MIGRAINES

[grandmajenn]

As anyone who has experienced one knows, there is absolutely nothing like a migraine headache. A migraine headache can be debilitating for hours and sometimes for days. The migraine headache is considered a vascular headache, although the precise mechanism and cause remain unknown. There are several known triggers, some of which include food allergies, blood sugar disturbances, stress load, mechanical injury, and hormonal fluctuations. Treating a migraine means working with these triggers.

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Prodrome (before the attack)
	Irritability, anxiety, depression, fatigue, drowsiness, or euphoria
	Diarrhea, constipation, increased urination, or stiff neck
	Increased thirst, yawning, or food cravings
	Sensitivity to light or sound
Migraine Attack
	Peaks within an hour of beginning
	Pain is usually on one side of the head
	May occur anywhere on the face or head but is usually in the temple
	May be described as throbbing, pulsating, or pounding
	Physical activity often causes pain to be worse
	Additional complaints include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of appetite
	Sensitivity to light or sound
	Headaches may last from 4 to 72 hours
Postdrome (after the attack)
	Exhaustion
	Scalp tenderness
	Recurrence of headache with sudden head movements

MAGNESIUM

Magnesium’s role in the pathogenesis of migraine headaches has been clearly established in numerous clinical and experimental studies. However, the precise role of how and why low levels of magnesium increase the risk of migraines remains to be discovered.

Examples of studies reporting on the relationship between magnesium and migraine headaches include the following: Patients with migraines have low brain magnesium levels and in a study of 3,000 women, 80 percent responded well to magnesium supplementation. Magnesium was also found to be effective in the prophylaxis of menstrual migraines. In a double-blind trial, women taking 360 mg/day of magnesium for two months reported a reduction in the number of days with headaches in addition to overall improvement in premenstrual complaints. In addition to reducing the incidence of menstrual migraines, the authors of this study suggest that low levels of magnesium could actually act as a trigger to induce migraine headaches.

Vitamin B2
High-dose riboflavin therapy has proven to be remarkably effective in the treatment of migraine headaches. In an open study, 55 patients took 400 mg of vitamin B2 daily for three months. Riboflavin was far superior to placebo in reducing the frequency of migraine attacks and the number of days with headache. The number of patients who improved by at least 50% (responders) was 59% for riboflavin compared to 15% for the placebo patients. At this high dosage level, only two patients reported minor side effects of diarrhea and excess urination.

Vitamin D and Calcium
Two studies report that a combination of vitamin D and calcium were effective in reducing the frequency and duration of migraine attacks. One was a case study of two postmenopausal women who developed frequent and excruciating migraine headaches (one following estrogen replacement therapy and the other following a stroke). These women were treated with a combination of vitamin D and calcium. This therapeutic supplementation resulted in a dramatic reduction in the frequency and duration of their migraine headaches.

The second study is a report of two premenopausal women with a history of premenstrual syndrome coupled with menstrually-related migraines. Each woman was treated with a combination of vitamin D and elemental calcium for late phase symptoms of PMS. Both cited a major reduction in their headache attacks as well as premenstrual symptomatology within 2 months of therapy. The results of these two small case studies that vitamin D and calcium therapy should receive consideration as a possible treatment of migraine headaches.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Omega-6 Fatty Acids
In an open-label uncontrolled study, 129 migraine patients completed a 6-month trial in which they were administered a combination of gamma-linolenic and alpha-linolenic acids. 86% of the patients experienced reduction in severity, frequency, and duration of their migraine attacks, 22% became completely free of migraines, and more than 90% reported a reduction in nausea and vomiting. Most of the participants reduced their self-medication to simple analgesics, while only 14% of patients experienced no improvement.

I SUFFERED FOR YEARS WITH MIGRAINES.AND BECAUSE OF MY JOB I WASNT ABLE TO TAKE MEDS FOR THEM BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY MADE ME FEEL.SO I LOOKED INTO A MORE NATURAL APPROACH. I TAKE EVERY THING LISTED ABOVE AND HARDLY EVER GET A MIGRAINE ANY MORE AND THE FEW I DO GET HAVE NEVER BEEN AS PAINFUL AS THEY USED TO.
I HOPE THIS INFORMATION HELPS SOMEONE AS MUCH AS ITS HELPED ME.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU'D LIKE MORE INFO ON THE VITAMINS
@www.shaklee.net/jenniehatt

[SarBearFromMT]

Migraines are a horrible thing to deal with, especially if you are a busy mom.  I started keeping a food diary and found out that tomatoes were causing my migraines.  I was getting at least TWO a week.  Tomatoes are the hardest thing in the world to avoid.  The smallest amount of tomato powder in Doritos sends me into misery.  Bless my daughters heart...she thought that Cool Ranch wouldnt have tomato powder in them and they did.  I would like to do more research to see WHY tomatoes.... and what is in them that would cause such agony.

[grandmajenn]

Hey I'm working on some stuff need to get it together for you. Its getting late though so i'll get it to you tomorrow

Quoting SarBearFromMT:

Migraines are a horrible thing to deal with, especially if you are a busy mom.  I started keeping a food diary and found out that tomatoes were causing my migraines.  I was getting at least TWO a week.  Tomatoes are the hardest thing in the world to avoid.  The smallest amount of tomato powder in Doritos sends me into misery.  Bless my daughters heart...she thought that Cool Ranch wouldnt have tomato powder in them and they did.  I would like to do more research to see WHY tomatoes.... and what is in them that would cause such agony.