EverydayHealth.com 
Not all headache or migraine attacks can be avoided, but regular use of these home remedies may improve your quality of life.
If you get frequent headaches or migraine attacks, you may wonder whether there’s any way to prevent them — or what might help relieve your pain and other symptoms when you get one. Even if your doctor has prescribed medication or other treatments, are there additional measures you could be taking on your own?
The answer is yes. While home remedies and lifestyle changes alone may not prevent or relieve all headaches or migraine attacks, they can have an additive effect when used along with doctor-prescribed therapies.
Understanding what brings on, or triggers, headache and migraine attacks may help you identify what types of self-care might prevent them.
Tension headaches, which according to the World Health Organization (WHO) affect more than half of all women and more than a third of all men in developed countries and, increasingly, affect more people in developing countries as well, are brought on by tight muscles in the shoulders, neck, scalp, and jaw, which in turn may be caused by stress, depression, anxiety, and fatigue, according to MedlinePlus.
Migraine attacks, which according to the Migraine Research Foundation affect 12 percent of people in the United States and are about three times more common in women than in men, can be triggered by changes in the weather, fatigue, stress, anxiety, insufficient sleep, dehydration, and hormonal changes (in women), according to the American Migraine Foundation. Attacks can also be set off by skipping meals, performing strenuous exercise, travel to a higher altitude, and, for some, alcohol or the food additive monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Before you try supplements or other complementary therapies to treat migraine attacks or headaches, be sure to consult your doctor, says Jennifer Kriegler, MD, a neurologist and headache specialist at Cleveland Clinic’s Neurological Institute in Ohio.
“Even natural substances have side effects,” Dr. Kriegler says. In addition, because dietary and herbal supplements aren’t regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “what you think you’re buying isn’t always what you get,” she notes.
Eat Regularly and Avoid Dehydration to Help Prevent Headache and Migraine
Skipped meals or too many hours between them is a common migraine attack trigger. Low blood glucose caused by not eating can also cause a headache that is not part of a migraine attack.
While it’s true that planning healthy meals and snacks takes effort, as does making sure you eat them at regular intervals, the payoff of that effort is more energy and potentially fewer headaches or migraine attacks.
Since even mild to moderate dehydration can be a trigger for a migraine attack or headache, get in the habit of having water available to drink at all times, particularly during exercise.
For some people, particular foods or beverages can be triggers. According to Vince Martin, MD, a neurologist and the director of the University of Cincinnati headache and facial pain center, speaking at the 2021 Migraine World Summit, the three most common food triggers are MSG in liquid form (such as in a soup), too much or too little caffeine, and alcohol. A food diary can be a good way to identify food triggers.
Feverfew May Prevent and Treat Migraine Pain
The herb known as feverfew became popular as a migraine remedy in the 1980s, when a landmark British study showed that more than 70 percent of participants had less migraine pain after taking feverfew daily. Since then, more studies have demonstrated feverfew’s benefit in preventing and treating migraine pain.
Research published in Clinical Drug Investigation showed improvement in migraine pain among people who took feverfew daily in combination with white willow, an herbal remedy that contains properties similar to aspirin.
“Feverfew works best as a preventive medicine — it’s not as effective once you have [a migraine attack],” says Amy Rothenberg, ND, a naturopathic physician in private practice in Enfield, Connecticut. “And white willow, often called nature’s aspirin, can be an effective tool for treating a migraine headache.”
Kriegler cautions that if people are “allergic to aspirin or taking other NSAIDs, they shouldn’t use these [supplements].”
Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Headache Severity
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that your body needs but can’t produce on its own. They must therefore be consumed in the diet.
Foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids include wild cold-water fish such as salmon, cod, and tuna; flaxseed, walnuts, and eggs fortified with omega-3s.
Omega-3s are known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-blood-clotting effects, which may make them protective against heart disease and stroke.
Consuming more foods high in omega-3 fatty acids may also have some benefit for people with migraine.
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published in November 2018 in Nutritional Neuroscience found that consumption of omega-3 fatty acids reduced the duration of migraine attacks by about three and a half hours, although it had no effect on the frequency or severity of attacks.
A study published in the August 2016 Journal of Pain also looked at the role of another essential fatty acid, omega-6, in chronic migraine and found that reducing omega-6 fats along with increasing omega-3 consumption led to more headache improvement than reducing omega-6s alone.
Omega-6 fatty acids are found in many processed foods that contain corn oil, as well as in flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, and pistachios. The typical American diet contains 10 times more omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids, according to the Harvard Health Letter, and many experts believe that consuming about the same amount of both is healthier for humans.
Magnesium May Reduce Migraine Frequency and Intensity
Magnesium can be taken as a natural supplement to prevent migraine attacks, says Nada Hindiyeh, MD, a headache specialist and researcher at Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto, California.
