Migraines – Alternative Treatment Options
Are you looking for alternative treatment options for migraines?
If so, you are in the right place.
An estimated 2.7 million Canadians, more women than men, suffer from migraine headaches.
Today I am going to talk about the causes of migraines and some alternative treatment options.
Let’s jump in.
What Is A Migraine?
A migraine is often a throbbing, one-sided headache with nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to bright lights, or aura. An aura can be a quick disturbance of visual or neurological function and usually precedes a migraine attack.
Causes for Migraines
There are a few different causes of migraines, and one or more could be at play in individual cases.
Changes in blood vessel pressure
One theory is that blood vessels increase pressure by constricting and then reactively dilating. This sudden alteration in blood flow can lead to a migraine headache.
Mitochondria
Another theory suggests that issues with mitochondria–the cell’s powerhouses–affect energy production and cause a migraine.
Medication and stimulants
Tobacco use, caffeine consumption, and birth control pills can increase migraines’ frequency in certain people. It is also worthwhile to check if the side effects of any medications you are taking may be worsening your headaches.
Salt
Too large of an ingestion of salt can lead to a migraine 6-12 hours later.
Food intolerances
A possible underlying cause of migraine headaches is an intolerance to wheat, citrus, eggs, tea, coffee, chocolate, milk, beef, corn, cane sugar, yeast, mushrooms, and/or peas. Elimination of these offending foods for 8 weeks helped 60 migraine patients reduce their frequency of headaches from 402 to just 6 per month.
Magnesium, B vitamins and CoQ10
Interestingly, magnesium is typically deficient in migraine patients. Supplementation of magnesium can improve mitochondrial energy output and reduce the frequency and/or severity of migraine headaches (5).
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) and Niacinamide (vitamin B3) can be effective for migraine relief as they play important roles in mitochondrial energy production.
Coenzyme Q10 also benefits mitochondria and, as a result, migraine headaches.
Hormonal links
Estrogen has been linked to menstrual migraine headaches, and postmenopausal women may experience a reduction in migraines and tension-type headaches due to a decline in sex hormones.
Serotonin agonists like 5-HTP may acutely relieve and prevent menstrual headaches.
If you suffer from migraines and have a history of fibromyalgia or myofascial pain syndrome, you may benefit from mitochondrial support, magnesium, and 5-HTP.
An underlying cause of anxiety and insomnia may perpetuate migraine and tension-type headaches amongst postmenopausal women and the general population.
Did I Miss Anything?
There are many migraine treatment alternatives; this was just a small summary of strategies.
Which treatment are you going to try first?
Do you have an alternative treatment that has helped you with migraines?
Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below.
Disclaimer
This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.