Nikki Hawkes

Medical Herbalist & IBS specialist

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Headaches and migraine

Migraine and nausea

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Migraine headaches are very common and affect around 14% of people. With recurrent, moderate to severe headaches that last between 4 to 72 hours each time this health problem can have a devastating effect on quality of life. But it is not just the headache that disrupts day to day life. Migraineurs often have to deal with other symptoms as well as the headache, especially digestive problems. There is certainly a connection between migraine and nausea, but migraineurs also often have diarrhoea or constipation. The nausea and vomiting that are common symptoms for many with these types of headaches can be a major cause of distress.

But why does migraine cause nausea?

The connection between the gut and brain begins with the developing embryo. The cells that become the gut and those that become the brain develop almost simultaneously. The brain or central nervous system remains linked to the gut and it’s enteric nervous system or “second brain” via the vagal nerve for life. [Read more…] about Migraine and nausea

How to prevent migraines during pregnancy

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The good news is that more than half of women report improvements in their migraines during pregnancy. Unfortunately, you won’t know if you are one of the lucky ones until you’re pregnant. Since migraine medication can be harmful to an unborn child, ideally it should be avoided in pregnancy. Yet, being without your migraine medications might be a scary prospect. Thank goodness there are several safe, non-pharmaceutical options that help prevent migraines during pregnancy.

Many migraine medications are most dangerous in the first trimester, a time when a woman can be pregnant without knowing. So, if you suffer from migraines and you’re planning to have a baby, you might also want to consider tapering off your migraine preventers before your pregnancy begins.

Non-drug treatment options are considered safer during pregnancy and can be started before the pregnancy. It is a good idea to get started early since some may take a few weeks or months to establish their benefits. [Read more…] about How to prevent migraines during pregnancy

Probiotics and migraine prevention

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Migraine headaches are a common, often chronic and recurring condition. Though I have only ever had one migraine headache myself, I remember how bad it felt and so I can understand how devastating recurring migraine headaches could be. In my post Can a leaky gut cause migraines? I discuss a possible link between gut health and the occurrence of migraine headaches. Here I discuss the findings of a recently published literature review that supports this link. As well as the potential use of probiotics in migraine prevention.

The review explains that people that have migraine headaches are also more likely to have digestive disorders, such as, but not limited to, inflammatory bowel disease and coeliac disease. They go on to suggest there may also be a link between having colic as a baby and suffering with migraines in later life. [Read more…] about Probiotics and migraine prevention

How to prevent menstrual migraines naturally

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An equal number of boys and girls suffer with migraine headaches. This changes after puberty. With the ratio of women to men migraineurs increasing with age. So that in her 40s a woman is more than three times as likely to suffer with migraines. It seems a woman’s complex hormonal fluctuations may be an additional cause of migraines. What’s more, these menstrual migraines are difficult to treat with conventional medicine. So, what does natural medicine have to offer?

What is a menstrual migraine?

Some women have true menstrual migraines. With headaches only occurring with menses or just before.

While others have migraines throughout their cycle. Yet, half of them report migraines occur more often during menses. [Read more…] about How to prevent menstrual migraines naturally

Natural methods to reduce the frequency of migraines

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If you suffer with chronic migraines your doctor may offer you medication. The problem is the medication does not always help. Or, it may have side effects that prevent you from taking it. This post talks about some natural methods to reduce the frequency of migraines.
 
Migraine headaches affect about 12% of people in the UK and USA. There are different types of migraines and the headaches can be severe. As well as the headache itself there may be other symptoms such as a visual aura. A feeling of nausea and vomiting are also common. Not surprisingly this condition causes emotional upset and reduces quality of life. 

[Read more…] about Natural methods to reduce the frequency of migraines

St Johns Wort a potential migraine treatment?

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Migraine is a common and debilitating condition. There are many prescription and over the counter medications for migraine. Yet, migraineurs are often not satisfied with their use. Since they are sometimes not effective, or they may have undesirable side effects. So are there other options for migraine treatment?

St. John’s wort has been used as medicine for centuries. Recent studies suggest it may be a potential treatment for migraine. Traditionally a tonic herb for conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, and depression. It has lots of other indications for medicinal use. Such as relieving headaches, nerve pain, fighting viral infections and improving wound healing. [Read more…] about St Johns Wort a potential migraine treatment?

How to relieve nausea with acupressure

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More than half of migraine sufferers have symptoms besides a headache. One of the most common is nausea or vomiting. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is often used to relieve migraine and nausea. An effective acupuncture point for this is Neiguan or pericardium 6 (P6).

P6 is helpful for the relief of nausea due to many causes. Especially for nausea associated with migraine, motion sickness and morning sickness. It also is effective for relieving nausea induced by chemotherapy and for post-surgical nausea.

Acupuncture is effective for both prevention and treatment of nausea. But it is not always possible or convenient to make an acupuncture appointment during a migraine attack. An alternative to acupuncture that can be self-administered is acupressure. [Read more…] about How to relieve nausea with acupressure

How to use feverfew for migraine prevention

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Medicines made from plant material have been in use for thousands of years. And, in many parts of the world herbal medicines are still the main source of medicine.

Feverfew is a medicinal plant with a history of use for helping with fever, as its name suggests. It also has benefits for rheumatic conditions and digestive problems. It became known as a  remedy for migraines after a  Welsh doctor’s wife described using it. After decades of migraine attacks she ate three leaves of feverfew daily. And her migraines completely disappeared in ten months. Since then there have been a lot of studies on feverfew for migraine prevention. [Read more…] about How to use feverfew for migraine prevention

Can a leaky gut cause migraines?

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An estimated 15% of the population suffer from migraine headaches at least once. With more women than men affected. Those affected tend to need long term medication. But, prescribed medicines tend to be only partially effective, and have side effects. This leaves many people living with severe pain on a regular basis without hope of a cure.  Could there be an underlying cause that we could find and address? Scientist have started to think so. Impaired gut health could be one such underlying cause. So, can a leaky gut cause migraines?

Though we don’t have all the answers, research is ongoing. We know that there is greater risk of migraine if someone else in the family has them. But environmental factors may be more important than genes. A person may have the genes that predispose them to migraines but may never have one. So, one theory is that something in the migraineurs environment triggers off the condition. [Read more…] about Can a leaky gut cause migraines?