4 Absurd Migraine Remedies NOT to Try at Home

We’ve all seen them: incredible hacks to solve your migraine attacks overnight. Read about some of the most ridiculous to date, plus how to outsmart the schemers.

Social media is awash with “miracle cures” and “hacks” to overcome every health issue ever given a name.

Navigating this mess of BS without being seduced by comforting lies or trying a hack that could do more harm than good is sometimes daunting.

But, if you can’t join them — and you shouldn’t, because they’re full of it — at least you can laugh at them. There might even be a little medicine in that.

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Any answer will do

“I think the biggest contributor to terrible advice on the internet is predicated on the idea that very few people understand what migraine is,” said chiropractor and neurology specialist Thompson Maesaka, who runs the neurologic rehab clinic The Neural Connection.

“People with migraine have become an easy target for half-baked messaging,” he said. “Many of them are in a situation where they’ll try anything for relief.”

And people on the internet will try almost anything for likes and shares. So the cycle continues.

The strong desire for relief, coupled with the sensationalism on social media, leads people to look for singular, miraculous solutions when the more likely reality is that several small things used together may bring relief.

“It could be sodium tablets, ice caps, or de-stressing,” said Maesake. People “bounce from one thing to the next, hoping the next thing will be their savior.”

These things may actually help a bit, but they aren’t a silver bullet.

Sodium can be helpful for some but may trigger migraine in others. Ice caps may help bring relief but won’t prevent migraine altogether. Stress can be a migraine trigger, but it isn’t always easy to manage.

Treating migraine is individual, complex, and nuanced. Singular “cures” just don’t exist.

The top 4 absurd ‘cures’

Without further ado, here are some of the most bizarre, absurd, or straight-up silly migraine “cures” I’ve found.

1. Eating lemons

Numerous TikTokers and influencers have advocated eating whole lemons and limes to ease migraine symptoms, but is there any truth to this?

The vitamin C content of citrus fruits may help prevent headaches for some. However, it isn’t a guaranteed coping mechanism, and it could worsen your symptoms.

Lemons contain tyramine, an amino acid that occurs naturally in the body and has been linked to the onset of migraine attacks.

Tyramine can trigger the release of something called norepinephrine, a hormone involved in the fight-or-flight response. Norepinephrine can increase blood pressure and worsen headaches and migraine attacks.

So, this TikTok advice could actually make migraine attacks worse. This is why the National Headache Foundation in the UK advocates for a low tyramine diet and for people to consume lemons with caution, not with abandon!

However, the amount of tyramine in a lemon is likely too small to have an effect. Any benefits from a hack like this are likely a placebo.

2. Pulling your hair

Another bizarre trend popping up on social media is hair-pulling or “cracking” to ease migraine pain. The advice varies, but the theory is that the approach stimulates the nerves in the scalp to release endorphins, your body’s natural pain reliever.

Like most social media hacks, there’s no reliable scientific evidence that this works. There are only anecdotal claims that it offers temporary relief.

The distraction of pulling your hair can take your mind off your migraine symptoms for a few seconds or a few minutes — but it won’t actually have an impact on migraine.

As mentioned in this reaction video, the technique may even make pain worse and run the risk of bursting blood vessels in your scalp. It can also pull your hair from your scalp, causing bald spots.

3. An upside-down glass of water?

I’m still unsure what’s happening here, but supposedly, putting a towel over your head and then upending a glass with water to release the pressure relieves pain.

There’s not much to say here except — huh?

Again, there’s no scientific evidence to back this one up. But you’ll look pretty foolish, so the comic relief could briefly ease the pain — maybe?

4. Your nose isn’t ready for this spicy solution — yet

I was astounded when I saw people advocating that popping hot peppers inside the nose helps release migraine pain. Turns out, this one has some theoretical validity, but that doesn’t mean you should try it.

While there’s some truth to it, the research is emerging, and no one is suggesting you take a whole pepper and put it in your nose.

Instead, studies show that capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne, may relieve migraine pain by depleting something called “Substance P,” a neurotransmitter related to pain impulses.

However, the studies discuss using an intranasal spray with purified capsaicin, not simply swiping a pepper and jamming it up your nose.

Putting anything up your nose can be harmful, as it might get stuck. Hot peppers can irritate the skin on your face, may harm the mucous membranes of your nostrils, and can damage the superficial lining of your eyeballs. Yikes.

Research is looking at safer ways to achieve this potentially beneficial effect without the danger of harming your body. Tempted to try it? Talk with your doctor first to get the facts.

Don’t fall for gimmicks trying to profit from your fear and confusion

I won’t name names, but we’ve all seen them while we scroll. We all have to learn to spot the nonsense peddlers when they come for our money.

Countless companies have cropped up in recent years to sell “miracle cures” for various chronic ailments. Sadly, many rely on anecdotal evidence instead of scientific studies or pick and choose pieces of studies out of context to try to support their claims.

These quickie solutions might offer temporary relief for some, at least enough to flood the comments with glowing reviews to convince you to shell out. But they could also be a waste of money.

Watch out for sparkly social media videos that offer immediate solutions for lifetime problems. Behind those reassuring smiles lurks a need for profit at any cost.

Plus, social media favors sound bites by design.

“Social media isn’t necessarily designed to deliver well-articulated, complete trains of thought regarding complex neurologic issues,” Maesaka said.

In the best of cases, the short-form style of social media can only offer a snippet of the truth.

“The people making the content are often entirely focused on creating whatever will capture someone’s attention and keep it, which usually involves creating watered-down versions of effective concepts,” said Maesake.

The bottom line

As harsh as it sounds, vulnerability can make you a prime target for BS. So build up your knowledge through research and listen to your medical team. Filter all advice with a critical eye.

When you focus on creating a robust toolkit for relief and prevention, you break the disappointing cycle of searching for cure after cure.

“That’s my biggest underlying advice,” said Maesaka. “View everything as a potentially small piece in a much larger puzzle.”