I was reading an Oprah magazine recently and was shocked at how many advertisments there were for the treatment of migraine headaches with prescription medications and realized how many people must suffer from them.

Migraines result from a genetic predisposition, combined with vascular and neurogenic changes in the brain. External factors such as alcohol, hunger, changes in the weather or sleep-wake cycle and changes in the hormones can all trigger migraines attacks.

There has been a 60% increase in migraines from the years 1980 to 1989, they occur more often in women and occur in all races, geographical and cultural situations. There are two classifications: migraine with auras (aura’s are a 15-20 minute episode where there is visual or sensory disturbances with the headache coming on afterwards), and migraines without auras, the common migraine associated with nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light.

Naturopathic physicians have many tricks up their sleeves for treatment of this debilitating syndrome. Here is our strategy:

1. Look for food allergies. The most common triggers most know about are foods containing tyramine such as nuts, chocolate, cheese and red wine. MSG, aspartame and sodium nitrate are other triggers. Other food allergens that have been proven to aggravate are: wheat, oranges, eggs, tea and coffee, chocolate and milk, beef, cane sugar, yeast, pork, artificial colors and preservatives, mushrooms and peas.
2. Rule out blood sugar abnormalities: 76% of migraine patients were found to have hypoglycemia or blood sugar that is too low. These patients commonly had headaches mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
3. Evaluate the structure: often these patients have spinal subluxations (malalignment problems) that need to be solved with chiropractic treatments. The non-force techniques are what I recommend and these include the grostic and activator techniques. Many patients are not aware of any spinal injuries until they are evaluated by their chiropractor. Included with this is ruling out teeth grinding (bruxism) or TMJ (temporal mandibular joint) dysfunction and wearing night guards can be very effective. Dentists will let you know if you have bruxism.
4. Nutritional Deficiencies: The three most common are magnesium, riboflavin and omega 3 essential fats. Both magnesium and riboflavin are important energy sources for the mitochondria, the engine of each cell. Magnesium is also antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, optimizes function of serotonin and makes platelets less sticky. The form of magnesium is important and I recommend malates, glycinates or citrates for the best effects. Essential fats also make the platelets less sticky and are essential to life. The best form of this is Carlson’s purified Cod liver oil which is pleasant to take and even kids love it. 5HTP is another nutrient that will increase serotonin especially in those with menstrual migraines.
5. Herbal Therapies: The best herb I have found to treat migraines in my 20 years of practice is feverfew in the herbal tincture form. If taken as prescribed this works in over 80% of the cases. The quality of the herb needs to be questioned if this therapy has not worked for you. If feverfew doesn’t work then try Petasites hybridus or butterbur. Butterbur has been used in Germany for 25 years to treat migraines. It has a strong anti-inflammatory and vasodilating effect. These herbs can be safely used with Imitrex, aspirin and ergotamine derivatives. Gingko works for migraines as it normalizes the function of platelets which is abnormal in some migraine patients. Ginger inhibits platelet stickiness as well prostaglandins which are responsible for the inflammation associated with migraine headaches.
6. Other factors to consider include problems with teeth. If there is a tooth with microscopic amounts of bacteria causing inflammation this needs to be part of the treatment program for any migraine patient.
7. Melatonin has been observed to be low in the blood of migraine patients and it is especially helpful in those with sleep disturbances. Keep in mind that melatonin can cause headaches in some individuals.
8. Estrogen dominance is a common problem with menstruating migraine patients and those taking birth control pills. Salivary hormone testing will confirm if these patients require balancing of their estrogen/progesterone ratio.
9. H.pylori is a common bacteria found in the stomach causing gastric ulcers. After eradicating the H.pylori infection the intensity, duration and frequency of migraine headaches are diminished significantly in some patients.
10.  Acupuncture helps migraine patients modulate their serotonin and inflammatory pathways and in one study reduced the number of days with migraines by 34.5% over a 12 week period.

So before you reach for over the counter or prescription pain medication that will only add to the soup of toxicity in your body, consider trying to find the cause of the problem and get rid of the pain once and for all!