To put it bluntly, migraines suck. If you’re unsure exactly what separates a migraine from a standard headache, here’s a definition: migraines are recurring headaches that are usually moderate to severe in strength (there’s no “light” migraine). In most cases, they only affect one side of the head, and they’re usually accompanied by feelings of nausea or dizziness and a sensitivity to light and sound. Like I said: they suck.
They suck for more than just their symptoms, though. There’s a noticeable link between depression in people that suffer from migraines versus those that are healthy. In fact, depression is three times more common in migraine sufferers. Three times. Unfortunately, most people just think of migraines as bad headaches and that’s it. They’re undiagnosed and undertreated in at least half of all patients, and just under 50% of migraine patients even bother consulting a physician. That’s a lot of unnecessary suffering, especially because 54% of those suffering from migraines experience an attack at least once a month, and 13% claim to experience one or more attacks per week. With statistics like those, is it any wonder that their depression rates are so high?
In many cases, treatment revolves around prescribing medicines to help the symptoms, rather than the cause. You’ll get medicines for nausea, for headaches, for dizziness, and so on. There are many places now, however, that focus on holistic migraine treatment in an effort to stop the problem at its source.
When most people think of holistic remedies, they think of some quack waving his or her hand over you, lighting a few candles, and saying “you’re cured. That’ll be $800.” That is not the truth, though. There are many reputable holistic healing clinics available all around that offer excellent methods to treat issues such as migraines. There are naturally occurring supplements such as Feverfew and Peppermint Oil, along with more holistic treatment methods such as acupuncture.
Migraines affect about 15% of people around the globe, but that doesn’t mean that it’s incurable, or that you have to live with it. While there are many medicinal prescriptions you can receive, more natural remedies may be better for your specific needs, and may even help more.
