How about dipping your feet in hot water for headache relief?
Still, somehome remedies for migraineactually help (more on this later).
Read on to find out.
Does dipping your feet in hot water help with migraines?
Hydrotherapy (i.e., using warm or cold water to treat health conditions) has been around for eons.
That said, theres little evidence to support it, Dr. Rosen adds.
neurologist and assistant professor at theIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
The main drivers of migraine attacks are electrical activation in the brain and neuroinflammation, she says.
That said,howwarm water helps migraines is still unknown and unclear, Dr. Rosen says.
They may modify pain signals somehow, having a secondary effect on the central nervous system, he says.
The effect may be similar to peripheral electrical stimulating devices that help stop andprevent migraines.
Though we still dont knowwhyhydrotherapy helps migraine, some preliminary research seems to suggest that it does.
Though promising, take the results with a bit of caution.
Plus, it involved a combination of hotandcold therapies, not just hot water soaks on their own.
That said, some groups may want to skip the foot soak altogether.
This includes people with heart problems.
neurologist and assistant professor at theIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Anyone with a heart condition should consider clearance from their physician before trying this, Dr. Rosen says.
If your doctor gives you the okay, try it out.
Same goes for anyone with neuropathy (nerve damage) in the feet.
Does soaking your feet in cold water for migraine help?
Cold therapy has long been a common home remedy for migraine.
It makes sense: Ice packs have a numbing effect, so they can help alleviate head pain.
Its Amazing How Its All Connected.
That said, you might prefer therapies that have a proven track record.
Keep in mind: What may work for one person may not work for another, she says.
And often its not one approach, but a combination of things that help.
From home remedies to medication and migraine-specific devices, these migraine treatments are tried-and-true, per theCleveland Clinicand Drs.
If you have any of the following symptoms, its best to let your doctor know, per Drs.
These tests will help them get a fuller picture of your problem.
Still, she acknowledges that some people do notice improvement in discomfort with heat (or ice) therapy.
At the end of the day, think of heat therapies as more comfort measures, Dr. Pace says.
They may make a patient feel a little less uncomfortable and perhaps more calm.
Again, for most people, managing migraine takes a combination of tactics.
Influence of hydrotherapy on clinical and cardiac autonomic function in migraine patients.
J Neurosci Rural Pract.
2016 Jan-Mar;7(1):109-13. doi: 10.4103/0976-3147.165389.
PMID: 26933356; PMCID: PMC4750306.
Sprouse-Blum AS, Gabriel AK, Brown JP, Yee MH.
Randomized controlled trial: targeted neck cooling in the treatment of the migraine patient.
Hawaii J Med Public Health.
2013 Jul;72(7):237-41.
PMID: 23901394; PMCID: PMC3727573.
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