In Part 1 of this series on migraine headaches, I covered the definition of migraines, types of migraines and potential migraine triggers. Today, I’m going to talk about migraines from a functional medicine perspective. As a practitioner, my desire is to uncover all the root causes for each individual and prevent migraines before they even happen. 

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“As a practitioner, my desire is to uncover all the root causes for each individual and prevent migraines before they even happen.”

Keep reading to learn more about:

• How to use migraine remedies without medication and my favorite home remedies for migraines
• Can hormones cause migraines and resources for how to prevent hormonal migraines 

Migraine Treatment Without Medication 

While some people find support from conventional migraine medication, many of which aim to abort the pain when taken at the first sign of a migraine, others don’t respond to medication. Some may decide that they don’t like the side effects from medication or prefer natural migraine relief. 

Whether you use migraine medication or not, a functional approach has a lot to offer in terms of identifying triggers and increasing migraine-free days. My main goal with my patients is preventing the migraine in the first place. 

Here are some natural remedies for migraines that offer migraine relief from the perspective of prevention. Each person will need to understand their own triggers and act accordingly. 

• Identify your foods that trigger migraines. There are many paths to discovery, and it may take some experimentation and multiple methods to uncover personal triggers. Consider keeping a migraine log along with a food log to look for patterns. 

An elimination diet may be an important tool for identifying migraine triggers that eliminates potential triggers for a period of time and then introduces them back into the diet one at a time while observing symptoms. For some, food sensitivity testing may be useful in identifying potential food triggers and designing a personalized elimination diet plan. 

• Practice migraine nutrition therapy. There may be dietary triggers for migraines that don’t have to do with specific foods like the food sensitivities we just discussed. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a common migraine trigger that may happen when eating more carbohydrates than your body can handle, undereating or skipping meals. Migraines may also be triggered by dehydration from either not enough water, not enough electrolytes or both. Work with your functional medicine provider or dietitian for guidance. 

• Reduce stress. Both physical and emotional stress play a role in migraines and regular body work may help to relax both body and mind. Consider massage for stimulating migraine pressure points, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy and other modalities for the prevention of stress migraines. 

• Try migraine preventative supplements. 

These include specific nutrients at therapeutic dosages:

• Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
• Magnesium
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin D
• Melatonin 

Herbal therapies may also be used for prevention. Butterbur and feverfew, when taken consistently, may reduce migraine occurrence. 

If you suffer from migraines, you are likely wondering about how to get rid of a migraine after it is already there. While natural migraine relief is harder than preventing the migraine in the first place, options include:

• Essential oils for migraines. Peppermint and lavender are supportive. 
• Anti-inflammatory herbal remedies such as ginger and curcumin
• Cold therapy
• Resting in silence and darkness
• CBD or other pain management options

Migraines And Hormones - Hormonal Migraine Relief

Many women in my practice complain of new or worsening migraines in the perimenopausal years, roughly from age 40 to 55. There is a clear connection between estrogen and migraines that explains this increase.

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“Many women in my practice complain of new or worsening migraines in the perimenopausal years, roughly from age 40 to 55. There is a clear connection between estrogen and migraines that explains this increase.” 

Perimenopause is a time where estrogen leaves its predicable monthly pattern. As cycles become irregular, there may be times of high estrogen and low progesterone. It’s the changes in estrogen levels that trigger a migraine in someone who is susceptible. This type of migraine is more common before menstruation but can happen at any time during the cycle. 

For the woman in her fertile years or perimenopausal years experiencing hormonal migraines, the best prevention strategies are to work on underlying hormonal balance. The women’s health functional medicine toolkit has many options and working with a knowledgeable practitioner for proper testing and treatment is key. 

You may consider the following articles for information about hormonal migraine relief: 

• Dietary strategies to support estrogen detoxification
• Natural solutions for estrogen dominance
• Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy
• More strategies for estrogen and progesterone balance 

The good news is that migraines often get better after menopause when a woman is no longer cycling and experiencing fluctuations in estrogen. Menopause migraines that persist may have more to do with other triggers as discussed in Part 1 of this series and above, but different hormonal patterns could still be a contributor so it’s important to work with your provider. 

If you are one of the millions of women silently suffering with migraines, I’m here to tell you that there is hope for more migraine-free days. There is so much that can be done to support underlying factors and ultimately prevent more migraines in the ways that we eat, move, relate to stress, supplement and practice self-care. If you’d like support and to explore some of these areas with guidance, please reach out. I’d love to work with you. 

References

1. Gazerani P. (2020). Migraine and Diet. Nutrients, 12(6), 1658. Full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7352457/ 
2. Nattagh-Eshtivani, E., Sani, M. A., Dahri, M., Ghalichi, F., Ghavami, A., Arjang, P., & Tarighat-Esfanjani, A. (2018). The role of nutrients in the pathogenesis and treatment of migraine headaches: Review. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie, 102, 317–325. Abstract: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29571016/ 
3. Hipolito Rodrigues, M. A., Maitrot-Mantelet, L., Plu-Bureau, G., & Gompel, A. (2018). Migraine, hormones and the menopausal transition. Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause Society, 21(3), 256–266. Abstract: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29521155/ 

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