Are you bothered with Headaches?  Migraines?

Lots of people have trouble with headaches, especially Migraines it seems.  Some severe to the point of being disabling.  Some may have them rarely, some may have them weekly, or even daily.

These headaches sometimes have other symptoms that follow along with them, from nausea, vomiting, severe throbbing pain on sides of your head; they can actually even carry stroke-like symptoms.

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Is there a Solution?

…Find the Root Cause, Right?

Let’s see if we can make progress here.

If a doctor discovers the headaches are caused from Dysbiosis, they sometimes prescribe Antibiotics.

Sometimes they discover hormones are unbalanced, and may prescribe bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy.

If a doctor discovers the headaches are caused from Heavy Autoimmune Activity, some use an Immunosuppressant.

Sometimes our systems in our body (nervous system, respiratory, immune, circulatory, digestive, etc.) aren’t communicating properly, and nutritional supplements are given.

And then there’s always, for  “just a headache”, take NSAIDs.  They reduce pain, inflammation and fever.  They do nothing for the cause, but they make you feel better.

Examples of NSAIDs are:

Aspirin

Advil (Ibuprofen)

Motrin (Ibuprofen)

Aleve (Naproxen)

and prescription-strength options:

Celebrex and

Mobic (meloxicam)

But Somehow… the Root Causes tend to keep wreaking havoc if they are not truly found, and solidly addressed.

Conventional doctors typically treat the symptoms, according to Functional Medicine Doctor Mark Hyman, and the results are poor.  Every patient seems to be suffering from a collection of puzzle pieces, and conventional doctors usually don’t go deeply into investigating how it all works together. 

Your headache probably does not have anything to do with your head at all.

And most patients also don’t understand there is a deeper way to look, to treat the actual cause.  Most patients keep searching, with more doctors who keep taking the short-cuts.

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What about the “Cure”?

The “cure” will come about as we change our lives.  Most patients don’t want to “change their lives” for the cure—because it involves uncomfortable change.  Most patients spend hours (and money) exploring and searching, and turning over more and more rocks.

Why?  Because over the years, we’ve been taught, “the doctor knows best”… But that’s not usually true when it comes to our health.

Doctors know how to “fix us” (reduce our symptoms) and that is good!  They also are wonderful at lots of other very necessary things we need at times for our body (especially broken bones and other injuries).  But they’re not trained in how to make us well, nor to keep us well.

Symptoms are our bodies talking to us.  Imbalances in our bodily systems are sending you messages, sometimes loud messages.  Numbing the Messenger may quiet the message, but will not change the Message.

You can keep seeking different doctors, different lab work, more supplements, more googling … But our bodies are smarter than we give them credit for.  Our bodies were miraculously made… to heal themselves.  If we give them the correct tools.

Some find this hard to believe, but it’s proven true, and has been printed in articles in medical journals for decades.

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DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE?

THERE ARE SOME HINTS THAT MAY HELP …

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Do you think we can be:

Stressed

Toxic

Inflamed

Infected

Malnourished, and

UnRested…

And yet still easily:

Thrive

Grow

Reproduce

Be Thin and fit

Feel Fantastic

Eat anything we want

Enjoy perfect bowel movements, and

Have Great Sex…

Do we Really Believe this Combination would be NATURAL?

It’s actually a Contradiction, and those two scenarios can’t exist together.

So… What are some other issues that make a difference?

Simply put…

Crap Food…

Not enough Sleep…

Couch Potato Lifestyle…

(Just to name the largest elephants in the room…)

Optimal Health is not complicated…

it is also Not Common in our culture…

There are a couple of books about this sort of thing (actual health):

The Healthy Deviant by Pilar Gerasimo, which says “Taking Action, in order to address disease dynamics, involves “Being Weird” because if you do what’s normal, you’ll have chronic disease…

Nothing about “Normal” creates health.”, and

Breath by James Nestor which tells how to signal your body that your world is safe, secure and supporting, and giving you “peaceful-mindedness”.  I personally believe this is sooo important—for our body to know it’s SAFE and at Peace.

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A headache—or other pain—isn’t caused by direct stimulus. 

Nerve fibers throughout the body communicate to the brain, and can be triggered by lots of things:

inflammation (caused by infections, toxins, food, etc.),

temperature (sudden change),

long cell phone use,

chemicals,

stress or trauma,

prolonged pressure or irritation, or possibly actual nerve damage. 

(And meds are good for temporary relief until you can find the trigger)

Other possible causes of headache could be:

cell dehydration (needing electrolytes),

not enough magnesium,

high cortisol surge (from stress),

caffeine (too much, or not your usual amount),

mouth breathing,

poor posture,

insufficient sleep, …and on and on.

So, this is a good list of possible causes of your headaches…

Sometimes we can solve that puzzle ourselves.  Sometimes we need professional help. 

A Functional Medicine Doctor is the best source for that, but if you pay close attention to your body, it will help you uncover the source yourself.

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Pain isn’t given to us for us to tolerate it…nor to numb it.  It’s a blessing given to us as a wake-up call, so we can prevent further Dis-Ease.

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Here is some information I found that may surprise you.

