Migraines – Helpful Solutions

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Migraines – Helpful Solutions

Alexander Mostovoy, H.D., D.H.M.S., B.C.C.T.

http://www.drmostovoy.com/Migraines.htm

 

I will never forget the painful expression on the face of my aunt Stella as

she burrowed her head deep into the pillow trying to cope with the excruciating

pain of a migraine. This was the first time I had seen a migraine sufferer

face to face. It was the day before her son's wedding, and I was not sure if she

would be able to cope the following day while suffering such agony. Was it

something she ate, the stress of the upcoming event, or perhaps it was thoughts

of “losing†her only child that provoked hormonal fluctuations to cause her

migraine? Triggers precipitating a particular episode of a migraine may vary

widely, even within the same individual. It may be difficult to recognize the

trigger in a particular migraine, although common patterns appear to shed some

light on this ever-increasing problem.

 

Women suffer from headaches more commonly than men. This trend increases from

the onset of menstruation, peaks in mid 40's and then appears to decline

following menopause. Migraines are a frustrating chronic illness that is

widespread in our population. They range in intensity from an occasional

annoyance to a

life-threatening daily experience. Headaches are the number one pain problem

and are one of the most common reasons why patients visit doctors.

 

Typically, migraine sufferers are offered drugs such as acetaminophen,

codeine, barbiturates, and ergotamine in an attempt to control their pain.

However,

this band-aid approach does not remove the cause of the migraine, but may in

fact cause headaches to recur on a rebound basis as these drugs leave the

nervous system. This is a similar effect to that of “curing†a coffee

drinker's

headache by giving him or her coffee to stop a headache caused by caffeine

withdrawal.

 

Migraines are not caused by dilation and constriction of blood vessels; this

is a secondary response due to an underlying cause. In fact, the majority of

migraine sufferers eventually get a stroke since the cause of the problem has

not been addressed over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms persist in calling

for attention, but often are only palliated with painkillers. Many factors

may trigger or aggravate a migraine attack. Quite frequently it may be due to

physical activity, or menstruation, alcohol consumption (red wine in

particular), too little or too much sleep, a missed meal, a change in weather,

or certain

foods. Migraine headaches are a chronic, complex, and multi-factorial

condition that involves social, genetic, physiological and psychological

components.

Although simply stated - typically, they result from retained toxins in the

body or tissue irritants within the central nervous system that may express

along different or even a combination of anatomical systems that would include

the

following:

 

Endocrine System - the hormonal imbalance leading to estrogen dominance,

hypothyroidism, hyper-insulinemia and possibly other expressions that are

affected

by hormones. Estrogen levels are a key factor in the increased prevalence of

migraine in women. Estrogen dominance or progesterone deficiency prior to

menstruation is a common migraine trigger; estrogen administration in oral

contraceptives and synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can trigger

migraines;

migraines typically decrease during the second and third trimesters of

pregnancy when estriol (good estrogen) levels are high; migraines are common

immediately post-partum with the precipitous drop in estriol levels; and

migraines

generally improve with physiologic menopause.

 

Psychological influences - People often think thoughts that are negative,

frightening, angry, or even self demeaning. When normal/healthy people think

these thoughts, nothing much happens. Individuals suffering from migraines have

over-reactive hormone systems, while adrenalin and other hormones are released

along with thought provoking cascade of negative emotions. A migraine sufferer

may not feel anxious at all, they may claim to be relaxed but at the same time

may be showing the physical symptoms of anxiety. These symptoms may be partly

resulting from various chemical processes such as the foods this person ate.

However, they are also the result of thoughts. Psychological modulation of

immune function is now a well-established phenomenon. The scientific evidence

and

the body of research are indisputable, explaining how the brain and body

communicate with each other in a multidirectional flow of information that

consists of hormones, neurotransmitters / neuropeptides, and cytokines. Emotions

are

intricately involved in this communication process.

 

Gastrointestinal System – there is no other activity that is more frequent in

our daily life than eating, and nothing else affects our health more than

what we eat. Simply stated, the gut influences all other systems of the body –

it

is all interconnected. Headaches may be caused by food allergies. There's a

group of substances called amines, common in many foods, which are the main

food trigger of migraines. There are different amines in different foods. The

amine in chocolate is the worst, while cheese is the next biggest offender.

Apparently, migraine sufferers have less monoamine oxidase (MAO), the enzyme in

platelets that breaks down amines. This reaction is not an allergy but may cause

certain hormones to be released in the body. Different amines can cause

migraines in different people. Nitrites and Aspartame can also cause migraines.

High

protein diets from animal sources is one of the most common reasons people

suffer from chronic migraines given the current high protein diet fad. Protein

breakdown and digestion causes the production of multiple toxins, especially

nitrogenous wastes. Animal protein and fat also comes with a myriad of

detrimental hormones and antibiotics that are systemically injected into

livestock. We

frequently suffer unknowingly from our dietary practices because our bodies

are not adapted to handle the types of foods we eat.

