10 Facts you should know about Migraines
1. Studies show that chemical imbalances in brain can trigger migraines and during headaches, the level of brain chemical called serotonin drops. The low level of serotonin can trigger an impulse along trigeminal nerve to blood vessels in meninges and the flamed and swollen blood vessels can cause headaches.
2. One of the most misdiagnosed causes of migraines and severe headaches happens to be the result of eating wheat with soy. Many people who suffer from migraine are told by the family physicians to remove wheat from their diet for 30 days to establish whether or not they are allergic to wheat. The same is also recommended for soy. However, the best way to see if your migraine is from wheat or soy is to completely remove both of them from your diet at the same time. Removing wheat or soy from your diet will not stop migraines if you are allergic to either one.
3. Women are more susceptible to migraines than men. The hormonal changes during menstrual cycle in women can cause headaches. Also the fluctuations and especially low levels of hormone estrogen in women can trigger migraines. Women with migraines might benefit from the use of natural progesterone cream.
4. There are certain allergenic foods that can trigger migraines. A study by the British Journal of Medicine showed that 93% of all individuals that eliminates all allergens in their foods had much less migraines comparing to those who did not.
5. Feverfew can also help migraine. A study by University of Nottingham in England found that individuals who took feverfew had 24% fewer migraines and experience less side effects such as vomiting than those who did not. Other herbs including chamomile, cayenne, skullcap, valerian root, ginger, peppermint oil, kava kava and ginkgo biloba can also help migraines.
6. Beside severe headaches, migraines can have various symptoms including nausea, vomiting, increase sensitivity to light and sound, difficulty concentrating, extreme fatigue, dizziness, dehydration and even hemiplegia.
7. Acupuncture and acupressure have helped people who suffered from migraines. Also music therapy and regular exercise have been very effective for relieving migraines.
8. Eat a well-balanced diet that has high level of protein and fiber. Eliminate foods that have tyramine and amino acid phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is found in toxic aspartame, MSG and nitrites (preservative in hot dogs and luncheon meats). Also alcoholic beverages, citrus fruits, cheese, chicken, bananas, peanut butter, vinegar, wheat, soy, wine and yeast products can trigger migraines.
9. Migraines can also lead to depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety and in severe cases it can lead to suicide thoughts or life threatening and fatal conditions such as stroke, coma and heart attacks.
10. It is never enough to remind people again and again that one of the most contributing factors to migraines is lack of exercise, specially lack of strength training. The body needs the muscles to perform some strength training in order to recalibrate the body and remind itself that it's still young enough to function. Many migraine sufferers take up light jogging as strength training and within 30 days they almost stop having migraines.
Click here for diet recommendations and foods that may trigger migraines
