Ginger or fish oil against migraines

Today, an increasing number of people suffer from unbearable and frequent migraine attacks. These attacks are not only extremely painful and uncomfortable but also affect the professional and social lives of those who suffer from them. Below, I describe treatments for migraines using ginger or fish oil, as well as observations from scientists who have studied these treatments. The text is partially taken from Jean Carper’s book, Food: Your Miracle Medicine.

Ginger

Try ginger. This old-fashioned spice can be as effective in alleviating and preventing migraines as powerful prescription drugs, which may have severe side effects. Ginger has been used for centuries in some cultures to treat headaches, nausea, and nervous disorders, and its physiological explanation is provided by Dr. Krishna C. Srivastava from Odense University in Denmark. Ginger, like aspirin and some other effective migraine medications, works on prostaglandins, hormone-like substances in the body that help control inflammatory reactions involving histamine and pain. Ginger actually works like aspirin in stopping the formation of prostaglandins, leading to reduced pain and inflammation.

For a trial, Dr. Srivastava and colleagues suggested a forty-two-year-old patient take ginger at the first sign of visual disturbances (aura) that often indicate an impending migraine. She did so by taking 500 to 600 mg (about one-third of a teaspoon) of ginger powder mixed with plain water. It was a remarkable success, according to Dr. Srivastava. Within thirty minutes, “the abortive effect on the headache was noticeable,” he observes. For the next three or four days, the woman also took one-third of a teaspoon of ginger powder four times a day.

The trial was so successful that the woman regularly began eating fresh, uncooked ginger root as part of her diet, significantly reducing the frequency and severity of her migraines. Before the ginger therapy, she would have two to three severe headaches a month. During thirteen months of taking ginger, she had only one mild headache every two months.

Doctors speculate that ginger eliminates or prevents migraines through one or a combination of mechanisms very similar to modern drugs. Since no side effects of ginger have been recorded, Dr. Srivastava advises that both adults and children can safely try it to combat migraines.

Fish Oil

Eat fish to prevent headaches. Experiments at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, led by Dr. Timothy McCarren, showed that taking fish oil capsules stopped migraines in about 60 percent of participants with severe migraines, reducing the number of attacks by half – from two weekly to two every two weeks. The pain and intensity of headaches were also reduced. For unknown reasons, fish oil helped men more frequently than women. Dr. McCarren also suggests that consuming less animal-derived saturated fats can sometimes prevent migraines, as saturated fats stimulate the formation of hormone-like substances that trigger events leading to migraines.

This doesn’t mean you can bite into fish like taking a pill when you feel a headache coming on. However, research notes that regularly eating fish, especially fatty fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines, can have a long-term effect on brain chemical reactions, helping reduce migraine attacks over time.

I particularly emphasize the effectiveness of bioenergy treatments for those suffering from migraine headaches. Bioenergy helps remarkably quickly, and improvements are noticeable after just a few treatments.