I hope you are migraine-free today. ? Every migraine-free day is an added bonus, right? But if you are looking for fast pain relief, here are some ideas.
In the days when I was dealing with daily pain (and wanted to bang my head against a brick wall), I would try anything to try to lessen the pain. I am sure you feel that way as well.
When dealing with Migraine, we definitely know that this is not just another headache—as many non-migraine sufferers seems to think.
Most of us also know that for many migraine sufferers, common pain relievers like aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen don’t do much for migraine pain. Oftentimes, if these medicines do work, the pain might only lessen for a few hours before the migraine comes back with a vengeance.
If that’s you, let’s talk about some natural ways to treat migraine pain that can be surprisingly effective.
Massage the Occipital Nerve
A research study in Brazil showed that you can reduce migraine headaches by massaging the area at the base of the back of your skull (known as the greater occipital nerve). You can do this yourself pretty easily—place your palms behind your ears and reach your fingers around the back of your head to gently massage along the base of your skull. Run your fingers up and down and side to side. This should give you some relief.
Craniosacral Therapy
This is a specific type of massage that focuses on manipulating the bones of the skull and spine. It has significant and immediate benefits for relieving migraine pain.
My friend who is a massage therapist here in Brandon, Florida, performs a Cranial Massage Technique. She has used on me and it is known to be very effective with migraines. (If you live in my area and would like a referral, just hit reply and let me know!)
Ice Packs
Ice packs can also relieve the pain of migraines by placing ice packs at the base of the skull or on the top of the head. I have used this myself and found it to be very helpful. I also use an eye mask that I keep in the freezer to place over my eyes. Sometimes I feel that is my “little bit of heaven” when I have a particularly bad migraine.
Actually, the use of ice packs to fight pain was documented as early as 1849. Ice helps with pain relief because of it its action on the vascular system. While “cold therapy”—when used for migraine relief—may not be fully understood in the healthcare industry, many migraine sufferers do find that ice packs reduce migraine pain quickly. (Definitely worth a try!)
Massage
A scalp massage can feel like wonderful relief when you have a migraine—especially if you can find someone to do it for you! Of course, a full body massage eases tension and helps fight the pain as well. Depending on the person, the type of massage varies from a relaxing massage to a deep tissue massage (my personal favorite).
Relaxation Techniques
Other relaxation techniques such as meditation, tai chi, and yoga are effective in reducing stress and increasing body awareness. The greater our awareness of bodily sensations, the more possible it is for us to detect migraines in advance. This is a real bonus for you as a migraine sufferer, in that once you detect those sensations, you can quickly take preventative measures.
Some Less Known Techniques
- Some people have reported that applying heat to the extremities or the stomach can be helpful.
- Soaking your feet or hands in hot water increases blood flow and is surprisingly effective for reducing migraine pain.
- Some people find that a heating pad on the lower part of the stomach produces effective relief.
While it may sound a little strange that by treating your hands, feet, or stomach in this way can work, when it comes to migraine pain, we all tend to do what works and not ask too many questions!
The next time you are suffering from migraine pain, try out some of these techniques and see if they help you find relief! If these methods work for you, I would love to hear from you. I always love to hear positive feed-back on methods that work for others.
Perhaps you have some other “tips and tricks” that you would like to share. Simply comment below or go to my migraine support page on Facebook and leave your ideas with the group.