Migraine Headache
Conventional Wisdom- Migraines are caused by various triggers
All contemporary knowledge about migraines points to
chemical reactions in the brain causing blood vessels to constrict and
then expand creating a sudden blood flow as the process which creates
the headaches associated with migraines. Therefore the key to avoiding
migraines is limiting exposure to triggers. An enormous list of triggers
has been accumulated through research into migraines. Among the most
common triggers to be aware of: Stress, aroma, menstruation, sleep
pattern disturbances, climate change, and diet. It’s very important know
triggers your migraine so you can determine whether to avoid it or not.
The Conventional Wisdom: You can kiss your migraines goodbye after
menopause.
The onset of migraines has been
linked the start of menstruation and sixty percent of women will suffer
a worsening of their coincident with their monthly periods. The link
between menopause and migraines has to do with the cycling of estrogen
levels; controlling estrogen levels is the best way to improve headaches
in women. Menopause does create changes in migraines, but it can hardly
be concluded that they put a stop to them. Two-thirds of women with
migraine will experience an improve in their migraines after natural
menopause. On the other hand, only one-third can expect an improvement
hysterectomy or surgical menopause, and two-thirds will actually
experience a worsening.
The Conventional Wisdom: Quit smoking and
your troubles evaporate like smoke itself.
Nicotine modifies the
quantity of pain-signaling chemicals in the nervous system. These are
chemicals such as endorphins, serotonin, norephinephrine, and dopamine.
Smokers generally are at a greater risk for headaches and this risk is
related to the amount of nicotine consumed. The more nicotine a smoker
takes into his system, the greater his frequency of headaches and the
more severe those headaches will be. Quitting smoking helps one's
overall health, with the added benefit of reducing headaches.
The
Conventional Wisdom: You are what you eat, at least as far as migraines
are concerned.
Restrictive diets are a common prescription for
those suffering headaches. There are so many different foods associated
with triggering migraines that each diet must be individualized.
Generally speaking, however, these diets will likely include avoiding
foods that contain tyramine (aged cheeses, alcohol, sour cream),
phenylethylamine (chocolate), nitrates (hot dogs), and dopamine (broad
beanpods). Studies evaluating single foods are mixed at best. For
instance, there have been several studies into the effect of aspartame
(Nutrasweet) on headaches with no conclusive evidence for either side of
the issues.
Chocolate is another commonly reported headache
trigger food. Several studies have been done on this link. One study
tested over sixty females who were chronic migraine sufferers. The
testing used chocolate bars and chocolate-flavored carob bars for
control. To ensure there were no psychological effects from women who
believed that chocolate caused headaches, the samples were even flavored
with mint. The result showed that even those women who did believe that
there is a connection between chocolate and migraines did not experience
when they didn't know if they were eating chocolate or carob. Cheating
on the diet and eating other restricted foods like peanut butter, colas,
or pizza along with chocolate did not result in increased headache
activity either. Most studies have concluded that foods can trigger
headaches, but there is a growing resistance to this idea. One reason
for the misconception, these studies conclude, is that mood and behavior
changes that preface a migraine attack often include food cravings,
thereby creating a false association between eating the food and getting
a headache. According to these scientists, it’s not the food that
triggers the headache. Instead, the food craving is merely a sign that
the headache process has begun. In addition, sweet craving typically
occurs in response to stress, fasting, and menstruation. Again, the true
trigger may be the stress, fasting or hormonal changes, with chocolate
(or other craved foods) a reaction to the trigger rather than acting as
a trigger itself. If you believe foods may trigger your headache, expect
to get a headache within 12 hours of eating the food item. Elimination
of certain individual foods may be helpful for a minority of headache
sufferers, but restricting a wide variety of foods on a long-term basis
often merely increases your stress and can lead to a headache.