Many home remedies seem strange to health professionals. That’s because such non-standard approaches are rarely taught to impressionable students. Pharmaceuticals are considered scientific. After all, they have to be FDA-approved to reach pharmacy shelves. Home remedies seem unscientific to many physicians. And yet sometimes there could be an explanation for how an unconventional treatment might work. Such might be the case for brain freeze against migraines.
Q. Ice cream works very well against my migraines. I have suffered from these headaches for ten years and nothing has offered relief, not even strong painkillers.
After reading that ice cream could help, I tried it. It relieves a migraine within five minutes.
A. Triggering “brain freeze” with ice cream or a cold beverage may help some people stop a migraine headache in its tracks. Scientists reported at the Experimental Biology meeting in 2012 that head pain triggered by ice water changes blood flow in the brain. This may account for the effect you have experienced.
A Physician Benefits from Brain Freeze Against Migraines:
A high-powered endocrinologist shared this story. He was visiting friends when he felt a familiar aura signaling the onset of a bad migraine. The pain always started behind his right eye. He was kicking himself for not having sumatriptan (Imitrex) with him, his usual migraine medicine.
His friends suggested a home remedy they had learned about from The People’s Pharmacy. First, they gave him a bowl of chocolate ice cream. That was followed by a “chaser” of ice water which he sipped over several minutes. He later reported that the migraine disappeared before it even got started. He noted that this had never happened before.
Other Stories from Readers:
Ava in California shared this amazing story:
“Brain freeze can and did stop my migraine. I discovered it by accident around 1980. I was at work and the migraine was so acute I could hardly see. Since I couldn’t stand the thought of food, I decided to get some frozen yogurt.
“I was completely amazed when after eating it in a hurry my migraine was down to a dull roar and then very shortly completely gone.”
Laurie in Port ST Lucie, Florida
“I read the brain freeze article days before waking up with a migraine. I only wake up with migraines. I have never had one during the day. So I don’t have any warning and will begin vomiting within 5-10 minutes. Usually I can’t keep any medicine down long enough to take effect.
“My husband ran and got me some ice cream. Intentionally creating brain freeze is not as easy as it sounds! Heavenly Hash with almonds and chocolate chunks made it difficult I think. But! Just holding it in my mouth to the roof and back of the throat WORKED! I kept at it for about 5 minutes or so and then took ibuprofen instead of my migraine meds (they make me feel awful).
“I stopped this migraine from progressing. I was able to go to work on time, without a any headache and I never vomited.”
Other Headache Remedies:
We also offer other ways to stop a migraine quickly in our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies. One approach that some readers have found helpful is the exact opposite of eating ice cream: sipping a hot, spicy soup such as gumbo or Chinese sour and hot soup. Here are a few stories:
“I was fascinated to read the letter linking spicy gumbo to relief for migraine headaches. I have a similar history of migraines which occur in clusters or cycles. Over the past 40 years doctors have given me a variety of medications, many with side affects more debilitating than the headaches. Between headaches during these cycles, most of the medications kept me feeling drugged or “hung-over.”
“Several years ago I was in the middle of a migraine cycle, feeling as if my head was under water. I had a bowl of Chinese Hot and Sour soup and my head instantly cleared. In addition, the cycle of headaches ended.
“Since then I have used this soup to halt migraines–and the cycle–in mid-stream. I order the soup extra hot and my favorite restaurant provides a small container of extra red pepper in oil. The best part of the soup is that there is no drugged feeling afterwards.”
Another spicy flavor, ginger, has also been found helpful:
“Someone was asking about natural migraine remedies and you mentioned spicy hot and sour soup, among other things. I’ve had migraines since before I was in kindergarten (I’m 58 now), and the best thing I’ve found is ginger. Jamaican-style ginger beer (stronger than ginger ale) is good, though rather sweet. The pickled ginger sold with sushi is a godsend. It also helps with the nausea.”
Here is another reader who agrees that your ice cream approach is helpful:
“Every few months I wake up with a headache that makes me ill for about five days. The headache gets progressively worse and by the third day there is no comfortable position. I have to sit in a hot shower. Nothing relieves the pain, although cold medicines help me sleep despite the nagging headache in the background.
“Last week, I woke up with the headache. On the second day I suddenly craved some ice cream cones called ‘Drumsticks.’ I bought a box of them, and the second I bit into the ice cream, my headache went away. I was afraid the relief might be temporary, but it never came back. I did not progress through the usual illness.
“My personal theory is it is the cold that works. I am going to try just plain ice on the roof of my mouth the next time I get one of these headaches, but I’ll gladly eat ice cream if ice alone doesn’t work.”
One last testimonial:
“I am a middle aged male and suffer from headaches all of my life! I always get the pain over my forehead. During the last couple of years, they got worse; I cannot drink alcohol anymore. When I go out to eat, I do not order a drink; people must think I was a former alcoholic! After reading about the ice cream and the brain freeze against migraines on the People’s Pharmacy, I developed two solutions of my own, as follows:
“1. Ice Cold Shower – when I have a bad headache, I take an ice cold shower! I first take a quick shower at around 75 degrees ( 1 setting above the coldest) to cool off my entire body (Tip: start the shower when you are in the shower stall). Then, I lower the temperature to the coldest setting and put the shower on the back of my head and neck (1 minute total); I alternate and put the shower on the top of my head (2 minutes total). I do this for a total of 3 minutes. My headache goes away within an half hour.
“2. Drink Ice Cold Water – when I am at the office or at dinner – and cannot take a shower – I drink a few glasses of ice cold water. This usually reduces my headache pain until I can get home at night and take an ice cold shower.
“I bought “The People’s Pharmacy Home Remedies” and they mention taking butterbur.
“3. Butterbur – Prior to taking the butterbur, I would take Ibuprofen about 2 to 3 times per week. I started taking 100mg of butterbur per day during the last 45 days. I have noticed a big improvement in my headaches. Since taking the butterbur, I have not taken any painkillers!”
Revised 4/20/17
