Pressure Points for Migraines

Pressure Points for Migraines

Vascular imbalance and excess muscle tension can cause irritations and pains above the neck. Strain in these areas may also lead to Headaches and migraines. Many people rely on OTC pain relievers but these medicines offer temporary relief. However, you can alleviate pain and tension through reflexology and acupressure. It is easy to use these techniques because you can easily access the acupressure points in this area. Keep reading to learn more about the most common pressure points for migraines and ways to stimulate them.

Why Do You Have Migraines?
While there is no clear evidence about what causes migraines, experts believe environmental factors and genetics play a big role in the development of migraines. Some studies show that any change in the brainstem and the way it interacts with the trigeminal nerve may lead to migraines. Similarly, any imbalance in brain chemicals such as serotonin may also be the underlying cause of migraines – serotonin levels usually drop when you have a migraine attack and that makes your trigeminal system to release neuropeptides that may trigger headaches.

Even though there is no clear information about the real cause of migraines, there are certain known triggers to avoid. You may experience migraines when there are any hormonal changes during menopause or pregnancy. Other common triggers include food additives, alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, certain foods, change in sleep-wake cycle, and changes in the environment. Stress and certain medications, such as vasodilators and oral contraceptives may also trigger a migraine attack.

Pressure Points for Migraines
The great thing about reflexology is that you can use these techniques to treat the problems externally as well as internally. In fact, you can get rid of your ailments completely if you stimulate those pressure points regularly. The idea behind stimulating pressure points is to clear the blocked meridians, which in turn helps energy to flow freely through the body. This will also lead to the production of endorphins that act as natural painkillers in your body.

Here are the most common pressure points for migraines:

1. Forehead Region
There are several points on your forehead and face, and all of them are yang points and are full of energy as well. Stimulating these points will make energy to flow downwards and help you find relief from aches and pains.

Third Eye Point

One of many points along your forehead is a point where the bridge of your nose joins the ridge of your eyebrows. Stimulating this point will offer relief from headaches, eye pain, eye fatigue, and hay fever.

Drilling Bamboo

In the inner corner of your eyes is another pressure point that helps find relief from Allergy symptoms and sinus headaches. It is precisely located below the eyebrows, and stimulating it will also help improve vision. Be sure to apply pressure for at least a minute on both sides.

2. Temple Region

You can find several pressure points for migraines in the temple region. There is basically a chain of five points:hairline curve, valley lead, celestial hub, floating white, head portal yin. Hairline curve is close to the tip of your ear whereas the rest of the points curl around your ear. These points are located about a finger width from your ear. You will find relief from temporal headaches and migraines by applying pressure on these points. Be sure to stimulate all these points simultaneously for better results.

3. Face Region — Facial Beauty

These points locateon both sides of your nostril, at the bottom of your cheekbone, right below the pupil. It is easy to stimulate these points and proper stimulation will help open sinuses, relieve eye fatigue, toothaches, and reduce migraines and tension headaches.

4. Neck Region
There are a number of pressure points in the neck region. For instance:

Wind Mansion

One of these points is located at the back of your head – the exact location is halfway between your spine and ear. The point is called windmansionand applying pressure here will relieve pain in eyes, unblock Nasal Congestion, and reduce migraines and headaches.

Shoulder Well

Another pressure point in this region is at the edge of your shoulder – it is precisely halfway between the base of your neck and the point of your shoulder. Stimulating this point will help reduce neck stiffness and relieve neck pain as well. It also proves beneficial in treating ailments like spasms and Asthma.

Heavenly Pillar

Heavenly pillar is yet another pressure point in the neck region and is precisely located two fingers below the base of your skull – it is basically on the rope like muscles that are on the both sides of your spine. Stimulating this point will relieve aches at the back of the head, eyestrain, neck pains, insomnia, stress, and stiff nick.

Gate of Consciousness

Gate of consciousness is located below the base of your skull – you will find it in the hollow between the vertical neck muscles. Stimulate this point to relieve headaches, Arthritis, Stiff Neck, dizziness, eyestrain, neuro-motor coordination, and irritability.