In a meta-analysis published in 2016 in Pain Physician, oral magnesium was shown to reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks. There was also evidence that intravenous magnesium could help reduce the severity of an acute migraine attack within 15 to 45 minutes.
Many healthy foods provide magnesium, including bananas, flaxseeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, dark chocolate, and leafy greens such as spinach and Swiss chard.
Acupressure May Help Relieve Tense Muscles
Acupressure is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and can improve tightness and tension in the neck and shoulder muscles, which can sometimes trigger or worsen a migraine attack or headache.
According to UCLA Integrative Medicine, acupressure sends a signal to the body to turn on self-healing or regulatory mechanisms. It’s performed by applying firm pressure to stimulate each pressure point. You can do acupressure to yourself or have someone else do it.
A few common pressure points for treating headache include:
- Gallbladder 20 (GB20), also called feng chi, is located by feeling the mastoid (ear) bone and following the groove back to where your neck muscles connect to the skull.
- Triple Energizer 3, or zhong zhu, is found in the groove formed by the tendons of the fourth and fifth fingers, behind the knuckles
Scalp Massage May Help Relieve Migraine Pain
Do-it-yourself scalp massages may be an effective way to alleviate migraine pain.
For some people with migraine, scalp massage will offer relief from pain by helping reduce tension and promoting more robust circulation, says Dr. Rothenberg. “For others, the idea of being touched anywhere, especially the head, won’t be appealing and could make the pain worse. Like many aspects of natural, individualized medicine, nothing will work for everyone!”
Scalp massage is unlikely to be comfortable for people with allodynia, a fairly common symptom of migraine in which people are very sensitive to touch and other stimuli that isn’t typically painful. Allodynia can make even normal activities such as brushing hair or resting your head on a pillow very painful.
A Cold Compress or Ice Pack Can Help Lessen Pain
Although both ice and heat can be used to relieve pain, most people with migraine prefer cold, according to the National Headache Foundation.
Cold packs can be placed on the forehead and temples or on the back of the neck, if you prefer. It’s best to keep a cloth between your skin and an ice pack; if you use a commercial cold pack, make sure there are no leaks where chemicals could escape and potentially harm your eyes.
Vitamin B12 Levels May Be Associated With Migraine Risk
Evidence links low levels of vitamin B12 with migraine. A study published in October 2019 in the journal Headache compared vitamin B12 levels in 70 people with migraine and 70 healthy people of similar demographics. Investigators found that serum levels of B12 were significantly lower in people with migraine compared with participants without migraine. People with the lowest levels of the vitamin were five times more likely to have migraine than those with the highest levels of B12.
Researchers have also tested the effects of daily vitamin supplements containing folic acid (vitamin B9), vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 on migraine. In a study published in 2016 in the Journal of Headache and Pain, it was found that 1 milligram (mg) of folic acid in combination with vitamin B6 and B12 was less effective in reducing symptoms associated with migraine compared with a dose previously tested by the same researchers, namely 2 mg folic acid in combination with 25 mg of vitamin B6 and 400 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B12.
Butterbur Is Sometimes Used for Migraine Prevention
A review of evidence on natural remedies published in March 2016 in Headache concluded butterbur was effective in helping prevent migraine. The analysis included a trial in which the supplement reduced the frequency of migraine by 48 percent, compared with 26 percent in the control group.
On the basis of those studies, the American Headache Society, the Canadian Headache Society, and the American Academy of Neurology all recommended butterbur for use in preventing migraine.
The American Academy of Neurology later retracted its recommendation because of concerns about liver toxicity.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, butterbur products that contain chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids may damage the liver, lungs, and blood circulation, and possibly cause cancer. Consumers should therefore consider using only products that are certified “PA-free.”
Butterbur is usually taken orally and, according to an article in StatPearls, the recommended dose is between 50 and 150 mg. Since butterbur can interact with certain drugs, it’s advised that you talk with your doctor before taking it or any other herbal supplement.
Essential Oils Can Have a Calming Effect
While no strong evidence suggests that essential oils can reduce the frequency or severity of headaches or migraine attacks, some people find it relaxing to massage lavender oil, diluted peppermint oil, or basil oil on their temples, or to put a few drops in a diffuser to scent the air.
“Lavender can be calming, and anything that decreases stress is helpful,” says Kriegler.
While lavender oil can be either inhaled or applied topically, it should not be taken orally because of its potency and the potential for taking in too much, according to Cleveland Clinic.
As an alternative to peppermint oil, peppermint tea brewed from fresh or dried leaves can also provide a relaxing effect, and contribute to proper hydration.
“Basil oil has a long history as a home remedy for relaxation and as an analgesic, or painkiller,” says Rothenberg. “The herb works as a muscle relaxant, so it is especially helpful for headaches caused by tension and tight muscles.”
Before applying any oil to your body, perform a skin test on the inside of your wrist to make sure you aren’t allergic to it.
Additional reporting by Becky Upham.
