Background: Migraine, a genetically influenced disorder, manifests as recurring episodes of intense headache, typically on one side of the head, often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. It constitutes a significant source of chronic illness and is a leading contributor to various types of headaches globally. Epsom salt, known for its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, offers a side-effect-free option for alleviating migraine pain and serves as a readily available and affordable complementary alternative medicine for this condition. Aim: To assess the effect of Epsom salt soak on migraine pain among B.Sc. nursing students. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental design, specifically a non-randomized control group approach, was utilized for this study. The research involved 30 nursing students from SUM Nursing College, Bhubaneswar, selected through the purposive sampling technique rather than random selection. Result: The findings revealed that the post-test mean value (14+2.10) in the experimental group had a t test value of -2.20 and a P value of 0.02, which was a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups at P ≤ 0.05. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated a noteworthy decrease in migraine occurrence among the students. Hence, the administration of Epsom salt soak was effective in treating the migraine ailments.

Keywords:Effectiveness, chronic illness, complementary alternative medicine, Epsom salt soak, migraine

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1. Bigal ME, Bordini CA, Tepper SJ, Speciali JG. Intravenous magnesium sulphate in the acute treatment of migraine without aura and migraine with aura. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Cephalalgia. Jun 2002; 22(5): 345–353.
2. Wachholtz AB, Malone CD, Pargament KI. Effect of different meditation types on migraine headache medication use. Behavioral Medicine. Jan 2017; 43(1): 1–8.
3. Sankar L. Effectiveness of Epsom salt with hot water application on knee joint pain among elderly in a selected rural area at Puducherry. Pon J Nurs. 2019; 12(2): 42–45.
4. Smith TR, Nicholson RA, Banks JW. Migraine education improves quality of life in a primary care setting. Headache. Apr 2010; 50(4): 600–612. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2010.01618.x.
5. Spierings EL, Donoghue S, Mian A, Wöber C. Sufficiency, and necessity in migraine: How do we figure out if triggers are absolute or partial and, if partial, additive or potentiating. Current Pain and Headache Reports. Oct 2014; 18(10): 1–7.
6. Malone CD, Bhowmick A, Wachholtz AB. Migraine: Treatments, comorbidities, and quality of life, in the USA. Headache. 2024; 64(S1): S17.
7. Houle TT, Butschek RA, Turner DP, Smitherman TA, Rains JC, Penzien DB. Stress and sleep duration predict headache severity in chronic headache sufferers. PAIN®. Dec 2012; 153(12): 2432–2440.
8. Darabaneanu S, Overath CH, Rubin D, Lüthje S, Sye W, Niederberger U, Gerber WD, Weisser B. Aerobic exercise as a therapy option for migraine: A pilot study. International Journal of Sports Medicine. Jun 2011; 32(06): 455–460.
9. Affleck G, Tennen H, Urrows S, Higgins P. Person and contextual features of daily stress reactivity: individual differences in relations of undesirable daily events with mood disturbance and chronic pain intensity. J Pers Soc Psychol. Feb 1994; 66(2): 329–340.
