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Headaches can range in severity and impact on your life, from distracting to debilitating. While there are reliable medicinal therapies used to prevent and treat migraine, doctors recommend people also incorporate some lifestyle changes to help alleviate the pain and discomfort of a headache.
Lawrence C. Newman, MD, professor in the Department of Neurology and director of the Division of Headache at NYU Langone Health, recommends the SEEDS approach—an acronym that stands for sleep, eat, exercise, drink, and stress. That means keeping a consistent sleep routine, eating well, exercising regularly, limiting caffeine and alcohol intake, and reducing stress. Dr. Newman says people may benefit from supplements of vitamin B2 or magnesium, or alternative therapies such as acupuncture, massage, and biofeedback techniques to help control some of your body’s responses.
“Just because therapies are not pharmacologic doesn’t mean they’re not capable of working,” Dr. Newman tells Women’s Health. “On the flip side, if the nonpharmacologic therapies are not working, it doesn’t mean that there are not other options. Things are always changing, so don’t give up if you haven’t found something that’s working.”
Read more from Women’s Health.