I Found a Natural Migraine Cure by Accident

I had blinding migraines for about 9 years. And when I say “blinding”, I’m exaggerating only a little.

The memories are vivid though! There was this particular day in college when the pangs started hitting harder than before, so I decided to ditch class and get to the dormitory.

I don’t remember the bus trip back. My brain must have blacked out! Then, just as I was about to get out of the scorching sun, a friend pops up and so, I decide to talk to her. Good decision. Remember nothing about the conversation.

The point of that story is that migraines are tough. If you know, you know. And while doing a little bit of research for this article, I noticed that people search for all kinds of crazy migraine cures from pills to piercings.

I did, too! I kept trying new pills, painkillers, less coffee, etc. All decent tries. None of them remotely good enough!

It’s a couple of years later now, and I’ve discovered a natural migraine cure by accident. There are many types of migraines out there, so I’m not saying it’ll necessarily work on yours. It’s worth a shot, though!

If you’re eager to discover the two parts of this magic cure, feel free to jump in the article. Otherwise, let’s start with taking a rather unprofessional look at migraines themselves.

Migraines vs. Headaches

I’m the kind of person that has experienced enough types of headaches and migraines to be able to instantly identify each of them by the reason they happen.

I still get normal headaches, and I usually know when to drink more water, take eyedrops, put on eyeshades, and take it easy. I usually carry on with work and the headaches don’t mind, they eventually soften and go away.

It was very different for migraines, and that’s how you know they’re different. I could do all those good things to take care of myself and it’d still feel like I was going to stay that way forever and death was preferable.

The main differences between migraines and headaches are as such:

1. Migraines are debilitating, headaches are not.
2. Migraines are intense and throbbing, headaches are usually dull but persistent.
3. Migraines typically last longer, headaches usually last a couple of minutes or hours.
4. Migraines and headaches have very different origins.

What Causes Migraines

Migraines have something to do with your brain. And your genes. Possibly.

That’s about how vague it all seems to a biology layman like me! Apparently, biology says that some people are more genetically predisposed to migraines, there are neurotransmitter and hormone imbalances at work, and finally there are environmental factors.

I believe this research is where migraine medication came from, so they merit a closer look here. We can safely skip past genetics, because there’s not much you and I can do about them. Migraines run in certain families and that’s that, at least in the moment.

The Chemicals of Migraines

The neurotransmitters and hormones are more interesting than genetics. Scientists believe that you’ll get migraines if there’s an imbalance of neurotransmitters (particularly serotonin and CGRP) in your neural pathways, namely the brain and the spine. Also, the hormone estrogen probably has something to do with something. (I’m not kidding, it’s just vague!)

So, here are the most important chemicals:

1. Serotonin is a compound with truly complex functions, like cognition, memory, mood, and even vomiting! Remember this one, I’ll get to it later.
2. CGRP or Calcitonin gene-related peptide is another neurotransmitter with different functions based on where it’s produced in the body. Its functions range from controlling your appetite to mobilizing stem cells for various purposes.
3. Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone that has quite a number of roles, from puberty to mental health.

The Ideal Environment for Migraines

While your environment doesn’t cause migraines by itself, it plays a role in making the pangs better or worse. There are way too many factors here, so I’ll just cover the ones that I’ve experienced the effects of first-hand.

1. Light: Before I discovered that my eyes were dry and I should take eyedrops, bright lights used to trigger headaches or migraines. They still cause headaches sometimes!
2. Sleep: Consistent, quality sleep is necessary in making anything hurt less! Conversely, shallow sleep or waking up too many times can contribute to migraines, headaches, and a host of other problems. (Here are my tips for better sleep, if you’re interested.)
3. Air quality: If one thing has stayed the same during and after my years of grappling with migraines, it’s a dislike of air pollutants and smoke. They never initiated migraines for me because they’re usually a very persistent factor, but they sure did contribute.
4. Strong odors: Up until a certain age, I blamed myself (and everyone else) when the scent of a perfume hit me and I got a pang telling me to get the heck out of there. You may need to add any strong odors to this list, including that of paint.
5. Diet: I have no knowledge of the impact of entire diets on migraines, but I know for a fact that some substances like my beloved caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine affect migraines.
6. Stress: Or any psychological distress, really. I have too many recollections of having migraines on the worst days possible, like when I had a deadline due in college.

There you have all of the factors I could validate. Again, these are mostly based on personal experience and might not apply for you.

Now for how to cure a migraine!

Migraine Cure 1: Therapy

I know it’s not the instant cure that many people would be looking for, but bear with me!

Migraines are psychosomatic, meaning that they’re a condition of the psyche that manifest in the physical body. Basically, if you find the psychological root of your migraines and start to heal it, the physical repercussions will ease or go away entirely.

And that’s not just my experience. Academics have explored the relationship between migraines and the mind since the 1910s! Let’s review some papers.

Migraines as a Psychosomatic Illness

The oldest paper I found on the subject is by a Dr. Martha Ulrich, which examines 61 patients with migraines (14 with auras or other eye disturbances) and suggests a correlation between migraine attacks and epileptic seizures. While it doesn’t categorize migraines as psychosomatic, it does explore psychological factors.

