If you suffer from migraine you’ve probably tried anything and everything to manage them. Some medications can be effective, and reducing stress or identifying and avoiding triggers can help. But if you get your migraines on a fairly regular schedule, or have noticed they occur at certain times of your menstrual cycle such as ovulation and menstruation, the trigger could be hormonal. This type of migraine can be more difficult to manage.

 

The two main hormones we hear about in relation to a menstrual cycle are estrogen and progesterone. These are major players in keeping ovulation and menstruation going. They also have effects on our whole body mental, physical, and emotional states. Estrogen has an effect on multiple physiological processes including memory and pain processing (1).

Estrogen peaks at ovulation, followed by a drop in this hormone. And estrogen drops to it’s lowest just before menstruation. Studies show a string correlation with a drop in estrogen and hormonal migraines. Particularly when the estrogen levels drop more quickly. So, it’s possibly less about the level of hormone, and more about how fast this hormone level changes. (1)

 

So what helps exactly? Reflexology, specifically Reproflexology, may help moderate hormone changes throughout the cycle while also helping the body better tolerate hormonal changes.

 

I’ve spent the last 4 years training in advanced Reflexology modalities with the hope I could help address the cause of hormonal migraines. Last fall I conducted a small group of case studies to see if a particular combination of techniques could help. I’m so happy to say the hormonal migraines were greatly improved or gone after only 1-2 sessions. For this study, we began with 6 weekly sessions. I highly recommend starting with weekly or bi-weekly treatments for the first 4 – 8 weeks to see these results.

 

Next steps? My “Hormonal Migraine Buster” sessions are 75 minutes in length and cost $92.00. All start with a hot towel facial cleanse. Application of an organic, made in Canada, facial oil. Then the treatment is apx 2/3 facial reflexology followed by gentle foot reflexology (Reproflexology techniques). You’ll leave incredibly relaxed, mood lifted, and, I hope, on your way to living a life without migraines.

 

 

(1)Nu Cindy Chai, B. Lee Peterlin, and Anne H., 2014 ‘Migraine and estrogen’ Calhoun Curr Opin Neurol. June (3): 315–324.