Posts Tagged ‘migraine attacks’
Monday, May 13th, 2013
You’re not imagining it- if you get frequent migraines, then ADD/ADHD (yes, adults can have it) may also account for your long list of ailments, like nausea, crushing headaches, brain fog, attention problems, and hypersensitivity to lights, sounds, touch, scents- everything! Here are some findings that scientists have linking chronic migraines and ADD/ADHD.
Migraines and ADD/ADHD
Millions of people suffer excruciating headaches from migraines, and likewise, millions of adults in the US struggle with attention problems and sensory overload caused by ADD/ADHD.
Today, scientists believe that migraines and ADD/ADHD have more in common than we realized, and may provide important clues in devising appropriate treatments for people suffering from fatigue, disorientation, and a low tolerance for noise, even when they’re not having a migraine attack.
“…we think that this association between ADHD and migraine is mediated by a mutual comorbidity in mood disorders,” explains author Ole Bernt Fasmer, MD, PhD, regarding the study that was published in Psychiatry Weekly.
What do they have in common?
It can’t be a coincidence that some of the strongest migraine triggers involve the senses. In addition to changes in weather, food ingredients, and hormone fluctuations, many sensory-based environmental factors increase your risk for having a migraine attack, including:
- Bright fluorescent lighting
- Glare from harsh sunlight
- Flickering lights
- Stark white backgrounds
- Black and white striped or zigzagged patterns
- Strong perfumes
- Cigarette smoke
- Loud noises
- Chatter, people talking all at once
- Large crowds
10 Surprising Facts about Migraines you probably didn’t know
Interestingly enough, the same migraine triggers associated with hypersensitivity are the same ones that bother adults with attention problems ADD/ADHD.
And it isn’t a coincidence. In a famous 2012 study conducted by researchers in Norway, Migraine, Asthma, Mood Disorder, and Comorbid Adult ADHD, scientists found that males with ADHD have a 23% risk for migraines, compared with 11% of the general population. Furthermore, females, who are three times more likely than males to suffer from migraines, have a 34% risk of having severe migraines and ADD/ADHD, compared to 25% in women who don’t have attention problems.
What exactly is ADD/ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD) is a condition that we use to describe people exhibiting a certain set of behaviors in relation to their ability to focus, filter out sensory stimuli, and form and execute goals, along with several other cognitive skills.
Currently, about 9 million adults in the US have some form of ADD/ADHD.
Treatments for migraines and ADD/ADHD
As always, learn as much as you can about migraines and ADD/ADHD, and visit an experienced doctor for a correct diagnosis.
To treat migraine headaches and attention problems from ADD/ADHD, your doctor may prescribe medications that address your specific symptoms.
Additionally, many natural vitamins and herbs can help to boost cognitive functioning and sustain energy, enabling patients of migraines and ADD/ADHD to maintain mental focus and alertness throughout the day.
These include essential B vitamins, including riboflavin and vitamin B12, which help to preserve the nervous system.
Other beneficial nutrients include magnesium, CoQ10, and butterbur extracts.
Your turn!
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
Share with your friends!
If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.
Like this? Read more:
Do Migraines Cause Brain Damage?
10 Ridiculously Healthy Vitamins for Women Migraine Patients
Brain Fog: Is it Migraine or Head Cold?
Sources:
Migraine, Asthma, Mood Disorder, and Comorbid Adult ADHD
Attention Deficit Disorder Association
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/freedigitalphotos.net
Tags: Attention problems, migraine attacks, migraine headaches, migraine symptoms, migraine triggers, migraines and ADD/ADHD
Posted in Migraines and Mental Illness | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013
It’s bio-logical, say scientists; chili peppers may provide an important key to preventing migraines. Scientists are using capsaicin oil to develop a treatment tailored specifically for chronic migraine headaches.
Researchers from Amgen, a biotech company in Thousand Oaks, California are working on a new preventative medication for migraines that they hope will put an end to throbbing headaches, eye pain, and muscle stiffness for many.
Migraine science
Scientists believe they have found a strong correlation between the brain’s reaction to chili peppers…and migraine triggers.
When you rub hot chili oil on your skin, your brain reacts by releasing calcitonin gene-related peptides (CGRP), which direct blood flow to the affected areas.
