3 Natural Tricks for Speedy Relief From Summer Migraines
These natural fixes have been shown to thwart pain fast.
We love getting out and soaking up beautiful summer days. One hitch: The barometric swings this time of year can trigger migraine flare-ups. Nobody wants to be stuck in bed with a headache in the final weeks of summer. Fortunately, these three fixes will give you natural migraine relief — fast!
Try a lavender ‘sniff box.’
When it comes to stopping a migraine in its tracks, lavender is hard to beat. Its aromatic compounds relax spasming blood vessels in the brain, and research in European Neurology shows that breathing in the scent cuts migraine pain by 55 percent.
For relief on the go, borrow an apothecary trick and make a “sniff box”: Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to a cotton ball, pop it in a lidded jar, and tuck in your bag. When pain comes on, open the lid and inhale.
Put it on ice.
If you’re like us, your natural instinct is to place an ice pack on your forehead for head pain. But you’ll actually get more relief if you place it on the front of your neck so it drapes down and covers each side of your throat. University of Hawaii scientists say this technique quickly chills the blood in the carotid arteries before it reaches your brain and soothes the vagus nerve, easing pain-triggering inflammation. In fact, subjects who tried it immediately reduced their discomfort and saw their pain continue to plunge by 32 percent within 30 minutes.
Savor ginger chews.
At the first sign of a burgeoning migraine, nibble on two ginger chews or take a 500-milligram ginger supplement. A study in Phytotherapy Research found that ginger works in a similar way as the prescription drug sumatriptan, taming pain by 90 percent within two hours.
A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.
