The topic that we are going to discuss today is useful and healthy tips to relieve migraines.
But in order to understand it better, the first thing we are going to do is define or rather explain what migraines are. Migraines are a very intense and strong type of headache. It can be located either throughout the head (which is the least frequent case) or it can be located on only one side of it. They are also known by the name of migraines.
According to studies carried out, migraines affect people between the ages of 10 and 45. These studies also confirm that they affect women more than men. On the other hand, we must indicate that it is known that migraines usually have a genetic component associated with them.
The clearest and most obvious symptom of migraines is a strong and intense headache, although on some occasions they are also accompanied by other symptoms.
But when we are faced with a headache, we must know something very important, which is knowing how to correctly differentiate between a headache and a migraine.
And what is a headache? Well, a headache is equally a headache, but they are milder pains, although sometimes they cause a moderate headache. This mild or moderate headache usually appears in the area of the forehead and in the neck, this pain is always bilateral, that is, it occurs on both sides of the head.
These headaches tend to have a tension origin in the area of the neck, head and shoulders, that is, the muscles in these three areas are contracted, because they are usually associated with stress, anxiety, and/or fatigue factor.
In addition, in these tension headaches, the pain does not usually increase when the patient is doing some physical activity.
However, on the other hand, migraines, as we have previously mentioned, are very intense and strong headache, which usually has a genetic component and is sometimes accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, tingling in the face, and discomfort in the light and noise.
1-MIGRAINE WITHOUT AURA or also known by the name of COMMON MIGRAINE. They are the most frequent. They are migraines that appear without warning and the symptoms last between 4 hours and 72 hours.
2-MIGRAINE WITH AURA is also known by the name of CLASSIC MIGRAINE. This type of migraine is characterized because, during the time the pain lasts, the patient tends to see blurry.
3-MIGRAINE WITHOUT HEADACHE. These types of migraines are characterized because when they appear, the patient has all the symptoms that trigger migraines, except the headache.
4-BASILAR MIGRAINE. This migraine usually occurs especially in children and adolescents. Although in this type of migraine, they usually have other different symptoms associated with them such as vertigo, ringing in the ears and dizziness.
5-HEMIPLEGIC MIGRAINE. These migraines are not usually very frequent or common. They are called that way because when they appear they usually cause a loss or decrease in mobility on one side of the patient’s body.
6-RETINAL MIGRAINE. These types of migraines or headaches are not very frequent or very common and usually present with symptoms such as changes in the eye.
7-CHRONIC MIGRAINE. They are those migraines that appear very often or quite frequently and in a short period of time.
A recent study has shown that all patients who suffer from migraines have common factors that trigger migraines. These factors that can cause migraines are:
• Eating a poor diet and not having good nutritional hygiene.
• There are foods that after taking them in certain large quantities, can cause migraines. These foods can be:
• cheese.
• chocolate.
• coffee.
• smoking.
• Alcohol and especially red wine.
Well, after commenting a little on migraines and what factors trigger or originate them, now we are going to propose 10 tips to improve
The patient who suffers from migraines must be very meticulous or very careful when carrying out these preventions:
1- It is important that the patient has good sleep habits. The recommended hours of sleep are between 7 and 8 hours of sleep.
2- Regarding food, you must have established schedules and avoid taking certain foods that can trigger a crisis. These foods are cheese, coffee, chocolate, and smoked foods. In addition, the patient should avoid eating very copious and heavy meals, which prevent him from digesting well.
3- Women who have migraine attacks caused by their hormonal status must undergo drug treatment in order to regulate their hormonal status. This treatment should always be prescribed and under the supervision of your doctor.
4- Patients with seizures should keep very well hydrated since water will favor the exchange of nutrients.
5- It is very beneficial for the patient to exercise regularly. But in moderation. Since, with this physical activity, you will be able to relieve the stress of everyday life, which was one of the causes that could cause a migraine.
6- Just as there were foods that when eaten increased the risk of suffering a crisis, on the contrary, there are foods that when eaten can or help to reduce the appearance of these. These foods are such as:
• Broccoli.
• Romaine lettuce.
• Eggs.
• The avocado.
• The nuts.
• Mushrooms.
• The asparagus.
It is good to eat these foods since they are rich in vitamin B2 because if they are not ingested with a certain frequency, their shortage in the body can favor the appearance of the dreaded migraines.
7- There are patients who use a very popular treatment for Migraines Relief, which includes ginger and chamomile in their diet since they have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. Although it should be noted that this is not proven.
8- Another useful tip to prevent migraines is to use Osteopathy. The Osteopath will not only focus on the treatment of the Trigeminal Nerve. In addition, it will also focus on the treatment of the skull bones and the first cervical vertebrae. With this, what the Osteopath achieves is that there is a correct and adequate vertebral position. It will favor blood flow and eliminate blood disorders in the cranial arteries.
9- Physiotherapy Treatments are also a good way to prevent and treat these headaches or migraines. These treatments are based on Manual Therapy.
This Manual Therapy is recommended to be a gentle treatment, focused mainly on:
On the other hand, with physiotherapy treatments we not only treat migraines or headaches. All this to reduce the intensity of pain. But also, what we provoke is to do a preventive treatment. With this, what we achieve is to provoke a distance in the time of the appearance of the crises.
10- And finally, we can only comment on another useful tip to prevent migraines, which is to eliminate tobacco and alcohol from the diet, placing an important emphasis on red wine.
We have already discussed 10 useful and healthy tips to prevent migraines or headaches, but once the migraine attacks appear, what can the patient do?
Well, in this section we are going to explain other alternative treatments that the patient can carry out, apart from the pharmacological treatments prescribed by his doctor.
These alternative treatments are Physiotherapy and Osteopathy, which aim to alleviate the symptoms that appear and are associated with a crisis.
Physiotherapy and Osteopathy use multiple and varied techniques to treat the symptoms of migraines, but we can name some of them and the most used are:
With this technique, the effect exerted with the needle on migraines is totally analgesic. Since it inhibits or blocks intense headaches, due to the production of some substances such as endorphins.
Another very effective technique, which is used as a tool to alleviate the symptoms of migraines, is to use craniosacral therapy. It is a very simple technique, but as we have said before, very effective. It consists of the placement of the cranial bones. Provoking with it a relief, especially of the cranial nerves and an improvement of blood circulation.
And, another field that can be covered for the treatment of migraines or headaches is Osteopathy. In this case, what the Osteopath is going to do are different techniques with the purpose or objective of restoring, regulating, or improving irrigation and blood pressure. All this, at the level of the upper part of the back, neck and base of the skull.
It is important to note that all these techniques explained above do not completely remove or eliminate migraines. They will only help the patient to mitigate or reduce their symptoms.
Finally, indicate that patients who suffer from migraines usually have them for life. But using the useful advice that we have explained above, combined with his pharmacological treatments, and with physiotherapy treatments and osteopathy, the patient can notice a lot of improvement. It will reduce your symptoms, as well as their duration. And, of course, with this combination, the time between crises and crises will be lengthened.
