• Brain tumor.
  
• Hemangioma.
  
• Carotid aneurysm.
  
• Meniere's disease.
  
• Seizure disease.

• apply cold wet packs to head, forehead and back of neck. This creates constriction of the blood vessels and reduces the rushing of blood into the head, which is frequently a cause of migraines.

• rub finger tips on head, especially around the temples and the nape of the neck, after dipping them in ice water.

• soak feet in a hot foot bath with apple cider vinegar and peppermint, to draw blood down to the feet, cleanse the blood and cool it down (with the mint).

• for a severe headache, alternate applications of hot and cold wet, wrung out towels to the head and face. Always end with cold.

• hot hip bath, to draw the blood down from the head.

• alternating hot and cold hip baths

• ice pack to head

• some folks get instant relief by taking a cool enema, because often migraines are created by toxic wate build-up in the digestive tract.

Also, make sure your spine is in alignment, especially the cervical, or upper 7, vertebrae. Check with your local osteopath, naturopath or chiropractor. Some folks find relief from the use of therapeutic ultrasound to the neck area. Others use a micro-current device called TENS ("transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator") which applies a tiny frequency to the affected nerves, causing conduction to be blocked and pain to be relieved. TENS units are also believed to stimulate the production of endorphins, the body's own natural painkillers. This unit is widely used in doctors' offices, but can easily be used at home. Your doctor may be able to rent or lend you a TENS unit, or help to to purchase one.

Can Herbal Medicine Provide Relief From Migraines?
Plant medicine has been used for as long as man has begun to fashion tools from his natural surroundings. Many plants have particular biochemical properties, usually alkaloids (so called because they render the system less acid, and more alkaline), which can contol pain, as well as many other therapeutic effects. Medicinal plants which have analgesic (pain-killing) action can be toxic, sometimes at what would seem a small dose. Please consult with a qualified herbalist, naturopath or botanically trained pharmacist before experimenting with the following plant drugs:

• Atropa belladonna (the active ingridient, atropine, can be toxic in not very high doses) is useful for cerebral congestion, occipital or dull frontal ache with malaise, cool skin, mental sluggishness, and unpleasant dreams.

• Bryonia alba (White Bryony, can be toxic) for a frontal migraine, with pain around the eye sockets, for right-sided headache, tenderness on pressure, and made worse with any motion.

• Cimicifuga racemosa (Black cohosh) is good for congestive migraines, such as from colds, rheumatism, menstruation.

• Cnicus benedictus: (Blessed Thistle) is specific for strenthing the function of the liver. This botanical is useful for migraines due to hepatic problems, such as with a history of hepatitis or alcoholism.

• Gelsemium sempervirens (Yellow Jasmine, which may be toxic in high doses) is for migraines with acute excessive cerebral bloodflow, which presents with restlessness and excitability.
  
  
• Lavandula officinalis: (Lavender flower) is great for calming the nervous system. It works through the sense of smell. Rubbing a little lavender oil on yourr temples, or dropping some in the bath water can be extremely soothing. For the migraine associated with depression or poor digestion.

• Melilotus officinalis: (Melilot flower) for migraines with no known cause which come on in the cold and leave the entire head sore and tender to the touch.

• Nepeta cataria: (Catnip) for a nervous headache, because it acts as a sedative for both cats and humans!

• Passiflora incarnata: (Passion flower) is for the migraine due to an attack of nervousness, which presents with great fatigue and where the head feels "full."

• Piscidia erythrina (Jamaican dogwood, can be toxic) for all kinds of head pain.

• Rosmarinus officinalis: (Rosemary) for the migraine associated with hypertension (high blood pressure).

• Salix spp.. (Willow, both black and white) for the inflammatory migraine. This is the plant from which aspirin (acetyl salicylic acid) was first derived, and like aspirin it reduces pain and inflammation.

• Scutellaria lateriflora: (Skullcap) is a sweet-tasting nerve soothing medical plant.

• Tanacetum parthenium (Feverfew) is for the migraine which improves with warm applications. This is a common garden plant and many people with chronic migraines can prevent them by eating two or three of the Feverfew leaves every day.

• Valeriana spp. (Valerian root), similar biochemically to valium, this plant is both sedative and stimulating and works well for the migraine due to nervous excitability.

• Viscum flavescens, album (Mistletoe. Beware, this plant is toxic in quite small doses) reduces the increased flow of blood to the brain typical of migraine states and works well for frequent headache with flushing of the face.

• if headache is in left side, squirt carrot juice into left nostril; if on right side, squirt into right nostril, if both sides affected, squirt into both nostrils

• drink lemon juice and 1/2 tbsp. baking soda mixed in glass of water. This will help balance the pH of your blood and flush out digestive wastes.

• With a 2 p.m. headache or evening headache try to increase potassium-rich foods such as various seaweeds (dulse, kelp), sunflower seeds, wheat germ, almonds, raising, parsley, dates, yams, soybeans, garlic and spinach.

• Take a teaspoon of honey in warm water each morning before eating.

• any food that causes a bad physical reaction, whether it be the migraine itself, or fatigue, or indigestion. Try to pay attention to your food intolerances, and ingest these culprit foods sparingly.

• spicy foods, alcohol, excess stimulation, coffee, caffeine, chocolate, fried foods, stimulating foods.

• Vitamin B-complex inejcted into the muscle (IM) every 2-10 days
  
• omega-3 fatty acids (e.g. raw flax or linseed oil, 1 T daily)
  
• omega-6 fatty acids, found in fish, and olive oil
  
• Vitamin B3 , 500 mg at the onset of the migraine
  
• Magnesium 400-800 mg daily, as a muscle and nerve relaxant
  
• Quercetin , a concentrated bioflavonoid which will help with vascular tone so that the neck veins are less likely to become engorged with blood, 500 mg/day

• Aconitum napellus for a headache that is hard to describe; comes with great violence: wild, tearing and burning in brain, scalp; with fear, fever and anguish; fullness, throbbing in left forehead and strong beats in right side by fits; skull feels constricted by the feeling of a band around the forehead.

• Anthracinum for a headache that feels as if a hot, searing pain was passing through head; for the migraine which creates dullness, confusion, dizziness, or loss of consciousness.

• Apis mellifica for a migraine which is primarily localized in the occiput, with occasional sharp shrieks; pains like bee-stings; no thirst, easy sweating; this migraine is worse from heat and a warm room; better in a cold room, in cold air, and with cold applications.

• Argent metallicum for the migraine that comes on at noon along with other troubles; pressing, burning pain in skull; the pain gets gradually more violent and then suddenly ceases.

• Argent nitricum for the migraine that includes an all-over ache and fatigue; plus a feeling of expansion, as if the head were enormously enlarged; the patient wants cold air, cold drinks, cold things; craves sweets; is beset by strange notions and impulses.

• Arnica montana for burning in head, the patient feels as though the brain were hot but the rest of body feels cool; a migraine with aching pains over eyes, radiating to the temples; pain shoots through the head from coughing, sneezing; or a migraine from injuries to the head, such as a concussion.

• Arsenicum album for periodic headache every other day, every 4th day, 7th, l4th; very congestive headache; chilly; the patient desires the body warm and the head cold; the head throbs, the patient complains of a burning feeling accompanied by restlessness and anxiety; has a slight thirst but drinks often, in sips and is worse after midnight.

• Belladonna for a migraine that presents with great violence, comes and departs suddenly, lasts indefinitely; congestion; throbbing in brain, violent throbbing and cutting stabs; worse from jerking motion (walking, going upstairs), stooping; bursting pain as if brain was pressed out; worse from noise, light, lying; better with pressure, drawing head back.