Recurring migraines: what to do during an attack and space them out

The essentials. During an attack, we reduce stimulation: a dark room, silence, water, and a gentle external application such as massaging the temples with black seed oil. To space out future attacks, we trace back to the trigger: the lesson devoted to migraines cites allergies, constipation, stress, liver and stomach disorders, excess or lack of sleep, low blood sugar, and smoking. Each trigger has a specific correction, and a different plant. But above all: a sudden, thunderclap-like headache, fever, a visual or neurological disturbance, or painkillers that are becoming less and less effective require a medical opinion, because only a doctor can make a diagnosis.

The signs that require a medical opinion without delay

Before any advice, a clarification. A headache that comes on suddenly, within seconds, like a thunderclap in the head, is not an ordinary migraine: it requires urgent medical attention. The same applies if the pain is accompanied by fever, neck stiffness, vomiting that does not stop, a visual disturbance that persists, weakness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, or confusion.

Also to be shown without delay: a headache following a blow to the head, pain that changes character (stronger, more frequent, different from usual attacks), or a first attack appearing late in life. Finally, the point raised in the question deserves to be stated clearly: painkillers that work less and less well should be reported to the doctor, because frequent use of painkillers can, in some people, perpetuate headaches. What follows accompanies medical follow-up, it does not replace it, and healing comes from Allah alone.

What the lessons call ach chqîqah

In the lesson devoted to migraines in the Prophetic Medicine course, Professor Akim Bouterra takes up Dr. Jabir Al-Qahtani's definition: "Migraine is a disturbance in the blood vessels of the brain. The sufferer feels pain on one side of the head. This is called hemicrania."

This is followed by the list of causes: allergies, constipation, stress, liver and stomach problems, excess or lack of sleep, low blood sugar, smoking. This list is good news: most of these causes can be corrected. It also explains why the same remedy relieves one person and leaves another unaffected. Hence two stages that should never be mixed up: calming the current attack, then working on the underlying terrain that produces it.

During the attack: turning down the volume

The first step costs nothing: a dark room, silence, lying down, and drinking water regularly. A migraine does not tolerate light, noise, and strong smells well; removing these three stimuli is already a relief.

For external application, the remedies cited in this lesson are simple: black seed oil massaged onto the temples, and a poultice of olive oil with henna and pure rose water. Covering one's head with henna is also mentioned there as a prophetic remedy. According to Abu Hurayra, the Prophet ﷺ said of the black seed: "it is a remedy for every illness, except death," reported in the two Sahihs. A remedy remains a means, never a guarantee.

If you use essential oils, three precautionary rules are enough: never undiluted on the skin, always diluted in a carrier oil; in very small amounts on the temples and the nape of the neck, avoiding the eye area; and a patch test on the inside of the elbow the day before. Inhalation should remain brief, over a bowl, away from the eyes. Physical pain is often accompanied by exhaustion: reciting the Qur'an, making supplications, and asking Allah for healing accompany these means, without replacing them.

Spacing out attacks: tracing back to the trigger

This is where the "less often" comes into play. Each cause mentioned has a corresponding correction, and a different plant.

• Heavy digestion, constipation, overloaded liver → feverfew is indicated for migraines coming from the liver, intestine, or stomach: one tablet after meals three times a day, or an herbal tea made with one tablespoon in a glass of hot water, three times a day before meals. For migraines caused by constipation: talbina (oat or barley soup, olive oil, one tablespoon of flaxseed) and, if needed, senna, always combined with chamomile, fennel, or plantain.
• Excess sugar, coffee, or tea, skipped meals → low blood sugar is among the causes listed, and excessive coffee or tea in the evening is among the causes of insomnia. Regular meals, less fast-digesting sugar, and no coffee or tea in the evening: three corrections that act on both fronts at once.
• Lack of sleep → ginkgo biloba is cited for headaches caused by lack of sleep, at a dose of two capsules before each meal, ginger having the same use. Melatonin is presented as useful against migraines: one capsule after Asr and one after Maghrib; on the plate, banana, barley, and oats. Peppermint essential oil massage and a lavender bath, meanwhile, appear in the lesson on insomnia, for evening relaxation, as does walking before bedtime.
• Stress and nervous tension → relaxation is explicitly recommended as part of a healthy lifestyle, along with a balanced diet. Roman chamomile is well suited for this: one spoonful of flowers infused for ten minutes, strained, in the morning or before sleep. Black seed is also cited for stress and fatigue, as a massage or as an herbal tea with honey.
• Migraine linked to the menstrual cycle → sage for the first half of the cycle (one teaspoon in 250 ml of water, three times a day), chasteberry (vitex) for the second half (capsules three times a day before meals).
• Tobacco and allergies → smoking and allergies are both among the causes listed. Quitting smoking and identifying the allergen are fundamental corrections, not minor details.

