Using aromatherapy to prevent migraines is better than using it to treat migraines.
When migraines begin to invade patients and give them a headache, they often cannot tolerate the aroma of essential oils or have someone touch their head.
If the patient can tolerate the therapist’s touch and the scent of the essential oils, the following method may help relieve the patient’s symptoms when the migraine first starts.
Apply a cold compress to the forehead and temples with equal parts of Myrica and Peppermint, and replace the compress with a new one when it is warmed by body heat.
If massaging the head does not make the patient feel very uncomfortable, massage the temples very gently with mullein oil.
Many migraine sufferers have pain caused by poor blood circulation in the brain, so applying a hot or warm compress with marjoram oil to the back of the neck can increase blood flow to the head and reduce the symptoms.
Marjoram oil is a vasodilator (it slightly dilates the lumen of the blood vessels), and warmth is also beneficial to vasodilation.
Since most migraines are stress-related, a regular massage in areas of muscle tension, such as the shoulders and neck, is arguably the best way to prevent migraines.
Self-massage, including patting the scalp (when the head does not hurt, of course), is very beneficial.
The appearance of migraine symptoms in most patients is related to diet, and if not, special attention should be paid to the patient’s symptoms.
Cheese, chocolate, and wine are the foods most likely to cause migraines, but other foods may also cause migraines.
Other non-food factors may also cause migraines, such as inadequate lighting, industrial and household chemicals, etc.