Similarly, CGRPs – the same chemicals triggered by capsaicin oil- also lead to migraine attacks. The trigeminal nerves of the brain release CGRPs, which send out pain signals, causing blood flow to the brain, resulting in debilitating migraine headaches that can last for several days.
By targeting CGRPs, scientists believe they can block receptors from receiving pain signals from CGRPs, effectively aborting a migraine before symptoms like throbbing headaches, nausea, and dizziness can start.
Cure for migraine?
Amgen researchers believe they have found a medication that can block CGRPs from triggering migraines. To test their theory, they are practicing on chili oil.
- Test subjects rubbed chili pepper ointment on their hands, triggering the release of CGRPs associated with migraine.
- At the same time, researchers injected the Amgen drug under their skin.
- According to their reports, their experimental migraine treatment did effectively block CGRP release from the chili oil, and prevented increased blood flow to the affected areas.
If successful, the new Amgen drug will be the first prescription medication of its kind that’s formulated specifically for migraines, and not for comorbid or associated conditions like epilepsy, depression, or hypertension.
Your turn!
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
Share with your friends!
If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.
Like this? Read more:
Natural Migraine Remedies Surge with Prescription Drug Deaths
Are Doctors Overprescribing Painkillers for Migraines? Fox News Report
Avoiding Migraine Triggers- Here, There and Everywhere
Sources:
Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) and Migraine
Chili Peppers Seen Helping 36 Million Migraine Sufferers
Image courtesy of iamharin/freedigitalphotos
Tags: migraine attacks, migraine drugs, migraine treatment, migraine triggers, Prevent migraine
Posted in Migraine Treatments | No Comments »
Monday, April 22nd, 2013
Migraines are not only excruciating headaches; they also raise your risk for brain damage. If you experience more than three migraines each month, in addition to chronic brain fog and fatigue, then you should ask your doctor for an MRI brain scan to check for possible brain damage.
Migraines are a brain disease
According to latest research, migraine patients are a high risk category for “progressive brain damage,” a silent type that shows no unusual symptoms.
Researchers from the Netherlands conducted a study on the risk of brain damage in migraine patients, and results showed a high correlation between migraine attack frequency and increased risk for brain abnormalities.
For the study, they gathered 56 test subjects, including 28 female migraine patients and 28 non-migraineurs for the control group.
Scientists conducted MRI scans, examining key targeted areas of the brain for possible brain damage, noting white matter hyperintensities in the cerebral matter of migraine patients that were absent in the control group brain scans.
Researchers confirmed an unusually high rate of brain damage in migraine patients, deformities in parts of the brain that control thinking skills, as well as autonomic functioning needed for respiration and blood pressure.
Migraine patients who experienced more than three migraine attacks each month exhibited more brain abnormalities than patients who had fewer than three migraine episodes each month.
Furthermore, Migraine patients with a 15+ year history of migraines had the most severe signs of brain damage, compared to patients who have been experiencing migraine attacks for fewer than 15 years, proving a direct correlation between severity of migraines and brain damage.
More migraine comorbidities
In addition to brain damage, other serious conditions linked with migraines include stroke, heart attack, and epilepsy. Additionally, migraine patients are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
5 Effective Natural Supplements for Depression
What does all this mean?
If you get more than three migraine attacks each month, and you’ve been experiencing migraine attacks for at least 15 years, then migraine prevention isn’t just a matter of finding relief from pain and nausea- it can also save your life.
If you’ve been procrastinating on trying a new approach to migraine therapy, then don’t wait any longer. Speak to your doctor, and ask him what other options are available that you haven’t tried, including natural preventive tools for migraines.
Some good ones to try:
•Restrictive dieting, such as gluten-free, dairy-free, or specific migraine target avoidance
•Keeping a migraine diary to track frequency
•Natural supplementation of vitamins, minerals, and herbs that help migraine patients, such as vitamin B2 (riboflavin), magnesium, coenzyme Q10, and butterbur extracts
•Gentle daily exercise, including yoga, stretching, and low-impact aerobics
•Acupuncture
•Meditation
Your turn!
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
Share with your friends!
If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.
Like this? Read more:
Migraines with Photophobia…a Real Eyesore
Noninvasive Neuro Surgery- Will it Work for Migraines?
What are Brain Zaps, and why do they happen with Migraine?
