Natural Migraine Remedies

Herbs and supplements such as Feverfew, Magnesium, Rest and Relaxation, 5 HTP, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Butterbur, Melatonin, and Lifestyle changes have all shown to benefit the migraine sufferer.

Feverfew has been used for a number if ailments including migraine headaches. Modern work has supported the use of feverfew as a treatment for migraine headaches. By inhibiting the release of serotonin and prostaglandins, both of which are believed to aid the onset of migraines, feverfew limits the inflammation of blood vessels in the head. This stops the blood vessel spasm many believe contribute to headaches. The active ingredients in feverfew include parthenolide and tanetin, both of which offer relief from migraine. It might take four to six weeks before any results are obtained or until they become effective, and feverfew is not a remedy for acute migraine attacks.

There are several double-blind trials reveal that continuous use of feverfew may lead to a reduction in the severity, duration, and frequency of migraine headaches. Clinical studies suggest that standardized feverfew leaf extracts at a dose of 250 mcg of parthenolide per day is most effective. Click here to Learn More.

5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) is a compound produced in the body from the amino acid tryptophan. It is used in the body to make the neurotransmitter serotonin and the hormone melatonin.

5-HTP is also available in supplement form. It is made from the seeds of an African plant, called Griffonia simplicifolia. Since supplements that affect levels of serotonin are used for migraines, 5-HTP has been explored as an alternative.

Some research indicates that 5-HTP may prevent migraines and reduce the frequency and severity of migraines, however large randomized controlled trials are needed. In one study, 124 people were given 5-HTP, 600 mg per day or the drug methysergide. After six months, 5-HTP was found to be as effective as methysergide in reducing the severity and duration of migraines.

5-HTP should not be taken with Carbidopa, which is used to treat Parkinsons disease; triptans such as Imitrex, Zomig, or Maxalt. Some other prescription medications may also have side effects with the combination of the two medications taken together. If you are taking any medications, please check with your doctor or pharmacist before using 5-HTP. An early study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported the possibility that 5-HTP may cause seizures in children with Down's Syndrome. Safety during pregnancy or nursing has not been established, nor has safety for those with kidney or liver disease.   (The National Drug Intelligence Center, New York, January 2007.) Click here to Learn More.

An increasing number of doctors believe that some of the most severe cases of migraines may actually be caused by an imbalance of key minerals such as magnesium and calcium. Not all headaches are produced by this imbalance, but it is known that 50 to 60 percent of migraines are magnesium-linked. And that's probably why no prescription therapy on the market successfully treats headaches across the board.

The one-sided, throbbing headache known as a migraine is actually more common in women; roughly 75 percent of those who get migraines are female. Some migraines are so extreme that they cause limb numbness, hallucinations, nausea and vomiting.

Migraines are believed to be caused by a number of certain changes in the blood vessels (vascular changes), this reduces blood or oxygen flow in the scalp and brain. The causes of these vascular changes are, things such as muscle contractions during times of stress and bio-chemicals called catecholamines and serotonin, which are circulating in the blood. Too much serotonin can cause blood flow to slow; too little can cause blood to move through too rapidly.

Without sufficient magnesium, serotonin flows are unchecked, constricting blood vessels and releasing other pain-producing chemicals such as prostaglandins. Normal magnesium levels not only prevent the release of these pain-producing substances but also stop their effects.

It's very likely that a magnesium deficiency is a widespread cause of migraines. Studies show that many people don't even come close to getting the Daily Value of magnesium, which is 400 milligrams. "On a daily basis, 30 to 40 percent of American people take less than 75 percent of the Daily Value of magnesium,". So it has clearly been established that for migraine sufferers having a higher than normal daily dose of magnesium will remedy their painful and debilitating situation.

(Burton M. Altura, M.D., professor of physiology and medicine at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn).  Click here to Learn More.

Riboflavin works in the treatment of migraine, and researchers have noticed a deficiency in certain energy generators in the brain cells of some people with migraines. They suspect that flooding the system with riboflavin could indirectly help regenerate this flagging energy system and somehow short-circuit migraine pain. 

Recently, a group of 49 people in a Belgian headache study were able to take supplements to get the necessary 400-milligram daily dose of riboflavin.

The migraine-prone people in the study received this high dose which is approximately 235 times the Daily Value! This was taken every day for three months. In addition to the riboflavin, 23 of the people in the study took one low-dose aspirin a day. 

