1) Feverfew
The herb feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) has been used for centuries as a folk remedy for headache, migraine, arthritis, pain, and fever in Europe.

It became especially popular in England in the 1980s as an alternative to conventional drugs for migraines.

Several studies have evaluated the effectiveness of feverfew for the prevention and treatment of migraines. For example, one study examined the use of a feverfew extract or a placebo in 170 people with migraines. There was a significant decrease in migraine frequency with feverfew, which decreased by 1.9 migraines per month, compared to the placebo, which decreased by 1.3 migraines per month.

Not all studies have shown that feverfew is effective, however. A critical review of five studies on feverfew and migraines, involving a total of 343 people, concluded that results were mixed and did not convincingly establish that feverfew was effective for preventing migraine.

Side effects of feverfew may include abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and nervousness. People with allergies to chamomile, ragweed, or yarrow should not take feverfew. Feverfew may increase bleeding time, so it should not be taken by people with bleeding disorders or two to three weeks before or after surgery. The safety of feverfew in pregnant or nursing women or children has not been established.

Feverfew may interact with “blood-thinning” medications, such as aspirin and warfarin (Coumadin) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). People taking these medications should consult a healthcare practitioner before taking feverfew.

2) 5-HTP
3) Magnesium
4) Butterbur

By: Cathy Wong
Lear more: altmedicine.about.com

A migraine is normally triggered by the following things:

Hormonal changes – Fluctuation in estrogen seem to trigger migraine in many women with migraines. Women with a family history of migraine, often account headaches shortly before or after their menstruation.
Foods – Alcohol, aged cheeses, chocolates, gorge of caffeine, pickled or marinated foods, and canned and processed foods are some of the foods that trigger headache.
Changes in environment – Change of weather aggravate headaches.
Stress either at home or in work
Changes in wake-sleep pattern – which is to either lack of sleep or oversleeping
Physical factors – Forceful physical exertion, which includes sexual activity.

Aura migraines afflict around 15% of the people who suffer from migraines in the world. These are special kinds of migraines that are heralded by odd visual and tactile stimulus that signal the onset of the migraine. Knowing the symptoms of an aura migraine allow you to get help before it hits in full, so in a way while aura migraines are more severe than regular migraines, they at least have the advantage of offering early warning signals that allow you to get medication quickly.

One of the symptoms of an aura migraine gave birth to it’s name. This symptom is visual in nature, usually manifesting as black spots dancing before a person’s eyes or an odd haziness around the edges of a person’s field of vision, sort of like looking through a fuzzy fish eye lens. Other people experience bursts of color or “stars” in their vision and sudden dizziness, akin to what happens to most people when they sometimes stand up too fast.

On the tactile level, and indicative of a more serious migraine coming on, aura migraines also sometimes leads to numbness in the face or the fingertips, and/or a general feeling of “tinglyness”, like pins and needles, across the entire body.

The reasons for the eye blurring is because aura migraines affect, to a certain extent, the nervous system of the sufferer. In a person with a migraine, the outer surface of the brain starts overloading with pain stimuli that causes a blockage of transmitted and received impulses from the rest of the body. The brain continually transmits and recieves electrical impulses through the nervous system, and the pain of a migraine interferes with these signals.

The optic nerves, being the most closely situated to the brain, are the first to be affected by this overload. This manifests in the optical symptoms of an aura migraine. The pain feedback basically messess around with signals the eyeballs are sending to the brain. On a more serious level, aside from dancing spots and blurriness, severe aura migraines have been known to shut off input from the eyes, causing temporary blackout and loss of vision during the migraine.

The numbness and tingly feeling is also connected to this symptom. This is more serious, as a severe aura migraine can not only cause numbness in the victim, it can actually lead to temporary loss of motor coordination and control functions. The impulses in the brain that accompany the migraine can literally cut off the person’s ability to move his or her limbs.

The original theory behind aura migraines was that blood vessels which supplied blood to the brain contracted from the pain brought about by the migraine, and the symptoms were brought about by a loss of blood flow to the brain as well as an increase in trapped blood pressure inside the skull and sinuses. The main support behind this theory came from the fact that the sympotoms of an aura migraine are similar to that experienced by aircraft pilots during blackout, when severe gravitational forces in a turn forced blood away from the brain. We now know this theory is false.

A study of aura migraines using an electroencephalogram shows a depression, or decrease, in brain activity and electrical impulses on the actual afflicted area that the migraine is hitting. Unfortunately, this “depressed” zone on the surface of the brain is surrounded by an aura, or corona, of hyperstimulated nerve cells. It is this hyperstimulated area that actually cuts off any input and output from that section of the brain during an aura migraine.

At it’s worst, aura migraines have been known not only to cause loss of motor function and vision, but unconsciousness in the victims. The lack of stimuli from the brain to certain parts of the body, combined with the oveload of pain stimuli in the affected part of the brain, causes temporary loss of consciousness.

Physicians and neurologists have been studying the patterns of migraines, especially aura migraines, for several years. While to this day there are plenty of theories surrounding the cause of it, there are as yet no solid conclusions. Pain remedies and medications have been developed however which lessen the effects of aura migraines and allow the victims to get relief when they feel one coming on.