Sources:
Brain damage risk linked to migraine frequency
Migraines Linked to Brain Lesions in Women
Image courtesy of everyone’s idle/flickr
Tags: migraine attacks, migraine headaches, migraines brain
Posted in Migraines and Mental Illness | No Comments »
Thursday, April 18th, 2013
Stress is one of the greatest triggers of migraine attacks, as it weakens your immune system, causes brain fatigue, and deprives you of much-needed energy. Here are some excellent tips to help you reduce stress now, and prevent migraines later.
Imagine a place…
John Lennon was really onto something when he famously asked the world to imagine a better place to live in; guided imagery is one of the best tools for relaxation, as it uses positive affirmations, controlled breathing, and focused meditation to help you improve circulation, relax your muscles, lower your heartbeat, and achieve a deep, restful state, thus reducing migraine triggers in stress.
Try it! Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and visualize a scene that makes you feel safe, relaxed, and comfortable. Breathe in to the count of three, hold your breath for three counts, and exhale to the count of six. Repeat, and continue for at least 15 minutes.
Take a hike…
Sometimes, you just need to remove yourself from a stressful environment. A power walk is a great tool for warding off a stress-related migraine while also burning calories, easing stress, and boosting your cardiovascular health.
Try it! On your lunch break, reserve at least 10 minutes after eating for a brief stroll or jog in the area. At home, take your dog for a run, or enjoy a casual walk around the neighborhood after supper.
Lean on somebody…
Sometimes, you just need a hug. Physical contact with a friend, relative, or even a loyal pet is a proven method of stress reduction, and a great tool for migraine management!
Try it! When you feel anxious or depressed, ask somebody for a hug! You’ll both feel better for it.
Can Anxiety Attacks cause Migraines?
Have a cuppa…
To ease headaches and lower stress levels instantly, brew yourself a hot cup of decaffeinated coffee or herb tea.
Try it! Buy a tea sampler containing a selection of herb teas that relieve migraine symptoms; good choices are chamomile, mint, licorice, and decaffeinated green tea.
Nourish yourself…
Eating healthy, migraine trigger-free foods while also taking beneficial supplements that ease migraine symptoms is an important part of migraine management. Choose nutrients that boost circulation, support the nervous system, maintain cardiovascular health, and sustain proper immune system functioning.
Try it! Vitamins, mineral, and herbs that benefit migraine patients most are butterbur extracts, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, coenzyme Q10, magnesium, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
Your turn!
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
Share with your friends!
If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.
Like this? Read more:
5 Effective Natural Supplements for Depression
Migraines, Women, and Depression: 9 Myths and Truths
Overcome Depression with Migraine- 4 Lifestyle Habits that Help
Image courtesy of photostock/free digital photos
Tags: migraine attacks, migraine management, migraine triggers, migraines and stress
Posted in Stress and Migraines | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 9th, 2013
It’s the chicken and the egg syndrome all over again; does eating chocolate cause a migraine attack, or do migraines make you crave caffeine? While having any chronic illness can lead to depression, is there any truth to the notion that feeling despair exacerbates pain, including excruciating migraine headaches? According to some scientists, we may never understand the exact cause of persistent migraines.
Migraine trigger avoidance- don’t try this at home
Scientists have identified hundreds of migraine triggers that may increase your chances of having a migraine attack. Naturally, health experts have jumped on the boat in advising migraine patients to avoid all migraine triggers, from food preservatives such as MSG and alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer, to strong scents and even exercise.
But according to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researcher Timothy T. Houle, Ph.D, most people with migraines who eliminate foods such as dairy products, gluten, and ripe fruits from their diets are doing so unnecessarily, as only individual scientific examination can truly determine if your migraine attacks are being caused by stress, hormonal fluctuations, or a penchant for aged cheese.
11 Headache Triggers you Never Thought Of
“Correctly identifying triggers allows patients to avoid or manage them in an attempt to prevent future headaches,” he says. “However, daily fluctuations of variables – such as weather, diet, hormone levels, sleep, physical activity and stress – appear to be enough to prevent the perfect conditions necessary for determining triggers.”
Only science will tell
“The goal of this research is to better understand what conditions must be true for an individual headache sufferer to conclude that something causes their headaches.”
