Let’s talk about Migraines…

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 usually have other symptoms that follow along with them, from nausea, vomiting, severe throbbing pain on one or both sides of your head; they can even carry stroke-like symptoms or paralysis.

One in eight headache/migraine patients ends up going for a brain scan, so headaches can also be very expensive.

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So.  What’s the Solution?

Find the Root Cause, Right?

If a doctor discovers the headaches are caused from Dysbiosis/Pathogens, a shortcut that is usually used is to take Antibiotics.

If a doctor discovers the headaches are caused from Chronic Hormone Imbalance, a shortcut that some doctors use is using bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy.

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

If a doctor discovers the headaches are caused from bodily systems not communicating properly, a shortcut is to take lots of supplements.

And for a “headache”, take NSAIDs.

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, and the results are poor, according to Functional Medicine Doctor Mark Hyman.  Every patient seems to be suffering from a collection of puzzle pieces, and conventional doctors typically don’t go deeply into investigating how it all works together, with a headache actually probably not having 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 exploring, and keep taking the short-cuts.

The “cure” will come about as we change our lives.  Most patients don’t want to “change their lives” for the cure.  Most patients spend hours exploring and turning over more and more rocks.

This “cure” has already been uncovered.  The other ways are like a revolving door, with no real action.

Your body is being a messenger to you.  These imbalances are sending you messages, sometimes loud messages.  Numbing the Messenger will not change the Message.

You can keep seeking different doctors, different lab work, more supplements, more googling…

DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE?

THIS MAY HELP WITH THE ANSWER…

We are not designed to be:

Stressed

Toxic

Inflamed

Infected

Malnourished, and

UnRested…

And yet still easily:

Thrive

Grow

Reproduce

Be Thin

Feel Fantastic

Eat anything we want

Enjoy perfect bowel movements, and

Have Great Sex…

Do we Really Believe this Combination would be NATURAL?

Why are we Struggling?

Simply put…

Crap Food…

Toxins…

Stress…

(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”.

A headache—or other pain—isn’t caused by direct stimulus.  Sensory 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.  Meds are good for temporary relief until you find and remove the trigger.

Other possible causes of headache could be: cell dehydration (needing electrolytes), insufficient magnesium, high cortisol surge from stress, caffeine (too much, or not your usual amount), mouth breathing, poor posture, insufficient sleep, …and on and on.

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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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 the 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:

a.      Fatigue

b.     Brain fog

c.      Bloating

d.     Irritable bowel syndrome

e.      Joint or muscle pain

f.       Postnatal drip

g.     Sinus congestion

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):  To start, an Elimination Diet, getting rid of gluten, dairy, eggs, corn and yeast—anything that could cause inflammation.  This is the best start.  Add in enzymes, probiotics and omega-3 fats to keep your gut healthy.  Later you can add one food at a time back in, to see if you have a new reaction.

2.     Chemical Triggers.  Causes:

a.      Aspartame

b.     MSG (monosodium glutamate)

c.      Nitrates (in deli meats)

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): Remove processed foods, additives, sweeteners, and sulfites.  Focus on whole, phytonutrient-rich foods.

3.     Hormonal Imbalances. Causes:

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):

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

Use herbs such as Vitex along with magnesium and B6

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, sugar and refined carbohydrates

Focus on exercise and stress reduction.

4.     Magnesium Deficiencies.  Symptoms:

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

5.     Mitochondrial Imbalances.  Symptoms:

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):

Taking 400 mg of riboflavin (B2) twice a day

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.

This information is such a very slight touch to the depth of understanding how to change your health.

I suggest if you have 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. 

Functional Medicine is not always convenient…or low cost.  But it can change your life.

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.

Sharon

Most of my Resources in this article came from

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