A Natural Approach to Migraine Relief

Or Four Simple Steps to Avoid Migraine attacks by Natural Means.

Currently, more and more people are adopting a philosophy of assuming increased responsibility for their health and of using natural products instead of chemicals in treating their ailments, especially, those who suffer the often debilitating affects of migraine.

Step 1. Find Out If You Have Migraine?
If you have two or more of the following symptoms during an attack it is probable that you are suffering from Migraine.

Visual Disturbances, including blind spots, distorted vision, flashing lights or zigzag patterns.

These symptoms, called aura, are most often identified with migraine but in fact only effect about 10% of sufferers.
ï Intense throbbing headaches, often on one side of the head only.
ï Nausea, vomiting and or diarrhoea.
ï Increased sensitivity to light
ï Increased sensitivity to sound
ï Increased sensitivity to smells

Other symptoms include stiffness of the neck and shoulders, tingling or stiffness in the limbs, an inability to concentrate and difficulty in speaking.

A general rule of thumb is that if a headache and or associated symptoms prevent you from carrying on your normal daily activities you could be suffering from Migraine.

What causes my Migraine?
Migraine pain is caused by the inflammation of blood vessels in the tissue surrounding the brain. The inflammation in the brain, triggers nerve endings to release neurotransmitters, sending chemical messages of pain throughout the body. What causes these changes is still subject for research. However, certain factors can trigger attacks in susceptible people.

ï Stress
ï Hunger
ï Certain foods such as: Cows milk, Eggs, Chocolate, Wheat, Oranges, Cheese, Tomatoes, Tartrazine, Rye, Shellfish, Tea, Meat, Soy, Coffee, Corn, Alcohol, Nuts, Yeast and Fruits.
ï Over tiredness
ï Hormonal factors
ï Extreme emotions
ï Physical activity
ï Changes in weather or air pressure, bright sunlight, fluorescent lights, chemical fumes

Step 2. Avoid Your Migraine Triggers!
This list is not complete but indicates the first step you can make towards limiting your migraine attacks. The obvious advice is to avoid the triggers to your migraines. It is possible to avoid many of these triggers without radically changing your lifestyle. Other triggers are more difficult or indeed impossible to avoid. It is difficult to avoid stress, fluorescent light bulbs, the menstrual cycle. It is impossible to avoid changes in the weather.

Step 3. Control Stress and Migraine Symptoms through Self-Hypnosis Techniques
Few people are aware of self-hypnosis as a technique for controlling migraines. However, studies have shown this technique to be effective at reducing the incidence and severity of migraine attacks. A recent study on self-hypnosis with the aid of audiotapes showed that 83% of participants benefited from this intervention. The technique only requires half an hour of your time once a day for a week and then half an hour once a week thereafter. Information on where to acquire these tapes is available at the end of this article.

Step 4. Reduce Your Migraine Attacks by 62% with Butterbur Petasin.
Luckily, there is a natural alternative people can try to prevent migraine attacks, Butterbur Petasin. Used successfully in Europe for 25 years, this pain-relieving herbal extract is taking the United States by storm. One recent randomised, double blind clinical study at the University of Munich looked at the effectiveness of this extract over a three-month period. Patients who experienced at least three migraine attacks per month for at least a year participated. When given 50mg of the Butterbur extract twice a day for three months they experienced fewer and less severe attacks. In fact, the supplement reduced the average number of migraines from 3.3 to 1.3 per month (a reduction of 62%!). In addition to lower intensity pain and shorter duration of migraines, they also experienced less nausea. Butterbur Petasin can ease the crippling pain of migraine, by preventing the inflammation of blood vessels and tissue in the brain.

Further Evidence on Butterbur Petasin
An even more recent large-scale clinical trial involving 202 patients in Germany and the USA confirms the results of the first study. This second study also underlines the importance of dosage. 50mg twice daily of the standardised extract of Butterbur Petasin was effective. However, a daily dosage of 150mg (50mg three times a day) was of even greater benefit. Significantly, over 70% of those taking the higher dosage had at least a 50% reduction in Migraine attacks.

Who Should Take Butterbur Petasin?
The more severe your migraine the more you will benefit from Butterbur Petasin. Anybody having two or more Migraine attacks per month or whose life is being seriously affected by Migraine should consider giving it a try.

These four simple steps can help you reclaim your life. So what have you got to lose?

For Free Offer of Migraine Self Help Tapes for readers of this magazine or further information on Butterbur Petasin, stockists or mail order, phone 01506 848649. Or write to: Linpharma Herbal Products, PO Box 13511, Linlithgow, West Lothian, EH49 7YH.
Email info@linpharma.com