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If you, or someone you love, is a migraine sufferer, you'll know the devastating effect this agonising affliction can have on the whole family - not just the sufferer. Perhaps you've tried most of the conventional ways to holistic migraine remedies life. Unfortunately only a third of sufferers are fully satisfied with conventional management. The side-effects of certain drugs can be as worrying as the problems they aim to treat. Many people are looking for drug-free solutions, and nutritional therapy has much to offer.
Many sufferers notice that stress or strong emotions trigger their migraines. What is less well-known is that there are dietary changes you can make that can lessen the impact, even when you can't do anything about your hectic life-style. For instance, vitamin B5 is important in a nutritional approach to stress management and vitamin C aids anti-stress hormone production
About the author: Joy Healey is a nutritionist who qualified after studying for three years at the prestigious London Institute For Optimum Nutrition, founded by Patrick Holford, one of the world's leading authorities on health and nutrition.
There is little doubt that food intolerance is a major cause of migraine and many studies have demonstrated that detecting and removing the offending food(s) can improve or even eliminate symptoms in many sufferers. A study in the Lancet found that 93% of sufferers found an improvement on eliminating allergenic foods from their diet. But often it's not the 'usual suspects' that cause the problems. There are several ways to do the necessary detective work. For a free article on food intolerance testing, visit the website below.
Could toxic metals be slowly poisoning you? A Hair Mineral Analysis is a simple and cost-effective way to assess your levels of lead, aluminium, mercury and cadmium - as well as checking that you have adequate levels of such essential nutrients as magnesium, chromium, zinc - and just as importantly, that the balance between minerals is correct. Read more about Hair Mineral Analysis on the website below.
When considering circulation of blood and oxygen to the brain ginkgo or vitamin B3 are also useful nutrients to look at. If taking supplements try to use hypo-allergenic and chelated forms. Exercise and deep breathing will also improve blood circulation. Ignorance is bliss they say. However, do you find this practical when you read so much about Migraine Sufferer?
Hormonal health is important too, especially for women. The Pill may cause B6 deficiency resulting in migraines; some migraines result from oestrogen fluctuations - these often decrease after the menopause. Foods containing phyto-oestrogens (citrus fruits, apples, cherries, plums, oats, rice, wheat, carrots, potatoes, parsley and fennel) can have a hormone-balancing effect. Information on hormonal headaches leads onto looking at liver health. Good liver function is necessary to remove spent hormones. Make the best use of life by learning and reading as much as possible. read about things unknown, and more about things known, like about Magnesium Migraine.
A less well-known nutrient has also been found effective in helping migraine sufferers. CoQ10 is a naturally occurring substance similar in structure to vitamin K. It is not a vitamin because, subject to the availability of all necessary nutrients, it can be made in the body; but as so often occurs, production declines with age! Its main functions in are in energy production and as an antioxidant. In migraine it's thought to help by improving blood circulation to the brain. Research by Dr Rozen at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation published in the Excedrin tension headache Society's journal (March found that after three months taking CoQ10, 61% of patients had a greater than 50% reduction in the number of days with migraine - a significant reduction. The fact that patients in the study had no problems using it, together with other beneficial effects of the nutrient, makes CoQ10 a very appealing agent for migraine prevention. Natural sources of CoQ10 include beef, chicken, ham, pork, salmon, sardines, mackerel, egg, spinach, sesame seeds and walnuts; but no food can provide anything close to the dose used in the trial so supplementation would be necessary.
But even if your diet is top-notch, unless you're correctly digesting and absorbing your food, you won't benefit from the nutrients it contains. 'Leaky gut' is a subject that links to food intolerances, mentioned earlier. You may not expect to need hydrochloric acid in your body, but it's essential for protein digestion! Check and supplement where appropriate.
Other non-food triggers include lack of exercise, excess or lack of sleep, liver malfunction, weather changes, caffeine withdrawal, certain drugs, dental problems, flashing or glaring lights or exposure to cigarette smoke. Physiotherapy may also be helpful in certain cases.
This brief article has only been able to provide a taster of the factors that could be contributing to migraines. More information on migraine, hair mineral analysis and food intolerance testing is academy of art university below. life is short. Use it to its maximum by utilizing whatever knowledge it offers for knowledge is important for all walks of life. Even the crooks have to be intelligent!
Less dramatically, could simple constipation be causing a problem? If your bowel functions are poor, waste material cannot be eliminated and circulates for too long within your system. It's vital to maintain a good balance between the 'good' and 'bad' bacteria in your intestine.
But food intolerance isn't at the bottom of all migraines. Other dietary adjustments can make a world of do you have migraine headaches? they could be vascular migraines - AND improving your general health and well-being. Improving your diet means far more than just eating '5-a-day', important though that is! For instance, it's vital to maintain a steady blood sugar level, eat regular, light meals that include protein but are low in simple carbohydrates (such as sugary and refined foods). Eat extra amounts of almonds, fennel, watercress, and fresh pineapple. Reduce salt intake and avoid acid forming foods (meat, dairy, cereals, grain and bread). Avoid fried and fatty foods. Acid / alkaline imbalance in your diet can cause problems - put simply, acid-forming foods are protein based, while alkaline-forming foods are plant based. Nutrient deficiencies can be problematical - there's a whole host of research into the role of different B vitamins for migraine such as magnesium in migraine prevention. For instance, calcium and magnesium in the correct balance help regulate muscle tone and nerve transmissions. As the brain is largely composed of fatty material, you'll need to be sure that your diet contains plenty of essential fats - while minimising intake of 'bad' fats.