Founded in 1965, the Migraine Trust is a UK-based medical research and patient support charity dedicated to the advocation and promotion of public consciousness on the causes and effects of migraine. Over £3 million have been invested in 130 research projects aimed to advance the diagnosis and treatment of migraine. The Trust also offers services such as a helpline and a written inquiry service for questions and concerns about migraine, and several publications such as factsheets and regular newsletters which have in-depth discussion on topics related to migraine. These publications can also be supplied to health professionals who, in turn, can distribute these free copies to their patients.

A lot of people tend to think that what ever problem they have, it can be solved on their own. The reality is that most problems need to be solved by people that have knowledge in the field. This is why so many people use a migraine book to try and solve their problem once and for all!

The more people know about migraines, the easier it is to not only treat them, but to prevent them from happening in the future. The more the sufferer reads, the more likely it is that they will not experience the pain for much longer.

The question most people want to know is; what will an online migraine book include?

An online book will include lots of things such as

Triggers – Most have an extensive section that allows sufferers to see why they are getting a headache in the first place. This will hopefully help them to prevent it happening in the future.

Symptoms – If a sufferer uses a book, they will find that the symptoms are some that they did not expect. Even things down to loss of appetite are a sign that a headache is on its way, so they can prepare for what is to come.

Prevention techniques – Of course, this is possibly the most important part of any migraine book. The user needs to understand the triggers and symptoms, and then they can go ahead and look into the prevention techniques that are listed. A lot of these techniques are natural.

Using a migraine book is certainly a great way to try and rid yourself of attacks for good.

Concealed as hydrolyzed protein, it’s the same MSG that was invented. It is also described as the most studied food additive the world over so rest your fears that it is harmful for it is actually a synthesized amino acid used to make food tastier. It has the ability to lessen the amount of salt added to a dish to achieve the desired taste, bringing out the food’s natural flavor making the more pronounced. So you be the judge, salt – high doses are known to cause a ton of health problems or a few pinches of MSG to make your dish taste better?

But for some migraine sufferers aromatherapy can alleviate the pain associated with migraines. Scents like lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, or peppermint have been known to help alleviate the pain of a migraine and also help the sufferer to relax. Aromatherapy can actually be used as a complimentary solution to migraine medication. Just take the medication that is prescribed to you, retreat to your room, prepare some aromatherapy candles or essential oils in a diffuser, turn off the lights and relax.

Are you tired of hearing about water – the arguments over how important it really is, and how much water you should drink? Everyone knows some facts about water: that it has a simple formula (H2O) and covers more than 2/3 of the earth’s surface. But that doesn’t mean the subject is trivial or that you know everything there is to know about it. Water can do more for you than you can imagine. And it’s key to migraine headache prevention.

How Important Is Water?

Most of your body is water — salt water, to be accurate. To keep your body functioning well, you need water and salt on a regular basis. Water is needed to ensure adequate volume inside your cells. Salt is needed to control the water outside your cells and in circulation.

With sufficient water in your body, all the parts of your body have the raw materials they need, the freedom of movement to carry out chemical reactions, and the ease of ridding themselves of waste.

What Does Water Do?

Water is a solvent and transporter — it carries oxygen and removes various wastes from the body. But water has more than a mechanical role in the body. It is an active participant in body chemistry. For example, it is essential in the breakdown of proteins and fats.

Can’t You Just Drink When You Get Thirsty?

No. As you get older, you lose your ability to know when you need water. You can be dehydrated — short several glasses of water — and not know it.

But Being Thirsty Isn’t Serious, Is It?

Being dehydrated on a long-term basis has the effect of strangling crucial processes throughout your body. This may cause most of the diseases of the human body — as well as producing serious pain (including migraines).

How Does Dehydration Cause Pain?

Without adequate water to flush them away, acidic waste products build up in your cells. The acid irritates your nerve endings, sending pain messages to the brain. Dehydration can lead to migraines.

So Drinking More Water Will Change My Life?

It could make a surprising change for the better. Chances are you will digest your food better, sleep better, have fewer aches and pain — for starters. Long-term benefits can include a reduction in migraines.

In a manner of speaking, a blog carnival is a collection of webpages to a variety of a blogs on a certain topic. The Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival has been founded to help headache patients and people who blog about it with a focused perspective to share their ideas on topics of significant interest and importance to us Migraineurs. The summer season can be a fun time of the year with special summer events where family and friends get together and bring and eat lots of great food. However, it is also the time when headache and migraine sufferers worry about.

They try to cope up with the pressure by attending social events, do away with migraine triggering foods and drinks, abnormal sleeping patterns and many other stresses and problems that comes with summer. Even the frustration that results from migraine seems to only make matters worse by making routine tasks more unbearable or even impossible to do because some Migraineurs peg over the top expectations for ourselves. Because of this, ending up stuck in bed nursing a horrific migraine can be quite disappointing and instead of having a fun time with your family and friends. If there is any consolation, its the thought that you’re not alone in facing these frustrations and there is an online support group to that helps each other come up with coping strategies.