How To Stop Migraines With Salt

102 thoughts on “How To Stop Migraines With Salt”

1. I’m glad I read this. I do suffer from migraines, sometimes for days at a time, which with two young children is less than ideal. I already knew if I try to cut salt out of my diet that my migraines occur more frequently, along with painful leg cramps. But next time I feel one coming on I will crank up the popcorn machine and see how it works out.

2. Home remedies for a migraine? If it works for you, you do not have a migraine. I believe that migraine headaches are due to hormones. I began having migraines at the age of 14, and one year later after a hysterectomy, they disappeared. I was lucky enough to have a doctor who understood the sufferings of a migraine. Codeine was a wonderful drug for me not a shaker of salt. There is nothing slightly entertaining about the pain of a migraine.

3. I do Salt Water Flushes once a week and take magnesium everyday. The salt has magnesium in it. Takes care of two problems for me.

4. I started getting one yesterday and it went away almost immediately after I had peppermint oil with dark chocolate and a green tea with lemon and ginger. That stopped in its tracks, I also sniffed lavender and put essential oil on my temples, not sure if that had anything to do with it

5. I have a neighbor that gets really bad migraines. I give him a mixture of Ginger Ale, Cayenne, crushed dried Rosemary with a few drops of peppermint oil. It is definitely not tasty but the migraine is gone within about thirty minutes.

6. Interesting about the salt. I get headaches and migraines.
   When I do all I can’t fight the urge for nachos. No sauce just the nachos. They are very salty. Hormones are only one of many triggers.

7. Salt has magnesium which helps the migraine. Just take quality magnesium supplement .

8. I suffer from complex migraines. Ive found sometimes a 3 musketeer bar &cup of coffee will take mine away. crazy I know!

9. I grew up with my mum placing sliced potatoes across my forehead and securing them with a tea towel wrapped around, when i had a high fever. It helps a lot and i still use it.

10. I saw on home remidies eating pineapple is a cure for migrains because the natural bromaline in pineapple.

11. I believe that salt is the cause of many headaches. If I eat too much salt I get a migraine-like pain at the base of my skull that is so severe I want to rip my head off. It also causes ringing in the ears to worsen and aggravates Miniere’s disease which gives you extreme dizziness. Always use pure salt not the boxes in the grocery store and use less than you think you should.

12. Marie – SOME migraines are caused by hormones. Some are caused by food sensitivities. Some are caused by vascular issues. Doctors don’t KNOW what causes them, they can only speculate on SOME causes.
    If a hormone change stopped yours, then great. but don’t lump the rest of us migraine sufferers in with you. unfortunately, mine are NOT hormone related.
    However, i do notice that I crave salt when I’m having a migraine. I usually do plain tortilla chips like tostitos. not the flavored kind, just plain. the flavorings have MSG which makes my migraines worse 🙁

13. I had them for years. I took a beta blocker(tenormin) for years before I decided I needed to try something more natural. It took a couple of tries to get it to work, but I was able to finally wean myself off of the Tenormin by taking Hawthorne Berries. So, I’m thinking someone who never started a precription might be able to control migraines by just starting out using the Hawthorne Berries to begin with. Please do yourself a favor and don’t give up on it though until you’ve used them for at least 3 months. Remember, natural things may take a little longer. The good news is I have only had maybe two heads he’s since then and that was over 14 years ago and I take nothing now. I stopped using the Hawthorne Berries that long ago.

14. I suffer with constant migraines. There is never 1 moment that my head doesn’t hurt. Aspirin makes it a bit more bearable but it never goes away. If this remedy works for me it will literally be life changing.

15. Marie, just because your migraines do not respond to home remedies and you respond better to codeine does not mean that someone else’s migraine isn’t as bad as yours. I have had horrendous migraines in the past and after a hysterectomy I was given hormone patches and I started having severe migraines every week from the patches. When I stopped using the patches I stopped getting the weekly debilitating migraines. I have discovered that when I maintain a strict gluten free, whole food, plant based diet not only do my migraines go away but so do my allergies and all kind of other inflammation based ailments. So just because you have a better experience with a pharmaceutical approach doesn’t mean your migraines are real and someone else’s migraines are not.

16. I have had Migraines since I was in third grade. After all the years of medications to stop them, to try and control them, and stop the effects such as numbness in my hands, mouth, face, legs and feet (some thought it was a stroke) but is known as the Vascular Migraine. One time I used 4 Ibuprofen and a can of regular coke and it helped stop the wavy lines, still had a headache. Depending on how severe the migraine is, this will help if you get it at the start. It has to do with the caffeine opening the blood vessels in the back of the neck. I appreciate all the information on here and will have to try these as well. I’m sorry Marie, I had a hysterectomy as well and still get migraines. Good luck to all of us with this problem, migraines are not fun…

17. My 6 year old son has been suffering with migraines for over a year. We’ve been to many doctors and haven’t found anything that helps or prevents. Any suggestions?

18. I’ve got migraine for 25 years,but i’m much better lately because of using GINSING

19. I can honestly say the potato slices work. My grandma use to do it. I remember her doing,we all knew she had a migraine or headache if she had potato slices on her forehead.I don’t think she put them in cider or anything else.I think she did it when one of us had a fever too.

20. I’ve just come off a 4 day-er. I found acupuncture and chiropractic worked wonders to ease the intensity, I need to go back I think.
    As for codeine, I have taken strong pain killers for decades, most with codeine, not realising that they were causing me to have mild anaphylactic reactions (I just put the breathlessness, tightness in the chest, itchiness and unbelievable fatigue down to the migraine)I recently discovered this allergy after speaking with a Chemist after a particularly bad reaction and he told me I was allergic to codeine. Sounds stupid but I never connected the dots. Since then I have researched other medications I have been on over the years and realised I have had side effects to quite a lot of them. All I am saying is that if natural therapies work for you they are preferable to taking chemical cocktails with possible bad reactions.