Because the migraine trigger modality is often inconsistent, patients may suffer from migraine anxiety, the fear of leaving the house lest a migraine occur, or end up following a wild goose chase that either doesn’t work, or results in even worse migraine attacks caused by medication misuse.
For the Wake Forest study, scientists examined nine women who suffered from migraines with aura and migraine without aura.
Participants recorded stress levels in a daily diary and also submitted to urine tests for hormone levels.
Scientists also took into account weather conditions, a common migraine trigger, dating back three years.
Researchers noted that due to their inability to simulate “migraine triggers” consistently and accurately for each patient in a manner that satisfies scientific standards, they were not successful in proving that any one factor increases one’s risk of experiencing a migraine attack.
All the more so, they concluded, it’s impossible for a patient of migraines to reliably determine her migraine triggers by trial and error alone, without the benefit of scientific applications.
Your turn!
Do you agree with the idea that migraine triggers are almost possible to track?
Besides prescription medication, what other strategies do you use to prevent migraines?
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
Share with your friends!
If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.
Like this? Read more:
Are Migraines Always Hereditary?
What Causes Migraines? The Long and Short Answers
Is Migraine Disorder a Real Illness?
Sources:
Causes of migraines nearly impossible to determine
Migraine Triggers Tricky to Pinpoint
Image(s) courtesy of renjith krishnan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Tags: chronic migraine, migraine attacks, migraine causes, migraine triggers
Posted in Migraine Causes | No Comments »
Thursday, February 28th, 2013
In learning how to manage migraines and prevent headaches, it’s important to find a migraine doctor who is resourceful, knowledgeable, and most of all, understanding. Good luck with your search, because a true migraine doctor is like the proverbial needle in a haystack of would-be headache specialists.
(Please speak to a migraine doctor, or other qualified physician, before starting any new migraine treatment. What follows is not medical advice.)
Misdiagnosis!
Try Googling for a “migraine doctor” in your area and you’re likely to meet a lot of dead ends. That’s because today’s physicians are sadly undereducated in the treatment of migraine patients, despite the major advancements scientists have been making in the field of migraine-related neurological studies.
As a result, very few doctors become migraine doctors, because few medical students receive appropriate training to recognize the symptoms of migraine disorder, and therefore don’t even take migraines seriously, writing them off as a pseudo-disease that doesn’t even deserve its own classification.
In fact, only about 50% of migraine patients ever receive a diagnosis for migraines, and not for lack of awareness- they know their headaches are from migraine- but because they have given up on the system, and have relented to self-treatment for their chronic headaches, and other symptoms of nausea, fatigue, and dizziness.
Only about half of migraine sufferers ever receive diagnosis, and even fewer eventually find the right treatments to prevent future migraine attacks.
Migraine awareness, please
Migraine awareness efforts on behalf of the many migraine advocacy groups like MAGNUM, Migraine.com, and the Migraine Support Group on Facebook are helping to educate the medical community, but we are still far behind where we should be.
Until scientists receive more grants to fund migraine research, providing an incentive for medical students to pursue the Golden Goose of migraine cures while gaining recognition for doing so, we will continue to see a very meager representation of migraine doctors in the specialty of neurology, or even chronic pain treatments.
Enter alternative treatments
One positive outcome we’re seeing as a result of the lack of quality migraine medical care is a growing interest in a more natural approach to migraine treatments.
More often than not, people are finding that they can reduce migraine severity and frequency by implementing natural migraine preventative strategies, and without all the harmful side effects that many analgesics, opioids, and other prescription migraine medications may cause, such as dizziness, nausea, memory loss, and risk for overdose.
And the science is behind many of today’s natural migraine treatments, including the use of butterbur extracts, magnesium, riboflavin, and Coenzyme Q10 in benefiting patients of migraine.
Your turn!
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
Share with your friends!
If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, Facebook, or Google+.
Like this? Read more:
Epic Fail! Top 10 Migraine Analgesic Errors Doctors Make
Are Doctors Overprescribing Painkillers for Migraines? Fox News Report
Image(s) courtesy of stockimages/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Tags: migraine attacks, migraine awareness, Migraine doctors, migraine headaches, migraine treatments
Posted in Migraine Treatments | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
Does light sensitivity trigger migraine attacks, or is it the other way around? Here’s the scoop on the latest research on migraine attacks, with and without aura.
