I noticed when I sit in my reclining chair for an extended period of time I het a migraine. It is caused by the posture while sitting in the chair. Thus, I've put a pillow behind the small of my back to alter my spine and the headaches go away or never even begin. Do some research on posture while sitting and the strain it puts on the head. Plus copious amounts of sugar can cause it.

The first thing that helped me was magnesium and vitamin D3, also was finally prescribed Zomig which helped with the really bad ones. Good luck, everyone is different in what helps. Also since keto dont get any normal tension headaches either!

Your friend should try magnesium if they haven't already. It helps some people.

https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/magnesium/

Sugar and a lot of diet drinks, fake sugar gives me migraines. I get a few anyway. Tylenol PM (I know) usually helps 90% but sometimes get so frickin bad I go to the ER and they give me a shot of Ketorolac.

I had them for decades, my whole life from mid-teens to mid-forties. I didn't get pain, but I got the irritability, sinus pressure, fuzzy vision, inability to think, and then the crushing fatigue. These symptoms would progress over three days. Then it would start over. Since there was no pain, I didn't suspect I had migraines - I thought I had severe sinus issues. I would also get 6-10 sinus infections per year. Was the way my life was until my allergist suspected I had migraines and sent me to a neurologist, who put me on low daily dosages of Citalopram and Amitriptyline. That gave me my life back at forty-some years old.

only helpful "cut down the occurrences" I've heard being successful from a close friend that suffered from these pretty bad for a while was cutting out sugar... but like very very strict diet wise and he said his just stopped happening. I'm sure that's not the same for everyone. My wife had ocular migraines for years (look those up, they're crazy) and they stopped after a liver transplant... probably not related. Good luck getting them under control, fren.

Used to get tunnel vision, tongue swelling and numbness and sensitivity to smell and light with debilitating migraines monthly. Down for 2-3 days at a time. Cleaned diet of my triggers.. caffeine, chocolate and starches, also weather related migraines due to sharp barometric pressure changes. I watch barometric pressure forecasting and chart when I get them, it has helped me to medicate prior to possible migraines. Botox has helped relax my ability to strain eyes/forehead that has also helped. No smoking or alcohol either. All these has reduced my full blown migraines significantly to only perhaps 1 per year. Oh, no more artificial fragrances like febreeze, candles or plug ins

I have a direct neck issue that caused them in my past. My c4 and c5 can be out of alignment. Chiropractor fixed me.

My sister had success with drinking caffeinated soda.

My sister-in-law suffered migraines for years, saw many doctors, got no real help. However, she recently had to have a tooth removed that formerly had a root canal (some years ago). She has not had a migraine since. No way to officially know if the tooth issue was related to the migraines, but it's a thought.

It is inflammation of the meninges, which filters blood before it goes to the brain (it is also known as the blood-brain barrier, similar in function to the placenta except it's for the delicate brain). When the meninges suffers from insufficient circulation, inflammation increases the pressure to force the cells to accept the blood's nutrients, like putting your finger on the end of a hose to get a stronger flow. That pressure is what causes the pain.

Usually the cell has poor circulation (in a cell it's not really circulation, but rather acceptance of nutrients from the blood) because of something in the blood. If your friend regularly eats onions or garlic or something like that, that could be the cause. Either way, keeping the blood clean will help the meninges to accept blood flow regularly and without inflammation. The first thing is to drink water with minerals (sea salt), and that will immediately improve the blood's acceptance by the cells.

Given that the migraines are persistent, it may take some time for them to go away for good, though the severity should drop incrementally, especially if the person can avoid the offending ingredient(s) or foods. To do the job right and perform a proper clean-up, avoid carbs, sugar, spices and vegetables with intense flavors (like onions and garlic).

This guy can sound a little wacky, but I have found his health advice to be very reliable and effective. https://darkovelcek.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/migraine-fiasco/

Hope it helps!

No fake sugar.

I am not sure if this will help, but if it's anything muscle related, this may help: https://greatawakening.win/p/1ASsUYLJuS/fatalitys-tips-on-freeing-yourse/c/

If it's neurological.. probably not.

Saline nasal spray helps headaches a ton. It’s cheap. With no side effects. Combine with some of these other remedies.

