Home Herbal Migraine Remedies by Brian B. Carter, MS, LAc

* Increase the amount of protein in your diet (meat, poultry, fish, nuts, beans) and eat smaller meals more frequently during the day to sustain energy.

* Never go for more than four or five hours without eating — preferably no more than three hours.

* If you sleep in on weekends, but find you wake with the beginnings of a migraine, keep a starchy snack by the bed.

* Eat small, starchy snacks, but not sugary or processed foods, on a regular basis. Crackers, rice, bread, and pasta are all good, as are fruits and nuts.

* Many migraine sufferers find that strenuous or prolonged exercise lowers their blood sugar levels and makes them more prone to attacks. Try taking a glucose tablet (or a teaspoon of glucose) before exercising, and a starchy snack within half an hour of finishing. This may help compensate for lost energy. However, once your diet has been corrected, glucose tablets shouldn't be necessary.

Not having an appetite is a problem!

Most people worry about their weight and want to get rid of their appetites. But for a migraineur, not having an appetite is a problem. Whether you are enzyme deficient, or your gastrointestinal system is all backed up, or both, you need to fix it.

If you don't have an appetite, you won't eat enough (leading to hypoglycemia), and even if you do eat enough, you won't be able to digest it properly. Indigestion will create more problems, like acid reflux or intestinal stagnation. Since everything in your body is connected, and migraineurs are so sensitive, all of these things can contribute to a migraine.

Herbal Home Migraine Remedy Options:

Let me tell you about a modern migraine formula, called

Relieve Constraint.

This is a modern Chinese herbal formula, a home migraine remedy. It comes from a book by Philippe Sionneau, a famous European Chinese medicine translator and author. Philippe translated it from the Chinese article written by Dr Cao De Ting in the Shan Dong Chinese Medicine Journal (1988, #1).

The full name of this home migraine remedy is the "Order the Qi and Resolve the Depression Decoction." It's based on what has become one of my favorite Chinese herbal formulas, "Yue ju wan," also known as the "Escape Restraint Pill." This formula was written by herbal master Zhu Dan Xi in the 14th century A.D.

The Relieve Constraint home migraine remedy relieves all 6 types of constraint (with the herb for each):

qi (cyperus)

blood (ligustici)

dampness (atractylodes)

food (shenqu)

phlegm (atractylodes)

heat (gardenia)

Added to the basic Escape Restraint Pill (to make the Relieve Constraint home migraine remedy) are several other herbs for emotional constraint, nourishing, moving the excess qi and blood down out of the head, relieving tension, and stopping pain. These herbs are chrysanthemum, cassia, tribulus, uncaria, peony, and licorice.

How do you use it?

Take it when you know a migraine is coming, or even before that after one of the migraine contributors has occurred in your daily life. It can help once the migraine is already there, but as with other home migraine remedy, it's much more effective the sooner you take it.

Depending on how bad and how frequent your migraines are, you might use this home migraine remedy every day, or every few days. If they're really bad, I'd take it every day for a while (2-4 weeks) until it's much better. Then, you still may need it occasionally unless you eliminate all migraine triggers, move to the countryside, and live a perfectly relaxed life ;-)

Nutritional Supplement Home Migraine Remedy Options:

Here are some nutrients suggested to be very important in the Balch's Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing:

Calcium and Magnesium: 2000 mg daily Ca, 1000 mg daily Mg

CoQ10: 60 mg daily

Essential Fatty Acids

Multivitamin and mineral formula

Vitamin B3 (niacin) plus niacinamide: 200mg 3x daily of niacin, 800mg daily of niacinamide - but do not take if you have a liver disorder, gout, or high blood pressure

Rutin: 200mg daily

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BIO:

Acupuncturist, herbalist, and medical professor Brian B. Carter founded the alternative health megasite The Pulse of Oriental Medicine (http://www.PulseMed.org/). He is the author of the book "Powerful Body, Peaceful Mind: How to Heal Yourself with Foods, Herbs, and Acupressure" (November, 2004). Brian speaks on radio across the country, and has been quoted and interviewed by Real Simple, Glamour, and ESPN magazines.

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