Natural Remedies For Menopause Migraines
What is menopause?
Officially, menopause marks the first year after the last period, but there’s a much bigger picture! Menopause is a huge physical, emotional and spiritual transition into our 3rd phase of life. It’s the undoing of our adolescence, and traditionally it would have been a time of celebration. Nowadays though, we live fast paced lives and most of us are very uncomfortable about aging. Being chronically stressed, over tired, overworked, under nourished, under active and uncomfortable about aging doesn’t make for a smooth menopause journey.
The lead up to menopause is known as perimenopause, and different symptoms can happen at different stages. We all experience menopause differently, and some women barely notice any symptoms at all. Those of us who do though might experience:
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Hot flushes/night sweats
- Aches & pains
- Loss of libido and/or vaginal dryness
- Anxiety and/or insomnia
Can menopause cause more migraines?
Yes, and some women experience them for the first time as they move into peri-menopause. There are a few reasons why, but in early peri-menopause, progesterone tends to be low compared to oestrogen, so we lose the calming effects of progesterone.
At the same time, both oestrogen and histamine levels are relatively high, creating the perfect storm for hormonal migraines. Studies have shown that HRT can relieve migraines in some menopausal women, and trigger them in others. We know too, that women going through surgical or chemical menopause tend to have more of a problem with migraines than those going through natural menopause.
The mind-body connection in migraines
So we know that low progesterone and relatively high oestrogen and histamine link to menopause migraines, but not all women experience them. In my experience, all health issues and injuries ultimately have their roots deep in our subconscious mind. The mind uses the body as a metaphor to tell us that it’s unhappy about something, and that the corresponding thought pattern needs to be released or changed.
The thought pattern I most often see in migraine sufferers is the need for perfectionism. They put themselves under immense pressure to do everything perfectly, and are very hard on themselves if they can’t. It’s interesting that orgasm, that ultimate expression of unconditional self-love, is a great cure for an oncoming migraine! Working on releasing any need to do everything perfectly is key to healing, but it can take a while. Menopause hypnotherapy is a great way of exploring the psycho-emotional reasons behind menopause migraines, and releasing them quickly.
Migraine and nutritional deficiencies
Fortunately, there are many things we can do to ease peri-menopause migraines the natural way, starting with diet. Some women find that cutting out gluten and/or dairy helps, and others try a low histamine or ketogenic diet for a few weeks to see how they get on.
Key nutrients for reducing migraine include:
- Magnesium
- Vitamin B2
- Iron if you’re getting migraines after a heavy period
- Melatonin if your Doctor is willing/able to prescribe it.
Herbal remedies for headaches and migraines
If you can choose the right herbal remedies, they can really work wonders for migraines. All of my migraine patients have responded very well to herbal treatment, and even though Leigh had been suffering with them for years, hers still cleared within just a few weeks.
My approach with migraines, as with everything is to look deeply into why they’re happening. I ask about physical, emotional and psychological factors and if the issue appears to be more psycho-emotional I may offer advanced hypnotherapy first instead of herbs.
I believe there’s more to migraines than simply hormone imbalances. Often we see a mixture of chronic high stress, and symptoms pointing to liver and/or gut dysfunction. Luckily herbs can work on several different areas at once, so it’s usually very straightforward to treat migraines effectively with their help.
One of the most well known herbs for migraine is Feverfew. It’s a common garden plant, and although it tastes really bitter, it can be very helpful in preventing migraines. I also use its cousin, Alecost, in many of my migraine prescriptions and first aid mixes.
Natural first aid for migraines
It goes without saying that the sooner you can intervene with an oncoming migraine, the easier it is to reverse.
As I mentioned, orgasm by any means is a great cure for a migraine in the early stages, most likely because it quickly opens up any constricted blood vessels.
In terms of herbs and essential oils, there are plenty of other options too. Alecost seems to me to be more effective than Feverfew in warding off impending migraines. Although I would always recommend using a mixture of herbs to work on the underlying causes, if you’d like to keep some Alecost tincture on you just in case, you can buy some here. Fresh Ginger tea, or chewing on stem Ginger may also help to calm any associated nausea.
Essential oils can also be really useful in helping to manage oncoming migraines too. Adding 6 drops of Focus essential oil blend to 30ml of base oil and massaging it into the temples and back of the neck can be very soothing. You could also try massaging the Daith acupuncture point on your ears, and many migraine sufferers say their migraines improve after having their ears pierced at this point.
Where to get more help
Are menopausal migraines stopping you from living your best life? Take a look at the hypnotherapy option of my Menopause Rescue Programme, or book a free call to tell me what’s going on for you.