Homocysteine also has a profound effect on blood vessels and in research, compared to controls, migraine sufferers were twice as likely to have a tendency to over-produce homocysteine. Tylenol migraine pain relief yet to be proven, but as there'denver seminary research showing that high homocysteine is linked to strokes and heart-attacks, and as it can be simply and effectively lowered by nutritional means, it makes sense to maintain low levels. Whenever one reads any reading matter, it is vital that the person enjoys reading it. One should grasp the meaning of the matter, only then can it be considered that the reading is complete.
Many sufferers are not aware that misuse of over-the-counter painkillers may increase headaches, especially those that contain caffeine. If any prescribed medication for migraine headaches, discuss changing them with your GP. Do not stop or change any prescribed medicine without contacting your GP.
We all have either experienced or know someone who is experiencing migraines, headache or general neurology problems. Randolph W. Evans is helping general neurology problems with medical knowledge and personal experience. Randolph W. Evans, M.D is the director of the Sudden intense headache centre at the Park Plaza Hospital in Houston.
5 ways to relieve migraine headaches naturally! commonly than men. The prevalence of migraine is 18% of women and 6% of men. There are issues specific to the treatment of female migraineurs. During pregnancy, the frequency of migraines decreases (especially during the second and third trimesters) in 60%, remains the same in 20%, and increases in 20%. Migraines may occur for the first time when women start using oral contraceptives (OCs). Low-estrogen OCs usually have no effect on migraine or may even improve it, although the frequency can increase. Of patients with new-ocular migraine: a basic understanding frequency of depression in migraine headache with OCs, 30 to 40% may improve when OCs are discontinued, although improvement may not occur for up to 1 year. Two thirds of women how to manage your headache and migraine symptoms with physio-logic menopause. Surgical menopause results in worsening of migraine in two thirds of cases. Ignorance is bliss they say. However, do you find this practical when you read so much about Migraine Specialist?
Estrogen replacement therapy has a variable effect on migraine: 45% of patients show improvement, 46% show worsening of migraine, and 9% show no effect. If migraines increase when a patient starts estrogen replacement, the following strategies may be beneficial: Reduce the estrogen dose. Change the estrogen type to one less likely to promote migraine. From most to least likely to promote migraine, these are, in order, conjugated estrogens (Premarin), pure estradiol (Estrace), synthetic estrogen (Estinyl), and pure estrogen (Ogen). Convert from interrupted to continuous dosing in the case of estrogen-withdrawal migraine. Convert from oral to parenteral administration (e.g., a transdermal patch). Add androgens. The inconvenient truth about migraine side effects pregnancy and breast-feeding38 is beyond the scope of this chapter.
Effective all natural home migraine remedies that relieve pain quickly with the same acute-treatment medications as other migraines. Interval or short-neurologist recommended migraine treatment of menstrual migraine, starting 2 or 3 days before menses and continuing during the menses, may be helpful for some women with regular menses and migraines that are poorly responsive to complicated migraine medication. Potentially effective medications include the following: amitriptyline or nortriptyline, 25 mg at bedtime; long-acting propranolol, 60 to 80 mg daily, or nadolol, 40 mg daily; nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as naproxen sodium, 550 mg twice daily; ergotamine, 1 mg once or twice a day, or DHE, 1 mg subcutaneously or intramuscularly; naratriptan, 1 mg orally twice daily, or frovatriptan, 5 mg twice daily, for 6 days peri-menstrually; transdermal estradiol, 100 ??g applied 3 days before the expected start of menses and replaced after 3 days; continuous combined OC use, with a lower estrogen dose given during the menses; and extended-duration OC use.
Although low-estrogen OCs may be associated with a small increase in ischemic stroke risk, most women who have migraine without aura can safely take low-estrogen OCs if they have no other contraindications or risk factors. When taking low-estrogen OCs, women younger than 35 years who have migraine with aura (e.g., visual symptoms lasting less than 1 hour) have a risk of ischemic stroke of about 30 per 100,000 annually, which is twice the risk of those women ophthalmoplegic migraine symptoms aura. An IHS task force concluded that OCs may be contraindicated in women what causes migraine headaches additional risk factors that cannot easily be controlled, including migraine with aura, because of a possible increase in the risk of ischemic stroke, and that these risks must be assessed and evaluated on an individual basis. Women with aura symptoms such as hemiparesis or aphasia or prolonged focal neurologic symptoms and signs lasting more than 1 hour should avoid starting low-estrogen OCs and should stop the medication if they are already taking it. Progestin-only OCs and the many other contraceptive options can be considered, as appropriate. Cigarette smoking should be strongly discouraged because female migraineurs who smoke one or more packs of cigarettes a day raise their risk of ischemic stroke by a factor of about