5. Hands — Union Valley


On your hands, there is a point located in the webbing between your index finger and your thumb. You need to stimulate this point to relieve frontal headaches, back pain, and toothache. It is important to avoid triggering this point if you are pregnant because any stimulation of this point may cause contractions in the uterus.

6. Foot
There're also some pressure points for migraines on your foot that can provide relief with stimulation.

Bigger Rushing

On your foot, you can find a pressure point that helps manage your migraines better. It is located on the top of your foot between the big and the second toe. When you apply pressure on this point, you find relief from eye fatigue, headaches, foot cramps, and arthritis.

Above Tears

There is another point on the top of your foot – you will find it an inch above the webbing of your fourth and fifth toes. Stimulate this point to relive headaches, Sciatica, Water Retention,arthritic pains, hip pain, and shoulder tension.

Pain-Managing and Preventive Medicine for Migraine

Pain-Managing and Preventive Medicine for Migraine

People tend to use the word “migraine” to describe any severe Headache, but in terms of a migraine there must be specific physiological changes within the brain. These changes lead to the characteristic symptoms, such as pain, of the migraine.

Most of the time, a migraine headache will include sensitivity to smells, sound, and light as well as possible vomiting and/or nausea. The headache will frequently involve only one side of a person’s head, although it can also be bilateral, meaning it affects both sides. Migraine pain is commonly described as pounding or throbbing and can worsen with physical exertion. As such, knowing which medicine for migraine to use can help significantly.

Medicine for Migraine


Selecting the right strategy for managing migraines will depend on the severity and frequency of these headaches, other medical conditions you suffer from, and how much disability the headaches cause.

Certain medicine for migraine isn’t suggested for those who pregnant or breastfeeding. Some other shouldn’t be taken by children. Your doctor will help you sort through migraine treatment options to find the right one.

For the best results at relieving your migraine, take your pain-relieving drugs at the first sign of a migraine. It can also help to rest in a dark room.

Pain-Managing Medicine for Migraine

Medicine	Description
Painkillers	Painkillers or pain relievers may be specifically marketed to treat migraines or general painkillers for everyday situations. Specific migraine painkillers, like Excedrin Migraine combine the acetaminophen with caffeine and aspirin, but don’t work for severe migraines. For mild migraines, you can try acetaminophen (Tylenol), NSAids (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), aspirin, or ibuprofen (Motrin IB, Advil). Indomethacin is a prescription pain reliever that you can also get as a suppository.
Side effects: If you take painkillers for too long or too often, you may develop medication-overuse headaches, gastrointestinal bleeding, or Ulcers.
Triptans	Triptans promote blocking of pain pathways as well as constriction of the blood vessels within the brain. They are able to relive the pain as well as other migraine symptoms. Some examples are eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), zolmitriptan (Zomig), naratriptan (Amerge), almotriptan (Axert), rizatriptan (Maxalt), and sumatriptan (Imitrex). You can find them as tablets, sprays, and injections. Another option is Treximet, a combination of naproxen sodium and sumatriptan.
Side effects: These include muscle weakness, drowsiness, dizziness, and nausea. You shouldn’t take triptans if you have a risk of Heart Attack or Stroke.
Ergots	These combine ergotamine and caffeine tend to work best if your pain lasts over 48 hours. It can worsen certain side effects, such as vomiting and nausea or lead to a headache from medication-overuse. Dihydroergotamine,one ergot derivative, tends to have fewer side effects and you can get it as an injection or a nasal spray.
Anti-nausea medications	This medication is usually combined with other medications as it focuses on the symptom of nausea. Common choices include prochlorperazine (Compro), metoclopramide (Reglan), and chlorpromazine.
Opioid medications	These can contain narcotics like codeine and are used for migraine headache if you can’t take ergot or triptans. Because they are addictive, they are a last resort.
Glucocorticoids (prednisone, dexamethasone)	These may be combined with other medicine for migraine as a method of relieving pain. They shouldn’t be used frequently because of steroid toxicity risk.

