Natural Treatment Options for Migraines

June is National Migraine Awareness Month - -

One of the first things I recommend to patients suffering from migraines, is to keep a migraine diary for several months to help identify triggers.   Track what you eat, when you eat,  exercise, stress levels, sleep, and symptoms.  Often, common food culprits such as chocolate and food additives are triggering imbalances which then lead to painful symptoms.  Hormonal fluctuations, weather, and stress are also common sources. 

To correct imbalances, acupuncture can be very effective.  


One of the largest studies looking at migraine prevention through acupuncture was published in the March 2006 edition of The Lancet Neurology. In this study, patients who had two to six migraine headaches per month were randomly assigned to one of three groups:

 •Traditional acupuncture.

•Sham (fake) acupuncture. In sham acupuncture, needles are inserted into areas of the skin at which no traditional acupuncture points exist.

•Preventive migraine medications (beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, or seizure medications).

Patients in the acupuncture groups received 10 sessions of acupuncture treatment in 6 weeks. Those who took medicines continued them throughout the length of the study. The primary outcome was the difference in migraine days between 4 weeks before the study and 23 to 26 weeks after the study began. Forty-seven percent of participants in the traditional acupuncture group experienced a reduction of migraine days by 50 percent or more.

In addition to acupuncture, there are traditional chinese herbal remedies that may also help.  It is important to work with a practitioner such as Debi that is well versed in not only acupuncture, herbs, and nutrition but she may also recommend certain testing to find the root cause of your migraines.