10. Abbas AM, Sakr HF. Effect of magnesium sulfate and thyroxine on inflammatory markers in a rat model of hypothyroidism. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. Oct 2015; 94(4): 426–432.
11. Hirashima J, Yamana H, Matsui H, Fushimi K, Yasunaga H. Effect of intravenous magnesium sulfate on mortality in patients with severe acute asthma. Respirology. Feb 2016. Lee YY, Yang YP, Huang PI, Li WC, Huang MC, Kao CL, Chen YJ, Chen MT. Exercise suppresses COX-2 pro-inflammatory pathway in vestibular migraine. Brain Research Bulletin. 2015; 116: 98–105.
12. Rude RK, Singer FR. Magnesium deficiency and excess. Annual Review of Medicine. Feb 1981; 32(1): 245–259.
13. Korkmaz FN, Yilmaz-Oral D, Asker H, Guven B, Turkcan D, Kirlangic OF, Oztekin CV, Çorapçıoğlu D, Demir Ö, Ates I, Gur S. Combined levothyroxine and testosterone treatment for restoring erectile dysfunction in propylthiouracil-induced hypothyroid rats. J Sex Med. 2023 May 26;20(6):732–741.
14. Goadsby PJ, Zanchin G, Geraud G, De Klippel N, Diaz-Insa S, Gobel H, Cunha L, Ivanoff N, Falques M, Fortea J. Early vs. non-early intervention in acute migraine–Act when Mild (AwM)'. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of almotriptan. Cephalalgia. Apr 2008; 28(4): 383–391. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2982.2008.01546.x. Epub 2008 Feb 20. Erratum in: Cephalalgia. Jun 2008; 28(6): 679.
15. Goadsby PJ. The ‘Act when Mild’ (AwM) study: A step forward in our understanding of early treatment in acute migraine. Cephalalgia. Sep 2008; 28(2): 36–41. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2982.2008.01689.x.
16. Diener HC. Efficacy of almotriptan 12.5 mg in achieving migraine-related composite endpoints: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in patients-controlled study in patients with previous poor response to sumatriptan 50 mg. Curr Med Res. Opin. Oct 2005; 21(10): 1603–1610. DOI: 10.1185/030079905X65448.
17. Diener HC, Gendolla A, Gebert I, Beneke M. Almotriptan in migraine patients who respond poorly to oral sumatriptan: A double-blind, randomized trial. Headache. Jul-Aug 2005; 45(7): 874–882. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2005.05151.x.
18. Diamond ML, Cady RK, Mao L, Biondi DM, Finlayson G, Greenberg SJ, Wright P. Characteristics of migraine attacks and responses to almotriptan treatment: A comparison of menstrually related and non-menstrually related migraines. Headache. Feb 2008; 48(2): 248–258. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2007.01019.x.
19. Freitag F, Smith T, Mathew N, Rupnow M, Greenberg S, Mao L, Finlayson G, Wright P, Biondi D; AEGIS Investigator Study Group. Effect of early intervention with almotriptan vs placebo on migraine-associated functional disability: Results from the AEGIS Trial. Headache. Mar 2008; 48(3): 341–354. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2007.01044.x.
20. Dahlöf CG, Pascual J, Dodick DW, Dowson AJ. Efficacy, speed of action and tolerability of almotriptan in the acute treatment of migraine: Pooled individual patient data from four randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Cephalalgia. Apr 2006; 26(4): 400–408. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2982.2005.01080.x.

