A Closer Look at “The Salt Cure”
There is a tip making the rounds on Facebook that you can stop a migraine by drinking salt water. Some even suggest adding lemon juice. There is also someone promoting a book that encourages the use of salt to treat migraines. I believe there is even a Facebook group for people who want to follow her work. I have some friends who have been taken in by this idea.
I understand the urge to stop using pharmaceutical medications in favor of more natural approaches. We are all tempted by the fantasy of a quick fix without harmful effects. Some of the drugs used to treat migraine have nasty side effects. I’m not exactly pleased with some of the side effects I have to deal with. If I really thought something natural would help, I’d beat you to the head of the line to get it.
The reality of salt and migraine
Let’s look at this realistically for a moment. We’ve all heard that dehydration is a potential trigger. If you’ve ever been to the ER, you know that the first thing they do is start an IV fluid drip. Have you ever looked at the label on those bags? Sure, it’s water. But there’s often sodium (salt) and dextrose (sugar) in the bag, too.
Why do they give you that to treat migraine?
By the time many of us end up in the ER we’ve been hurting for days. It’s likely that we haven’t eaten or drank much in at least 2-3 days. Plus, if we’ve vomited at all, our risk for dehydration goes way up. On rare occasions, IV fluids are all you need to stop an attack in progress.
Salt treatment
Example #1 When my daughter was pregnant, she was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum. Additionally, her migraine attacks got worse, but she couldn’t take anything that would actually help. When the pain was unbearable, she would go to the ER where they would give her IV fluids and Reglan to rehydrate her and stop the vomiting. That alone stopped the attacks. She quickly learned to drink water constantly and not restrict her salt intake.
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