I get them almost everyday and the only thing that truly helps is to cover my eyes up and put myself into a sort of trance to minimize the pain. I basically "think," it away. This requires totally relaxing every muscle in my body, especially the head and neck muscles, making sure the pillow is properly supporting my head/neck. It's a trick one of my aunts taught me when I was about 13.

The trick to that technique is to pay very close attention to the body so as to identify when a migraine may be coming on, and to fight it in its early stages. Waiting until the pain is unbearable or when the nausea or halo effect starts or when noises suddenly become too loud is too late. With practice, your friend will be able to get rid of most of them with this technique with only an hour or so spent lying down. It still sucks to have to do it regularly, but it beats lying in bed for hours praying for the pain to go away while also fighting back the nausea.

Another thing I've learned over the years is to pay attention to what I eat. No heavily processed crap. No dairy. Take in plenty of water throughout the day. There are combinations of foods that, if ingested within 24-48 hrs of each other, will cause a sort of allergic reaction and trigger migraines. For me it's rice, pork, cheese, chocolate, and peanut butter. Alone, they don't cause issues, except for the dairy, because they naturally dehydrate, and I'm also lactose intolerant. But if I eat any combination of two or more within 24-48 hrs, they trigger vomit inducing migraines. So, tell your friend to start a food log, pay close attention, and start logging what bodily reactions they may have.

Weather changes can also trigger severe headaches, too. So can bright lights, bright sunlight, and LED lighting. Sunglasses help with all of those.

Regular exercise and stretching also help to alleviate migraines, especially if they're triggered due to tense muscles or pinched nerves in the neck. Stretching every day will help with that.

Vitamin deficiencies can also trigger them. So a complete CBC blood panel may help to identify any nutrient deficiencies your friend may have.

There are also plenty of migraines medications that may help, but I myself have yet to find any. Most of them cause reactions I don't like or they just don't flat out work. The family of triptan medications are good for some people, but for me they trigger the gag reflex, make my neck extremely tense and tighten the muscles. I've heard Botox works, but I refuse to have poison injected into my body, especially when it can cause vomiting for a day or two after. But maybe it can help your friend.

I get them. There are many different things that can cause one to get them. Mine are caused by what's known as intracranial hypertension. I have jugular veins that don't flow correctly so my head sometimes can't push blood pressure out as fast as it's going in. Most migraines I believe are a result of pressure in the head similar to mine. I reduced the things that contribute to pressure like sodium. Also there are natural things you can take that help reduce pressure like milk thistle and dandelion tea etc.

Does your friend get tinnitus when they have a migraine? That can also be an indication of venous issues like eagles syndrome or weird blood flow pressure pulsating near the inner ears. that's usually usually where the backup occurs. My doc had to remove my styloid bone and balloon my jugular veins to try to restore flow. Plus medication to trick my brain into making less csf fluid. Mine is called methazolamide. It's typically used for glaucoma but helps with this problem.

I have also read about some people with a tiny hole in their heart that causes migraines.

Another interesting thing is that supposedly more and more people are having issues with migraines due to increasingly bad neck posture from looking down at cell phones. Evidently it causes those jugular veins get pinched off by the styloid bones in out necks.

So far, the only real medicine that helps me is called zolmatriptain or zomig. It was actually a VA doc that figured that out for me. If you're friend is willing to try prescription meds, I recommend they give that a try.

Consider first dehydration, then food sensitivities. For relief peppermint oil massage

If friend is taking any medication regularly check the side effects. I used to have terrible migraines for up to a week. I swore it was weather related. I’d get migraine several days before a thunderstorm. Fast forward the headaches stopped. I didn’t even think of medication being the issue. I stopped taking Tramadol and had been taking it almost ten years. A couple years ago I got a prescription because I was having hip pain. Every time I took it I had a headache at least four days.

Look into essential oils. Many reputable companies sell a headache blend. If I do get a headache I use a blend I’ve had for many years. I can’t link it because the company doesn’t sell this blend anymore. If you need reputable brands I can give the ones I trust.

Also, look at the foods friend is eating. I saw someone mention sugar, I’m not sure about that. But sugar can cause havoc in our bodies. Look into keto or an animal based diet.

Many people avoid salt because the medical system says it’s bad. You go to the hospital and the first thing they do is give you an IV of saline. Salt most definitely won’t hurt. Don’t use iodized salt. The best I’ve found is French flake salt.

I hope friend finds a solution. Headache’s are brutal.