Migraine Combat Remedy

During our three-week stay in Namibia, I only had five days clear from headache or migraine. I was popping triptans like smarties because I did not want to miss out on any of the safari drives or activities that we had planned. 

I ended up taking 11 triptans in three weeks. Don’t tell my doctor! The max dose is 6 (8 at a push) a month. 

Then, one morning when we got back to our super luxurious lodge, I decided to go for a dip into the plunge pool on our balcony. I was hot, and I could feel another migraine building. 

Soon after I got out, I realised that the migraine had gone. I was fine for the rest of the day. 

The next morning, I woke with the usual nagging pain that precedes a migraine.  So I took some paracetamol (not usually very effective, but I always try that first in an effort to delay the inevitable triptan). And then, in the pitch dark because safari drives start very early, I lowered myself into the cold water of the plunge pool.

IT WORKED! 

The migraine receded and I was able to enjoy the rest of the day, pain free, without having resorted to a triptan. 

I continued to test this newfound combative remedy and sure enough, each time I felt a headache starting, I submerged myself in cold water and nipped it in the bud. 

I have to clarify here – cold showers don’t work. I have tried them in the past. And swimming in cold water as a preventative doesn’t work either. This is a remedy that seems to work when the migraine has already started. I presume it has something to do with the cold constricting the blood vessels, which is partly how a triptan works. And an alternative health-care professional suggested that that constriction also forces out toxins. 

I now keep my bath at home full of cold water, ready to plunge into at the first sign of a headache. Sadly, for me, this is usually first thing in the morning and plunging into a bath of cold water is not nearly as pleasant as dipping into a plunge pool in Africa where the air temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius! I also find it quite hard to lower myself into the cold bath. Gravity doesn’t assist as it does in a deep pool.

And I HATE  the cold! Why couldn’t the remedy have been a nice warm bath? 

Strangely though, when I have a headache, a huge part of me can’t wait to get into the water and feel the pressure release. When I don’t have a headache, the idea of getting into the cold water is unthinkable! 

I am not suggesting that this remedy will work for everyone. Every person who has migraine has different symptoms, different triggers and different things alleviate their symptoms. But if, like me, you have tried everything under the sun over the last twenty or more years, this might just help. 

STOP PRESS

I am also trialling another remedy, as a result of the effectiveness of this cold water therapy: When I got back from Namibia, I had a pain in my right hip which was clearly being caused by inflammation in the muscle or joint. So, I put myself on a course of ibuprofen for a week. Now, ibuprofen NEVER works to combat a migraine once it has started. However, for the entire week that I was taking it three times a day for my hip, I didn’t have a single headache. Bear in mind that prior to this, I had been unable to go more than two days with a clear head. 

It made sense though – in the same way that the cold water constricts and calms the blood vessels, the anti-inflammatory properties of the ibuprofen were clearly doing something to PREVENT the migraine. But I can’t take ibuprofen indefinitely! So I discussed it with the afore-mentioned alternative health-care professional and asked for a recommendation for a natural anti-inflammatory. He instantly suggested CURCODYN  and I ordered some as soon as I got home. 

I have been taking the Curcodyn for a week now. I take it at night, as early morning is when the migraines attack, and for the entire week I have been pain free. 

A week is nothing. I daren’t yet say that this works. But, oh my! An entire week waking up with no pain has been bliss. 

Watch this space! 

If you are reading this because you have, or you know someone who has, migraine, I sincerely hope it helps. Whatever the case, it’s worth a try!