Ice Your Head for Migraines
Do You Suffer From Migraines?
Then maybe you should try icing your head or neck? People have been using ice or crythotherapy for migraines for hundreds if not thousands of years. There is even evidence that the Greeks first used it. The first published research, however, goes back the mid 19th century. It has been such an accepted treatment modality since then that not much new research was attempted until about 30 years ago. In 1984, Diamond and Freitag found that there was an overall 63% decrease in headache pain by using ice gel packs. In fact, 71% reported they would use a gel pack in the future. In 1989, Robbins found that over 65% of patients found cold packs to be from mildly to completely effective in relieving headaches. A 2013 study showed that the application of a frozen neck wrap at the onset of migraine pain was helpful in reducing pain for 77% of the study participants.
Why it works is tough to say. Some feel it may be due to the constriction and then dilation of blood vessels while others have different theories. The bottom line, though, is that many find a benefit to icing their head and/or neck when they suffer from migraine and the best part is there are no known negative side effects. If you would like to try icing your head and/or neck you can get a Cryohelmet or Cryoscarf here.