You wake up with a throbbing pain in the front or on one side of your head, sunlight scorching your eyes like lightning flashes, along with nausea and vomiting; the pain worsens with noise and physical activity, one side of your body feels numb, sometimes with temporary loss of vision and moving your head even slightly is excruciating. You know you are experiencing another episode of migraine.

Over the counter prescription drugs do not work for every migraineur; however, sufferers are able to pinpoint what works optimal for them, through natural, safe, drug free and holistic treatments and pre-emptive plans, as they are less severe if you employ self-care strategies.

Here are a few measures you can take to help yourself:

A migraine diary 

Keep a migraine diary and note down the frequency of the pain, triggers of an attack, treatment duration and severity over time, timings of onset, period of attack and how you treated it along with the reliable medicine. This will assist in managing the problem by judging the pattern of triggers with aspects of daily life, previous therapies and cautions.

Oversee the triggers

A trigger is any event, change, external stimulus, or physical act which seems to result in migraine; allergic food items such as aged cheese, processed meat, beverages, caffeine and chocolate, eggs or fermented foods including soy sauce, yellow food colourings, nitrates as in monosodium glutamate, fresh and dry fruits such as avocados, bananas, citrus fruits, figs, raisins, red plums, tomatoes, peanuts and raspberries, may be aspartame as in artificial sweeteners, too much salt and aldehydes in fried food, can trigger an attack.

Watch out for non-food triggers such as fatigue, stress, sleeping habits, missing meals, changes in barometric pressure or altitude, strong smells, such as those of paint, gasoline or heavy perfumes, bright flashing lights and sounds, flickering TV screen, dehydration, smoking environmental or hormonal changes can trigger migraine. 

Treat the prodrome phase

This phase is considered as ‘yellow light’ for migraineur. Some symptoms like intense burst of energy, carbohydrate or sweet cravings with excessive hunger or thirst, sleepiness, irritability, depression, swinging mood, hypo activity, stiff neck or frequent urination, occur several hours or even a day or two before the onset of actual attack. If you can recognise these symptoms you may be able to take measures that stop the attack before it goes further.

Restyle lifestyle

Lifestyle contributes critically to migraine severity with repetitive attacks. Exercise regularly to maintain healthy body weight, reduce stress and anxiety levels with muscle relaxation, try aerobics, yoga, stretching, breathing or meditation, get adequate sleep each night with fixed schedule, eat balanced meals at proper timings, drop caffeine, tobacco and chocolate intake, stay hydrated to minimise attacks dramatically with long-term solutions for relief.

Apply handy remedies

For an instant relief; apply cold compress directly to the area of pain, pour lemon juice in a glass, add one teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt in it, drink, it really does work incredibly, alleviates migraine originated nausea, but hypertensive people try other suited remedy. DIY scalp massage therapy helps in slowing down the severity. Caffeine; that actually causes migraine can treat persons who occasionally use it, strong cup of coffee or black tea cure and control the attack to some extent. Rest in a quiet, dark room and get some sleep (though oversleeping can also cause migraine) to hunt for relief.

Herbal preparations from butterbur, Feverfew, ginkgo, white willow bark, turmeric, cayenne, peppermint, lavender, lemon balm, ginger, basil, rosemary and flax seeds; are obtainable as tablets, gels, capsule, sprays, ointments, elixirs and teas to prevent and treat migraine attack, use them individually or together, quit if they react adversely.

Dietary fixes

Attempt to luxuriate your meals by taking them raw as in salads, juiced, steamed, toasted or blanched/broiled. Diets high in carbohydrates and low in proteins are recommended for a migraineur, with foods rich in magnesium, potassium and calcium get-at-able in a variety of vegetables, brown rice, wheat bran and soya beans.

Feast on concentrated Omega-3-fatty acids with cold water fish; drizzled with olive or canola oil, addition of riboflavin-vitamin B2 rich stuff as lean beef, grain cereals, fat-free milk, mushrooms and spinach in meals is a tasty way to reduce the severity, frequency and duration of migraine.

Cure with smoothie

Blend one-and-a-half cup of coconut water or purified water, one cup pineapple, one cup baby spinach, juice of half lemon, one cup cucumber, half-inch ginger root and one-and-a-half cup ice if desired. Strain if you want. Enjoy on a regular basis during or till the attack lasts.

Venture with balance

Accept the daily challenges of living with migraine by adjusting your choices; do not force yourself for a change, do exercise you enjoy most, replace triggers with a smile, cook and bake for yourself, manage your time wisely, play games, visit parks, and ask your friends and loved ones for support.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, January 3rd, 2016