| As headaches go, migraines are in a league all | | | | reduce the frequency, duration and severity of |
| their own. Affecting three times as many women | | | | you migraines. But take one at a time so you can |
| as men, they are far more debilitating than the | | | | tell which one works for you. |
| more common tension headaches. To make | | | | Butterbur: Research suggests that taking 75 mg. |
| matters worse, research suggests that for some | | | | of butterbur extract twice daily for at least four |
| sufferers, serious health consequences may be | | | | months may cut migraine attacks nearly in half |
| part of the migraine package. | | | | for those who experience them two to six times |
| Fortunately, help may be as easy as a trip to | | | | a month. |
| your local health food store. The right diet or | | | | Coenzyme Q10: Researchers at the Cleveland |
| supplement can make a huge difference when | | | | Headache Center found that 150 mg. of CoQ10 a |
| managing your migraine and its consequences. | | | | day decreased the number of days with migraine |
| Migraines Explained | | | | in 60 percent of migraine sufferers. A recent trial |
| A migraine produces unbearable, throbbing pain on | | | | from Switzerland suggests that taking 100 mg. of |
| one side of the head that lasts from a few hours | | | | CoQ10 three times daily produces similar effects. |
| to a few days. It can also cause nausea, vomiting | | | | But it won't happen overnight. Expect to see an |
| and a sensitivity to light and sound. About 20 | | | | improvement in two to three months. |
| percent of the estimated 25 to 30 million migraine | | | | Feverfew: Studies show that taking 125 mg. of a |
| sufferers in the U.S. also experience an aura. No, it | | | | feverfew extract daily can help prevent migraines. |
| isn't some "new age" invention. A migraine aura is | | | | Just make sure you don't try this one if you are |
| a disturbance in vision that precedes an attack. | | | | allergic to ragweed. |
| Auras often consist of brightly colored or blinking | | | | Magnesium: Several studies have found that |
| light, blurred vision, blind spots or zigzag lines in | | | | inadequate magnesium intake may trigger |
| your field of vision. | | | | migraines. Eat whole grains, legumes, nuts, spinach |
| While all migraines cause suffering, migraines with | | | | and avocado plus take 300 mg. of supplemental |
| an aura appear to threaten health the most. | | | | magnesium daily to bring magnesium levels up. |
| Several studies suggest a connection between | | | | Riboflavin: A study of migraine sufferers who |
| migraines with aura and stroke. One Harvard | | | | took 400 mg. of riboflavin (vitamin B2) every day |
| study examined the incidence of stroke in a group | | | | for three months found the number of monthly |
| of nearly 40,000 middle-aged women over the | | | | headaches dropped and headache duration |
| course of nine years. The results? Women who | | | | decreased as well. |
| experienced an aura were nearly twice as likely to | | | | One Last Thing . . . |
| suffer ischemic strokes, the kind caused by | | | | According to anecdotal reports, certain foods can |
| clogged blood vessels to the brain. But migraines | | | | trigger migraine attacks in some people - but the |
| without an aura posed no such risk. | | | | scientific evidence linking food to migraines is |
| During a later study, the Harvard team found links | | | | actually quite sparse. Still, it makes sense to avoid |
| between auras and other cardiovascular diseases. | | | | foods if you've found they set your migraines in |
| For instance, migraines with an aura almost | | | | motion. |
| doubled the chance for heart disease, heart | | | | Here are the most common food triggers: |
| attack and angina in nearly 28,000 people | | | | Caffeine can spark a migraine, especially when |
| compared to aura-free migraines and no migraines | | | | consumed in excess. But be careful if you cut |
| at all. | | | | back, because quitting caffeine cold turkey often |
| What - Me Worry? | | | | results in rebound headaches. Foods brimming with |
| Experts aren't sure why an aura increases the | | | | tyramine and tannins, two natural food |
| risk of heart disease. Some suggest it's genetic. | | | | compounds, may also set off a migraine. |
| Australian and New Zealand researchers recently | | | | Tyramine is richest in red wine, avocados, |
| found that a genetic mutation that causes | | | | overripe bananas, aged cheese and chocolate. |
| elevated blood levels of homocysteine is more | | | | Tannins are most abundant in apple juice, |
| common among people who experience migraines | | | | blackberries, coffee, tea, chocolate and red wine. |
| with an aura than those without an aura. And high | | | | But don't expect to be headache-free simply by |
| homocysteine levels boost the likelihood of stroke | | | | avoiding a food or two. It's likely that giving up |
| and heart attack. | | | | trigger foods won't be enough to deter migraines. |
| But even aura-free migraines carry some risk. In | | | | That's because migraines tend to be the |
| a recent study of men, those who suffered | | | | by-product of accumulated insults to the nervous |
| migraines - with or without aura - were 42 | | | | system, including stress and fatigue. You may |
| percent more likely to have a heart attack. And | | | | need to combine supplements, food avoidance, |
| new research suggests that migraines deprive | | | | stress management and regular exercise to truly |
| brain cells of oxygen, causing brain damage. | | | | get a handle on your migraines. |
| So should you be worried? While researchers | | | | This Just In . . . |
| ponder the mysteries of migraines with aura, it's | | | | Are you one of those people who think that an |
| important to keep the risk in perspective. After | | | | occasional indulgence - say, a fried chicken dinner |
| all, you can't change the fact that you have | | | | or a buttery dessert - can't hurt? Well, think again! |
| migraines with an aura. But there are risk factors | | | | It turns out that eating a single high-fat meal can |
| you can control to lower your odds of developing | | | | raise blood pressure significantly more than a |
| heart disease. Eating a diet low in trans and | | | | low-fat meal. |
| saturated fats and high in fruits, vegetables and | | | | That's what U.S. and Canadian researchers found |
| fiber is a great first step. Keeping your weight | | | | when they fed 30 healthy people a single meal |
| down is also important. Extra body fat not only | | | | that was either very low-fat (about one percent |
| increases cardiovascular risk, being overweight can | | | | of calories) or very high-fat (about 46 percent of |
| make migraines worse. More than 30,000 people | | | | calories) and then exposed them to stressful |
| were asked about headache frequency and | | | | situations like public speaking, performing mental |
| severity in a recent study from Albert Einstein | | | | math and exposure to cold temperatures. Those |
| College of Medicine in New York. Researchers | | | | given the high-fat meal experienced a greater rise |
| discovered that, as a person's body mass index | | | | in blood pressure and more stress on their blood |
| increased, so did the number of headaches and | | | | vessels, upping the risk to their cardiovascular |
| severity of pain. | | | | system. |
| Heading Off Pain | | | | So, the next time you're tempted to go whole |
| If you're a long-time migraine sufferer, dietary | | | | hog at the dinner table, take a pass. Your heart |
| changes alone probably won't do the trick. But | | | | will thank you. |
| adding one of the following supplements can help | | | | |