Background: Migraine, a genetically influenced disorder, manifests as recurring episodes of intense headache, typically on one side of the head, often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. It constitutes a significant source of chronic illness and is a leading contributor to various types of headaches globally. Epsom salt, known for its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, offers a side-effect-free option for alleviating migraine pain and serves as a readily available and affordable complementary alternative medicine for this condition. Aim: To assess the effect of Epsom salt soak on migraine pain among B.Sc. nursing students. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental design, specifically a non-randomized control group approach, was utilized for this study. The research involved 30 nursing students from SUM Nursing College, Bhubaneswar, selected through the purposive sampling technique rather than random selection. Result: The findings revealed that the post-test mean value (14+2.10) in the experimental group had a t test value of -2.20 and a P value of 0.02, which was a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups at P ≤ 0.05. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated a noteworthy decrease in migraine occurrence among the students. Hence, the administration of Epsom salt soak was effective in treating the migraine ailments.

Keywords:Effectiveness, chronic illness, complementary alternative medicine, Epsom salt soak, migraine

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Bigal ME, Bordini CA, Tepper SJ, Speciali JG. Intravenous magnesium sulphate in the acute treatment of migraine without aura and migraine with aura. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Cephalalgia. Jun 2002; 22(5): 345–353.
2. Wachholtz AB, Malone CD, Pargament KI. Effect of different meditation types on migraine headache medication use. Behavioral Medicine. Jan 2017; 43(1): 1–8.
3. Sankar L. Effectiveness of Epsom salt with hot water application on knee joint pain among elderly in a selected rural area at Puducherry. Pon J Nurs. 2019; 12(2): 42–45.
4. Smith TR, Nicholson RA, Banks JW. Migraine education improves quality of life in a primary care setting. Headache. Apr 2010; 50(4): 600–612. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2010.01618.x.
5. Spierings EL, Donoghue S, Mian A, Wöber C. Sufficiency, and necessity in migraine: How do we figure out if triggers are absolute or partial and, if partial, additive or potentiating. Current Pain and Headache Reports. Oct 2014; 18(10): 1–7.
6. Malone CD, Bhowmick A, Wachholtz AB. Migraine: Treatments, comorbidities, and quality of life, in the USA. Headache. 2024; 64(S1): S17.
7. Houle TT, Butschek RA, Turner DP, Smitherman TA, Rains JC, Penzien DB. Stress and sleep duration predict headache severity in chronic headache sufferers. PAIN®. Dec 2012; 153(12): 2432–2440.
8. Darabaneanu S, Overath CH, Rubin D, Lüthje S, Sye W, Niederberger U, Gerber WD, Weisser B. Aerobic exercise as a therapy option for migraine: A pilot study. International Journal of Sports Medicine. Jun 2011; 32(06): 455–460.
9. Affleck G, Tennen H, Urrows S, Higgins P. Person and contextual features of daily stress reactivity: individual differences in relations of undesirable daily events with mood disturbance and chronic pain intensity. J Pers Soc Psychol. Feb 1994; 66(2): 329–340.
10. Abbas AM, Sakr HF. Effect of magnesium sulfate and thyroxine on inflammatory markers in a rat model of hypothyroidism. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. Oct 2015; 94(4): 426–432.
11. Hirashima J, Yamana H, Matsui H, Fushimi K, Yasunaga H. Effect of intravenous magnesium sulfate on mortality in patients with severe acute asthma. Respirology. Feb 2016. Lee YY, Yang YP, Huang PI, Li WC, Huang MC, Kao CL, Chen YJ, Chen MT. Exercise suppresses COX-2 pro-inflammatory pathway in vestibular migraine. Brain Research Bulletin. 2015; 116: 98–105.
12. Rude RK, Singer FR. Magnesium deficiency and excess. Annual Review of Medicine. Feb 1981; 32(1): 245–259.
13. Korkmaz FN, Yilmaz-Oral D, Asker H, Guven B, Turkcan D, Kirlangic OF, Oztekin CV, Çorapçıoğlu D, Demir Ö, Ates I, Gur S. Combined levothyroxine and testosterone treatment for restoring erectile dysfunction in propylthiouracil-induced hypothyroid rats. J Sex Med. 2023 May 26;20(6):732–741.
14. Goadsby PJ, Zanchin G, Geraud G, De Klippel N, Diaz-Insa S, Gobel H, Cunha L, Ivanoff N, Falques M, Fortea J. Early vs. non-early intervention in acute migraine–Act when Mild (AwM)'. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of almotriptan. Cephalalgia. Apr 2008; 28(4): 383–391. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2982.2008.01546.x. Epub 2008 Feb 20. Erratum in: Cephalalgia. Jun 2008; 28(6): 679.
15. Goadsby PJ. The ‘Act when Mild’ (AwM) study: A step forward in our understanding of early treatment in acute migraine. Cephalalgia. Sep 2008; 28(2): 36–41. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2982.2008.01689.x.
16. Diener HC. Efficacy of almotriptan 12.5 mg in achieving migraine-related composite endpoints: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in patients-controlled study in patients with previous poor response to sumatriptan 50 mg. Curr Med Res. Opin. Oct 2005; 21(10): 1603–1610. DOI: 10.1185/030079905X65448.
17. Diener HC, Gendolla A, Gebert I, Beneke M. Almotriptan in migraine patients who respond poorly to oral sumatriptan: A double-blind, randomized trial. Headache. Jul-Aug 2005; 45(7): 874–882. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2005.05151.x.
18. Diamond ML, Cady RK, Mao L, Biondi DM, Finlayson G, Greenberg SJ, Wright P. Characteristics of migraine attacks and responses to almotriptan treatment: A comparison of menstrually related and non-menstrually related migraines. Headache. Feb 2008; 48(2): 248–258. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2007.01019.x.
19. Freitag F, Smith T, Mathew N, Rupnow M, Greenberg S, Mao L, Finlayson G, Wright P, Biondi D; AEGIS Investigator Study Group. Effect of early intervention with almotriptan vs placebo on migraine-associated functional disability: Results from the AEGIS Trial. Headache. Mar 2008; 48(3): 341–354. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2007.01044.x.
20. Dahlöf CG, Pascual J, Dodick DW, Dowson AJ. Efficacy, speed of action and tolerability of almotriptan in the acute treatment of migraine: Pooled individual patient data from four randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Cephalalgia. Apr 2006; 26(4): 400–408. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2982.2005.01080.x.