According to a new study on migraine triggers, scientists have found that not all triggers are as powerful as we think; warning migraine patients not to jump the gun on migraine trigger avoidance when it comes to things like exercise and indoor lighting.
Migraine triggers that aren’t
In the study, which was published by Neurology, scientists examined 27 patients of migraines with aura, all of which have previously attributed bright lights and strenuous exercise with triggering severe migraine attacks.
- Scientists exposed each participant to “migraine triggers” such as exercise, bright flickering lights, or a combination of both, in an effort to see if they would experience a migraine attack.
- Migraine patients who were told to exercise either ran or pedaled on an exercise bike for 1 hour, exceeding their maximum pulse rate by 80%.
- Participants were also told to look at a series of bright, flashing lights for 30-40 minutes.
- After 3 hours, 11% of migraine patients experienced a migraine with aura.
- Another 11% developed a migraine headache without aura.
- Most interestingly, none of the study participants suffered a migraine attack as a result of light exposure alone.
What causes migraine attacks?
Migraine headaches are a genetic neurological illness that causes crushing, excruciatingly painful headaches that can take anywhere from several hours or days to disappear.
In addition, migraine attacks inflict symptoms such as severe nausea, uncontrollable vomiting, fatigue, and dizziness in its patients.
Migraines with aura include an extra phase which occurs previous to the migraine headache. Stroke-like symptoms such as strange visual disturbances, vertigo, disorientation, sudden speech slurring, partial paralysis, and sometimes loss of consciousness can strike minutes before debilitating head pain.
Migraines with aura patients are at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke than patients who don’t receive the premonitory aura, according to research.
Although scientists know that migraines occur as a result of a nervous system malfunctioning, they do not know enough about the exact cause to be able to find a “migraine cure.”
By keeping a migraine diary, you can effectively find out exactly which migraine triggers in food or your environment are the real culprits here.
“Our study suggests that if a person is exposed to a suspected trigger for three months and does not have a migraine attack, they no longer have to worry about avoiding that trigger,” says study author Jes Olesen, MD.
What can we learn here?
Scientists theorize that rather than triggering migraine attacks, extreme light sensitivity and eye pain may occur in the earliest stages of a migraine, as a symptom of the migraine attack itself, and not as a migraine trigger.
So if you’ve been avoiding things like indoor lighting, you be causing yourself unnecessary stress.
More so, if you’ve been excluding moderate exercise from your daily routine as a means of trigger avoidance, then you may be causing yourself unnecessary harm.
“People with migraine with aura are told to avoid possible triggers, which may lead them to avoid a wide range of suspected factors,” says Olesen. “Yet the most commonly reported triggers are stress, bright light, emotional influences and physical effort, which can be difficult to avoid and potentially detrimental, if people avoid all physical activity.”
In addition to avoiding migraine triggers in food, health experts also recommend daily exercise, meditation, and vitamin supplementation as a natural means of managing migraines.
Your turn!
Which migraine triggers do you actively avoid?
Are there any migraine triggers that you’re uncertain about?
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
Share with your friends!
If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, Facebook, or Google+.
Like this? Read more:
Lights…Camera…Migraine! 10 Curious Facts about Light Sensitivity
Avoiding Migraine Triggers- Here, There and Everywhere
34 Migraine-Inducing, Stomach-Turning Toxic Chemicals in Perfume
Sources:
Provocation of migraine with aura using natural trigger factors
Migraine Triggers Not As Powerful As We Think
Image(s) courtesy of Sura/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Tags: migraine attacks, migraine triggers, migraines with aura, preventing migraines
Posted in Migraine Triggers | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 15th, 2013
If chronic pain is triggered by emotions, then does that mean that migraines are a mental illness? Do people who suffer from fibromyalgia just need to de-stress? People have many misconceptions about chronic pain, half-truths that stem from the brain-pain connection.
Chronic pain is widespread. Migraines inflict millions of people with frequent, debilitating headaches, nausea, and fatigue. Out of all migraine sufferers, approximately 75% are female. Unlike common acute headaches, migraine attacks begin in the brain as a result of a neurological disorder, and are usually hereditary. Migraines become “chronic” when they occur over 15 times each month, for a period of at least 3 months.