21. Wow, it’s *very, very* hard to believe that a radical hysterectomy of a 15 yo would be a treatment for anything less than a terminal illness. That’s is to say, frankly, that comment should be wholesale disbelieved @marie. If any doctor did, in fact remove the uterus of a young teen, then migraines were *not* the cause for said surgery and a complicated set of addition health issues must have been at play, making your take on typical migraine headaches null and void, as you have never been a ‘typical migraine sufferer’, but had issues altogether different.

22. In February of this year, I had a migraine 27 out of the 28 days. Just recently, I had 53 migraines in 60 days. I sympathize with ANYONE who suffers with these! In March, I had botox shots in my head. I was migraine-free for 10 weeks almost to the day. My son made me promise I would never “do that” again, but I had to find some relief. I just had botox injections 21 days ago, and have had a total of 3 migraines since. It works for me.

23. I have suffered from migraine’s since Elementary School and have taken everything there is to offer for migraine’s and I have tried different things to rid myself of them. I eat plenty of salt and I consume plenty of caffeine products too. I take daily doses of caffeine filled prescriptions as well as drinking soda’s. I am even now taking a prescription for high blood pressure and don’t even have high blood pressure along with the caffeine medicine. I also take Toradol for it when the pain becomes unbearable. I have a migraine almost every single day of my life and my head stays sore from them daily. I have tried so many medicine’s even medicine’s for seizures, I do not have seizures, also my migraines have gotten more intense with age (I’m 39). I would love to have some feed back with some other types of medicines I could get my doctor to try. I have tried all the migraine based treating medicines and half of the ones for seizures. Please help!

24. Let me add that I have tried several different diets such adding in and taking away foods etc. I do smoke, but I quit for a year and that did not improve how often or how intense the migraines were or even their duration. My sleeping habits don’t even affect them unless I have only slept for 4 or 5 hours. I generally get 7 or 8 hrs.

25. I wish relieving a migraine were this easy for me but it’s not. I also have Meniere’s Disease in my left ear and I was told that salt exacerbates my problems. You see, they don’t know whether the migraine sets off the Meniere’s or vice versa; but, I generally suffer from them at the same time and believe me, it is a nightmare. I get violently dizzy, vomit and the only relief I can get is to sleep and I have to do that sitting up. I cannot lay down because the dizziness gets worse and on occasion, it has lasted for several days. I have found that I have to avoid MSG and nitrites and keep my stress levels down. If I can do that I am generally OK but I do watch what I eat.

26. OMG! NO! Salt causes my migraines, so for many people this would be a very bad idea. My neurologist explained that salt can constrict the arteries, slowing blood flow & causing/aggravating a migraine, it also dehydrates. The coke thing, yes but that’s due to the caffeine and can be dealt with by drinking any caffeinated drink (caffeine is in most migraine medications).
    I haven’t even cooked with salt in 25+ years because of it.

27. A method I have used for years to “lessen” the length of a migraine is to put your hands in water as hot as you can without actually burning yourself then plunging them directly into ice water. It shocks your system just like when you blanche a vegetable prior to freezing and re-starts the blood flow and for me significantly reduced the severity and length of time I suffer from them. Old tried and true remedy that I know many people use and was actually given to me by a doctor over 30 yrs ago!

28. Breathing into a paper bag, just normally – like you would if you were hyperventilating (or breathing normally with my head under the covers) – for a few minutes helps. But, it helps me. Migraines aren’t all the same, so the same treatment isn’t going to work for all of them. Salt does help some people, but constricts blood vessels and makes it worse for others. Breathing into a bag will help some people, but not others. What works depends on what made the migraine happen in the first place, and how the migraine affects the person who has it. And, how the person responds to different treatments, whether it’s a home remedy or not.

29. Sharlene, if a candy bar and a coffee help, then you might be getting migraines because of low blood sugar; so you might want to look into the possibility of either diabetes or hypoglycemia. I had hypoglycemia for years, and would get terrible migraines sometimes if I didn’t have something to bring my blood sugar up to normal.
    So I think it’s either that, or it’s the caffeine in the coffee and chocolate that’s helping, and it has nothing to do with blood sugar. I would get checked for blood sugar issues, in any case, just to know for sure if that could be ruled out. And even if it’s not causing the migraines, blood sugar problems could be making them worse.

30. @ Marie – while your trigger may have been hormonal, I can say with a high degree of certainty that it’s different for everyone. My first migraine memory is from when I was 8… long before puberty. Other triggers (that don’t involve hormones) are dehydration, low electrolytes, and (for the caffeine addicts among us)not getting that first cup of joe in time. There is also the issue of not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. Having suffered both run-of-the-mill type headaches and migraines, I can tell you that the migraines triggered in other ways are actually real migraines.
    You are absolutely correct that migraines are no laughing matter. Please do not reduce the suffering of others to less-significant because your trigger was more difficult to treat than adding salt and drinking more water or getting a good night’s rest.

31. My daughter has had migraines since she was 18. She is 34 now. Every thing available has been tried, even injections in the skull (which are very painful by the way). Nothing! Herbs and home remedies, nothing! Neurologist has said she will just have to live with them. I wish I could take it away for her. She is stronger than me, I could never deal with that kind of pain almost daily.

32. With leg cramps you are definitely low on magnesium. Take a supplement like magnesium plus by pure products, I use or Calm, is a quick dissolving supplement or magnesium oil spray directly on legs. Epsom salt foot baths or bath, 1 cup in foot bath or 2 cups in bathtub soak. It has magnesium in it.

