Helpful Options For Treating Migraines

Dietary Changes

Dietary changes can sometimes have an impact on the severity, duration, and frequency at which individuals experience migraines. It's important to note dietary changes alone are rarely enough to manage migraines fully, but they can have an impact. One interesting note is research indicates caffeine can have a beneficial effect on migraines. Many individuals are dependent on too much caffeine to get through their day-to-day lives. But there are a lot of migraine patients who say sodas, coffee, and over-the-counter headache medications with caffeine are all helpful. If individuals do use caffeine to treat headaches, it should be used infrequently to avoid developing a dependence. If individuals use caffeine too often, they may end up having headaches when they don't as part of withdrawal. Other common migraine triggers are alcohol, aged cheese, smoked fish, food preservatives, yeast extract, cured meats, and chocolate. Not all of these cause migraines, but many have found a correlation. Beer and red wine are especially likely to trigger migraine symptoms.

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Cold Compresses

Some migraines can be treated with cold compresses. This won't necessarily stop the headache or reduce the length of time an individual has it, but it can help manage the pain. Historically, cold therapy has been used to treat migraines for 150 years. The way cold works is by causing the blood vessels to constrict and narrow, which can reduce the brain's ability to receive pain signals. In addition, placing a cold compress on a painful area causes the brain to interpret the area as cold rather than painful. One study indicated wrapping a frozen compress around the neck when symptoms began helped reduce migraine pain significantly. Some researchers believe cold compresses on the head and neck can help cool the blood that flows to the arteries. This might reduce the inflammatory responses in the brain, which leads to less migraine pain. Ice packs are a home remedy individuals can make with a frozen sponge or bag of vegetables wrapped in a towel.