Chiropractor shares 'tapping' method to banish painful migraines in minutes

Young man suffering from strong headache or migraine sitting with glass of water in the kitchen, millennial guy feeling intoxication and pain touching aching head, morning after hangover concept
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Migraines can knock you for six with excruciating pain and an array of symptoms like nausea, light sensitivity, and visual disturbances, often wreaking havoc on the day-to-day lives of sufferers who are on a quest for some form of solace. While there's a bevvy of tactics from medications to home remedies that promise to ease the throbbing, one expert reckons he's cracked the code to "instant relief naturally".

That expert is Dr Brandon Brown, a Dallas-based Upper Cervical Chiropractor and the brains behind the Migraine Society Community who regularly imparts his wisdom on migraine management online.

With his latest advice racking up a whopping 56,000 likes, Dr Brown insists in a popular clip: "Everyone's migraine is a little bit different. There are many different types. Just because your body doesn't respond to one or multiple ways, doesn't mean that there isn't something that will work for you."

He divulges three techniques that have reportedly brought comfort to his patients - from bracing cold exposure to the 'tapping' method. Perhaps these are worth a bash....

Cold exposure

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Dr Brown posits that a dose of the chills can be beneficial as it gets the vagus nerve buzzing. He elaborates: "Cold exposure is stimulating to your vagus nerve."

He explained: "It can actually help get you out of that sympathetic stress state that is causing your body to have a migraine and get you into a more parasympathetic, relaxed state. Now you can go extreme and get a cold plunge, or go by ice and get a tub."

He even suggested filling a bowl with iced water and just dunking your hand in "for as long as possible" - before taking your hand out and dunking your face in. "If you do this proactively as a way to strengthen your nervous system, it can decrease the frequency and intensity of your migraines," he added.

Breathing exercises

His second tip was to "focus on your breathing" as getting more oxygen into your body is "super crucial" for tackling a migraine. The chiropractor claims "most people don't use their full lung capacity".

Instead, he said to take 30 breaths using the 20-30 breathing exercise. The technique, which is commonly associated with yoga, involves taking deep, rapid breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

After completing, exhale completely and hold your breath for as long as comfortable before inhaling deeply and holding for 20 seconds. This technique increases oxygen levels, promoting relaxation and focus.

'Tapping' method

His final tip was to use the "tapping" method to help calm the body and stimulate the nervous system - which he admitted "sounds silly" but insists it works. He said: "Tapping is where you tap certain points on your body - top of your head, above, below the eyebrows, blade of the hand, chest, collarbones.

"And you're going to say to yourself, calming, healing phrases that you need to hear. Sound silly? Look it up. Telling you it works. The other one is going to be movement. Get up. Move your body around. Shake it around.

"Move that energy around inside of your body. Let it come out. Let yourself laugh, cry, dance and move. Those things are stimulating to your nervous system."

TikTok users were left stunned by the tips as they decided to give them a try for themselves to see if they worked. One user said: "Currently battling a migraine about to try the ice one," while another added: "Thank you so much for this, it made me feel better!".

Someone else penned: "Not going to lie this worked. It's not completely gone but I found some ease. That I can open my eyes." However, a fourth said: "Been here for four hours with a hemiplegic migraine. Not working."

To which Dr Brown replied: "Hemiplegic is very serious. I would seek out a specialist like me asap."

If your migraines are severe, getting worse or lasting longer than usual, you should see your GP. You should also seek advice if you have migraines more than once a week, or if you're finding them difficult to control.