Amber: My name is Amber, and I am a migraine patient leader and advocate. I’m responding to the question, “What are your best tips for coping with nausea?”
This is a question I have received a lot in recent years. As most who have migraines seem to agree that the nausea is one of the worst parts of dealing with migraines. While I have found there is no black and white answer to what works best for migraine nausea, it has become abundantly clear that the best way to find what works best for your nausea is through trial and error. And that is what I have done. Through the years I have tried everything from medication and a western medicine approach to acupuncture and a more holistic medicine approach and I always seem to come back to my tried and true. I have medication available, but that is not the first thing I reach for. I have found for me, lying very still, in a cold dark and quiet room with my eyes covered and either a cold rag or ice pack on my forehead and at the back of my neck to be most efficient. I also like to have a full cup of ice chips near me when I'm ready to munch on them. I have recently been introduced to peppermint essential oils. Before that, I had never found anything that could actually prevent nausea. It doesn’t always work, but if I can catch a migraine early enough and apply the peppermint oils to the tip of my temples and the nape of my neck, sometimes I can stop the nausea before it starts. Otherwise, diffusing it in the room while using my tried and true methods will ease the nausea.