33. I’ve suffered migraines since I was 9 I ha e used beta blockers as well and excedrin seem to b my best frnd I went to wrk for a chiro and he would adjuat my neck and aft a mth they dissappeared as well as my dr prescribed maxalt if u want to take medication but adjuatments work wonders its amazing

34. If people only knew what we went through as migraine sufferers!! My left eye has a permanent droop because I spent so many hours and days of my life smushing my eye back into my head and squeezing it in order to have some pain relief. All my senses are effected and I’m nauseous. I started getting them around junior high (I’m almost 40 now). I suffered for the first 10 years with no relief with anything I tried (cold compresses, sleep, laying in a dark room, morphine at the hospital, high blood pressure meds that were meant to slow my heart down (I think it was called Verapamil and that was short lived!!), furinol, furicet, advil, tylenol, tylenol 3 with codeine, aspirin, Excedrin migraine, food elimination….I tried it all! I was even called on the day of the Columbine shooting to enroll in a new study where they would inject my forehead with botchalism and paralyze my forehead yes, this was WAY before Hollywood starlets decided to prematurely inject themselves with BoTox for cosmetic reasons. It took me until I was 28 to figure out my major trigger. DEHYDRATION!! It explained the exercise-induced, hangover-induced and just plain not drinking enough headaches I’ve suffered through. The only “cure” I’ve had for those is Imitrex 6mg injections. A college doctor introduced me to it in 1995. I know it was a very controversial but it has saved my life and given me quality of life. However, I hate pumping medicines into my body. So I’ve tried to work at simply hydrating myself each and every day. It’s made a big difference!! The hormone (period) migraines I can’t do much about. And strangely enough, the stress-induced migraines are “cured” by me eating a greasy piece of pizza. Pizza is a major comfort food for me. I think that when I eat it, my stressed out body relaxes as I get “high” off of it…and then my body releases endorphins…which is what I feel makes the headache dissipate. I wish each and everyone of you much success in discovering your triggers and cures!!

35. Salt has an impact on hormone production. The body works as one. You cannot say, only hormones. How do you think your body makes hormones?

36. I tried lower my high blood pressure (which I had for many months) by eliminating salt from my diet. Starting getting migraines every day when I normally only got about one a year. Gave in and went to the doctor for HBP medications and back to normal eating. No migraines since.

37. A teen given a hysterectomy? Likely not, most definitely not for migraines. Migraines are not gender biased first of all, so do men get vasectomies? Anyway….I’m at the Botox stage Dr.s have gone from diet to depression, stress, TMJ, constipation, age, you name it. I have pain after the migraine has long gone, I have migraines so bad that one Dr. Believed I was nuts and sent me home with psych meds. I have different types of migraines, some in my sinus, eye sockets, behind my ears, neck, forehead,temples,crown of skull and on and on. I have tried the caffeine and it works but I become extremely nauseated afterwards. I have tried the ice in the roof of the mouth, sinus rinse, chamomile tea, saffron works very well but is costly, hot showers with deep breathing helps a wee bit. Saffron is great but you need to take it even when feeling fine. Best wishes.

38. @Tami, botox helped me but mostly because I have severe TMJ and facial spasms as well. (I have been doing it for over 3 yrs, every 90 days.) They increase the migraine. How do you use the saffron? My migraines are now neuropathic meaning the brain pain centers don’t shut down – ever. They no longer know how so I have a migraine 24/7. I don’t sleep because of the pain. I have done just about everything. All kinds of prescriptions, non-prescription. I will try the ice. Salt only makes me dehydrated, but I will pay attention to see if it makes it worse. I usually stay away from it and the only food that I have found that makes it worse is uncooked onions. I can’t use onion powder or dried minced onion. Caramelized is fine. I don’t know if the onion rings are ok, or if I eat em anyway =)

39. ell, it depends waht kind ofmigraine we are talking about. My kind of migraine is always associted with my indigestion system.This happens when I change the time of having lunch or perhaps eating too much late at night. I’ve been suffering from this since I was very young. So the only thing hat helps me a lot is first by taking two pills of paractamol. This either makes me vomit or the pain will pass away in about an hour.Whenever I tell this to others they tell me that paracetamol does not work on their migraines! Well on me it works.Also another thing hat helps me a lot is taking a cup of tea with lemon juice.! This helps me to vomit cause as I said before my kind of migraine will not pass away if my stomach could not digest my intake of food. Good Luck nothing to lose just try it!

40. I wouldn’t recommend going with sea salt without iodine. You can get sea salt with iodine. Iodine is essential for thyroid functioning and helps prevent thyroid cancer. Migraines are caused by inflammation of the nerves in the brain, causing the synapses to fire at an alarming rate. If you Fix the inflammation, you stop the migraines. Proper nutrition and exercise is key.

41. I have eaten salt for over 40 years for headaches. Regular and migraine. Certain sweets will give me a headache. I eat salt to counteract that. When I was in my late teens/early 20’s I would eat salt by the teaspoon. I have reported this numerous times to different doctors. They all just shrug their shoulders and tell me if it works, do it. I keep a salt shaker in my desk at work. I also believe that everybody is different. I also believe that most of my physical problems are due to hormones. There just isn’t enough research done in this area to help us women.

42. I used to see a specialists for migrains and take meds. She was doing a study and suggested that when I feel one coming on to take an extra strength excedrin, drink a mountain dew and eat a plain hershey bar. No nuts! Its works. Im medicine free. What a doctor!!

43. I too have suffered with migraines since I was six years old (I’m 22 now), like the commenter above, I have had spells where I have migraines 25+ days in a month. I take preventative medication (pizotifen) which has worked extremely well and given me a quality of life back, however I believe the main cause of my migraines is stress. The other causes for me are: stress, usually resolved by sleeping or cold flannel on my head, overheating, too much caffeine, lack of sleep. The preventatives generally only work for the migraines that don’t appear to have a cause, poss. hormonal?? I will try the potato thing.
    Although I take preventatives the migraines I do have I have to ride out since I am too used to my emergency medication and nothing really helps. Does anyone take anything specifically that helps when a migraine is very severe? I often feel as though my brain is swelling and pushing on my skull, I get most of the pain centred behind my left eye and I’m often sick, my vision tends to go blurry – the last migraine I had in October I lost my speech, could think clearly but the words wouldn’t come out – has anybody else ever experienced this???

