Alternative Therapies for Migraine Headache

Therapy	Best Evidence *	Probably Useful †	Least Evidence ‡
Herbals	Feverfew 0.25-0.5 mg, parthenolide b.i.d.	Ginger 4–6 g/day, 1.5–3 ml tincture t.i.d., 500 mg q.i.d. dried ginger, also treats nausea; ginkgo biloba 40–60 mg t.i.d.	Capsaicin intranasal; yucca.
Diet and Nutrition/Lifestyle	Vitamin B 2 (riboflavin) 400 mg/day for at least 3–4 months.	Magnesium 250–400 mg t.i.d., esp. for premenstrual migraine and those with low Mg levels; calcium 800 mg/day; vitamin D 400 IU/day; avoid dietary amines, which provoke migraine: chocolate, cheese, beer, red wine; food allergy: detect and eliminate most common allergenic foods: dairy, wheat, chocolate, eggs; use elimination diet; vitamin B 12 25 mg t.i.d.	Fish oil, EPA/DHA; S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAMe) 400 mg q.i.d., gradually increase dose from 200 mg b.i.d. to 400 mg q.i.d. over 3 weeks; 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) 100–200 mg t.i.d.
Mind-Body Interventions	Relaxation therapy; biofeedback.	Guided imagery; meditation; stress management; tai chi; therapeutic touch; yoga.
Bioelectromagnetic			Energy healing; magnets; TENS.
Alternative Systems of Care		Acupuncture; traditional Chinese medicine; ayurveda.	Homeopathy: belladonna 6C q 30 min for 1.5 hrs; bryonia 6C q 30 min for 1.5 hrs; gelsemium 30C q 30 min for 1.5 hrs; kali bichromicum 6C q 1 hr up to 6 doses, then t.i.d.
Hands-On Healing Techniques			Chiropractic.

^*Therapies with the highest degree of scientific support for efficacy and safety.
^†Therapies that are often helpful but that do not have the highest degree of supporting evidence for efficacy and safety.
^‡Therapies that may be useful but that have limited scientific evidence for efficacy and safety.
NOTE: C denotes the number of times that a substance is diluted at a ratio of 1:100.
SOURCE: Sierpina, VS: Integrative Health Care: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for the Whole Person, F.A. Davis, Philadelphia, 2000.