables & nuts
3. Switch to organic food.

Holistic Antioxidant Supplements

A smart add-on to your home remedy for migraine headaches

For many of us today, the unfortunate reality is that our diet is very very poor in antioxidants. This is because as we do not consume enough fruits and vegetables for various reasons.

So, if, for whatever reasons,  you are not able to include enough fruits and vegetables in the diet, there is an alternative support available.

iPulse is one such powerful antioxidant support that I have come across.

iPulse is an Ayurvedic antioxidant-rich premium fruit juice concentrate. It consists of 15 fruits and berries. It is certified as an Ayush Premium product as per the guidelines of Ministry of Ayush.

The recommended usage pattern is 30 ml of iPulse undiluted twice a day, 30 min before breakfast and dinner. This can not only prevent various lifestyle diseases, but can also address existing conditions including migraine.

A fortified version of iPulse, called iVed, is manufactured in USA and available for local use there. In addition the fruits and berries in iPulse , iVed has 40 herbs belonging to four traditional Ayurvedic formulations. These four formulations are traditionally known to benefit brain, gut, liver and cardiac health.

And, in my opinion, this supplement is the best add-on to your home remedy for migraine headaches.

If you wish to order these formulations, you could do so directly from this link here …

References

The diversity of research papers related into the connection between diet and migraine headache suggests that this relationship should not be taken for granted. In other words suitable dietary changes is the simplest of home remedy for migraine headaches.

Here are a selection of research papers for your reference.

1. D’Onofrio F, e. a. (2017, May). Usefulness of nutraceuticals in migraine prophylaxis. Neurological Sciences, 38(Suppl 1), 117-120. Retrieved from https://europepmc.org/article/med/28527067
2. Eric John Visser, e. a. (2020, Apr 19). Reduction in Migraine and Headache Frequency and Intensity With Combined Antioxidant Prophylaxis (N‐acetylcysteine, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C): A Randomized Sham‐Controlled Pilot Study. Pain Practice, 20(7), 737-747. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/papr.12902
3. Fatemeh Nazari, M. a. (2012, Feb). Migraine and its relationship with dietary habits in women. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 17(2 (Suppl 1)), S65-S71. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3696968/
4. Gazerani, P. (2020, Jun). Migraine and Diet. Nutrients, 12(6), 1658. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7352457/
5. Marta Goschorska, e. a. (2020, Feb). The Use of Antioxidants in the Treatment of Migraine. Antioxidants (Basel), 9(2), 116. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7070237/
6. Patrizia Ferroni, P. B.-M. (2018, Apr). Redox Mechanisms in Migraine: Novel Therapeutics and Dietary Interventions. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, 28(12), pp. 1144-1183. Retrieved from https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ars.2017.7260#s040
7. PhD, J. M. (2016, Jan). Migraine Triggers and Oxidative Stress: A Narrative Review and Synthesis. Headache, 56(1), 12-35. Retrieved from https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/head.12725
8. Soodeh Razeghi Jahromi, e. a. (2019, Nov). Association of diet and headache. The Journal of Headache and Pain, 20(Article No 106). Retrieved from https://thejournalofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s10194-019-1057-1#Sec2