By the end of the study, migraine severity decreased by nearly 70 percent in both groups compared with what it had been at the study's start. Aspirin had no added value.  Click here to Learn More.

Researchers believe that butterbur's main active ingredients, petasin and isopetasin, inhibit the production of leukotriene, a substance that inflames blood vessels. Without the inflammation the migraines are less likely to occur. 

Butterbur also inhibits the production of histamine, keeping your nasal passages open and relieving allergic congestion. 

Human studies of butterbur as both a migraine and an allergy remedy are in the early stages. However, in a double-blind study in Neurology in 2002, researchers gave 202 migraine sufferers 100 or 150 mg of butterbur extract a day or a placebo. After 12 weeks, those taking 150 mg reported 48 percent fewer migraines than usual. Patients taking 100 mg experienced 34 percent fewer migraines, and those taking a placebo had a 26 percent drop in migraine frequency.

In a double-blind study in Headache in 2000, 58 patients with migraines took 50 mg of butterbur extract or a placebo twice daily. The butterbur group had 50 percent fewer migraines than usual after 12 weeks and the placebo group dropped only by 10 percent.

Find migraine relief with butterbur - this herb helps migraine sufferers and may also ease seasonal allergies.  ( Natural Health, Jan-Feb, 2003 by Rachel Snyder).  Click here to Learn More.

At night melatonin is produced to help our bodies regulate our sleep-wake cycles. The amount of melatonin our body produces seems to lessen as we get older. Scientists believe this may be why young people have less problem sleeping than older people.

The amount of melatonin needed from one individual to another can vary enormously. For example tablets of 1.5 mg and 3.0 mg are available and it is best to start off with a 1.5 mg tablet each night before bedtime, and work your way to larger doses if needed. 

Certain people must avoid melatonin, as it is a hormone. Those include women who are pregnant or nursing, since no one knows how excessive exposure to the hormone might affect a fetus, people with severe allergies or autoimmune diseases, melatonin could worsen such conditions by stimulating the immune system, people with immune system cancers such as lymphoma or leukemia. Women trying to conceive should also think twice about taking the hormone, since high doses can act as a contraceptive. As with any substance introduced into your body, if you have a medical condition you should always consult your doctor before taking melatonin. 

Melatonin is one of the least toxic substances known. People have taken as much as 6 grams (600 to 3000 times the normal dosage) of the substance in carefully monitored studies with no sign of toxicity.

Only four complaints regarding melatonin have been reported to the FDA (USA's Food and Drug Administration). The only consistent side effect of high doses has been drowsiness and a slower reaction time. In the most extensive clinical trial to date a high dose of 75 milligrams of melatonin per day was given to 1400 women in the Netherlands for up to four years with no ill effects. The FDA reports that in the more than two years melatonin has been available for sale over the counter in the United States, no alarming side effects have been reported.  Click here to Learn More.

Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble vitamin like substance present in every cell of the body and serves as a coenzyme for several of the key enzymatic steps in the production of energy within the cell.

It also functions as an antioxidant. It is naturally present in small amounts in a wide variety of foods but is particularly high in organ meats such as heart, liver and kidney, as well as beef, soy oil, sardines, mackerel, and peanuts. Coenzyme Q10 is synthesized in all tissues and in healthy individuals normal levels are maintained both by Coenzyme Q10 intake and by the body's synthesis of Coenzyme Q10. It has no known toxicity or side effects.

In migraine sufferers, a preliminary open label trial, 17 of 32 patients taking 150 mg of coenzyme Q10 daily demonstrated efficacy in reducing the frequency of migraine attacks. A recent randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial,18 of 42 patients taking coenzyme Q10 at 300 mg a day found similar benefit. The response rate and decrease in headache frequency by 50 percent or more was 47.6 percent in the coenzyme Q10 group and 14.4 percent in the placebo group.  Click here to Learn More.

(Ernster L. (1977) Facts and ideas about the function of coenzyme Q10. Yamamura Y. (eds) Biomedical and Clinical Aspects of Coenzyme Q. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 15-8).

(OBERT ALAN BONAKDAR, M.D., and ERMINIA GUARNERI, M.D.
Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, La Jolla, California).

Migraine Relief from Natural Care combines several natural migraine relief and prevention supplements into a single capsule that when taken (2 at a time) can relieve most migraines.