EATLIVEWEARWANTLIFEREAD

4/28/2014

BUTTERBUR: AN ALL- NATURAL SUPPLEMENT FOR MIGRAINES THAT WORKS!


I hope you had a great weekend! This post is a little off topic, but I've been praying about being able to say these words since 1997 - that would be 17 years! My hope is that this post might help you or someone you know that might be suffering from migraines...

Back in January, I mentioned here that one of my goals for this year was to work on eliminating my migraines. I think my exact words were, " to kick these migraines in the ass." I've had them for 17 years and they were getting worse with time. Well I've been working on it and I've found something that has worked tremendously! And it is all-natural!

Back in December, my doctor diagnosed me with "chronic migraines," which means I was having 10 - 15 migraines most months. They were so bad and so frequent that they were starting to really affect my lifestyle. So I was referred to a neurologist to come up with a serious plan to attack them. During my appointment with the neurologist, I stressed that I had absolutely no interest in additional medication, Botox (yes, Botox is used for migraine treatment), or anything unnatural. I had done research and knew that changes in diet, lifestyle and certain natural supplements had proven to be very effective in reducing or eliminating migraines. Over the last few years, I got my diet straight (very little processed foods, red meat and sugar, lots of fresh vegetables, lots of water, no caffeine), so I was interested in trying some supplements. The neurologist recommended Vitamin B2 and Magnesium Gluconate (both of which have proven to be effective with migraines), so I went to Whole Foods to buy them for the first time. I needed to see them in person and try them out first before ordering them online...



As I was in the process of looking for the vitamins amidst the plethora of vitamins at Whole Foods, a guy working in the vitamin department asked me if I needed any help. I told him what I needed and that I needed them for migraines. He said he had something better. That is when he introduced me to Butterbur. He said that it was an all-natural herb from a shrub that is grown primarily in North America and Europe. It had been proven to significantly reduce the frequency of migraines. He said it also helped with back pain, urinary tract infections, allergies and asthma. He said that tons of his customers swear by it. I had never heard of it and was skeptical, so I researched it online on my iPhone (thank God for smartphones) as I walked around the store. I couldn't find anything that said it wasn't effective or unsafe. So I bought it. I had such a good feeling about it that I started taking it that night! It was a weekend, so I consulted my neurologist the following week and she said it was ok...

That day at Whole Foods was February 8th. I have been taking Butterbur twice a day since then and things have been SO much better! Supplements take about 6-8 weeks to be effective and I can report that this stuff is REAL for me. The frequency of my migraines has gone from about 10-15 per month to about 4-5 per month. I'll take that!! When I do get the migraines, I still take my prescription meds, but the migraines don't last half as long or make me as tired as they did before I started taking Butterbur. I haven't experienced any side effects. My allergies that are normally terrible around this time of year have been remarkably better as well. So I got a two-for-one deal! Hopefully with time, the frequency of the migraines will reduce. Fingers crossed!

There are several brands of Butterbur out there, but I take this one (the two-pack is a better deal). It is free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA-free). Raw butterbur has alkaloids that can be harmful to your liver, so be sure to buy a brand that says "PA-free" on the bottle.

So my point here is that if you or someone you know is suffering from migraines, know that there are natural options out there that might be just as effective, better for you (and cheaper!!) as prescription meds. The natural meds combined with my diet are really working for me and I couldn't be more excited!

Do you or anyone you know take Butterbur? If so, what is/was your experience? Let me know!

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor by any means, so please consult your doctor before trying anything new! Also, this is not a sponsored post. I just really hopes this helps someone like it has helped me!

Macaron Trinket Box (used as my pill box) via Waiting on Martha

Images by me
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16 comments:

  1. Yes! My son began having migraines in Kindergarten (poor baby). He would get one about 2-3x month until they turned into weekly headaches in about 6th grade. At 10yr old he was put on Verapimil daily which seemed to help a little. His migraine freq lessened but he was still plagued by several headaches a week.I never felt good about putting a growing child on a daily prescription drug. I decided to take him off the Verapimil. This is when he went on Butterbur after I did my research and got the ok from his neurologist. Miracle!! He suffered no migraines after he began the Butterbur! It also lessened his headaches to the point where he has been off of all supplements for about 2 yrs. At 14yrs he only gets an occasional headache which is eleviated with ibuprofen. So- YES- we found Butterbur to be very helpful. Good luck to you too!

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    1. I am so happy to hear that Ali! I can't imagine how painful these can be to a child. I'm so happy that the Butterbur has helped!

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  2. You know how excited I am for you!!! So glad you finally found something that worked for you. So wish more neurologists would look at natural remedies and diet. Katie has only had a handful of migraines since August since going gluten free and taking her supplements. And, my niece now takes Butterbur for hers.

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  3. Tiffany- thank you so much for posting this! I've been suffering for migraines since I was 18, so almost 9 years. It has been excruciating and I'm tired of prescriptions that do nothing, and really don't want to put any more strange chemicals in my body.
    I'm definitely going to give this a try. I feel for you, 10-15 a month is terrible! I don't have that many, 1 or 2, but last week it lasted fro 5 days and was just horrible.
    Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for sharing. :)

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    1. You are so welcome! Let me know how it goes if you give them a try!

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  4. I am so happy to hear this Tiffany! Passing it along to my sister who suffers from migraines. I hope it continues to be effective for you! xx

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  5. Thank you so much for posting this! I am definitely going to give it a try - anything is better than nothing!

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  6. Well done! i am very happy to be found such type of blog after huge searches through internet. You have given the sufficient information regarding natural supplements. I am absolutely valuate your effort.

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  7. Has this really helped you? As in do you beleive in butterbur still? I've just started taking butterbur and would be glad to know if it still works for you or not

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    1. Hi! I've been taking this for over a year and I think it works! I do still have migraines, but they aren't as frequent or severe when I do get them. I think it works even better in combination with a good diet!

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