Migraines can be a challenging condition to control, even if you respond well to over the counter pain medication. In fact, some patients end up with medication overuse headaches because they rely too much on the pills. For other patients, over the counter remedies don’t mitigate symptoms, so they turn to prescription meds or alternative forms of healthcare. 

On the other hand, you may want to try and mitigate your symptoms from the comfort of your own home without taking any pills. We’re going to give you a few things to try that may help. In the end, however, we will focus on one way to find long-term help for migraines that is natural and safe. Read on to learn more about natural migraine care, starting with some home remedies.

#1. Change Your Office Set Up

I guess this is more of an “office remedy” than a home remedy, but you have to think about posture if you get migraines and have a desk job. It could be something that you are doing at work that is triggering your migraines. Here are a few ways to avoid causing the sort of postural issues that contribute to migraines.

• Get a new chair – Find one with lumbar support and a headrest. 
• Raise monitors to eye level – The less you look down while you sit at your desk, the better.
• Get a headset or use speakerphone – Never hold a phone between your ear and shoulder. There are better ways to free up your hands so you can type while you take that critical phone call. 
• Take regular breaks – Get up and walk around a little or do some stretches at your desk. Just don’t sit and stare at a screen for hours at a time. 

Those are just a few tips to help you reduce migraines if you work in an office, but the same holds true for a home office, so maybe this is a home remedy after all for all the freelancers and remote workers out there. 

#2. Get Stress Levels Under Control 

You don’t have to measure the levels of stress hormones in your body to know when you are under stress. When stress levels stay elevated for too long, many health issues can occur. Migraines are just one of the conditions that may develop. Perhaps this also is linked to the neck. One of the things that stress does to the body is tensing the muscles to prepare your body for action. With your neck muscles tensed up all day long, perhaps even for days at a time, a migraine probably isn’t too far off. After all, about 75% of migraineurs experience neck pain before or during an attack. Clearly, there is a link. 

There are a number of ways to control stress, but here are a few that range from simple fixes to long-term efforts:

• Take a break – Whether you go for a massage or go on vacation, learn to relax a little.
• Avoid unnecessary debt – Think about everything from credit cards and mortgages to car payments and student loans. Get rid of any debt you can and avoid adding new obligations that could put you under even more financial pressure. 
• Meditate daily – Some people focus on clearing the mind. Others force themselves to reflect on positive things for a set period of time. Just don’t spend all of your free time on a mobile device, watching TV, or playing video games. Those things are okay, but they rarely help reduce stress.

#3. Avoid Other Top Migraine Triggers 

One way to stay ahead of your migraines is to learn your triggers and avoid them as much as possible. This isn’t a cure for migraines (there isn’t one), but it may help you to reduce the frequency of attacks. Here are a few things to try if you have some of the more common triggers.

• Maintain a good sleep schedule 
• Don’t skip meals
• Quit smoking
• Avoid junk food
• Reduce alcohol consumption 
• Reduce caffeine intake 
• Drink more water

By avoiding some triggers and maintaining some good habits that combat other triggers, you may just find the number of migraines you get reduced to a more manageable number. Of course, occasional migraines are still migraines. You want to do everything you can to get long-term relief. That brings us to a natural way to get help.

Try Upper Cervical Chiropractic for Migraines 

Even some of our tips for home remedies lean toward protecting your neck, so it makes sense that correcting upper cervical misalignments may provide some assistance. Consider a recent case study involving migraines and chiropractic. 

A 59-year-old woman was living with chronic migraines (more than 15 days per month). Despite over the counter medications, prescription drugs, and massage therapy, she saw no improvement. She saw a chiropractor for three months, going twice per week. Then she reduced appointments to just once per week for six weeks. She saw a complete resolution of her migraines and continues to get examined to maintain proper alignment.

This is not a surprising result. Upper cervical chiropractors find that ensuring the top two bones of the neck are in proper alignment can often help a patient to see fewer migraines or even experience results like those in the case study. If you are living with migraines, especially if you have a history of head or neck trauma, this may be the best option for you. Contact a local practitioner of upper cervical specific chiropractic to learn more.

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