Chronic pain triggers. Much of chronic pain is influenced by specific “triggers” that increase your likeliness to suffer from a migraine or a fibromyalgia flare-up. Chronic pain triggers don’t cause migraines- we’re not able to say with conviction exactly what causes chronic pain symptoms, but we do understand that certain things like emotions and thought have a huge effect on their outcome, and how we respond to medication.
#1: Stress increases pain.
The brain is the root of all chronic pain, as it continuously receives messages from neurotransmitters all over your body that relay information about pain…and emotions. In perceiving pain signals, the brain takes into account both physical and emotional cues at the same time.
Overwhelmingly, pain is exacerbated by stress, anxiety, depression, panic, vulnerability, and guilt.
Migraine Triggers in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
#2: Pain is never just “made up.”
The fact that emotionally-triggered pain cannot be viewed from an MRI or X-ray doesn’t make it any less real. Whether pain is caused by tense muscles, arthritis, a fractured hip, or a migraine set off by a hectic work schedule, chronic pain is in every case irrefutably real for the sufferer, even if it’s not always evident through diagnostic imaging.
#3: Positive reinforcement works.
Accepting that emotions like anxiety and depression can trigger migraines or other types of chronic pain, the next logical conclusion is that the power of thought can also be used to decrease or prevent pain. This is true to a certain extent.
Consider the placebo effect- if you believe that a certain medication will work, you increase your own odds of recovery. This has been proven in countless studies, where sufferers of chronic pain who were optimistic not only responded well to treatment, but they also learned how to cope better with their pain symptoms on a daily basis than people with the same ailments who help a more negative view.
Much of chronic pain recovery relies on your mood, which you can manage effectively by repeating positive affirmations.
Instead of, “I hope I don’t get a migraine attack,” switch to, “If a migraine happens, I will deal with it.”
Your turn!
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
Share with your friends!
If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, Facebook, or Google+.
Like this? Read more:
Can Anxiety Attacks cause Migraines?
Migraines, Women, and Depression: 9 Myths and Truths
Sources:
Chronic Pain: It Is All in Your Head, and It’s Real
Diagnosing Chronic Migraine
Image(s) courtesy of Victor Habbick/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Tags: chronic headaches, chronic pain, Chronic pain triggers, emotional pain, fibromyalgia, migraine attacks, migraine headaches, Migraines, neurological disorder
Posted in Chronic Pain | No Comments »
Thursday, November 8th, 2012
There is no cure for migraines, but there are many natural migraine treatments that promote healthy responses in chronic headache patients of migraine disorder. Increasingly, migraine specialists agree that by implementing natural migraine treatments such as magnesium, butterbur, and riboflavin, many of their chronic migraine patients have reaped enormous health benefits in managing migraine symptoms.
Migraines are neurological
Migraines are a neurological disorder that occurs only in people who are genetically disposed to them. Migraineurs have “sensitized” nerves that react to various migraine triggers, such as food, alcoholic drinks, weather, hormones, and stress, by producing migraine attacks. Symptoms of migraine attacks include severe headache, nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, visual distortions, fatigue, disorientation, and sudden speech difficulties. Many of these symptoms are targeted in popular natural migraine treatments, as we will see.
Also read: Migraine Nausea and Vomiting- 10 Natural Home Remedies
Migraine drug side effects
Anti-epilepsy drugs like Topamax, for example, can effectively block migraines by working as an anti-spasmodic. Long-term, Topamax can cause debilitating symptoms such as chronic fatigue, memory loss, dizziness, and disorientation. Sometimes, Topamax can even cause headaches.
Over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers, when used in excess, can have a rebound effect, essentially triggering more migraine headaches in the future. Many can also cause stomach or esophageal ulcers years later, or symptoms such as tinnitus (ear ringing).
For narcotic migraine treatments, there is always the danger of overdose or harmful drug interactions with other medications or foods.
Also read: Natural Migraine Remedies Surge with Prescription Drug Deaths
Natural migraine treatments
As mentioned, there is no “cure” for migraine disorder. Still, scientists have found that a wide variety of beneficial nutrients- vitamins, herbs, and minerals- may help migraine headache patients by targeting neurological, vascular, or psychological mechanisms in our bodies that have a profound effect on migraine frequency and severity.
