Migraine attacks

What it is
Systematically recording what happened before each flare to find the real pattern.

Why it might help
Trigger identification is the foundation of migraine, IBS and eczema management in every major guideline.

What it is
Rebuilding the cues that tell your body when to sleep and when to wake.

Why it might help
Sleep restriction plus stimulus control (the core of CBT-I) outperforms sleep medication for chronic insomnia in head-to-head trials.

What it is
Removing likely trigger foods for a set period, then reintroducing one at a time to find the real culprit.

Why it might help
Strong evidence in irritable bowel (low-FODMAP), migraine and eczema when reintroduction is done properly.

What it is
Mapping and reducing caffeine, which quietly drives anxiety, insomnia, palpitations and reflux.

Why it might help
Caffeine's half-life of 5-6 hours means an afternoon coffee measurably fragments night-time sleep.

What it is
A proper medical work-up to rule out causes that self-care cannot address.

Why it might help
Essential where symptoms are new, persistent, worsening, or accompanied by any red flag.

What it is
Hands-on manual therapy for tissue tension and referred symptoms.

What it is
Re-timing light, food and sleep so your body clock stops working against you.

What it is
Change the surroundings that keep triggering the symptom.

What it is
Test first, then correct the specific deficiency instead of guessing at supplements.

What it is
Stacking several small changes at once instead of testing one at a time.

What it is
Attention training that lowers symptom intensity and reactivity.

What it is
Simple natural inputs - light, food, minerals, movement - with real trial support.

What it is
Pharmacy options you can buy today for fast, short-term relief while slower approaches build.

What it is
A graded, assessed exercise programme rather than generic stretches.

What it is
What conventional medicine can offer when self-managed approaches have not worked.

What it is
Talking-therapy techniques that reduce symptom impact even when the cause stays.

What it is
Heat, cold and water therapies that shift blood flow, pain signalling and recovery.

What it is
Cooling that numbs pain and reduces swelling in the first days after an injury or flare.

Why it might help
Well established for acute soft-tissue injury pain relief; effect on healing speed is debated.

What it is
Fine needles at specific points, used for pain, nausea, headache and menstrual complaints.

Why it might help
Best evidence is for chronic pain, migraine prevention, chemotherapy nausea and knee osteoarthritis.

What it is
Ayurveda matches routine, food and oils to your constitution.

What it is
Breathing patterns that calm the nervous system and change pain and stress signalling.

What it is
Plant medicines with active compounds that target the mechanism behind the symptom.

What it is
Free kitchen-and-bathroom fixes people reach for first.

What it is
A gentle, well-absorbed form of magnesium that relaxes muscles and supports sleep.

Why it might help
Meta-analyses support magnesium for migraine prevention and muscle cramps; sleep evidence is promising but smaller.

What it is
Training attention to reduce the reactivity that turns discomfort into suffering.

Why it might help
Mindfulness-based stress reduction shows moderate effect sizes for chronic pain, anxiety and IBS.

What it is
Digital health and hardware that measures or stimulates rather than medicates.

What it is
Sensory and energy practices. Evidence is thin, but many people report real relief.

What it is
Highly diluted preparations chosen by symptom picture. Evidence is weak - included for completeness and clearly labelled.

What it is
Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the pattern behind the symptom, not just the symptom.