Many individuals with migraines find it challenging to find effective treatment, yet alternative therapies may provide relief and even prevent future attacks.
Alternative medications may be taken alone or in conjunction with preventive medicines like blood pressure-lowering agents like Ciprofloxacin and Nebivolol, antidepressants and agents that target calcitonin gene-related peptide pain transmission.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a mind-body therapy that uses electrical sensors to monitor bodily functions like heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and muscle tension. These sensors detect any unconscious or involuntary responses to stress and tension in patients’ bodies and give visual or audible feedback so they can modify physical reactions accordingly to reduce symptoms. Biofeedback is noninvasive and uses no medications; during sessions (which last anywhere between an hour to several days), one or more sensors will be placed either on your skin or body so therapists can track physiological responses – after which this information will be used teach techniques like relaxation techniques as well as mental exercises which may prevent migraines altogether.
There are various forms of biofeedback therapy, but in general a therapist will examine if a specific muscle group is tightening and use this information to guide exercises to relax them. If they notice your finger becoming warmer during periods of stress, for instance, they can use this knowledge to teach how to calm yourself and slow the response; eventually the goal should be for positive changes to happen without outside assistance from their therapist.
Research indicates that biofeedback can help alleviate symptoms associated with various conditions, including anxiety, arrhythmia and asthma. Additionally, migraine sufferers who seek greater control of their symptoms often opt for this therapy option. It’s always wise to consult your physician prior to exploring alternative treatment methods as this will ensure they do not interact with any prescription medications you are currently taking and that any therapies pursued are safe options for you to pursue.
Some individuals with migraine find combining different therapies most helpful, including over-the-counter pain relievers and self-soothing techniques during an attack. A headache diary may help pinpoint triggers and patterns in their symptoms that could inform an effective treatment plan tailored specifically for their individual needs.
Physical therapy
Migraine can be one of the most incapacitating conditions known to mankind, forcing you to abandon everything you are doing and retreat to bed, leaving work, social interactions, and family behind. Migraines’ pain, sensitivity to light and sound sensitivity and unpredictability make it hard to function when feeling better; some symptoms may even last days before improving. Unfortunately for people suffering chronic migraines they must often quit jobs or social activities in order to manage their headaches effectively.
Traditional treatments for migraine include pain-relieving medications and preventive medicines. Pain-relieving drugs should be taken during an attack in order to stop symptoms; preventive medications are prescribed regularly and used to reduce both their frequency and intensity. Unfortunately, traditional medication can have side effects and isn’t appropriate for everyone – therefore patients often turn to alternative therapies instead.
There are various alternative treatments for migraine, including acupuncture, mindfulness meditation and physical therapy. These may be used alone or together. Acupuncture is one of the more studied forms of alternative medicine; clinical trials have demonstrated its efficacy at relieving migraines; it involves inserting thin needles into various parts of your body to release tension and relieve pain. Another proven effective technique is biofeedback – which teaches individuals how to monitor and control certain physical responses, such as muscle tension.
Exercise therapy has also been proven to decrease both the frequency and intensity of migraines in some studies, helping improve posture, reduce neck tension and eventually migraines, as well as learning relaxation techniques to combat stress which is another common trigger of migraines. Your physical therapist can teach these relaxation techniques.
If you are thinking about trying alternative treatments, it is best to discuss this first with your physician. They can assist in finding the most appropriate remedies and lifestyle changes that might help. They can also check whether these alternatives interact with any prescription medicines you currently take.
Massage
Migraine sufferers commonly report experiencing symptoms including throbbing, pounding pain on one or both sides of their heads that is often accompanied by nausea and light/sound sensitivity. Traditional treatment for migraines typically includes pain relievers and preventive medications; however, for some people these treatments do not work due to side effects; alternative therapies have shown promise as effective solutions without chemical-dependent pain relief solutions.
Massage therapy is a noninvasive therapy used to manipulate soft tissues of the body and relieve tension and stress, stimulate production of endorphins, increase blood flow and oxygenation – and may reduce migraine attacks as a result of its physiological benefits.
Studies have confirmed massage as an effective therapy option for migraines; however, the type of massage which will best address your migraine triggers and preferences depends on personal circumstances.
A scalp massage may provide relief for migraine headaches. This massage uses circular motions to stimulate nerves in both the scalp and forehead. You can do it daily or as needed without needing oils for this massage treatment.
As another alternative migraine therapy, lymphatic drainage massage aims to relieve congestion-inducing waste and toxins by applying pressure and stretching. This form of massage also relieving sinus congestion and migraine headaches.
Research also indicates that acupressure and acupuncture can provide effective migraine pain relief. Acupuncture involves applying pressure to specific “pressure points” on the body that are thought to alter how your brain interprets pain signals, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Meditation and yoga can both help reduce stress, which is often the source of migraine headaches. Relaxation techniques like these may even improve sleep quality to further decrease migraine frequency. Biofeedback has also proven useful in managing migraine headaches; its sensors monitor physical responses before providing visual or auditory cues as feedback; cognitive behavioral therapy identifies and mitigates triggers effectively as another means to treat them.
Meditation
Migraine can be a disabling condition that keeps sufferers away from work, family life, and social activities. Although conventional pharmacological treatment offers some relief or side effects of its own, many people seek alternative approaches like acupuncture, botulinum toxin injections, mind-body therapies, or nutraceuticals as a form of pain relief – these approaches may reduce migraine frequency or intensity but won’t eliminate them entirely.
Meditation is a mental exercise that involves paying close attention to one’s breath while dislodging distracting thoughts. Some may use it simply for relaxation purposes, while others practice mindfulness meditation to become more present and reduce stress levels. Mindfulness meditation has also been found to lower cortisol levels – often an indicator of migraine headaches and related conditions.
One small but significant study that could set off further investigation found that 10 people with episodic migraines who engaged in eight-week mindfulness meditation experienced significantly fewer migraine attacks and shorter-duration headaches compared to a control group who did not meditate, along with significantly fewer lost days due to migraine attacks and more moderate attacks than their counterparts from the control group.
Although meditation may seem impossible in our busy lives today, there are various types of meditation to try. A walking meditation practice involves focusing on sensations in your feet and legs as you move your body, to slow down walking pace enough to focus on lifting, moving, placing feet, as well as repeating action words such as “lifting”, “moving”, or “placing”.
Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine practice which involves inserting needles into specific points on the body to promote healing, has been found to decrease both migraine frequency and duration after 20 weeks of treatment. A 2016 meta-analysis paper also demonstrated how acupuncture increased grey matter concentration in the thalamus region of the brain that processes pain; and several studies suggest acupressure and relaxation techniques can also reduce migraine frequency for those who regularly practice them.
