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Last year, the International Headache Society published a study that found "overuse" of over the counter medicines as a major contributing factor to frequent migraine headache attacks. "Overuse has less to do with how many pills you take to relieve a single headache than with how often you take them," explains Dr. Robert Kunkel, a headache specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Headache Center. "If you get more than two headaches a week and take pain pills for them, you're at risk." Studies showed that pain relievers with caffeine, like Excedrin, were some of the worst culprits for exacerbating proclivity to migraines.

Traditional Chinese medicine has been around for nearly 5,000 years, offering natural remedies for migraine sufferers. Things like Chinese acupuncture, Chinese massage and herbal supplements can be much more enjoyable than popping an Excedrin or simply waiting it out. It's often hard to pinpoint exactly what causes a migraine because it varies from individual to individual. The basic idea, many Chinese doctors say, is that your body's telling you something is blocking your natural homeostasis. Ideally, rectifying this requires a combination of procedures, environmental shifts and a little bit of philosophical meandering.

The school of Chinese medicine recommends several herbal supplements to help naturally prevent and cure the migraine headache. In one study, over 2/3 of migraine sufferers experienced long-term headache relief from taking feverfew daily. This is a natural anti-inflammatory. Similarly, a study of 245 people found that a 50 mg daily dose of butterbur reduced the incidence of migraine attacks by 50%.

A study of 49 chronic migraine sufferers found that after two or three months, a high dose of B-12/riboflavin helped decrease the incidence and severity by 67% and normalized brain cells which had been especially targeted by the frequent migraine attacks. Studies show that Coenzyme Q-10 helps much like the riboflavin supplements after 5-10 weeks of use. Magnesium-sulfate relieved some patients who were in the midst of an acute attack, which signals that a magnesium-deficiency was the root of their particular headache.

Ok, so the most common way to combat a migraine headache is to "avoid the stimulus" and make some lifestyle changes. This seems so obvious, but for people who work in front of a computer all day or in noisy environments, getting away from it all may not be so cut-and-dry. When at work, you can spend your lunch break doing 20 minutes of cardio exercise or you can begin taking yoga classes before work in the mornings. When at home, for the most severe headaches, you'll find a cold compress is one of the best pain relievers yet.

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