Before turning to pain medication next time, let’s see what methods can help alleviate or stop a headache entirely. Taking medication is not always the last resort, as some people consume medication only to find their symptoms persist, potentially leading to accumulated effects on the liver and kidneys later on. Or for some patients who cannot take pain medication due to existing chronic diseases such as heart disease or high blood pressure, medication is not always the solution.

Find the Cause

When migraine strikes again, identifying the cause of the headache is crucial.

1. Observe what initiates the headache each time, as everyone’s sensitivity to triggers varies. Some people get headaches accompanied by stress and insufficient rest, others after exposing to bright sunlight during the day or rapid changes in weather. Some feel a headache every time they are in a noisy place or smell strong scents like perfume, incense smoke. These are the most common factors that exacerbate headaches and pose a major problem for patients today.
2. Some types of food can exacerbate symptoms, such as processed foods like smoked sausages containing preservatives, fermented foods, MSG, artificial sugar, certain fruits like bananas, alcoholic beverages, red wine, beer, caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, cocoa, soft drinks, as well as cheese and MSG.
3. Women experiencing hormonal changes during their menstrual cycle become more sensitive to triggers, and skipping meals can also be a factor that exacerbates symptoms.

Managing Migraines

Once the cause is identified, the next step is to avoid or eliminate those risk factors. Visiting a doctor can help patients receive correct treatment suitable for their symptoms, including practices in medication consumption that many may not know, such as taking the medicine immediately when feeling a headache, rather than waiting for the pain to worsen, which is detrimental as the body begins to tolerate the pain, leading to increased severity of symptoms.

“Finding the cause leads to proper treatment. Often, doctors find that the cause of migraines doesn’t come from external triggers but from internal factors such as pain from spinal disc herniation pressing on a nerve, which regular medication intake may not cure.”

Diagnostic and Treatment Techniques for Headaches

Besides diagnosing the cause of disease with medical equipment, current techniques for effectively diagnosing and treating headaches include Biofeedback, to measure bodily functions during a headache compared to normal times, like heart rate, muscles, blood pressure, temperature. This measurement can guide body relaxation training, breath control to lessen muscle tension, thereby gradually alleviating the pain, and the consumption of supplements such as Vitamin B2, minerals, and Coenzyme Q10.

For headaches caused by spinal disc herniation due to structural abnormalities, body posture while sitting, standing, walking, or incorrect sleeping positions causing muscle imbalance and possible tearing, physical therapy can also help alleviate headache symptoms.

The final technique involves alternative medicine, such as acupuncture on the forehead, temples, the back of the head, the crown, and around the eyes to help unblock and facilitate the smooth flow of Qi, helping restore problematic muscle areas to function well again. Results from 10 acupuncture sessions in one month can alleviate pain for between 6 months to 1 year.