Do you or anyone you care about suffer from migrains? You might want to share this with them. Migraines have remained a largely mysterious ailment for conventional medicine. But if you dig deeper, there are a lot of clues.
As a migraine sufferer myself, I have done extensive research on the subject. I have a bestie who attended the Cleveland Clinic Migraine Clinic. Sadly, the summation of what she learned from her two-week stay was: "Take lots of magnesium malate, stay hydrated, and how to learn how to cope with them!" That's it?
Migraines are yet another ailment where functional medicine has more answers than conventional. A good functional doctor will look for the root cause of the migraine as opposed to throwing a host of pharmaceuticals at the pain at it and seeing what sticks. Covering up the pain. Root cause medicine beleives that symptoms are your body talking to you. They are to be listened to, not silenced.
I admit that there are some effective new "rescue" medications including Ubrelvy, which is $100 a tablet. It works like a dream, and has Serena Williams as a spokesperson. But, as with most medications, there's a catch. It's only safe to use up to eight times a month. While the manufacturer doesn't state the reason for this, my guess is that it may have something to do with the capital "F" in the chemical formula (C29H26F3N5O3). This stands for Fluoride, which is a neurotoxin. After I suffered mitochondrial dysfunction after a single pill of Cipro (a fluoride-based antibiotic) in 2022, I have avoided fluoride like the plague, but that's for another story.
Some people use triptans with some success, but if you reach for them frequently, you may wind up with depression - something I've witnessed a few times.
So, the better option is to try to get to the bottom of it. The ROOT CAUSE! You can do this by first looking why most people get migraines. Keep in mind that it's usually more than one!
Hormonal Changes
This may be why more women suffer from migraines than men. Falling estrogen and high progesterone (in relation to estrogen) can both trigger migraines. The good news is that these often are pretty responsive to vaso-constricting compounds like caffeine, THC, and even nicotine!
Food Sensitivities
Sometimes, foods trigger inflammatory responses in the absense of a true allergy. Gluten, dairy, or processed foods, are the usual suspects, but it can be any food. Food sensitivy tests can tell you much more than an elimination diet. For example, I would never have guessed that lime, cucumbers, or cashews would show up as major offenders, but they were for me. I was helped tremendiously by removing them from my diet.
Toxic Exposure
We're all familiar with hangovers, but many people don't consider the low-level toxic insults we get on the daily from non-organic foods, tap water, and chemical-laden personal care products that can also cause headaches. People with migraines are often "bad detoxers" and accumulate a higher chemical burden. Activly working on detoxing and avoiding chemicals can go a long way.
Nutritional Deficiencies
Unfortunately, giving the depletion of soil from decades of poor farming practices, food, even organic food, isn't as nutritious as it once was. A healthy diet doesn't always protect you from deficiencies, especially if you have genetic issues that might block the utilization or uptake of some vitamins or minerals. Conventional testing is incomplete at best. The best way to look under the hood is with a comprehensive test like Genova Diagnostics' NutraEval and go from there.
Poor Alignment
Were you ever in a car accident? Did you take a hit while playing sports or eat the pavement as a kid? There's a good chance you are out of alignment and a great chiropractor can help. I recommend NUCCA chiropractors for their gentle, safe, and measurement-driven approach that does not involve high velocity neck adjustments. Studies show just a few months of adjustments reduced migraine days by more than 60%.
Increased Intracraial Pressure
This causes excess pressure in the head and at higher levesl, can effect vision and cause dizziness and fatigue. Culprits are often excess sodium, excess weight, progesterone (there are lawsuits against Minera IUD), blood patchs, or sinus surgeries.
Mitochondrial Issues
It hasn't fully been explored, but there is a link between migraines and mitochondria. So much that a whopping 400mg daily dose mitochondrial-boosting riboflavin (B2) has been said to be effective against migraines. The scientific explaination is the following: "Impaired cerebral energy metabolism is closely related to migraine attack threshold, and abnormal mitochondrial enzyme function is a common cause of impaired cerebral energy metabolism." It would stand to reason that addressing mitochondria would go a long way to improving migraines in these individuals.
Structural Issues
Conventional medicine is good at spotting these types of issues with MRIs and CAT scans. If you have a mass, or malformation, it should be visible here.
Dehydration, Sleep & Stress
I am grouping these classic causes together. The first two are a little easier to solve with electrolyes and a good nights sleep if you can get one. Low dose melatonin is great for staying asleep through the night. Daily stress is a little trickier as it often seems outside of our control. Meditation is wonderful for this, but it's not easy to do. Thankfully, BrainTap can help you reach these relaxed states every time.
Let us know if any of these things work for you!
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