Ginger can ease migraine pain

Q.You recently offered a list of natural migraine remedies people have tried. I’ve had migraines since before I was in kindergarten, and I’m 58 now. The best thing I’ve found is ginger: Jamaican-style ginger beer (stronger than ginger ale) is good, though rather sweet; the pickled ginger sold with sushi is a godsend. It also helps with nausea.

I sometimes make a tea of mint, chamomile, sassafras (which one grandmother called “headache bark”), some cinnamon sticks, cloves and a bit of valerian. I add grated fresh ginger when preparing the tea. It’s not a cure, but it helps — as does ginger, a warmed buckwheat-filled pack along my back and shoulders, and ice packs on my temples and forehead. (I wish Imitrex and its relatives worked for me, but they don’t.)

A. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. Ginger is well-known for its anti-nausea activity, and there are a few mentions of ginger easing migraine in medical literature. Most suggest that ginger works best when taken at the first sign of a migraine headache.

Q. As an active senior, I was more than dismayed that increasing arthritis caused pain when I attempted simple activities. Aspirin and exercise helped a bit. I tried deleting the “reds” from my diet (meat, tomatoes, eggplant). I also took herbs like boswellia, turmeric and bromelain. They helped a little.

Then I tried the gin-soaked raisins, and I am pain-free and flexible once more. Fantastic!

A.We don’t know why some people get such relief from gin-soaked raisins and others tell us this remedy is worthless. We’re delighted to learn that it worked for you.

To make this remedy, put golden raisins in a shallow bowl, cover with gin and allow it to evaporate. Eat nine daily. For more details on this and other natural approaches we offer our Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis.

Q. I awoke one night with the muscles and nerves in my legs feeling like fireworks. They were so active that they started twisting into cramps. This literally kept me awake all night. The cramps were in all parts of my legs and feet — nowhere else in my body.

Blood tests didn’t reveal any problems, so the doctor shrugged and gave me muscle relaxants so I could sleep at night. I took them for months. If I stopped the drug, the problem returned.

One day I read in your column about a man who was taking a diuretic and began having cramps in his legs at night. He found that low-sodium V8 juice stopped them.

Since I was taking a diuretic at the time, I thought I would give it a try. It stopped the cramping and severely curtailed most of the weird muscle/nerve activity. I faithfully drink two glasses of V8 every evening, and I haven’t taken a muscle relaxant since the first glass.

A.Low-sodium V8 juice provides plenty of potassium. When this mineral is in short supply, many people develop cramps. Diuretics frequently deplete the body of potassium, and that might be why low-sodium V8 helps some people.

X In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

2008 King Features Syndicate Inc.