Preventive Medicine for Migraine
People who have frequent migraine headaches may be prescribed preventative drugs to help reduce the intensity and frequency of the headaches. You take these drugs daily (or on a regular basis) one kind alone or with others. Sometimes it takes a few weeks to months to notice effects. These are usually used for other conditions, but work for migraines.

Medicine	Description
Beta blockers	These are usually prescribed to treat high Blood Pressure and decrease the effect of Stress hormones on blood vessels and the heart. They can also reduce the intensity and frequency of migraines. Options include timolol (Blocadren), propranolol (Inderal), nadolol (Corgard), metoprolol (Toprol XL), atenolol (Tenormin).
Side effects: These include Depression, insomnia, dizziness when standing, nausea, and fatigue.
Calcium channel blockers	These are also for blood pressure and they moderate the dilation and constriction of blood vessels and can help with migraine pain. Examples are verapamil (Verelan, Isoptin, Covera, Calan), nimodipine (Nimotop), and diltiazem (Tiazac, Dilacor, Cartia XT, and Cardizem).
Side effects: These include Constipation, dizziness, weight gain, and low blood pressure.
Antidepressants	These affect the levels of chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin. Options are venlafaxine (Effexor), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Pexeva, Paxil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), imipramine (Tofranil), fluoxetine (Sarafem, Prozac), and amitriptyline (Endep, Elavil).
Side effects: These include decreased libido and weight gain.
Anticonvulsants	These prevent seizures and are medicine for migraine as they calm overactive nerves within the brain. Examples are zonisamide (Zonegran), valproate (Depakene), topiramate (Topamax), tiagabine (Gabitril), pregabalin (Lyrica), levetiracetam (Keppra), gabapentin (Neurontin), and divalproex sodium (Depakote).
Side effects: These include blurred vision, dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, Diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea.
Botulinum toxin type A (Botox)	These injections within the neck or forehead muscles may help treat chronic migraines if other medicine for migraine doesn’t work. They are expensive as you must repeat them every three months.

Things to Watch Out For

• If you take an over-the-counter painkiller, check the instructions and follow the dosage carefully.


• Those under 16 should only take aspirin if their doctor suggests it. Adults with a history of liver, kidney, or stomach problems should not take ibuprofen or aspirin.


• Anytime you frequently take painkillers, your migraines can worsen, leading to medication overuse headache.

When to See a Doctor
You should call 911 in the following cases:

• You have the worst headache ever.


• You have movement, vision, speech, or balance problems and haven’t experienced those with migraines in the past.


• Your headaches suddenly start.

Make an appointment or talk to your doctor in the following cases:

• The pain or headache pattern changes.


• Previously helpful treatments don’t work anymore.


• There are migraine side effects.


• You have migraines while taking birth control.


• The headaches get worse when lying down.

Migraine Prevention Medication

Migraine Prevention Medication

Migraine Headaches are a severe type of headache that can be life-threatening. It affects mostly women and affects about 36 million people in the US. About one in four families has someone in the family that has a migraine sufferer in it. Migraines involve a headache which is often unbearable and debilitating when happening. It can be described as a pain which is pulsating or throbbing on one side of the head or the other. Fortunately, there are medications that can be given to prevent migraine headaches.

Who Needs Migraine Prevention Medication?
If you suffer from migraine headaches that interfere with the quality of your life, you may wish to consider taking migraine prevention medication. There are many types of medications available to reduce the chance that you might have it. If one type of medication doesn't work for you, work with your doctor to try another type until you find one that actually reduces the number of migraines you have and the severity of the headaches.

Migraine prevention is the treatment for you if you have these issues:

• Have at least three severe or moderate headaches every month.


• Have pain that alters your quality of life even with treatment.


• Take many painkillers for migraine headaches.


• Can't get pain relief from your current pain medication regimen.


• Have side effects from headache medications.


