’tis the season when many people suffer severe migranes and there’s no better place to go to alleviate a migrane than your Hot Spring Spa.

Physiologically, the migraine headache is a neurological condition more common to women than to men. The word migraine was based on Greek hemikrania, from Greek roots for “half” and “skull” or figuratively meaning hitting one’s head with a pick axe!

The typical migraine headache is on both sides of the brain with pulsating pain, lasting from 4 to 72 hours. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, photophobia (increased sensitivity to light), and phonophobia (increased sensitivity to sound). Approximately one-third of people who suffer migraine headache perceive an aura-unusual visual, olfactory, or other sensory experience that are a sign that a migraine will soon strike.

Initial treatment is with analgesics (from aspirin to Percocet) for the headache, an anti-emetic for the nausea, and the avoidance of triggering conditions. Although the cause of migraine headache is unknown, the most common theory is a disorder of the serotonergic control system, i.e. the part of the brain that secretes serotonin-a chemical in the brain related to depression.

Migranes are debilitating, can wreck havoc on plans and prevent many from living a productive, happy life.  Try a natural approach when a migrane strikes. You might be surprised at how effective it is.

Get thee to the hot tub when a migraine hits. By immersing yourself in water with a steady temperature (between 102-104 degrees), you can release stress and tension that may be triggering the onset of a  migraine. Close your eyes and try to let your mind clear. This is the first step towards migrane relief.

Make sure to keep your fluid intake up which helps combat migraines for many people. Most people that have migraines tend to avoid eating or drinking when they have a flare up.  Experts say that keeping the amount of water that in your system at a steady level is essential to avoiding migranes.  So, drink water on a steady level throughout the day.

Try a massage therapist, too. It is very common for stress to be the trigger of the headache that a person has, and when this happens the muscles in the body tense up. Having a massage can help eliminate the tense muscles thus providing the relief from the migraine that you want.

So, take a hot tub, drink plenty of water and visit your favorite masseuse before reaching for heavy pain killers and resigning from life for the duration. If you can’t make a trip to a masseuse, check out the book “Self-Massage for Athletes” by Rich Poley.  You may find quicker, more long lasting relief-the natural way.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health Through Water.