What about hijama?

Let's be honest: the lesson devoted to migraines does not list hijama among its remedies. It lists plants, external applications, and lifestyle rules. If you are considering a session, talk to your doctor and see a trained practitioner, without expecting it to do the work of addressing the triggers.

In practice

• Keep a log of your attacks for a month: date, time, the previous night's sleep, skipped meals, coffee, stress, point in the cycle. It is this log that will reveal your dominant trigger.
• Set a regular bedtime: both too much and too little sleep are among the causes.
• During an attack: a dark room, water, and a temple massage with black seed oil.
• For the underlying ground, choose a single plant, the one that matches your trigger, and stay with it for a few weeks. Taking everything at once makes it impossible to know what is working.
• Keep an eye on your bowel movements: ongoing constipation sustains the attacks.
• Vitamins A and B are mentioned in this lesson, one tablet a day in the late afternoon, needed for the nerves.
• Show your log to the doctor, especially if your pain relievers are losing their effectiveness.

Precautions

• Feverfew and senna: avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and medical advice is required if you are on any treatment, especially anticoagulants. Senna is a laxative: short-term use only, always combined with something else.
• Black seed: forbidden during pregnancy and best avoided during breastfeeding, for lack of sufficient information. It can lower blood sugar and blood pressure: use caution in case of diabetes or low blood pressure. For topical application, test first on a small area of skin.
• Sage and chasteberry (vitex): both of these plants act on the hormonal system and should not be used casually alongside hormonal treatment or during pregnancy.
• Melatonin, ginkgo, sedative plants: ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice if you are already taking a treatment, and avoid driving after a dose that makes you drowsy.
• Essential oils: never undiluted, never near the eyes, not on irritated skin, and not for pregnant women or children without professional advice.
• Finally, none of these means replace a diagnosis. A migraine that worsens, changes in nature, or resists everything deserves a medical evaluation, and the doctor remains the reference for any ongoing treatment.

Frequently asked questions

Which headaches require urgent medical attention?

A sudden headache that comes on within seconds like a thunderclap, as well as a headache with fever, neck stiffness, persistent visual disturbance, weakness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, or confusion. In these situations, you do not look for a remedy: you seek medical attention immediately.

What should be done right at the start of an attack?

Reduce stimulation: a dark room, silence, lying down, and drinking water. The Institute's lessons mention, for external application, a temple massage with black seed oil and a poultice of olive oil with henna and pure rose water.

Why are my pain relievers becoming less and less effective?

This loss of effectiveness is precisely what needs to be reported to your doctor, since frequent use of painkillers can, in some people, sustain the headaches. Only your doctor can review the treatment; alongside this, working on the triggers reduces the need to resort to tablets.

Which plant should be chosen to space out the attacks?

It depends on the trigger. Feverfew is mentioned for migraines coming from the liver, intestine, or stomach, ginkgo and ginger for those linked to lack of sleep, talbina together with senna for those due to constipation, and sage and chasteberry (vitex) for migraines linked to the cycle.

Is hijama indicated for migraines?

The lesson devoted to migraines does not list it among its remedies: it lists plants, external applications, and lifestyle rules. If you wish to turn to it, talk to your doctor and see a trained practitioner, without neglecting the underlying work for all that.