Migraines – Part 2

In part 1, I explained the difference between a headache and a migraine.  In this article I want to explore evidence for nutritional fixes to assit migraine sufferers.

5-HTP

5-HTP, or 5-Hydroxytryptophane is a naturally occuring amino acid that may help prevent chronic headaches of various types including tension headaches and prevent migraines.  In one study, 5-HTP was just as effective at preventing migraines as methysergide (a perscription migrane drug) and it was espeically good at reducing the intensity and duration of attacks.

Magnesium

A lack of magnesium has been linked to migraine, and several trails suggest taht supplementing with the mineral can reduce the frequency of attacks.

Reference

Titus F, Dávalos A, Alom J, Codina A. 5-Hydroxytryptophan versus methysergide in the prophylaxis of migraine. Randomized clinical trial. Eur Neurol. 1986;25(5):327-9. PubMed PMID: 3536521.

Facchinetti F, Sances G, Borella P, Genazzani AR, Nappi G. Magnesium prophylaxis of menstrual migraine: effects on intracellular magnesium. Headache.  1991 May;31(5):298-301. PubMed PMID: 1860787.

 

Related Posts

  • Can Reiki help you if you have IBS?

    Reiki is a form of healing therapy originating in Japan and Tibet that is available in some of our clinics.  Over the years practicing massage in clinic, I [...]

  • How to Prevent Running Injuries – Part 1

    What we see in clinic all the time, is people coming in with running or training injuries that have blindsided them, they have no idea how it happened.  Its like the injury came out of nowhere. Injuries don't come out of nowhere.  Most running injuries produce signals

    • aches
    • soreness
    • persistent pain
    Its up to you not to ignore the signal and to take appropriate action.  That doesn't mean keep on running as you set yourself a goal and want to achieve it.  I consider it crazy to run through pain - all you are doing in injuring yourself further.  If you do push on regardless you will invariably end up with with more enforced rest needing more rehab than if you took immediate action.  Any problems are just amplified the more miles you run. One of they key factors that determines an athletes success is there ability to avoid injuries.  If you look at Kenyan distance runners they are experts at listening to their bodies and knowing when to skip training if they are tired and how to nip injuries in the bud. So if you get any of the above signals book a sports massage.

  • What can help period pain? – Part 2

    In part 1, I introduced the topic of period pain.  In this blog post, I want to explore the topic from the perspective of functional medicine practitioners who believe that period pains are caused by certain nutritional deficiencies particularly vitamin B, magnesium and essential fatty acids. There is evidence that magnesium can reduce the sensitivity to pain.  In one study 21 out of 25 women treated with magnesium for six months saw a reduction in the period pain. In one scientific study over 500 women aged between 12 to 21 with moderate to severe period pain took vitamin B1.  87% were completely cured after 3 months.  Just 5% saw no effect at all, while 8% saw their pain reduced.  There is also scientific evidence that vitamin B6 may be useful too. Finally, there is scientific evidence that Acupuncture can be a safe and effective treatment for period pain. References Magnesium reference see >> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27978803,  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11687013, Vitamin B reference see >> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8935744, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1459624/ Acupuncture references see >> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29879061 and https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2017/1791258/abs/