Dr. Mark Hyman, Functional Medicine Doctor, (drhyman.com) says that a simple definition of Migraines is that it is a “set of symptoms”.  The causes of these symptoms (typically over 20 causes) vary with each person.

Dr. Hyman says all these additional symptoms are connected, and evaluating those additional symptoms helps Functional Medicine doctors find the true cause.

Some of the symptoms connected to migraines are:

palpitations, severe constipation, anxiety, insomnia, muscle cramps, and menstrual cramps.

Using this approach, evaluating with these other symptoms, Dr. Hyman gives the 5 most frequent culprits and how to approach them to find relief.

1.     Food Allergies/Bowel & Gut Imbalances. Symptoms of the Imbalances:

a.      Fatigue

b.     Brain fog

c.      Bloating

d.     Irritable bowel syndrome

e.      Joint or muscle pain

f.       Postnatal drip

g.     Sinus congestion

You can ask your doctor to do an IgG food allergy panel and a celiac panel because wheat and gluten are among the biggest causes of headaches and migraines. 

Treatment (suggested per Dr. Mark Hyman for his patients): 

a.      To start, an Elimination Diet, getting rid of gluten, dairy, eggs, corn and yeast—anything that could cause inflammation.  This is the best start. 

b.     Add in enzymes, probiotics and omega-3 fats to keep your gut healthy. 

c.      Later you can add one food at a time back in, to see if you have a new reaction.

2.     Chemical Triggers.  Causes of the Chemical Triggers:

a.      Aspartame

b.     MSG (monosodium glutamate)

c.      Nitrates (in deli meats, etc.)

d.     Sulfites (found in wine, dried fruit, and food from salad bars)

e.      Tyramine-containing foods like chocolate and cheese

Treatment (suggested per Dr. Mark Hyman for his patients):

a.      Remove processed foods, additives, sweeteners, and sulfites. 

b.     Focus on whole, phytonutrient-rich foods.

3.     Hormonal Imbalances. Causes of these Hormonal Imbalances:

a.      Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) with bloating, fluid retention, cravings, irritability, breast tenderness, menstrual cramps

b.     Oral contraceptive pills or hormone replacement therapy

c.      Being pre-menopausal, which leads to too much estrogen and not enough progesterone because of ovulation changes

d.     Studies associate “Insulin Resistance” with chronic migraines

Testing: Ask your doctor to test your blood or saliva.  Hormone testing looks for menopausal changes or too much estrogen.

Treatment (suggested per Dr. Mark Hyman for his patients):

a.      Eat a whole-foods, low-glycemic load, high-phytonutrient diet with flax, and cruciferous vegetables

b.     Use herbs such as Vitex along with magnesium and B6

c.      Avoid alcohol, caffeine, sugar and refined carbohydrates

d.     Focus on exercise and stress reduction.

4.     Magnesium Deficiencies.  Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency:

a.      Cramps or a tight feeling

b.     Headaches

c.      Constipation

d.     Anxiety, Insomnia

e.      Irritability

f.       Sensitivity to loud noises

g.     Muscle cramps or twitching

h.     Palpitations

Testing:  Ask your doctor to check red blood cell magnesium levels, though keep in mind you might have total body deficiencies.

Treatment (suggested per Dr. Mark Hyman for his patients):

a.      Supplement with a highly absorbable form of magnesium, such as magnesium citrate powder.  One study in the journal Clinical Neuroscience found oral magnesium supplementation provides a low-cost way to reduce migraine frequency. 

b.     If you have kidney disease of any kind, do this only with a doctor’s supervision.

5.     Mitochondrial Imbalances.  Symptoms of Mitochondrial Imbalance:

a.      Fatigue

b.     Muscle Aching

c.      Brain fog

Testing:  Ask your doctor to check urinary organic acids to assess mitochondria function and energy production.

Treatment (suggested per Dr. Mark Hyman for his patients):

a.      Taking 400 mg of riboflavin (B2) twice a day

b.     Take 100 to 400 mg of coenzyme Q10.  One study in the journal Cephalagia gave 32 patients with a history of episodic migraine 150 mg of CoQ10 daily.  Researchers found after one month, CoQ10 lowered migraines 13.1 percent.  After three months, CoQ10 lowered migraines an impressive 55.3 percent.

I suggest if you have chronic problems with headaches, especially migraines, that you contact a qualified Functional Medicine Doctor.  You can find one at IFM.org.  Or I can help you find one. 

And if you are ready to make changes, please let me help you.  You can be successful at this.  It will be much easier with help.

Functional Medicine is not always convenient…or low cost, since insurance many times does not cover functional medicine treatment.  But it can change your life (as it changed mine).  It will change the direction of your life and make it possible for you to live healthier, longer.

If you know what result you want for your health, I can help you on that journey—guiding you in-depth to the place you want to be.

And if you’d like more information on changing your health, or more information on migraines from a Functional Medicine point of view, I can help you with that.  Just send me a message.

Thank you for reading my article.

To Your Health …

Sharon

Most of my Resources in this article came from

Dr. Mark Hyman, Ultra Mind Solution (drhyman.com)