Holistic and Integrative Treatments for Migraine Sufferers

June is Migraine Awareness Month and here at Integrative Family Medicine, our clinic is no stranger to patients with migraines. Migraines are a recurrent headache disorder that can be debilitating for many people. There are many different migraine treatment options, including relief medication, daily preventative migraine medications, IV therapy treatments for migraines, and supplements to help migraine sufferers reduce their pain and symptoms associated with an attack. Simply put: migraine sufferers will try nearly any and all options to find relief when it comes to a migraine attack.

What is a migraine?

A migraine is a type of headache caused by changes in the brain. These changes cause abnormal activity in the brain that affects how we see, hear, think and feel. A migraine typically lasts for 4-72 hours, however many patients report a longer duration of their symptoms beyond 72 hours.

Migraine Triggers

In all reality, triggers for your migraine are personal to you. We often find patients know best when it comes to their triggers
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• Stress and anxiety
• Hormonal changes in a woman's body during her menstrual cycle
• Exposure to bright light and flashing lights (like those from a strobe light)
• Foods that contain tyramine, such as aged cheeses and red wine (more on this below)
• Smoking or exposure to smoke
• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can occur after eating a high-carb meal or after skipping meals
• Alcohol consumption, particularly red wine or beer (more on this below)

It isn’t as simple as “removing triggers” as many doctors at a typical medical clinic would suggest. For me, my migraines are triggered by lack of sleep in the form of early morning wakings by one (or both) of my two toddlers around 3am and I can’t get back to sleep before I need to get going for the day. ‘Removing’ my triggers isn’t that easy when it comes to two little ones under the age of 3.

Symptoms of a migraine

A migraine typically begins with a few warning signs, some have an aura (or premonition), which often appear as visual disturbances (such as bright lights), sensory changes (such as tingling or numbness), or motor weakness (such as muscle weakness). These symptoms are usually brief and often subside before the actual headache strikes; migraines happen with or without an aura though. When the actual headache comes on, it may be accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light and sound, fatigue, depression, anxiety and irritability. The severity of these symptoms varies greatly among individuals but they can be debilitating for some people who experience them frequently or severely enough to disrupt their lives significantly.

Migraine Management

Migraines are often debilitating and can interfere with daily life for those who have them. But there are holistic and integrative migraine treatments available that can help you manage your symptoms and lessen the impact on your life. Here at Integrative Family Medicine, our medical practice is prepared to treat your migraine issues in many ways so that you can reduce the number of migraine days you have each month. This includes holistic and alternative migraine treatments in addition to the typical medical approach!

Migraine Attacks

If you are having an acute migraine attack, we can see you in the office the same day for an urgent care visit. Pending no red flag migraine symptoms, we can usually manage your migraine in the same way they would in the ER: IV fluids, IV Zofran for nausea, and IV Toradol for pain. Except our medical clinic will throw in a dark room with a dimmable lamp to adjust to your preference, a recliner, a comfy blanket, some essential oils in the diffuser (if you aren’t sensitive), an Alpha-stim treatment if you think your migraine is related to stress or anxiety, topped off with snacks and electrolyte powder to add to your water once that nausea subsides. Did we mention no lengthy ER wait? We typically have migraine attacks managed within an hour, all for less than the cost of your ER co-pay.

IV Therapy for Migraine Attacks

IV Therapy has become a niche market these days, and while we’re flattered so many have jumped onto this bandwagon, you should receive migraine treatment at a medical clinic that can has the medical training to effectively treat your migraine attack. The National Headache Foundation estimates that 1 in 7 Americans suffers from migraines, but many times those who experience them are not properly diagnosed or treated. While it can seem convenient to have someone come to your home for a mobile IV option, we would argue that medical supervision over your IV migraine treatment is necessary so that you are properly diagnosed and treated.

​So how do we use IV hydration for migraine management? Since a common migraine trigger is poor nutrition, this often leads a patient to a dehydrated status. Simply put, a bag of saline will do wonders for just about anyone. Integrative Family Medicine offers the options to add in vitamins to your fluids to help you feel better, faster. We have been doing this for awhile and are medically trained in IV additives. Better put: we have a perfect cocktail to help you feel better when it comes to IV treatments for your migraine. (Yeah, it also works for a hangover!)

Schedule an IV Treatment for your Migraine Today:

For current patients AND those who aren’t patients at our clinic, you can book an IV migraine treatment online at any time of day, often in the middle of the night, to see us the same day. We have medical supervision at all times in our medical clinics for IV treatments, so you’re in safe hands. Go to our website 24/7, click on ‘schedule an appointment’ and select either office (West Des Moines or Ankeny) to see the available IV spots for the day. If there isn’t anything available, give our office a call when we open at 9 am and we will work you in. You can also send our office an email overnight requesting a same day appointment at [email protected].

Find the Root Cause to your Chronic Migraines

For chronic migraine sufferers, we can see you on non-migraine days to help you discover the root cause of your migraines and work towards healing. I commonly relate this to an onion and the need to peel back layers within our lifestyle and manage one thing at a time. This can vary in the form of nutritional coaching from our certified integrative health coach, Nurse Kala, prescribed medications, IV hydration, supplements, mental health visits, and diagnostic testing. 
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In general, our clinic doesn’t have a “one-size fits all” approach like you see in other medical clinics. Your self worth is not defined by your condition, yet we find many are labeled as such due to lack of healthcare and resources that are largely ineffective to truly helping patients find health and healing. 

Schedule a New Patient Appointment

If you suffer from migraines and struggle to manage your migraine attacks and chronic symptoms, we can help. To see a provider for your chronic migraine issues, contact our office to become a new patient or schedule online on our website for a new patient appointment. We have immediate availability for new patients with our newest partner, Dr. Hoelscher, a board certified internal medicine physician who knows migraines and knows how this can affect you or your loved one. 

​Choose Different. Choose Better. Choose the Experience YOU Deserve.