Instead of curing migraines, many of these natural migraine treatments aid migraine sufferers by addressing each individual symptom, only without producing the harmful side effects associated with many prescription migraine drugs.
Used under doctor’s supervision, herbs, vitamins, and minerals such as butterbur and magnesium are perfectly safe for migraine patients of all ages, and can be used as a healthy complementary or alternative factor in migraine management.
Also read: Introducing Natural Ingredients for Migraines: What are the Benefits?
Stay tuned: In the next post, we will cover 25 popular natural migraine treatments used by alternative medicine professionals for patients of migraine attacks.
Please tell us…
What natural migraine treatments do you currently use?
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
Share with your friends!
If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, Facebook, or Google+.
Like this? Read more:
6 Surprisingly Helpful Natural Ingredients for Migraines- Sweet and Spicy Tonics
Natural Migraine Remedies: 9 Must-Take Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs
Sources:
Little-known Herb Butterbur Cures Symptoms of Migraine Headaches
Supplements and Herbs for Migraine – The Evidence
7 Natural Cures for Migraines
Image(s) courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Tags: Alternative migraine, migraine attacks, migraine drugs, migraine headaches, natural migraine, natural migraine treatment
Posted in Natural Migraine Treatments | No Comments »
Monday, October 22nd, 2012
Migraines correlate with many non-headache conditions, including susceptibility for vitamin B12 deficiency. Unfortunately, many of the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency mimic migraines, making it harder to identify and treat. In order to prevent severe vitamin B12 deficiency with migraines, it’s important to understand why it happens and what you can do to reduce your odds.
Migraines, +
As any sufferer of chronic migraines can tell you, there’s more to a migraine attack than the crushing, long-lasting debilitating headache. Other ailments that occur at the same time as the trademark excruciating head pain can be nearly as devastating. Many migraine patients experience sharp eye pain, shoulder stiffness, vertigo, and fatigue on a daily basis.
Other common symptom of migraine- intense, stomach-turning nausea and vomiting- make it difficult to work or manage household duties. When frequent vomiting and diarrhea from migraines occur over a long period, they can also cause damage to the linings of the stomach and esophagus, leading to severe gastrointestinal problems. Ulcers, thinning of the esophagus and acid reflux are often comorbid conditions of migraine disorder.
Migraine Symptoms- a Short List
Migraines and vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency is a risk factor whenever there is long-lasting damage to the stomach or small intestines. That’s because your body relies on certain digestive enzymes in order to absorb vitamin B12, and these essential proteins are manufactured in the stomach. Damage to the intestines or stomach caused by harsh stomach acids interferes with your ability to produce these essential digestive enzymes that are required to access vitamin B12.
If you migraine attacks occur weekly, and they also cause uncontrollable vomiting and chronic diarrhea, then your chances of developing an inability to absorb vitamin B12 naturally from foods increases, along with your chances of developing vitamin B12 deficiency with migraines.
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency
As mentioned earlier, some of the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency and migraines are alike. Migraines are a neurological disorder and likewise, side effects of low vitamin B12 levels result from peripheral nerve cell damage (peripheral neuropathy).
In order to catch an underlying vitamin B12 deficiency with migraines, it’s important to get your vitamin B12 levels checked by submitting to a blood screening.
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency that also occur with migraines include:
- Painful tingling and numbness in the extremities, including the hands, fingers, legs, feet, and tongue
- Chronic fatigue
- Brain fog
- Headaches
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Muscular pain
- Muscle spasms or twitches
- Vision impairments
Migraine Headaches and Dizziness- Stop the Ride, I want to get off!
Treatment and avoidance
When vitamin B12 deficiency results from migraine and gastrointestinal damage, then it’s pointless to try to increase your dietary intake of foods that are high in vitamin B12. The only way to treat and further prevent malnutrition is to supplement with non-edible forms of vitamin B12. These include vitamin B12 injections, sublingual B12 tablets, or other over-the-counter (OTC) forms of vitamin B12 that do not require digestion through the stomach.
Please tell us…
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.
Share with your friends!
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Tags: Do migraines cause vitamin B12 deficiency, migraine attacks, migraine headaches, Migraines and vitamin B12, Migraines and vitamin B12 deficiency, symptoms of migraines
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