Few things can ruin your morning quite like an intense migraine.
The nausea, sensitivity to light and pulsating pain can make it hard to function, let alone thrive.
It may seem like migraines pop up without warning or cause. In reality, though, migraines are often the result of a nutrient deficiency.
Research has confirmed this. In one study (1), doctors discovered that patients suffering from frequent migraines were much more likely to have low levels of these nutrients:
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B2
- Folate
- Q10 (a co-enzyme)
Other nutrient deficiencies that can contribute to migraines include magnesium, potassium and sodium.
Dehydration is a major cause of migraines as well.
Dehydration is a compounding issue, causing even further excessive water loss in your body (2).
It’s also not hard at all to become dehydrated. In fact, if you live in the United States, you probably are chronically dehydrated (3).
Thankfully, the Himalayan Salt Lemonade recipe at the focus of this article can combat both of the migraine factors outlined above.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- One quarter teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt
- Two tablespoons of lemon juice
- Eight ounces of water
- One teaspoon of honey (this is an optional sweetener)
Preparation
Begin by adding the lemon juice and salt into the eight ounces of water. Stir this mixture well until it becomes uniform.
After that, add the honey to sweeten it. You can also consider leaving the honey out if you don’t mind having a slightly sour tasting drink. It’s not a main active ingredient in this lemonade.
Once you’ve finished making the drink, consume it immediately. Follow it up with a glass of water.
You’ll want to repeat this process every 10 minutes. Within a half hour (so three cycles), your migraine should be gone!
Of course, this recipe is made with the average person in mind. If your migraine is especially severe, feel free to continue drinking the Himalayan Salt Lemonade until you feel better.
Why does it work?
Himalayan Salt
You might be scratching your (soon-to-be-headache-free) head right now.
In light of the fact that dehydration is a contributing factor in migraines, it might seem counter-intuitive, this idea that salt mixed with water could do anything other than dehydrate you further.
That is the case for the bad kind of salt – what we commonly refer to as table salt. Many common types of table salt are highly processed (4).
Himalayan salt, however, contains a number of nutrients that will maintain your body’s electrolyte balance and help your body make better use of the water you intake.
Those electrolytes include sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium.
As mentioned earlier, those electrolytes are among the list of those in which deficiencies will cause migraines.
This is a concept David Wolfe explores in great detail during the diet and detox lessons found in The Inner Circle.
Of course, it’s all about balance. Too much of even Himalayan salt will still increase your sodium levels beyond what’s needed.
Thankfully, when Himalayan salt quenches your thirst, you’ll find you don’t really feel like drinking the lemonade anymore.
Take that as a sign that you’re no longer dehydrated.
Just keep an eye out for these dehydration and migraine symptoms:
- Increased thirst
- Dry mouth
- Tiredness
- Decreased urine output
- Urine is low volume and more yellowish than normal
- Headache
- Dry skin
- Dizziness
- Lack of sweating
- Sunken eyes
- Shrivelled and dry skin
- Low blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
Lemon Juice
Of course, the lemon juice in the Himalayan Salt Lemonade isn’t just for flavor.
Lemons also help reduce inflammation and swelling (5).
This is great not only for people suffering from conditions like arthritis. It’s also great for migraine sufferers.
Migraines are in fact the only type of headache that appears linked to inflammation (6).
Lemon water will also help reduce stress – another major contributor to migraines (7).
This will also have the effect of brightening your mood, making it easier to get through the day.
In fact, it’s a much better alternative to coffee if you suffer from migraines. While coffee might give you an energy boost and help you power through the pain, it might also make you jittery and interfere with your sleep when consumed in excess of four cups a day.
Contrary to popular belief, though, coffee isn’t actually a diuretic (8).
That means it won’t contribute to dehydration. So if you are a coffee person, don’t worry; it won’t undo the work of the Himalayan Salt Lemonade.
If you found this recipe useful, please be sure to share it with your friends!
Migraines are incredibly common. Chances are, you know several people who suffer from them. Spread the joy and recovery!