44. There are different types of migraines depending of the underlying reason or “root”: gallbladder-,endocrine-,kidney meridians,etc. Or more from tension, stress, wrong bite, bad teeth/eyes?
    Therefore different medication and/or treatment works differently for different people, even though they seem to have the same migraine (as for many other illnesses).
    You have to diagnose the basic source of your migraine by a well educated and trained pro.
    Then get the correct remedie in correct dosis. That is the main conquest, and sometimes need some time and trials to find out.

45. Have heard from migraine sufferers that to have fun, and moving around (dance, singing, walks in nature) have helped them to better handle with their less good periods [in attacks]. Hope you all out there will do so too, bit by bit. Don’t give up and in! Merry X-mas!

46. I have suffered with migraines since 8 years old. My mother also had them. Learning my food triggers helped a lot. SHarp cheese, msg, too much caffeine, wine, and the last one i discovered – peanuts. Avoiding these foods decreased occurranceof migraines for me. The biggest breakthrough for me came when added magnesium to my daily routine. I take a 500mg magnesium tablet every evening with dinner. I have been nearly migraine free for over 13 years. An occasional “tolerable” migraine occurs, but is controlled with medication. Every plant or grain we eat is grown in magnesium deficient soil due to the common practice of fertilizing with potassium. Potassium leaches out magnesium from the soil. Magnesium is essential to intestinal transit & muscle (heart) and blood vessel constriction & relaxation. Vascualr headaches, as many migraines are, respond to magnesium because it restores the ability of the blood vessels to relax & constrict. Magnesium is vital to many functions in the body. I hope more migraine sufferers try this and hope it helps. Magnesium also aids menstrual cramp discomfort. It will cause you to have regular bowel movements – which is also healthy!

47. Wow….im amazed!! I’ve only realized just recently that my headaches are migranes. I’ve been having them for 45 years now, there is seldom a day that goes by without one. I spent years trying to figure out what caused them. I came to the conclusion some few years ago that they were caused by different things. I too have had the vertigo…knew it was connected to my sinuses and the headaches. My cure for vertigo is really simple….works instantly…..you may notice that your eyes move back and forth very quickly…so using your fingers…gently…hold your eyes still tthru the skin of course. The movement stops and the vertigo stops. That may stop the nausea too or least lesson it. The onky things I have learned helps stop the headache is to take excedrine immediately when you first norice the pain start. If im at home I also use a headache band across my forehead and heat up a rice bag in the micro for about 30 secs…lay down…or sit up…whichever till its gone enough to function. Usually about 45 mins.

48. Oh….the rice bag goes on your face. Across the firehead.

49. @ Misty, I have had migraines for the last 20 yrs. I too was on all different kinds of meds, I finally got one that works wonders for me and it is called Amitriptyline Hcl 25 mg tab, it used to be used for depression and the doc says it’s not used for that anymore, they use it for migraine sufferers. Just putting that out there cause when we have migraines it is horrible. Let me know if anyone tries this, it has worked wonders for me.

50. I have suffered from migraines for decades (my siblings, and children also suffer from them) In addition to prescription or OTC meds each person needs to figure out what works for them. Due to other medical issues I need to avoid both salt and cafficine. What I have found that work well for me (and several family members) is a combo of potassium and protein. For me that’s a peanut butter and banana sandwich, for my daughter it’s a hamburger and baked pototoe, my nephew goes for a (high potassium) juice and a fast food sandwich. If I’m traveling I carry peanut butter and crackers with me. In the office I keep a jar of peanut butter in my drawer. Again because of other medical issues I can no longer take migraine meds – but when I could I found Imatrix and Excedine Migraine helped.

51. Omg! Ironically i saw this on my FB newsfeed last night & read about it cuz ive been suffering from severe migrains for the last 6months the day before my period. I woke this morning with a migrain & immediatly tried taking about 2tbs of salt & chased it with a glass of room temp water… its an hour later & the pain in my head is almost completely gone!!! 🙂 so thankful i saw this post just last night! Its kinda weird cuz as a kid i got heat strokes a lot & my dad would have me do the salt & water thing & it helped, which leads me to believe that maybe a lot of my migrain problem is due to dehydration! I dont drink water ever, but after this, im definitely going to start!

52. nice to have read all your sharings! i hv been sufferring from severe migraine after my menopause. been drinking recommended medicines avamigran, flanax 550mgs 3xdaily, injections to ease the pain..etc..out of breath caused me to be hospitalized, diagnosed ischemic and anemic. tried coffee, dark chocolates, tried all kinds of soothing oils, massage recommended but to no avail. Ones attack is there all i have to do is take my medecine, sleep, rest, lay down and it takes two to three days before it gets away. observing my predicaments found out common culprit for me are the following: hormone imbalance,dehydration, anxiety, heat,diet, pressure and worries. true enough we must be very observant and discover our own triggers and cures, it really helps and most of all PRAYERS it works miracles….

53. My daughter was dx @ 1yrs old with migraines with seizures
    She does not have any form of epilepsy. The drs explained that the
    pain is so great and that is the way her body reacts. Last
    year she spent almost a week in the hospital getting the
    “migraine cocktail ” until her kidneys started too shut down.
    They had to stop giving her the medication and then 48 hrs
    later it stopped. She still had vertigo for several days.

54. Chewing Cardamom is the one I’m most familiar with

55. I got my first migraine when I was nine years old. What works for me is taking 2 Alleve (Naproxin Sodium) and a couple of swigs of Diet Coke.

56. I was told by a Neurologist to put an ice pack on your forehead and a heating pad at your feet. It confuses the senses so the shut down. Stay like this at least for 20-30 mins or as I found out, it comes back.

