If you’ve ever suffered with a migraine, you know how debilitating they can be. Chronic migraines even more so. So how do you deal when you feel like you can’t keep your head up or see an ounce of light? Alivia Mackenzie (aka @lalalivia), wellness guru and Canadian IG-sweetheart, is no stranger to migraines and gets open and honest on her own platform about her struggles with them to her community, and we thought who better to tap to normalize dealing with migraines? Read below for Alivia’s thoughts on remedies (both holistic and otherwise), maintaining self-care through an episode, and more.

Migraines manifest differently for everyone – what do you experience during a migraine?

Most migraines I experience vomiting, head, neck, and back pain, loss of vision, nerve pain, irritability, ringing ears, and decrease in hand function.

What are some tell-tall signs a migraine is coming on?

I either get extremely tired, irritable, or nauseous! Then, I’ll either lose partial vision or experience visual aura, which is often followed by nausea and head pain.

Are there any foods that trigger migraines for you?

For the most part, I stay away from processed foods and sugars. Most animal products will trigger really severe migraines, too, so I don’t eat meat and I don’t really drink [alcohol].

Are there any foods that remedy your migraines?

Diet makes all the difference for me! I try to drink 3L of water a day – hydration is so important when dealing with chronic pain. When I’m in a really bad migraine cycle (think 1+ week without relief), I’ll stick to pressed juices and sourdough toast with ghee – a weird combo but it’s usually all I can stomach. I also love any super gingery drink: kombucha, tea, pressed ginger shots, and I actually just started to make my own ginger brew, which I combine with lemon, honey, and sparkling mineral water. It really helps my nausea.

Do you have a medicine cabinet must-have remedy?

My migraines don’t respond to over the counter medication so I get botox every 12 weeks in my head, neck, and back.

What are some of your go-to holistic remedies to get over a migraine?

Weed is my savior – I smoke indica to help with my symptoms. Magnesium is also super helpful for head pain – I take Magnesi-Om by MoonJuice because it has three bioavailable types of magnesium mixed with L-theanine, which makes me feel so relaxed. Ashwaghanda is also super helpful when I’m experiencing migraine related anxiety – I take SuperYou capsules or the Your Mornings tincture in water to help with that.

How do you show self-love and self-care during a migraine episode?

I have migraines most days so this practice isn’t used on the daily, but when I’m really hurting, I’ll have a hot bath with tons of magnesium, then climb into bed and have a nap.