yourday2day: Lose Your Headache With These Alternative Therapies

Date updated: May 12, 2008
By Lisa Marshall
Content provided by Revolution Health Group

If your head is throbbing and you can't make it stop, you're not alone. As many as 78% of adults experience tension headaches, and more than 29.5 million experience migraines, according to the American Headache Society.

But despite their prevalence, headaches are hard to treat and even harder to prevent with medication.

"Our preventive treatments, in general, are really quite poor," says neurologist Stewart Tepper, M.D., director of The New England Center for Headache in Stamford, Conn.

The four drugs commonly used to prevent migraines have proven effective in only about half of patients. And all come with serious side effects, ranging from tingling hands to cognitive impairment and an inability to sweat.

Meanwhile, overuse of over-the-counter painkillers can lead to "rebound headaches" as the body builds tolerance. Frustrated with a lack of options, patients and researchers are beginning to look beyond the pharmacy.

"We have good scientific evidence that some of the alternative therapies often work better than the drugs," says researcher Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director of the New York Headache Center.

Below are some natural and alternative therapies for headaches and migraines.

Magnesium
Among the most promising alternatives for preventing migraines is magnesium, a mineral that has been shown to be deficient in more than half of migraine patients.

Numerous studies have shown magnesium to be effective, particularly in preventing menstrual migraines and migraines with "aura" (visual disturbances). One 1996 study of 81 patients found that those who took magnesium daily for 12 weeks saw their migraine frequency cut in half, and the duration and intensity reduced. Some research has also shown intravenous magnesium to quell a migraine in progress.

Mauskop and Tepper recommend 600 milligrams daily of chelated (slow-release) magnesium tablets (taken with food to prevent diarrhea ). While some forms are available only via prescription, most can be found at vitamin stores for about $16 for 250 tablets.

Butterbur
Also known as Petasites hybridus, the toxic shrub butterbur was used in medieval times to treat the plague. The large leaves from the plant were also used to wrap butter before refrigeration.

It was rediscovered in the 1980s by a German company that extracted out its toxins and created Petadolex, an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory. Since then, a few other companies have also created butterbur extracts with little or no toxins. One randomized, controlled trial of 245 patients found that 68% of those who took 75 milligrams of butterbur daily saw their headache frequency reduced by half.

"We were very skeptical, but it turned out to be remarkably effective," says Mauskop, who co-authored the study. The most common side effect is burping.

Butterbur is not recommended for people who are allergic to ragweed because it can cause a similar allergic reaction. And people should steer clear of raw, unprocessed butterbur, which has been linked to liver and kidney damage and certain forms of cancer due to its toxic alkaloids.

Feverfew
For a century, the weed Tanacetum parthenium, aka feverfew, has been used to prevent headaches. Many theorize that it works like aspirin, preventing platelets from sticking together. (Researchers believe that when platelets stick together, they release serotonin, fueling headaches).

But Tepper, who recently published a review evaluating herbs for migraines, says the scientific evidence is scarce and inconclusive, with three of five quality trials saying feverfew works for migraine, and two saying it doesn't.

Of more concern are its serious side effects: mouth ulcers, blood thinning and potential birth defects if taken by pregnant women.

Acupuncture
While recent reports have cast doubt on the efficacy of acupuncture for migraines (which are believed to be caused by abnormal cell activity in the brain), it can do wonders in quelling tension headaches, says Mel Drisko, L.Ac., of the Center for Integrated Medicine at University of Colorado Hospital.

One 2006 trial of 1,295 patients, published in the journal Lancet, concluded acupuncture was no more effective than a sham treatment for people with chronic migraines. Drisko agrees. For people with tension headaches, Drisko says acupuncture can increase blood flow to hypercontracted muscles in the head and neck, promote production of natural painkillers and anti-inflammatory agents, and normalize the flow of "qi" or "chi," which is Chinese for vital energy.

Acupuncture can also be used to help people come off of their "rescue" medications that can trigger rebound headaches if used more than three times a week. Drisko recommends six to eight weekly treatments.

Massage
Again, little data suggest that massage can prevent migraines. But a few small studies -- including one funded by the National Headache Foundation and the Boulder College of Massage Therapy -- have shown that a technique called myofascial trigger point therapy may help ease chronic tension headaches.

The therapy focuses on irritated nodules, or "trigger points" within the muscles (which tend to radiate pain upward), as well as those in the jaw, neck and head. Improving posture can prevent reinjury. Plus, human touch alone has been shown to release painkilling endorphins.

Diet
Diet can seldom be completely to blame for chronic headaches, but it can exacerbate them, doctors say.

Some foods influence the release of serotonin and norepinephrine, causing blood vessels to constrict and restrict blood flow to the brain (such as caffeine) or dilate, causing pain to the lining of the brain (such as nitrates found in processed meat).

Others stimulate the brain stem or neuronal pathways, setting the migraine process into motion. Common culprits include cheese, chocolate, citrus, fatty foods, ice cream, wine and beer. A common rule of thumb is to avoid "aged or over-ripe foods" such as wine, cheese and some fruits that contain tyramine, a common headache trigger.

Peanuts and peanut products, foods that contain caffeine, other diary products, yeast, dried meats, chicken livers, pickled foods, foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG), ripe bananas, sourdough and foods containing nitrates (such as hot dogs, bacon and cured meats) may also be headache triggers.

Ideally, if the headache food trigger is not known, it is best to remove those most common food triggers described above for at least seven days. If the headaches improve, one food group is reintroduced at a time as a "re-challenge" to see which foods may be common triggers. A new food group is added every three days. If that's not possible, keep a food-headache diary, jot down any reactions and start eliminating suspected triggers.

Stress reduction and exercise
Most importantly, Mauskop says that headache sufferers should get moving.

"By far, the most effective approach to preventing headaches is regular aerobic exercise," he says. "It relaxes you after a stressful day. It improves circulation in your brain, and it releases endorphins and other natural painkillers."

He also recommends biofeedback to help patients learn to manage their stress, and yoga and tai chi for stretching and relaxation.