6 Ways to Manage Migraines

Are you one of the unfortunate ones — one of the millions of people who regularly experience the excruciating, debilitating pain of migraine headaches? Have you suffered through hours lying in a dark room, trying to remain still, hoping the pain soon would pass? You don’t have to be a victim of migraine’s misery. Here are six ways to take charge of your health so migraines don’t get control of your life.

1. Identify warning signs

While migraine headaches are common for many people, some headaches, particularly sudden pain with no obvious cause, may signal a more serious medical condition, such as stroke or aneurysm. MayoClinic.com recommends seeing your doctor immediately or going to a hospital emergency room if:

• You have a headache after a head injury, particularly if the pain is worsening

• Your headache is accompanied by a stiff neck, rash, seizure, double vision, weakness, difficulty speaking, fever, numbness, or mental confusion

• You’ve had chronic headache pain that worsens after sudden movement, exertion, coughing, or straining

• You have new headache pain and you’re older than 50

2. Eliminate triggers

Alcohol, cigarette smoking, stress, and a lack of sleep and exercise can trigger headaches, medical experts say. So can certain odors, including pleasant ones such as perfume, and not-so-pleasant ones, like second-hand smoke or paint thinner fumes. Overusing certain supplements, decongestants, over-the-counter stimulants, or pain medicines also can put you at risk. Women should be aware that estrogen fluctuations trigger headaches, research has shown, but treatment may be available. Tell your doctor if you suspect this is an issue for you.

3. Change your diet

Some foods and food additives also can trigger migraines hours or even days after exposure to the offending substance, says Dr. Russell Blaylock, editor of The Wellness Report. Chocolate, the artificial sweetener aspartame, sulfites, caffeine, and monosodium glutamate (MSG, an ingredient in some Asian foods) are among the culprits, he says. Wine, beer, dried fruits and vegetables, guacamole, molasses, shrimp, soup mixes (also high in glutamate), gelatin, jams and jellies, hard cider, beet sugar, and corn sweeteners contain relatively high levels of added and natural sulfites, he says. Certain salty foods and processed foods also trigger headaches.

4. Try a natural remedy

High doses of intravenous magnesium, a mineral essential for good health, help headache sufferers, especially those with low magnesium levels to begin with, Blaylock notes. Oral magnesium has been shown to prevent migraines, but it may take as long as six months to fully restore low brain-magnesium levels using oral supplementation, he says. Since vegetables are high in magnesium, increase your intake of them, he suggests. You also can take magnesium supplements. Other natural remedies that may help include: peppermint essential oil and peppermint tea; riboflavin (vitamin B-2); anti-inflammatory flavonoids curcumin, quercetin, hesperidin, feverfew, and nettle; and DHA, a fish oil component.

5. Don’t overlook aspirin

A report by UK researchers published earlier this year showed a single dose of aspirin — between 900 and 1,000 milligrams — brought at least temporary relief to half of the migraine sufferers tested. Within two hours, one-quarter of those taking aspirin were pain free, while 11 percent of those who took placebos were, researchers reported in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. However, health experts warn that aspirin is not without its side effects, such as gastrointestinal bleeding. Also, children with migraines shouldn’t take it because of its association with Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious illness involving brain inflammation.

6. Exercise regularly

Add reduction in migraine attacks to the long list of the benefits of exercise. Physical activity increases brain-repair chemicals, decreases stress, and reduces the amount of glutamate, a headache trigger, in the blood, Blaylock says. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans call for two hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) per week of moderately intense activity like brisk walking. Increments of at least 10 minutes of exercise count toward that goal, the guidelines say.