57. Like a lot if you, I suffer from migraines. I tried all sorts of meds to help when they hit. A few years ago I got a referral to a neurologist to figure out their cause. After keeping a food diary and headache/migraine diary, we were able to conclude that caffeine is a trigger along with hormones. Because I had daily headaches we also discovered that taking Tylenol was causing rebound headaches. I cut out the majority of caffeine from my diet, all but chocolate, and went on a migraine prevention cocktail of meds (1200mg calcium, 800mg of magnesium, and 75mg of nortryptyline) that I’ve taken faithfully since then and my incidence of migraines has been reduced. As has been stated by others, we need to find what works for us, but definitely try to figure out what your triggers are and avoid them. My neurologist has had patients whose triggers were pizza and other things. My best friend’s trigger is soy. Because I’ve had them so long, I can actually function for the most part while deLing with one. I do take sumatriptan when I get a migraine, but because it causes drowsiness, I cannot take it while at work (I’m a teacher). Soi domy best when I get one to try to reduce my exposure to bright lights and loud noises, but can’t really do that in a classroom :-). I now take only Aleve when I get one while at work. This helps a little and doesn’t cause the rebound headaches. I’m definitely going to give some of these a try the next time I get a migraine.

58. Marie, because these remedies work it’s not a migraine?! Really?!

59. I was always told salt causes migraines? Anyway, when I get a migraine, I eat a dark chocolate bar (Hersheys) and drink a cup of coffee. Now I know that people say that caffeine will cause a migraine, too, but this really does help me.

60. My doctor told me to try Butterbur, which has worked in clinical trials. Petadolex is the brand used in clinical trials, and is free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (liver-toxic substance). It has worked well for me.

61. I’ve had hormone and some food triggered migraines since I was 14. I decided I wanted to get fit last January. I’m 49 and not overweight. At first I had several very bad exercise triggered migraines and was scared off but after reading that taking fluids before during and after exercise could help exercise induced migraine I decided to start very slowly again. I’m now fit and try to exercise everyday. (I do workouts at home from the internet. Fitness blender is a good one). A wonderful side effect had been that I’ve only had about 3 bad migraines this year. If I feel one coming on I do a short workout and feel it melt away. This may not be right for everyone but may work for some.

62. I have had migraines since I was 12yrs (hormone time) I have tried every migraine specific med under the sun. I now take Maxalt (the one that melts in your mouth) – I put it under my tongue because it gets in your blood stream faster there. I also take a caffeine pill like NoDoz or even use Midol or something like that is for that time of the month because it deals with alot of symptoms.

63. My husband is a migraine sufferer, and also has borderline high blood pressure. No meds or treatments have EVER helped him. Our daughter in law was web surfing and found a lot of information tying TYRAMINES in food to both his conditions. The reason so much is published on this is because so many people take MAOI drugs for mental illnesses. MonoAmine Oxidase Inhibitors (the drugs) effects are decreased or made ineffective by food which contains high amounts of tyramine.
    Look up tyramine diets on Google. You will be amazed. Tyramine is a byproduct of protein breakdown in food. My husband has eliminated foods he loves (smoked sausage, pepperoni, aged cheeses, most beers, sauerkraut, miso soup, soy sauce….) and the incidence of migraines has gone way down.
    Migraines are complicated, and what works for one person may not be your answer. But if you’ve tried other options and they haven’t worked, keep a food journal to see what you eat. Download the lists of high tyramine foods and see if this may help.

64. I used to suffer from migraines as well, but to me the best solution was to keep away from any type of fragrance/chemical.. I have MCS/ Environmental Illness, so you might want to try getting rid of any chemicals you use, such as perfume, cologne, get organic makeup, the worse headache pain was with fabric softerners, and how not could it be it gives cancer. I can smell EVERYTHING, even when normal people cant anymore and I get an instant migraine lasting for days. It feels like your brain in inflammed that its floating, etc and I used to suffer from vertigo as well, its all gone now. But yes EVERYTHING we use is toxic, from building materials to cleaners, pesticides, detergent, dish soap, clothes, plastics, tap water, air, food, creams, lotions, clorox, degreasers, acrylic nails, hair dyes, etc…these are a few that I need to stay away from. Maybe some of you that havent gotten relief of your migraines can try this, it could be this illness. Research the illness, and you will learn alot of what the government allows that makes us ill.

65. I would eat a bag of potato chips and something chocolate. I wasn’t who figured it out. When the people I worked with saw me eating this, they would say..Uh Oh, T… is getting a headache. Probably never would have figured out the salt, caffeine combination on my own. Paid attention to it in the future. That was my warning…

66. I drink a pint of water with a teaspoon of coconut oil with a small pinch of pink Himalayan salt, works on headaches and migraines.

67. Just saw this as well on Facebook and will give the salt a try. The reason I say this is that I have a condition called dysautonomia, and my Dr’s keep telling me add more salt to my diet, add more salt. So now when I feel a migraine come on, I eating salt. I have always craved salt. So here’s hoping!!

68. Go to the chiropractor and get adjusted regularly!! Everyone is out of alignment and needs to be adjusted. My migraines disappeared almost immediately when I started going to the chirpractor.

69. I suffer from hormonal migraines. I had a partial hysterectomy 3 years ago, and still get them. I actually get them more frequently as well as more severely. I have finally found a great remedy. My doctor has me take imitrex and fioricet. It still takes about an hour to relieve the miserable pain. But laying with an ice pack helps a little, until it kicks in.
    My doc has also suggested botox, but it’s pricey and insurance doesn’t really want to pay for that.

70. I agree with the poster who said they are caused by hormones…mine can also be triggered by changes in atmospheric pressure. Unfortunately I live in a climate that sees frequent and often dramatic changes, esp. in the spring and fall. Nothing in the world helps those, I just have to wait them out!

