Migraine headaches can be debilitating and prevent you from living life to its fullest. Migraines are caused by changes in the brain which cause blood vessels to dilate, leading to pain. Luckily, there are multiple treatment options available.
These include both preventive and acute medications, behavioral therapies, complementary and alternative medicine as well as complementary and integrative practices that may also offer support.
Acupuncture
People suffering from migraines frequently use complementary and integrative therapies such as acupuncture, herbs, and supplements to ease their symptoms. While such methods have some clinical support behind them, research supporting such approaches remains limited.
Acupuncture involves stimulating specific pressure points with thin needles to alleviate headache pain; some of its efficacy may be attributable to placebo effects. Other holistic treatments that may help include acupressure and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Alternative treatments may help alleviate the stress that often triggers headaches. Such approaches include acupressure, biofeedback, yoga and meditation as stress reducers; specifically acupuncture and mindfulness meditation have been found to decrease migraine frequency while biofeedback may increase relaxation; additionally they may be helpful for preventing headaches in those with a family history of migraines.
Botulinum toxin
Botulinum toxin, an FDA-approved medicine, works by blocking nerve signals that trigger headaches. When injected directly into an affected area, this remedy helps alleviate discomfort while simultaneously treating other symptoms associated with chronic migraines, such as nausea and light/sound sensitivity.
Preventive drugs, including oral calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonists (gepants), have demonstrated success in migraine prevention. Oral gepants include ubrogepant and rimegepant, which work by blocking the release of CGRP.
Alternative therapies may help decrease both the frequency and severity of migraines, including acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), biofeedback, and yoga. These techniques employ methods such as meditation to relieve stress – often one of the triggers for migraines – as well as alleviate symptoms like nausea or sensitivity to light, sound or movement.
Cefaly
Cefaly is a small headband-like device that provides mild electrical stimulation of the trigeminal nerve to stimulate and desensitize it gradually over time, helping reduce migraine pain and frequency over time. Multiple clinical trials have demonstrated its efficacy as an alternative treatment option to medication for migraine prevention; regular sessions lasting 20 minutes or more may be beneficial.
Neuromodulation devices provide noninvasive and drug-free ways to prevent and treat migraine headaches. They’re particularly useful when combined with other therapies. There are currently five FDA-cleared neuromodulation devices for migraine relief; one of these, Cefaly was recently approved for over-the-counter use; it may prove especially helpful for individuals resistant to or intolerant of traditional treatments – although Cefaly should not be used on patients who have recently suffered brain or facial trauma.
Biofeedback
No matter whether it’s raising a hand to wave hello, lifting your knee while running up stairs on a treadmill or moving your tongue along the roof of your mouth; all of these actions are under your control. However, other body functions, like heart rate, skin temperature and blood pressure are controlled involuntarily. Biofeedback utilizes various techniques to teach people to control automatic bodily functions; this treatment method has proven particularly helpful for migraine sufferers as well as high blood pressure sufferers.
Biofeedback utilizes electrode patches that monitor functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate and muscle tension on a monitor screen, with tone or other cues sounding when specific muscles tighten and relax – studies suggest biofeedback could relax muscles while relieving stress to reduce migraine headache frequency and intensity.
Yoga
Yoga is a system of physical and mental practices designed to alleviate headaches. This includes postures, breathing exercises, meditation techniques and mindfulness practices which all aid in increasing flexibility, strength, balance and overall wellness while helping alleviate stress, anxiety depression and menopausal symptoms.
Acupuncture has been demonstrated as an effective alternative therapy for migraines in numerous studies, by manipulating the flow of energy called “chi” through paths similar to your blood vessels. Other therapies which have shown promise include cognitive behavioral therapy and biofeedback; more research needs to be conducted before concluding whether these approaches are as successful as pharmaceutical options.
