When one is prone to headaches and migraines, one first looks for immediate relief. However, it is only by trying to understand the origin of migraines and headaches that we can really eradicate them.

This is Sophie Doucher's approach in her naturopathic practice in Nantes. According to her, there is no universal cure, no "sworn enemy" to avoid at all costs to no longer have a headache. "I take the problem the other way and I always look for the causes of migraine," she says.

Various causes of migraine

Migraines can be caused by emotional causes such as stress or intellectual overwork. Their origin may be hormonal (often migraines are part of pre-menstrual syndromes), whether it is a hormonal imbalance or thyroid.

Frequent headaches can also be related to a blockage or cervical tension, just as they may be related to eye problems or eye strain.

Some food intolerances or hyper-sensitivities may be the cause of migraine: gluten, lactose, but also histamine, found in many foods (beef, pork, eggs, fermented products, chocolate, alcohol ...)

Finally, migraine may be of hepatic origin (linked to an overload of the liver or gallbladder), caused by a hyper-sensitivity to the waves or be one of the first signs of an arterial hypertension.

Migraine and eye strain: limiting screens

When she determines the cause of migraine, Sophie Doucher looks for a solution to mitigate them, space them, then eliminate them.

For example, when migraines are linked to stress, we must try to establish decompression chambers, moments of relaxation in his daily life. The naturopath advises to impose hours, a half day or a full day without screens - phone, tablet, computer, TV. These screens, which project a lot of light and constantly appeal to the view are the first thing to avoid when you are prone to headaches.

"There are now applications to download that filter our smartphones and computers to block the blue light screens, which tires the eyes and causes migraine." You can also bring glasses filtering the blue light.

Stress-related migraine: working with your breath

Sport is an ally to fight against migraines, but that's not all. Sophie Doucher recommends putting in place breathing techniques, thanks to applications or videos. For example, one can very easily implement cardiac coherence, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the mind.

Finally, she suggests to indulge in relaxation, meditation or sophrology. In her practice in Nantes, she practices auriculotherapy, which consists of a kind of acupuncture in the ear (which reproduces the representation of the different areas of the body). This technique is very effective when migraines are caused by hormonal imbalance.

To test too: self-massage (temples, cervical ...) to relieve punctually.

Food intolerance and migraines: identifying guilty foods

Sophie Doucher warns, food intolerances are often underestimated as current lifestyles expose us more and more to dangerous substances, especially in food.

However, not all foods suspected of causing intolerance can be decently avoided. We therefore seek the main intolerance, which may lead to other less important, and eliminates the offending food for one to several months, restores the intestinal mucosa and gradually reintroduces the food.

If it can cause migraines, feeding also helps to avoid it. Thus, if your migraines are accompanied by digestive disorders (nausea, vomiting) and fatigue, it is indeed liver migraine. In this case, desmodium and milk thistle and also ginger are excellent. Finally, raspberry buds are perfect for treating hormonal migraines. As for rhodiola, taken in tablets, it helps to reduce stress-related migraines since it relaxes.

What factors promote migraines?

If there is not one answer valid for everyone, since it is appropriate to look for the origin of migraine, some factors aggravate the risks of triggering a migraine.

Sophie Doucher thus evokes dehydration: we must drink a lot of water.

The excitants, coffee, black tea, alcohol, chocolate ... are not recommended daily and in large quantities if you are fragile.

Finally, be sure to adopt a good work posture and try to have - or find - a quality sleep.