71. I too have suffered from migraine headaches for years. With all the new medications that are available to help decrease them and eliminate them, I was always surprised when they would get severe and had to go to emerge and have to explain my migraine to yet another Doctor. The pain is so unbearable that sometimes I wondered if they are just testing me to see if I really did have a migraine. All I could think about is “Don’t they believe me? Can’t they see how much pain I’m in.” Before they would prescribe something to relieve me of the pain. When I do get them, I get a wavy white light warning and I get nauseated and most of the time throw up . I need no noise, no lights on , and no talking and it helps to know that someone is around in case I pass out. I have since had a few strokes during having migraines , so they certainly aren’t anything to fool around with. I found that even with migraine medicine that I cannot lay down as I feel that the blood rushes to my brain too fast and the top of my head feels like boiling water was poured over it. The spasms in the neck and shoulder areas are horrible and the pain all around and including the ears is excrutiatingly horrible. Stress and high Blood Pressure have truly been major culprits. If your hands and feet are cold they need warmth and if they are hot they need to be cooled down, I found this to help. I can’t go driving to the Emergency while I have one so I have a good Doctor which gives me in Tablet form the same thing that is in the injections that they give at the hospital. Thank God for my Doctor for prescribing Demerol and Gravol this really helps .

72. If you read the comments on here, you will see that many different suffers have a mixture of different symptoms linked to migraines. Some get just the head, others more physical symptoms to go with it. You will also see that they are triggered by many different things. So, it follows that one remedy that works for one migraine sufferer may not work for another.
    I suffer from severe debilitating vascular migraines and have just about every other physical symptom that goes along with them. Luckily, I suppose, as it makes them controllable, I figured mine are directly related to ingesting anything dairy or its offshoots (eg milk proteins), chocolate or coloured alcohol. I have tried many remedies and none work except one – sumatriptan succinate and I have to take that nasally, as I can’t hold pills down. Even then, it doesn’t get rid of the aural disturbance, the pain or the other symptoms, but it does halt the migraine’s continuation. This is an inherited condition and will not abate after menopause or other hormonal changes, pregnancy, imbalanced energy solutions or other situations when some sufferers find relief.
    I will try salt next time I have one, but I am pretty sure it won’t have much effect, sadly. 🙂
    One thing is, though – this diet is fairly healthy! No processed foods and very few nibbles, cakes, desserts or biscuits!

73. To the ladies here who think it is hormones not true I am a male who has migrains and cluster headaches ( not related). I assure you hirmones are not the cause of migrains.

74. I know someone who used to have migraines, and they are NOTHING to take lightly. I would advise you to seek out a reputable Chiropractor, and have them do an exam an x-rays to rule out vertebral subluxations. This worked magic for her (the adjustments, not the exam. lol)

75. I have had them since I was 4 years old. I also have a droop over my left eye, that is actually more prominent when I have a really bad one with vomiting. They, for me, are hereditary. My grandpa had them, died of a stroke caused by them. My mom has them, also had a stroke when she was in her early 30s because of them, temp. paralyzed her.) Now I have them, and am terrified of stroke, but have the pre-signs, such as the droopy eye, and numbness when my headaches are at their worst. Doctor tried to tell me to stop drinking caffeine. Obviously, as you guys know, it didn’t work. Caffiene actually helps me, so I had debilitating migraines all year. I didn’t have a SINGLE one when I was pregnant with my son. Idk why.. Well, I have yet to know what causes mine, but Excedrin migraine works sometimes to keep them at bay…

76. Misty…have you tried Relpax? That’s what i take for my migraines. I take 1 little sweet orange pill lay down and take a 2 hr nap and when I wake up and it’s gone 🙂

77. My brother and I both suffer with migraines. He gets an aura before the pain hits. He swears by half a glass of beer and two asprin. He says if he can get to this quickly, he can ward off the migraine or cut its duration drastically. I don’t have auras and by the time I have a migraine (usually in the am) I have nausea and couldn’t bear either the beer or the asprin. But this works for him every time.

78. This works ..EVERY TIME..AS SOON AS YOU FEEL,that odd sick feeling,,as if one is coming on…
    START EATING ICE……YOU NEED ICE ,,EAT IT,SWALLOW,GET IT IN YOUR MOUTH AND BODY,,,,THE COLD TEMPERATURE OF THE ICE,,MAKES THE SWOLLEN BLOOD VAINS,WHICH CAUSE THE MIGRAINE TO SHRINK,,TO BECOME…UNSWOLLEN,,TO LET THE BLOOD THRU,,..and for regular headaches…eat a handful of almonds….your headache will leave in 30 min….but for a migraine…eat ice,,,it will stop it ..BEFORE IT STARTS..YOU’LL FEEL NO PAIN,,

79. I am amazed to see the uneducated responses and predjudice about migraines on here. I have had migraines since very young and was diagnosed with classic symptom migraines at 9. I experienced a strident migraine for the first time in my early 20s, and an ocular migraine for the 1st time before I was 30. I was the victim of a drunk driver and suffered a brain injury at 18 and so suffer migraines originating from the areas of my brain that were damaged. In total, I suffer frontal lobe migraines, the most common and the ones most likely to be treated by Advil, Aleve, etc, and 3 other areas of my brain. I too kept a detailed journal of foods, and of symptoms at the onset of every migraine. At my worst, I had upward of 5 a week, and as many as 3 a day. The only thing that gives me relief is controling my asthma, IBS, and preventative meds. Hormones do play a part, as does an abrupt change in barometric pressure, but you learn to control what you can. I have a rediculously expensive med for the onset of a migraine and take vicodin 2 hours later to break the rebound cycle. I am never without my meds and am terrified of any change in symptoms because I know that a new MRI is in order. If you suffer from migraines, see an MD and if you have them frequently, see a neuro doc. You owe it to yourself to get treatment and live your life.

80. I have had migraines for years and my doctor prescribed different medicines over the years, Zomig nasal spray being the last. When I went through menopause the migraines stopped. So yes there are migraines caused by hormone imbalance.

