Home care for headaches and migraines

Oct. 6, 2009, DANVILLE – No two headaches are exactly the same. Stress, dehydration and food are just some of the factors that can trigger a headache or migraine.

To care for headaches and migraines without medication, Todd Rozen, MD, director of The Headache Program at Geisinger Health System, suggests that people try the following steps:

• Get the same amount of sleep every night, including weekends.
• Do not skip meals.
• Monitor diet for food triggers.
• Keep a diary of headaches. This can help illustrate any patterns, particularly for women and their menstrual cycles.
• Look for a migraine prodrome, symptoms that appear together 24 to 72 hours prior to a headache like food cravings, excessive yawning, feelings of euphoria or depression, bloating, constipation, or urinary retention.
• Stay hydrated. Drink eight, eight-ounce glasses of water a day.
• Exercise a minimum of 20 minutes a day, three days a week.

“The best way to treat a headache is to prevent it whenever possible,” said Dr. Rozen. “Dehydration is a key factor in headaches, therefore it is important to stay hydrated by drinking 64 ounces of water each day.”

When behavior modification and home remedies do not alleviate headaches, patients should seek medical consultation, according to Dr. Rozen. A migraine prodrome may be treated by your physician.

About Geisinger Health System
Founded in 1915, Geisinger Health System (Danville, Pa.) is one of the nation’s largest integrated health services organizations.  Serving more than two million residents throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania, the physician-led organization is at the forefront of the country's rapidly emerging electronic health records movement. Geisinger is comprised of two medical center campuses, three hospitals, a 740-member group practice, a not-for-profit health insurance company and the Henry Hood Center for Health Research—dedicated to creating innovative new models for patient care, satisfaction and clinical outcomes. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org.

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