 

What to Do and What Not to Do for Migraine Sufferers:

 

Any “quick fix†solution to migraines may cause more harm than good in the

long term. Let's face it; if the solutions were quick and easy, millions of

people would not be suffering from migraines. Since each individual case history

is unique, each requires a different approach. One must first have the

necessary diagnostic testing to rule out any obvious causes. Following this, one

may

wish to explore some of the following strategies, which have been found to be

very effective in our clinic:

 

The Right Diet - To recover your health, you may require detoxification to

cleanse the offensive substance(s) from your system. Start by switching to a low

protein, plant based diet specifically designed to avoid your aggravating

foods. Also eliminate all caffeine-containing products. Avoid certain foods

until

you are fully recovered, thereafter; you can re-introduce foods one by one,

every three days to see whether or not they cause a problem. Many people have a

hard time coming to terms with completely changing their diet and temporarily

eliminating essentially all foods. However, after having suffered migraines

for years, many patients find that after only a few months of following this

strict diet regime, they can eliminate their migraines forever!

 

Lifestyle Advice - Start and maintain an exercise program that addresses the

three key components of health: duration (aerobics), strength (weight

resistance), and flexibility (stretching). A moderate daily exercise routine

will

promote weight loss and hormonal balance, stabilize your mood and give you an

overall feeling of well-being. Choose an activity that you actually enjoy, and

let

it become part of you and your lifestyle. It may be yoga, tai chi, martial

arts, swimming or tennis, it doesn't matter as long as you like it enough to

stick to it. Use this time to help you unwind from daily pressures, to clear

your

mind and to re-connect to your physical body. You have to take care of your

body so it can take care of you.

 

Hormonal Balancing – as stated earlier hormones in general have such an

overriding influence on all bodily functions that it would be imprudent to

ignore

this area. I have come to realize that hormone balancing alone without the

fundamental shift in dietary measures and physical activity levels will not

produce long lasting results. At the onset of any therapy, proper assessment of

a

patient's hormonal levels - utilizing blood, saliva and urine testing should be

done to establish a baseline and to clearly identify the hormonal imbalances

that may inadvertently contribute to migraines. It is not surprising to see

that most problems in this area are a result of estrogen dominance and

progesterone deficiency. The use of bio-identical progesterone in the second

half of the

female cycle to balance the hormones has been proven time and time again to

be extremely effective therapy. (For more detailed information on hormones

please go to www.drpettle.com ). Proper thyroid testing is also essential, since

hypothyroid is very common in migraine sufferers.

 

Homeopathic Medications – are a safe and extremely effective way of balancing

your problems naturally by allowing your system to correct itself with gentle

stimulation of your own immune response. Unlike so many conventional

medications, homeopathics are never addictive. Once symptoms are relieved and

resolved, you can stop taking them. Taking care of patients with recurrent

headaches

or migraines is one of the most rewarding experiences for me, since homeopathic

medications are incredibly attuned to affect the person on endocrine and

neurotransmitter levels. Migraine sufferers respond extremely well to clinical

homeopathy when two or more single remedies are used together. Homeopathic

philosophy states that there are no specifics to this or any other condition,

unlike

allopathic models; everything in homeopathy is individualized based on the

patient's individual symptom picture. By last count, headaches appear to have

584 remedies - each one with its own specific symptoms. In my practice, the most

common remedies I use are: Ignatia, Sepia, Lachesis, Natrum Muriaticum,

Colubrina (Nux-V), and Pulsatilla. They are extremely effective when used in

high

potencies addressing the patient symptoms on all levels such as: promoting

detoxification, addressing the patient needs on a psychological level, hormonal

balancing and endocrine function as well as supporting detoxification and

lymphatic cleansing.

 

There are many vitamins and other essential nutrients that can have an effect

on the complex hormonal processes that cause migraines. Supplementation of

coenzyme Q10 , feverfew, and kudzu root have all been demonstrated to help with

migraine headaches. Magnesium Citrate has helped many people to reduce the

frequency of migraines; magnesium deficiency can also cause a craving for

chocolate, which in turn can cause migraines. Vitamin C, Vitamin B3 – Niacin,

Omega-3

essential fatty acids all proved beneficial in treating migraine headaches.

 

In conclusion , some headaches may result from head injuries, brain tumors,

hypertension, chronic sinusitis and may be directly or indirectly related to

conditions associated with teeth, ears, nose and eyes. Others may be caused by

hormone imbalances, diet, or psychological reasons. Persistent severe headaches

that do not respond to any of the above recommendations over a period of time

should be properly evaluated by a competent health professional. Our bodies

have an innate ability to self-correct and to heal given the chance.

 

When disease-causing stresses and hormonal imbalances are removed, the

natural healing can begin to work unhindered. The self-repair mechanism inherent

in

all of us is the most complex and the most incredible part of the human

organism. There are no magic bullets, the only true healing is self healing,

lets

face the facts – we are all responsible for our own health. Now, let the

healing

begin…

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I really believe that hormones play a big part in migraines, I used to have them

every month, now after a hysterectomy 7 years ago, I have had maybe 1 or 2

total, and that is because I was overtired.

 

surpriseshan2 wrote:

Migraines – Helpful Solutions

Alexander Mostovoy, H.D., D.H.M.S., B.C.C.T.

http://www.drmostovoy.com/Migraines.htm

 

I will never forget the painful expression on the face of my aunt Stella as

she burrowed her head deep into the pillow trying to cope with the excruciating

pain of a migraine. This was the first time I had seen a migraine sufferer

face to face. It was the day before her son's wedding, and I was not sure if she

would be able to cope the following day while suffering such agony.