| There can be a number of factors that trigger | | | | blood can cause vasoconstriction of the blood |
| the onset of your migraines. One such factor is | | | | vessels in the brain. In addition, it appears that |
| diet related. The food items trigger your migraines | | | | people with migraines caused by dietary factors |
| as they contain some chemical compounds. One | | | | appear to be deficient in enzymes needed to |
| of these chemical substances is known as | | | | break down tyramine. Some drugs used to treat |
| tyramine. As tyramine is a predominant | | | | depression (such as Nardil, Marplan and Parnate) |
| composition in bananas, this has led many to | | | | also interfere with the process of breaking down |
| wonder: Are bananas a trigger to migraine | | | | tyramine. |
| headaches? | | | | The best form of treatment for migraines due to |
| It is important to first have some understanding | | | | food triggers is prevention. Upon determining that |
| about what happens during a migraine, in order to | | | | you get severe migraine attacks due to |
| explain how tyramine may set off your | | | | sensitivity to a particular food, it is advisable to |
| headaches. Migraine headaches tend to follow a | | | | exclude it from your diet. Once set in, migraine |
| characteristic pattern - from prodrome to | | | | can be very painful and can be difficult to treat. |
| postdrome - and the symptoms may differ from | | | | Consuming drugs for pain relief is not an option |
| person to person. However, in most cases, the | | | | that you would like to use too often as you may |
| patient may experience a throbbing pain in any | | | | get rebound headaches (a consequence of taking |
| one side of the head (sometimes it spreads to | | | | too much medication). |
| both sides as well), and the condition is usually | | | | Thus, closely monitoring your diet can be helpful in |
| accompanied by phonophobia, photophobia and | | | | preventing migraine headaches. It is not an easy |
| nausea or sometimes vomiting. | | | | exercise to precisely determine what your food |
| The exact cause of migraine is still under | | | | intolerances or allergies are. You may need to |
| contention. Still there is some consensus by | | | | seek the help of a qualified professional for this |
| experts that migraines are caused by a reduction | | | | process. However, if you are successful in |
| in blood flow to the brain cells. This in turn springs | | | | determining any potential food triggers, you will |
| from the constriction of arteries, which is | | | | get immense relief from reducing the frequency |
| triggered by certain external factors. | | | | and severity of your migraine headaches. |
| It is also widely believed that an excess | | | | Eliminating banana pancakes from your diet will not |
| concentration of tyramine in a migraine patient's | | | | be such a bad idea after all! |