There are no studies to prove the efficacy or safety of most alternative therapies. It is important that migraineurs notify their health care provider if they are using any alternative therapies, no matter how insignificant or benign they may seem. Regarding treatment for acute migraine headache, some small studies indicated that complementary and alternative medicines appear to be effective, but these treatments have not been proven by rigorous clinical trials. These treatments include:

• Acupuncture
• Herbs
  • Butterbur - not to be used during pregnancy
  • Feverfew - not to be used during pregnancy; adverse effects include:
    • sore mouth and tongue
    • oral ulcers
    • swollen lips
    • loss of taste
    • abdominal pain
    • gastrointestinal disturbance
    • joint stiffness
    • increased headaches
• Vitamins, such as riboflavin (vitamin B2)
• Coenzyme Q10
• Magnesium

Some patients have also reported benefit from the following treatments although there is limited information regarding their efficacy:

• Hypnosis
• TENS - Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator (a hand held device that produces electrical signals through the skin and is reported by some people to reduce pain when applied to a painful area)
• Cervical manipulation
• Occlusal adjustment
• Hyperbaric oxygen for abortive affect of acute migraine

In a randomized controlled study, researchers in India showed that subjects with migraine headache without aura who were treated with yoga therapy over a period of three months experienced a significant reduction of migraine headache frequency, severity, and associated symptoms of depression and anxiety. To read more about this, please click on the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17501846

In 2000, the U.S. Headache Consortium and the American Headache Society (AHS) concluded that the following complementary medicine therapies are effective for migraine prevention and may be used as adjunct therapies while receiving other conventional treatments:

• Relaxation training
• Thermal biofeedback combined with relaxation training (stress dilates blood vessels and biofeedback helps to reduce blood vessel dilation by measuring skin temperature)
• Electromyographic biofeedback (reducing muscle tension)
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy

The American Headache Society (AHS) notes that complementary therapies are not as strictly regulated by the FDA as prescription medication and many of these therapies are called "supplements". There is a lack of standardization regarding the purity of content of herbal supplements as well as the consistency of batches that are sold. In addition, many lack rigorous clinical trials and are based on small numbers of test subjects. The AHS has assigned Grade B to herbal supplements, meaning that there is limited evidence from a single randomized control trial or nonrandomized control trial, or there are several trials with inconsistent results.

To read more about complementary therapies for prevention of migraine headache, please click on the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16732849