• Have a continuing aura before the onset of the headache.

You can't take migraine prevention medication if you have these issues:

• You have certain health conditions that prevent you from taking such medication.


• The headaches are well controlled with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications.


• Other medications you have taken will react with migraine prevention medications.


• You do not want to take drugs for your headache.

A List of Migraine Prevention Medication
There are several different kinds of medications used to prevent migraine headaches. These include the following:

1. Calcium Channel Blockers
While these are not FDA approved for migraine prevention, there are many studies showing its benefit in preventing migraine headaches. Common calcium channel blockers include verapamil, which is also used for the treatment of high Blood Pressure.

2. Antidepressants
These include medications such as MAO inhibitors, SSRI medication, tricyclic antidepressants, and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). These prevent most types of migraine headaches but can make other types of migraines worse. They also help prevent Depression associated with migraine headaches. These medications do have side effects, so you should talk to your doctor about side effects before taking any of these types of medications.

3. Beta Blockers
These include medications such as nadolol, atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol, and timolol. They do carry side effects, however, including exercise intolerance, depression, hypotension, and lethargy. Beta blockers are also used to treat high blood pressure.

4. Membrane Stabilizers
These include medications that also prevent seizures. There are several kinds of these medications, including topiramate, gabapentin, and sodium valproate. While they are traditionally used for seizure disorders, they work for pain disorders like migraine headaches as well.

5. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Medications
These are used both in the treatment and prevention of migraine headaches. Naproxen is one commonly used drug that belongs to this type. However, you should pay attention to the dosage of it since daily uses may also cause overuse effects.

6. Herbs and Supplements
Occasionally a migraine sufferer will use herbs and other supplements to prevent migraine headaches. These include Butterbur, Magnesium, feverfew, vitamin B12, Coenzyme Q and melatonin.

7. Serotonergic Medications
These include medications such as Sansert (methysergide) and Cyproheptadine. The former has been used for migraine prevention for half a century, but it has side effects that caused it to be pulled from the United States market, although you can get it in Canada. The latter is an antihistamine medication that also has calcium channel blocker capabilities. It has found to be helpful in children who have migraine headaches, but it isn't tolerated very well by migraine sufferers who are adults.

8. Other Medications
Botulinum toxin: This is injected into the area of the head where the headaches are likely to occur for prevention of the migraine. It is currently not FDA-approved for this purpose.

Buproprion: This is an anti-anxiety medication that is occasionally used for the prevention of migraines.

Trazodone: This is a medication sometimes used for sleep, which is occasionally used for migraine prophylaxis.

More Tips to Prevent Migraine Attack
Besides migraine prevention medications, there are things you can do to alter the incidence of migraine headaches by undertaking certain lifestyle changes. Lifestyle changes have been known to be good at preventing certain types of migraines. Here are some lifestyle changes you might want to consider:

1. Get Enough Sleep
It is important to keep a steady sleep schedule and to get enough sleep if you want to prevent migraine headaches. You should try to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at about the same time every morning, regardless of the day of the week. If your sleep is disrupted for some reason or if you get too much or too little sleep, it can trigger a migraine headache.

2. Get Enough Regular Exercise
Some people are afraid that regular exercise will bring on a migraine headache. While overexerting can bring on a headache in certain people, most research suggests that those who undertake moderate exercise on a regular basis can reduce the duration, severity and amount of headaches you have. Exercise can reduce Stress, which can trigger migraines.

3. Eat Regular and Healthy Meals
It is important to keep a regular blood sugar levels because low glucose levels can cause a migraine. You should also drink a lot of water because being dehydrated can cause it.

4. Decrease Stress
Stress is a typical trigger for migraine headaches. Try to take some time out of your busy schedule in order to find relaxation time. Practice meditation or yoga in order to reduce stress. Other stress-relieving techniques include taking brief walks and listening to music that can calm you down.

5. Use Alternative Medicine Strategies
These can help you manage your stress levels without having to use migraine prevention medication. Things you might try include cognitive behavioral therapy, massage therapy, and acupuncture techniques.