81. I have suffered with migraine from the age of 11,now I am 39 and I still suffer.they leave me bed riden,sick,shacky & cold sweats. I will try anything to try and prevent them thank you for sharing x

82. The 1st neurologist I saw gave me 3 meds, maxalt being one. And after 6 months maxalt was the one that would relieve my migraine but could not get enough to help for the month.
    I went for a 2nd opinion and was asked to start a food dairy and start a list of safe foods.
    Being on a gluten free diet already this was simple because I was eating the same thing over and over. I made sure I ate one thing and waited for at least an 1to 2 hrs before listing it as a safe food.
    Less than 2 weeks the conclusion was preservatives. Some gluten free products have preservatives that triggered my migraines.
    So I went from 20-25 migraine a month to now 2-3 and thats mostly when I eat out. And to relive those migraine I still take maxalt.
    Needles to say a gluten free diet is a challenge and now preservative free … Its depressing!!

83. I usually bathe in some Epson salt for 15-20min. It can be the regular or any of the scented (lavender and etc.)kind.

84. I had migraines for over forty years. My 22 year old suffers from them also. Caffiene helps if you catch it early enough. We started taking a prescription medication called Fioricet. It has been very effective. It relieves the pain and the neck tension.

85. Trying to be an aware consumer, loving green smoothies, having a vegetable garden and making responsible choices I have found something totally not up my alley that works.. Red Bull…. But I have to take it at an early stage when I feel the first symptoms otherwise it’s too late. I also have tried many herbal remedies, but since they have more long term sloow effect I can’t tell if they work

86. I have migraines also and I use Fioricet also.Anyone who has migraines should always know the triggers for them and stay away from them. Some of mine are Caffine, certain kinds of cheese, all chocolates,stress,heat, just to name a few, but the one thing I learned when in Australia visiting and ran out of my medication, the pharmacy over there told me to eat about 12 raw almonds every day because that is what they recommend due to a natural element in the almond, because their country doesn’t allow medications like mine into their country. I tried it for the rest of visit and it has worked like a charm.When I can back from vist I asked my dr and he stated that yes it was true. I still use my medication when it is really bad, but otherwise I do the almonds. I also in summer do old fashion freezing cold bath with a fan and lots of water. It relaxes me to breath thru the pain and eventually it goes away.

87. Reading everyone’s comments made me want to just cry. I have suffered with migraines over 40 years. Used Imitrex, pain relievers and everything imaginable. Had hysterectomy due to cancer and still have migraines. If not a migraine I have bad headaches almost everyday of my life. Nothing seems to help but I did notice when I do a more gluten free diet, my headaches are less frequent. After reading everyone’s post, I will give some of your advices’ a try and hope for the best. I know God gave us migraines for a reason, I would love to know why and when I get to heaven I will ask God. I just look forward to the day when I am migraine free in heaven, what a glorious day that will be!!!

88. The person who did popcorn and Coke…caffeine is one of the components of my current prescribed migraine medicine. So two migraine relievers in that method.
    Loving all this info that may get me through the pain since my doctor is being a putz about giving me meds for my migraine, which I have been having every other day since that appointment. Before that I might have had 3 or 4 a month.

89. An old doctor told me to take Vitamin B12 everyday and since taking it I have not had a headache.

90. I heard that some migraines respond to the old fashioned regular green Gatorade. So I tried it and it worked for me. If I feel one starting I drink a 16 oz. Glass of Gatorade and it stops it in its tracks. Mine were 99% hormonal. I got them every month from puberty until after going through menopause. The worst ones I ever had were during the last few years of my periods. During that time I went into ER for treatment. The treatment was almost as bad as the migraine. I was freezing, nauseated, and jittery. Only did that twice and decided I’d suffer through them using ice packs and heating pads.
    My daughter also gets them and the Gatorade is working for her too. We keep a bottle in the frig at all times.

91. Hello
    I wish everyone with Migraines would stop arguing, we all suffer. We all have different chemical balance in our systems. And we all suffer different levels of pain and most of you I do believe don’t have migraines.
    I have tried everything.
    YOU HAVE TO FIND YOUR OWN WAY!
    But do try Petadolex http://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/natural-remedies/petadolex/
    also on
    http://www.swansonvitamins.com.
    or
    the generic version is Butterbur Extract you can find it at http://www.swansonvitamins.com.
    or
    The more permanent fix for a Migraine is The Omega Procedure. http://migrainecenters.com/omega-procedure/.
    If you think you have Migraines you need to check these two things out there long term homeopathic or permanent fixes that can and I hope will help all my fellow sufferers.
    Ultimately you need to stop eating processed food and change your entire life around your Migraine.
    Listen to your body and what it is trying to tell you.
    Stop listening to the ridicules family doctors that no nothing at all about migraines.
    You need to find a women doctor that has migraines she will know what your are talking about.
    Thank You for hearing my words
    A chronic migraine sufferer that has suffered terribly for 40 years.
    This is for all of us Sufferers that get no help.

92. I haven’t read everyone’s post so someone could have mentioned this. Just a thought: I have a condition that is consider rare…psuedo tumor cerebri or inter cranial hypertension (two names but same illness). Before this disease I never had headaches. Now I get migraines. Has anyone been tested for this? The “normal” symptoms are horrible headaches, eye pain, ringing in the ears, nauseous, being over weight (but not necessarily true), child bearing age (though this is also not necessarily true) female but is also document in male and children too. Sodium is a huge reason for the headaches as is also hormones. I’m on a low sodium diet, I drink water or non caffeined drinks. If you think you might fit some of these symptoms please research it. As of right now it isn’t “curable” but is manageable. A very good website is ihrfoundation.org. Just something to think about.

93. Personaly I have suffered from migraines for 35 years. My 15 year sirs with sliced potatoes sprinkled with pepper on her head. Needless to say she still had her headache. A friend of my husband said it worked for him. The tail changes with the food choices.

