Knees are weak; palms are sweaty… Just one of those passing migraines that have the habit of ruining a perfectly good day. As one who had to deal with migraines for the past couple of years, popping pills has become something of a hobby for yours truly.
And even my prescription meds, I can’t seem to shake loose those annoying and throbbing aches.
Anyway, after seeing that marvelous piece on the effects of garlic inside the ear ! I’ve decided to let you on a little prepping secret: salt cures migraines! What? You can’t be serious.
Yes, I am. You mean the same stuff that makes our ticker go haywire can actually cure a frigging migraine? Yup, that’s right. Wouldn’t have written about it if I had even the slightest doubt about it. Even tried it out me to see if works, and it does. Dunno if its placebo or the real McCoy, but the thing is that my migraines are getting less, well, migrainy.
Still, before showing you this neat little trick, let’s get sciency a bit and talk about the connection between sodium (salt) and migraines.
Salt and Migraines Don’t Click! Or do They?
Let’s consider the basics – we need electrolytes in order to live, breath, and thrive; no, you’re going to drink Gatorade instead of water because it contains electrolytes. Think of these substances as the body’s electricity conductors. Their job is to balance the fluids that flow between the outside and the inside of our cells. As you’ve probably guessed it, sodium is an electrolyte. The most important one at the that. Potassium is also an electrolyte. Now, the interaction between sodium and potassium creates what it’s called an action potential, which is another fancy word for electrical stimulation. This prompts our cells to wake up and do what they’re supposed to do. More or less, it’s like prodding a stubborn cow with one of those electrical batons to make it move. Our bodies, like the perfect little machines they are, have this innate ability to auto-balance sodium level, but only to a certain degree. Too little sodium and you get kick-ass symptoms like fatigue, hallucinations, headaches, and, yes migraines. On the other hand, low levels of sodium lead to more debilitating symptoms like seizures, coma, and, of course, meeting Lady Scythe. Lovely, isn’t it? Well, that’s it for sodium. But what about migraines? Well, if you had one before, then you know that it’s something much worse than a headache. For the others, migraine is the, let’s say, the lovechild of headaches and extreme nausea.
Migraines end in throbbing headaches, but they’re usually accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, change of vision (your eyes are unable to focus that well), and numbness in the arms, legs, and feet. In some people, migraines can cause hypersensitivity to light (master, don’t come out! The sun’s still up), irritability, and loss of appetite.
I usually end up spending the rest of the day in my attic, listening to some tunes, each time the migraine hits.
Great info, but what’s the connection? Hold your britches. Here’s what you need to know. Among the most common causes of migraines is lack of sleep, dehydration, too much salt, stress, food additives, weather changes, and, bam, electrolyte imbalance.
Though the exact relationship between sodium and migraines has yet to be determined, the guys in cool lab coats, tend to think that it has very much to do with our diet and how our body processes vits, minerals, and nutrients. Our body cannot produce salt, so we need to get it from somewhere else (food and drinks).
The sad part is that although we try our best to curb our salt intake since it’s known to lead to cardiovascular disease, we end up eating more salt than the recommended daily dose. Why? Because our f-ing food is riddled with it. Everything from meat to dairy, sweets, and processed food contains more salt than a saline quarry.
You know what’s the recommended salt intake? 2300 mg – that’s about three-quarters of a teaspoon. Still, with all this wondrous food around, we end up eating one and a half teaspoons of salt per day, if not more.
So how does this amount to salt being good for migraines? Well, some researchers have found out that patients who consumed a small amount of salt were less likely to experience debilitating migraine symptoms compared to those on low sodium diets or no salt. Again, they don’t know for sure why it happens, but it seems to pay off. I tried this cure a couple of times, and it worked like magic.
Related: 16 Free Alternative Pain Meds
My take on pain meds
So, to get rid of those migraines here’s what you will need to do. Grab an empty glass, a lemon, salt, and a jug of water. Squeeze the lemon juice, pour it in the glass, then add one tablespoon of salt and water. Stir and shake. Drink it, and that’s basically it. In 30 minutes, tops, you’ll feel like a new man or woman. That’s it – simplicity itself laid out in front of you. One word of caution, though.
If you have heart or kidney issues, I wouldn’t advise using this trick, since it can lead to other nasty entanglements. You can also use the same mixture of other hygienic purposes. For instance, if you eliminate the lemon, the water-and-salt mix is great for reducing throat swelling. Also, those who have gland problems (another fancy word for smelly feet or armpits), try washing the aforementioned body parts in water with a little bit of Epsom salts. Stay safe!