Migraine in Pregnancy

Migraine in Pregnancy

Experts are of the view that at least 1 in 5 women experiences a migraine Headache at some time in her life, and about 16% of them experience it for the first time during the first trimester of their pregnancy. However, about two-thirds of women who already have migraines say they find some relief during pregnancy – this holds true for women who experience a migraine attack around their menstrual period.

What Does Migraine in Pregnancy Feel Like?
What usually starts as a dull ache often turns into a constant, throbbing, and pulsating pain in the temples and front of the head. A migraine attack may last anywhere between 4 and 72 hours and usually becomes worse with physical activity. You may have migraines with other symptoms as well, including vomiting, nausea, or sensitivity to noise and light.

Some migraine sufferers have migraines with symptoms such as visual changes – this is called a migraine with aura. You will also experience blind spots, sensations of numbness, pins and needles, speech disturbances, and weakness. With a migraine with aura, you usually experience these symptoms at least an hour before you actually get a migraine headache.

Is Migraine in Pregnancy Dangerous?
No, it is not dangerous and do not increase your risk of pregnancy complications. However, you need to keep in mind that your headache may well be a sign of an underlying health condition. Be sure to talk to your doctor if you have migraine during pregnancywith a fever and other signs such as blurred vision. You should also seek medical attention if your headaches return frequently and stays for a few hours.

What Triggers Your Migraine in Pregnancy?
You may be able to manage your migraines better if you know about what triggers them in the first place. It is not easy though because you may get a migraine attack due to a change in nerve pathways, flow of blood in the brain, or neurochemicals. Experts are of the view that overly excited brain cells lead to the production of certain chemicals that irritate your blood vessels on the surface of your brain. You experience pain sensations when these blood vessels swell.

You may also have to deal with migraine in pregnancy due to hormonal changes. You are more likely to deal with migraines during the first three months of your pregnancy because that is when estrogen levels are at their peak. You notice some relief during the second and third trimesters when the estrogen levels stabilize a bit.

Managing Migraine in Pregnancy
You may take certain steps to make your migraine attack more manageable. You may also be able to prevent these attacks by treating any secondary causes of headaches. Taking the following steps will help manage your condition better:

1.

Learn to Relax
It is important that you learn how to relax your nerves and deal with stress during pregnancy. This will go a long way in keeping headaches at bay. You may consider learning a relaxation technique such as meditation or yoga to deal with stress.

2. Change Your Eating Pattern


Instead of taking three large meals, you will be better off eating little and often throughout the day. This will also help you deal with early pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness, nausea, and vomiting. If you continue to experience morning sickness, your appetite will come down that may reduce your blood sugar levels. Lower blood sugar levels may trigger migraine in pregnancy. So, be sure to eat more often and drink plenty of fluids to avoid being dehydrated.

3.

Stay Active
Regular exercise will improve your fitness level and help reduce the severity of migraines. Exercise helps by improving breathing, regulating blood sugar levels, and promoting the release of endorphins.

4. Try Acupuncture

You may consider trying needle acupuncture treatment because it is safe during pregnancy and often proves quite effective for migraines and morning sickness. Work with an experienced practitioner though.

5. Try Massage

Getting a full-body massage may help release tension in the muscles of the shoulders, neck, and back. Only let a trained prenatal massage therapist give you a massage. Alternatively, you can ask your partner to lightly rub your head and back to improve blood circulation and relieve tension.

6. Use Heat or Cold

You may consider applying heat or cold to your eyes, sides of the head, and along the back of your neck to relieve the migraine in pregnancy. You can buy cold packs and heating pads easily or can make one at home.

Caution
Along with taking abovementioned steps, you need to ensure that you take special care when taking drugs during pregnancy. Do not try prophylactic measures and avoid drugs, especially during the first trimester when they can be extremely harmful for your baby. Moreover, you should avoid using certain herbal remedies, such as feverfew, during pregnancy to avoid dealing with any pregnancy complications.