How to Treat a Migraine

You're going about your day --- working, taking care of kids, relaxing --- when you first feel it. Perhaps it's a spot or two in front of your eyes that won't clear no matter how many times you blink. Perhaps it's the pressure in the back of your neck that's been building without your notice. Or maybe it's the tingle in your fingertips that says "Pay attention --- a migraine is starting."

Below are some tips for how to treat a migraine, but it should be made clear that you should see a doctor and get some medication to either prevent migraines or to treat them when they start. For some of us, migraines are a fact of life, but they can be dealt with.

Here's what to do when you feel a migraine coming on.


Instructions :


Step1
Take it seriously. Non-migraineurs might not understand how serious your condition is, but you do. Do not ignore it and hope it will go away. The sooner you deal with it, the better.

Step2
Take your meds. The sooner medication is taken, the quicker it can stop a full-blown migraine from coming on. Take it at the first sign --- even the first suspicion --- of a migraine. Also take a dose of whatever you take for pain such as Motrin, Excedrin for Migraine or Aleve.

Step3
Lie down. If you can pass off your work to someone else, do it as quickly as possible. If you're home with small kids, you might have to put in a video and lie on the couch. Wherever you are, take a break. You are truly ill; take care of yourself accordingly.

Step4
Make it dark. Close the blinds, turn off the lights. Close your eyes.

Step5
Make it quiet. If you're at work, go lie down in your car. At home, turn the phone off and the TV down low.

Step6
Put ice on it. An ice pack adds both pressure and coldness, helping to relieve some of the pain. A package of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel works well for this since it conforms to the shape of your neck or head.

Step7
Sleep. Sometimes there's nothing to do but sleep while the medication does its job. It's one way to escape the pain until it passes or the meds take care of it.

Step8
Respect the hangover. You might feel wrung out or worn down after a migraine passes. Like with the flu, just be aware that the actual illness may have passed, but you won't be at your best for a day or two.

Step9
Have some private time. It's hard to imagine, but studies have shown that achieving orgasm actually relieves migraine pain. It causes the constricted blood vessels to dilate, freeing the restricted flow of blood that was causing you pain in the first place.


Tips & Warnings

* Don't forget to check with your doctor about your migraines, especially if they frequently interrupt the regular flow of your life. Carry your meds with you; don't leave them at home. Talk with family members and co-workers about what you will have to do if a migraine starts.
* Do not take this article as a substitute for your health care provider's advice.

By Katherine Teel,
source : ehow