TikToker who suffers excruciating migraines reveals incredible household trick to lessen pain in seconds
A TikToker has shared a simple household stick that helped them get rid of their migraines in seconds.
Cass Cavanaugh, 21, from Missouri, who is non-binary, posted a video last month showing them eating a whole lemon raw. They were testing foods that could help with their migraines when they discovered that lemon eased the pain.
One night they were “desperate and panicked” by heavy knocking and reached for a lemon.
The text on the video, which has been viewed almost 16 million times, reads: ‘Fun fact, I learned when I looked around and discovered: if you eat a whole lemon raw, it will stop migraines.
The search term ‘lemon stop migraine’ has now been viewed more than 42 million times. However, doctors have said there is no evidence that pungent or sour foods relieve migraine pain.
Cass Cavanaugh, 21, from Missouri, who is non-binary, posted a video last month showing them eating a whole lemon raw. They were testing foods that could help with their migraines when they discovered that lemon eased the pain
“When you get desperate enough with migraines, you’ll try anything,” Cavanaugh told NeedToKnowUK.
‘I have medicines and other methods: sitting in the dark, cold compresses, etc., but (on this occasion) none worked.
“So one night I just bit into a lemon hoping it would help, and it did.”
“I like to call it a lemon lobotomy.”
However, doctors are not sure whether this fruit can make migraines a thing of the past.
Vascular surgeon Dr. Mahyar Maddahali took a stab at Ms. Cavanaugh’s video, saying lemons can even cause headaches and migraines.
“We don’t have enough evidence to confirm this,” he said. ‘Lemon is also full of tyramine. Tyramine can cause nerve cells to release norepinephrine. It can suddenly increase blood pressure and cause more headaches.”
Cavanaugh has previously used sour candies for anxiety and thought similar flavors might work for migraines. Psychologists previously told DailyMail.com that intensely flavored foods, such as sour or spicy snacks, can distract the brain from everything else going on around it. That might explain how the tart taste of lemons eased the pain in Cavanaugh’s head.
Cavanaugh doesn’t eat lemons for every migraine and has made it clear that this is only a temporary solution.
“If you are experiencing severe migraines, see a doctor,” they said. ‘Lemons are a temporary solution.’
“I am absolutely not a licensed medical professional.”
They also urged viewers to stay away from lemons if they have stomach problems as they found that eating lemons gives them stomach ache.
Cavanaugh doesn’t eat lemons for every migraine and has made it clear that this is only a temporary solution. “If you are experiencing severe migraines, see a doctor,” they said. ‘Lemons are a temporary solution. I am in no way a licensed medical professional.”
Migraine is a form of headache that causes severe, throbbing pain or throbbing pain, usually on one side of the head. These can last for hours or even days.
The American Migraine Foundation estimates that one in ten Americans, 39 million, live with migraines.
About 28 million of these are women and girls, as women are at least three times more likely to suffer from migraines than men.
Some research suggests that reduced estrogen levels, which usually happen when a woman has her period, may be to blame.
Symptoms vary, but migraines are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to sound and light.
There are four stages of migraine, although not everyone goes through them all: prodrome, aura, attack and postdrome.
Prodrome happens one or two days before a migraine attack and its symptoms are easy to miss. Subtle symptoms include constipation, mood swings, food cravings, neck stiffness, increased urination, fluid retention and frequent yawning, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Some people with migraines have warning symptoms such as an aura. These may include visual disturbances such as flashes of light, tingling on one side or difficulty speaking.
An aura usually occurs minutes to hours before a migraine. It usually involves visual disturbances such as bright spots or flashes of light, but there may also be weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body, as well as difficulty speaking.
A migraine attack itself lasts from four hours to three days. For some they occur occasionally, but for others they can strike several times a month. You may then experience a postdream, which makes you feel exhausted or confused for up to a day.
It’s still unclear what causes migraines, but some triggers include menstruation, drinking alcohol or coffee, stress, not getting enough sleep, weather changes, certain foods, and medications.
More than 20,000 TikTok users commented on Cavanaugh’s video, especially those who suffer from migraines themselves.
One person said: ‘We migraine sufferers come up with the strangest home remedies.’
A user named Nicole wrote, “That’s such a migraine thing to try.”
Bronwyn commented, “Anyone wondering why on earth you would do that to stop migraines has never had migraines.”
“I’m going to try this next time I have a migraine,” Nebra said.