94. I’ve been having migraines for the past 10 years. I’m 53… Before that I hardly ever had a headache and now if I don’t take medicine I have them daily… Usually only in the morning waking up with one. At 1st I didn’t know they were migraines so I was terribly sick all day until I finally threw up and it would go away. I now take 50mg amitriptyline every night and usually do not wake with migraine on daily basis any more but when I do I take 2 Excedrin migraine pills along with a caffeine drink and put an ice pack on base of skull (which) is where my migraines usually hurt…. Within about an hour it’s gone. This has worked for me but I’m searching to rid them permanently. I’m usually exhausted after the migraine so it still affects my whole day.

95. I have had migraines for 10 years. I do believe salt does help. I drink a gallon of water a day but if I don’t salt my food I end up with a migraine the next day. I also exercise a lot so I sweat a lot. Also another reason to replenish salt and also water intake. I stumbled upon eating red vines liqiorce also has stopped my migraine within 20 mins of eating it. It doesn’t always work, it’s usually when my diet is in check and I’m not use to sugar. I’ve tried other types of goods with high sugar content and they font work…I think it’s something in the actual red vines. I do believe migraines are triggered by different things including hormones…but I feel there are tricks that can help.

96. HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup, processed sugars, aspartame such as Nutrasweet & Splenda are major causes of migraines, poor diet and chemicals in the gut, bad flora, fungus build up is another reason for migraines. Medications only suppress the symptoms it doesn’t solve the problem long term. Google search Aspartame & Migraines. Creator of fb page: Modern Medical Quackery

97. Migraines are a complex condition, which can be caused by numerous things; in fact, we are probably lumping entirely different conditions under the heading “migraines.” This may explain why different “migraines” respond to different treatments. As a doctor and a migraine sufferer myself, I think it’s important to remember that what works for you isn’t necessarily *the* cure for everyone else. I’ve tried every medication – both prophylactic and for acute attacks – as well as nerve blocks, botox, and a number complimentary treatments and remedies, and have yet to find something that works. The most relief I get is from a TENS machine, which mimics the new Cefaly device, but works better, in my opinion, and at a much-lower cost. Best of luck to all here in finding something that works, but let’s stop short of telling others what *will* work for them!

98. I have migraines since I had a terrible motorcycle accident.
    I am very glad that everything healed so well but the migraines stayed.
    In my case the trigger can be stress, causing my neck muscles to tighten. Or low blood sugar.
    Sometimes hormonal swings sometimes wheather changes.
    Sleep deprivation.
    I found a good Osteopath- As soon as I can feel the migraine building up, I go to him and he releases the tension and helps the nervus vagus. (If you want to try that)
    Sometimes 1 strong Café with dark chocolate helps.
    A lot of water.
    Peppermint and/ or frankinese oil on the temples, neck and tip of the nose as they work to ease tension and can work as natural pain killer.
    I like to diffuse Basil and lay on my back.
    Ibuprofen extra strong.
    Other than that I try to eat clean and avoid dairy like *** as in my case there is a connection with dairy and PMS and mood swings and cramps on “those days”. I eat mostly organic meat, again because of the hormones and of course the poor animals.
    Meditation and I try to Monitor my posture during the day.
    For me the turning point was the osteopathy – they believe that up a certain point pain can stay inside of the body because of the body holding on to the tension contributing to migraines and other ailment.
    Through the therapie the body learns to rebounce again – great relief.
    In the last years I had to learn to listen to my body and tend to Stress Management and the building up of the aura: If I act quick I can stop it in is tracks and loose only 1/2 day instead of 4 or 5.

99. I suffer from chronic daily migraines so I literally have a constant migraine every single minute of every single day. They are always very severe and it makes life in general very difficult. The migraine never goes away and hasn’t for the past ten years, since I was fifteen years old. I have tried so many different things to help- more natural things like supplements, acupuncture, chiropractors, etc, and all kinds of western medicine like taking pills, IV infusion therapy, surgery, etc. Because of my body chemistry most medications (even the strong ones) don’t seem to work very well on me so I’ve had trouble finding anything that helps so far. If I could find a remedy, especially a natural on, it would literally be a life changer.

100. I’ve had migraines since I was five.. After having a year in which I had 5-10 a Day, I gave in and went in for Botox shots.. which work… I’ve never found anything that stopped one, but after reading this article I have to say.. After having a migraine I Crave salty things, and I always have!! When I was a kid my parents brought me salty crackers and I felt better!! There is a connection, I don’t understand it, but there is!!

101. I never thought about salt being connected to migraines. Good to know. I always eat some kind of salty bag of chips when i have a migraine but I thought it was because it calms my nausea down the migraine gives me. For some reason when my head hurts that bad I get so nauseous I’m laid up in bed until my migraine goes away. I feel for anyone who suffers from migraines, it’s the worst!

102. I saw a couple of sufferers with history of traumatic brain injury along with migraines, but not many. I had migraines that stopped at menopause, but I worked for a neurologist and she had treated females that got worse migraines or started migraines following menopause. But my husband, never a headache of any kind in his life, suffered a subdural hematoma, traumatic brain injury, and following that he has had nearly unceasing headaches for the past 12 years. He takes topirimate for both the headaches and seisures, and they tried Lyrica for a while, but it was too expensive for us. His gabapentin (for arthritis) also helps with headaches and he takes melatonin which helps too. We’ve tried just about all the home remedies listed here, without much success. Sometimes something will help for a short time, then the headaches come back. I believe that the headaches from the brain injury are not migraines, but that’s the only way the doctors know to treat, or try to treat, a headache. I was surprised by the lady who takes toradol since continued use could cause kidney damage. I’ve made note of several things that we hadn’t found in our research and we’ll try them. Like the hawthorn berries. Very interesting conversation!

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