Talking as a female, I am sure you too sometimes feel as if you are on a hormonal merry-go-round. When your mood-improving estrogen spikes, you feel great and can “conquer the world.” On the flip side, when your levels are low, you find yourself facing imbalance to the chemical and systems of your brain, which results in migraines and headaches. Below are 5 ways to treat hormonal migraines naturally.
It seems that the estrogen/progesterone balance plays a pivotal role in whether or not you experience hormonal-related headaches and migraines. As you know, some women are prone to getting headaches just before their monthly cycle starts (which is when estrogen levels dive), while others have them mid-cycle or at both times. In any event, whatever your “cycle” is, if you are one of those people who suffer from menstrual migraines, you know how disruptive and excruciatingly painful they are.
Our natural response is to reach for a pill of some kind. While that may help temporarily, there are some natural ways you can balance your hormones to avoid the use of headache or even PMS medicine.
1. Hormone balance.
As always, if you are under the care of a physician, you should talk to your healthcare provider about taking a closer look at your estrogen/progesterone balance. There are some tests that can be performed to obtain that information. There are also some kits you can purchase and do yourself, which include the saliva test. Based on those test results, you can then decide on treatment options. It is possible that applying a natural progesterone cream to the skin may help. However, it is recommended this be done under the guidance of a healthcare professional – preferably one who believes in the natural approach.
2. Supplements.
Once you have an understanding of your hormonal profile, you can use supplements to help the nutritional deficiencies that could be contributing to your headaches and/or migraines. For example, magnesium, CoQ10 and 5-HTP are often used in those instances. Also, check out Myomin by Dr. Chi. This balances your hormones and has great value for prevention of ovarian cancer. Myomin is an all-natural herbal formula designed to naturally support the reduction of estrogen production in both men and woman, and includes herbs that may metabolize unhealthy estrogen levels and promote hormonal balance.
3. Diet.
Diet plays a crucial role in so many areas of our lives, but did you know that diet plays a role with hormonal-related migraines and headaches? Simply eliminating things like sugar, red wine and other tyramine-rich foods such as aged cheese, smoked fish, processed meats, etc. can help. If you try this for 30 days, you will probably notice an improvement in hormone-related headaches.
4. Stress.
Stress can directly influence hormonal balance. It is important to find ways to cope with PMS-related mood changes and swings and eliminate stress during those times of your cycle. Some recommendations include practices such as meditation, yoga, and exercise. These practices help to keep you calm and centered. Also, try watching a funny movie. A good laugh helps reduce stress and lifts your mood.
5. Hydrate.
Your goal should be to drink 8 glasses of water per day. Dehydration is one of the biggest causes of headaches and migraines. This relates to every type of migraine and not just the hormonal-related ones. Hydration is of the utmost importance.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of natural ways you can help relieve your hormonal-related migraines, but it is a place to start. If you would like more information on how to relieve hormone-induced or other types of migraine naturally and holistically, why not get on a quick call with me so we can see where you are at and how you can find additional relief. We can discuss your headaches and/or migraines in more detail and set up a personalized road map for your life.
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Holistic Approach for Pain Relief,”
I love myomin! I took it for about 6 weeks before I started seed cycling. It has helped me SO much in so many ways. Weight loss in my stomach area specifically, reduction in headaches, cleared up acne, then with the seed cycling after, no longer have ovary pain when ovulating. Benefits of hormone balancing is no joke.
Thank you for these helpful tips. I know so many people who suffer from headaches and migraines. Unfortunately, they only want to reach for Advil or the newest and greatest pain relievers. We need to support our bodies naturally and consider pharmaceuticals as a last resort.
I agree. I always thought my migraines were hormonal and triggered by stress, but once I took dairy out of my diet, they disappeared! It can be hard to figure out what is causing them but having a health coach can help you get down to the bottom of it! Glad to see more people recommending natural approaches instead of NSAIDs or the super-expensive “triptans.”