There are many suggestions on the internet for ways to counteract frequent migraine headaches, but after researching many of them, I found that these suggestions make the most sense.
I would at least try what is recommended for about 3 weeks as a test since that is adequate time to know if you feel differently, healthier, or headache free.
Many of these suggestions were recommended by Joseph Mercola, M.
D.
, a holistic physician gaining so much popularity since he was interviewed a couple of times on the Dr.
Oz Show.
He has many years of experience and natural health professionals have respected his work for years.
These eliminations are not as difficult as you may think since there are substitutions for many of them available: · Do not eat any foods containing gluten which is in any wheat product.
· Eliminate all artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame which is in Splenda, NutraSweet or SweetNLow.
· No white sugar as found in cookies, candy, cereals, cakes and ice cream.
· Eliminate caffeine as much as possible, although herbal teas with caffeine usually don't have the same effect as coffee.
· No packaged foods with any food colorings, additives, preservatives or flavorings (just read the label before purchasing).
It is recommended to eat this: · Eat as much raw or only lightly cooked (ideally, try to eat at least one-third of your foodraw, or as much as you can manage) fruits and vegetables as possible.
· Organic or grass-fed, and free from additives and genetically modified ingredients · Organic fruits and vegetables (lower rates of pesticide residues).
· Organic dairy products Helpful Supplements and More With regard to supplements that might be helpful for migraines, one of the most important is Ubiquinol (the reduced form of Coenzyme Q10).
According to experts like Dr.
Robert Barry, an underlying problem involved with migraines is mitochondrial dysfunction.
Ubiquinol plays a vital role in ATP production, which is the basic fuel for your mitochondria.
Your body does produce ubiquinol naturally, in fact it is the predominant form in most healthy cells, tissues and organs but with so much pollution and poor diets, mitochondrial dysfunction has become more and more common.
A 2005 study published in Neurology found that CoQ10 was superior to a placebo in preventing migraines and reducing severity.
From the patients who received 100 mg.
of CoQ10 three times a day, 50% reported significantly less frequency of headaches compared to only 14 % of those who took the placebo.
Ubiquinol is the reduced form of CoQ10, and studies have repeatedly demonstrated that it is far more effective than CoQ10 due to its superior ability to be digested and utilized in the body easier.
Other dietary supplements that can be helpful for migraines include: · Magnesium.
This is probably the most important one as it contributes to relaxing the brain blood vessels that cause the pain.
The best magnesium supplement I know of is magnesiumL-Threonate works differently.
By boosting magnesium levels within the brain, scientists believe Magnesium L-Threonate helps neurons maintain a state of healthy sustained activity-neither over-stimulated nor under-stimulated.
You could say that Magnesium L-Threonate helps keep the brain firing on all cylinders.
Scientists believe by maintaining this healthy homeostasis, the brain can more easily respond to mental demands and perform cognitive tasks with less stress and fatigue.
(if you can't find it I recommend a Triple Magnesium Formula, which is 3 forms of magnesium in one capsule - 400 mg.
Taken 1 hour before bed.
) Interestingly, some of the best drugs used to treat migraines are calcium channel blockers, and that is how magnesium works.
Supplemental magnesium would be so much safer than a calcium channel blocker.
· Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) · Vitamin B6 · Vitamin B12 · Folic acid Exercise is something that should also be considered as an enormously useful strategy.
Taking just 10 minutes daily to practice some deep relaxation techniques is also very useful.
Whether you meditate, pray or practice relaxing each body part one by one, stress is a potent trigger for headaches.