Psychosomatic Correlations in Migraine by MD Lewis R. Wolberg is only about one case study but it’s more illuminating. This one goes back to 1945 but it’s still extremely familiar:

1. The patient in question had bimonthly migraines and hysteric anxiety.
2. It turns out he also had an overprotective mother and a paranoid aunt,
3. So, he had phobias, dependency issues with maternal figures, a conflicting desire for independence.
4. He’d gotten married and that, of course, didn’t help.
5. The pangs mostly appeared when he needed to suppress resentment or anger.
6. It all had all started when he was 12 and the family had moved, uprooting him from his friends. Need I go on?

In a desire not to bore you with every paper published on the matter, here’s the last one published in 2023. This paper has a total of 28 participants who took 8 MBCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy) and showed a significant reduction in migraine severity at the end.

These three aren’t the only papers out there. Feel free to go ahead and read up on the matter as much as you’d like, but I think it’s safe to assume that migraines are psychosomatic. Now for how therapy works!

Therapy is the Magic Migraine Cure

“Magic” may be a little strong, but it certainly was that way for me. I’ve been getting therapy for almost a year now and I’ve discovered myself to have been a seething mess of psychological issues. My migraines also started about 9 years ago, when everything started to go downhill.

I told my therapist that I have migraines in our second or third session. “You know it’s psychosomatic, right?” was her response. We never focused on migraines, but them going away was more than welcome.

Here’s the gist of my experience that’s relevant to this article:

1. Migraines are a physical manifestation of something you pushed down and try to keep down, i.e. suppressed emotions. For me, those emotions were mostly along the lines of anger and depression.
2. Addressing those emotions is a great idea and can happen in various forms. You may do it with learning how to cry, give something back to the society, learn how to be alone with yourself, or let it out in a dojo! Your therapist can help you figure out those outlets.
3. Once you have a sustainable outlet for welcoming and fully feeling the emotions you may fear or hate so much, you will express them instead of suppressing them.
4. In the end, the migraines, the suppressed emotions in the form of physical pangs, will get better or go away by themselves. There’s no need to focus on getting rid of them (or any other psychological discomfort), as that might taint the whole healing process.

On a slightly different note, remember the hormone Serotonin from earlier in the article? Healing also leads to more serotonin secreted in your brain, which in turn makes you a bit happier and the migraines a bit better.

So, consider starting therapy if you have migraines. Interestingly, therapy wasn’t all it took for me to cure migraines. It was the main work, but I have another guess at a natural cure for migraines.

Migraine Cure 2: Yoga & Neck Relief

I didn’t even know this was a contributing factor until much recently, but it helps on many levels.

Four months ago, a friend of mine told me about an article that said neck health directly corresponds with headaches. It makes sense, right? The neck is right there, connected to the head where all the ache happens!

Let’s review the scientific evidence.

Are Headaches & Neck Pain Related?

I’ll give you a shorter version this time. Yes, there’s a strong correlation between neck pain and headaches or migraines.

Take this this study as an example, where 68.3% of respondents with migraines and 36.1% of respondents with non-migraine headaches said they experience neck pain during their headaches and that it makes the headaches more debilitating.

Here’s another study with a 12-month intervention involving neck exercises and health promotion for a group of office workers, people who are likely to have both neck problems and headaches. At the end of this one, 54% of participants reported a reduction in headache recurrence.

Again, these two aren’t the only papers out there about the matter. Feel free to go fact-check everything for yourself!

Neck Exercises & Migraines

Given the extensive evidence, I don’t think therapy was the only thing that helped with my migraines. I’d started doing yoga with Adrienne a little after I hit therapy. Yoga worked on three levels:

1. Yoga usually is a whole-body practice, and may focus on areas (like the neck) that may get less attention many sports. I actually like “Downward-Facing Dog” and “Child’s Pose” because they allow me a little room for my neck.
2. Any exercise, yoga included, also cues the body to make more Serotonin. Remember that one? It was definitely related to migraines!
3. Yoga also goes hand-in-hand with mindfulness, which is also another pathway to healing. You may remember that the participants of the third study I referenced had undergone Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. Regular mindfulness and meditation may not be as intentional as the therapy approach, but you get the idea.

The bottom line is that in an endeavor to remain active, I believe I’ve also helped my migraines. If you’re thinking of starting a regular yoga practice, I recommend Adrienne with her impeccable 30-day plans, exciting commentary, and occasional jokes! (The link is above.)

TL; DR

Here’s the gist of the article!

1. Migraines are more debilitating, intense, and longer than headaches. They also have a different origin.
2. Not a lot is certain about the biology of migraines. Hormones, neurotransmitters, and environments are involved.
3. Psychotherapists are very certain that migraines are psychosomatic, meaning that they come from psychological issues.
4. So, my first solution to curing migraines is to get therapy and deal with all of your suppressed anger, hate, depression, etc.
5. There’s also a strong correlation between neck health and headaches or migraines.
6. So, my second solution is to establish a regular exercise routine with a focus on the neck. Yoga is particularly good because it also involves mindfulness.
7. That’s it! Hope you have a nice, migraine-free day. And it’s always alright if you don’t.