More headache questions....Migraines

[Guest guest]

I have classic symptom migraines (nausea, numbness, visual

distortions, etc). I've taken every drug on the market in the last 20

years (midrin, amatrypline, zomig, Imitrex, Replax, Topomax, Frova,

Cafergot) and nothing works although many have had serious side effects.

 

They occur any where from once every 6 months to twice in a weekend

and last about 8 hours.

 

I was hoping someone might have some ideas for natural remedies. Thus

far, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and vitamins haven't made much of a

difference.

 

My neurologist wants to put me on a very high does of prednisone

although he could not explain how that would help. I am hesitant to

agree to this.

 

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

 

Thanks

[Guest guest]

Dear Tiffany,

 

Migraine headaches can have many triggers, including:

• physical factors such as exercise, eye strain, overexertion,

fatigue, too little or too much sleep, platelet disorder, serotonin

deficiency

• emotional factors such as stress and stress `letdown' (e.g. at the

weekends or after exams)

• environmental factors such as bright or flashing lights, loud

noises, strong smells or smoke

• medications or over-use of some over-the-counter medications, or a

'rebound' effect from medications

• high serum copper/zinc ratio

• hormonal factors such as birth control pills, hormone replacement

therapies and oestrogen level fluctuations related to the menstrual cycle

• dietary amines (e.g. tyramine, histamine, phenylethylamine, etc.) in

foods such as chocolate, cheese, and red wine

• hypoglycaemia or skipping meals

• caffeine and caffeine withdrawal

• chemical factors such as air fresheners

• food additives such as aspartame, MSG, nitrites and nitrates, and dyes

• other food allergies and sensitivities

 

(Annequin et al 2000) (Leira and Rodríguez 1996) (Migraine Action

Association n.d.) (Migraine Trust n.d.) (Murray and Pizzorno 1998)

(University Health Services - UC Berkeley 2003)

 

 

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it illustrates the wide

variety of possible triggers and the highly individual nature of

migraines. However, there can be much we can do from a nutritional

perspective to help prevent migraines. One study on 88 children

showed that 93% of its participants with `severe frequent migraine'

recovered by using dietary means. It also showed that in most of

these children the trigger of migraine by other (i.e. non-dietary)

means no longer occurred while on the diet (Egger et al 1983). There

seems to be a threshold which must be reached for a migraine to be

triggered. That is, some factors may not trigger a migraine by

themselves, but when combined with a number of other triggers the

threshold is crossed and a migraine can occur (Migraine Trust n.d.).

Perhaps this is why dietary measures can reduce the risk of migraines

by other external triggers by reducing the overall stress on the body.

 

So...

 

The very first thing I would do is follow an exclusion diet.

 

The second thing I would do is keep a detailed diary - food intake,

activities, exposure to stress or environmental toxins, and each and

every migraine event. Try to see if there are any connections you can

find between events and your migraines.

 

 

For the exclusion diet, cut out:

- Beef, pork, and all processed meats, such as sausages and luncheon

meats which can contain nitrates and nitrites

- dairy (all milk and yogurt) / cheeses, espcially aged cheese

- wheat/gluten (wheat, rye, barley) products - bread, pasta, cookies,

cakes, pastries

- All coffee, tea, diet soft drinks, and alcohol (esp. red wine)

- Nuts

- Processed foods (which can contain MSG, dyes and other undesirable

additives)

- chocolate

 

 

This is a big list of foods - but if you can cut them all out for a

two or three weeks at least and then begin to re-introduce one per day

and record your migraine activities, you may be able to find out if

any food is a particular problem for you.

 

Try fresh fish and poultry, brown rice or millet, and lots of fruit

(except citrus) and veg.

 

(Some other foods which less commonly trigger migraines: eggs,

tomatoes, fish, onions, corn, oats, apples, bananas, potatoes and

carrots. Murray and Pizzorno (1998) have an excellent section on this).

 

Acupuncture, chiropractic and massage can be helpful.

 

Supplements which can be good to take - again Murray and Pizzorno have

a good reference section on this - but please discuss with your doctor:

- Essential Fatty Acids - especially Omega 3s (i.e. fish oil, EPA/DHA)

- Magnesium (preferably citrate, malate, or asparate forms) - start

with about 300 mg per day and move up to 600 mg or more over time

- Vitamins B2 and B6 are said to be helpful - I'd prefer a total

B-complex supplement

- Vitamin C - esp. if your migraines do turn out to be allergy

related... it reduces histamine levels.

- 5-HTP - please check with your doctor on this as it shouldn't be

taken with prescribed antidepressants; I don't know about prednisone.

 

 

I have included references below. I have recently done a case study

on a migraine sufferer for my nutritional medicine degree course - so

if you want a full list of all the references I found so you can read

up on the subject, please email me.

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

 

 

Regards,

Sharon

 

 

________________________________

 

REFERNCES:

 

Annequin D, Tourniaire B, Dumas C (2000) Migraine, misunderstood

pathology in children. Arch Pediatr. 7(9): 985-90.

 

Egger J, Carter CM, Wilson J, Turner MW, Soothill JF (1983) Is

migraine food allergy? A double-blind controlled trial of

oligoantigenic diet treatment. Lancet. 2(8355): 865-9.

 

Leira R, Rodríguez R (1996) Diet and migraine. Rev Neurol. 24(129):

534-8. [English translation]

 

 

Migraine Action Association (n.d.) Triggers [online].

Northamptonshire: Migraine Action Association. Available from:

<http://www.migraine.org.uk/content.aspx?cid=3>

 

 

Migraine Advice (2002) Understanding Migraine: Common Triggers

[online]. Walton on the Hill: Pfizer Consumer Health Products Company.

Available from: <http://www.migraine-advice.com/en/article.asp?chco_id=7>

 

 

Migraine Trust (n.d.) Migraine Triggers [online]. London: Migraine

Trust. Available from:

<http://www.migrainetrust.org/C2B/document_tree/ViewADocument.asp?ID=130 & CatID=9\

3>

 

 

Murray M and Pizzorno J (1998) Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine:

Revised 2nd Edition. Rocklin, Prima.

 

University Health Services - UC Berkeley (2003) Migraine Triggers

[online]. Berkeley: University of California, Berkeley. Available

from: <http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/home/healthtopics/pdf/triggers.pdf>

[Guest guest]

Fever few is a preventive for migraines. Try that also. Many healers who don't

know how to block energy also have trouble with migraines. So think preventive.

Blessings. Roxy

 

sharonstrahan <sharonstrahan wrote: Dear Tiffany,

 

Migraine headaches can have many triggers, including:

• physical factors such as exercise, eye strain, overexertion,

fatigue, too little or too much sleep, platelet disorder, serotonin

deficiency

• emotional factors such as stress and stress `letdown' (e.g. at the

weekends or after exams)

• environmental factors such as bright or flashing lights, loud