This holiday season, be kind to your migraines. We know — it sounds odd. But treating yourself to gifts that will help you achieve migraine relief is the best thing you can do for yourself. And what better time to shop than during the season of sales! While everyone else is purchasing trendy workout apparel for their New Year’s resolution to get fit, you can invest in a healthier, happier year to come with these 10 gifts for your migraine:
Be Koool Soft Gel Sheets
Be Koool soft gel sheets deliver immediate cooling relief from migraine discomfort without requiring refrigeration. The thin sheets are adhesive and can be worn across the forehead while doing other activities, making them a perfect addition to a migraine emergency kit or for general, on-the-go migraine relief.
Learn more about what should be in a chronic migraine kit here: Chronic Migraine Survival Kit: What’s Included
The Bed Buddy
The Bed Buddy is a versatile hot or cold therapy pack filled with natural ingredients like grains and herbs. It perfectly conforms to the contours of your body to deliver cooling relief or moist heat as needed to reduce muscle tension or inflammation.
Essential Oils
Essential oils like lavender, chamomile or peppermint may reduce the severity of a migraine attack. Treat yourself to travel-size sticks that can be rolled onto the temples or forehead for relief. Some studies suggest different combinations produce greater results, like nervil, lemon and marjoram.
Cefaly Device
The Cefaly device is a drug-free alternative to pain relief. Worn across the forehead and around the ears like a pair of glasses, the migraine-fighting instrument delivers electro-impulses that target the trigeminal nerves associated with migraine pain. Regular use over time has been proven to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks.
Spoonk Mat
The Spoonk Mat induces relaxation by helping to alleviate stress and tension in the body. The pad is outfitted with 6,200 stimulation points that provide a similar experience to that of an acupuncture session. If a migraine begins to develop, you can unroll the mat in a quiet location, lie down and let the stimulation points go to work, unwinding stress and tension to help with migraine relief.
Find more information about migraines and stress with this: How Stress Triggers Migraines
Reflexology Guide Book
Reflexology is the practice of applying pressure to one area of the body to elicit pain relief in another. There are several pressure points that, when engaged properly, will relieve stress and tension and help to reduce migraine pain at the onset of symptoms. Buy a reflexology guide book and teach yourself this effective form of self-therapy.
Migraine Emergency Kit
Put together an emergency migraine relief kit for home and travel or update your current kit with the latest remedies. Your emergency migraine relief kit could include all of the above in addition to rescue medication and creature comforts like a travel-size blanket and pillow.
Gift Certificates
Studies suggest alternative treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy or float therapy can have a positive affect on migraines; however, they tend to be the last thing we treat ourselves to. This holiday season, splurge on therapy sessions your entire body will appreciate.
App Store Gift Card
There are a variety of smartphone applications specifically designed to help migraine sufferers better manage their condition, including migraine diaries, medication managers and sound therapy apps. Gift yourself some spending cash and invest in supplementary tools that will help you better track and manage your migraine episodes.
Make a Donation
If you’re a philanthropist at heart, make a donation to The American Migraine Foundation and embrace the true meaning of the holiday season. Donations support necessary research that is helping the medical community to better understand what causes chronic migraines and how to treat them more effectively.
Don’t forget to include your physician in any decisions you make regarding the treatment of your migraine episodes. Everyone’s body responds differently to change and certain therapies and devices may not benefit your unique condition. Your doctor will be able to help you determine which gifts will give you the best bang for your buck!
Image Source: JD Hancock
