Migravent

Keeping a Migraine Diary: 8 Important Clues to Jot Down

Leah — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:05:56 +0000

Tracking headache triggers in a migraine diary is one of the best things you can do for yourself in migraine prevention, but it requires dedication. Many people are hesitant to commit to a migraine journal, because they’re afraid it will be overwhelming, or not effective. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Using a migraine diary efficiently doesn’t need to be time-consuming, and it may provide some important clues in finding out what factors most influence how often you get migraine attacks.

Why keep a migraine diary?

Studies show that the best way to prevent migraine attacks is to practice trigger avoidance. By eliminating certain foods from your diet and practicing good “migraine hygiene,” you will effectively reduce the number of migraine headaches you get each month substantially.

What’s the catch? Well, you need to know what those migraine triggers are…and the best way to find out what’s causing your migraines is to play detective. By tracking down helpful clues in your migraine diary, you learn more about hidden factors that provoke migraine attacks- things in your daily life, like sleep habits, hormone levels, vitamin deficiencies, even the weather!

While many migraine advocacy sites offer free templates to help you start your own migraine diary, you don’t need to access the Net just to keep track of migraine attack triggers; a simple pencil and notepad is sufficient and more practical for on-the-fly notes and availability when you’re not getting a Wifi signal.

7 important items to list in your migraine diary

1- Date and time

This is basic- always list the date, day of the week, and time when you first start noticing the beginnings of a migraine headache, including symptoms such as tiredness, elation, changes in appetite, strange scents, and migraine auras.

Also, keep track of when your headache ended, and how long it took you to recuperate.

2- Rate the pain

On a scale of one through ten, was this the worst headaches you’ve ever experienced, or was it on the usual pain threshold? Did your headache start at one side of the face and spread out, or was it confined to one specific area of your head?

3- Food

There are hundreds of food items that may contribute to migraine headaches, so it’s important to always write down what you eat each day. Migraine triggers in food vary for each individual, so don’t compare your red-light foods to others who suffer from chronic migraine attacks.

Here is a list of migraine food triggers.

4- Sleep

Did you sleep in? Weekend headache is a common trigger for migraines, as it disturbs your body’s need for regularity. Take notes if you fall asleep for a nap in the afternoon, or wake up later than usual while on vacation.

5- Weather changes

What was the weather like today? Was it very hot and humid? You may find that you’re more prone to migraines during certain seasonal changes. While you can’t avoid the weather, you can take measures to control symptoms that trigger migraine attacks. Keep the windows shut during pollen season, or run a humidifier in your office when the air is dry.

6- Physical activity

Believe it or not, some migraine attacks are started by even mild physical exertion. “Exercise migraines” can also happen from coughing, strong bowel movements, sudden jerks of the head, or sexual intercourse.

10 Topamax Side Effects that are worse than Migraines

Leah — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:33:44 +0000

Topamax (topiramate) is one of the most widely prescribed drugs for migraines, but it carries many precautions. Before considering Topamax for migraine headache prevention, learn more about the possible debilitating side effects by talking to other topiramate users and reading the manufacturer’s warnings.

What is Topamax?

Topamax is an anti-epileptic drug that is prescribed for preventing epileptic seizures, as well as for migraine prophylaxis.

Many migraine doctors are quick to prescribe Topamax, often without warning their patients about possible painful side effects that can be worse than the migraine headaches themselves.

While side effects of Topamax can vary widely for each user, debilitating conditions such as mental impairment, partial blindness, and mobility disorders have shown up repeatedly in numerous scientific studies focusing on Topamax for migraines and epilepsy.

Topamax side effects

The following side effects are significantly correlated to both short-term and long-term Topamax prescription for chronic migraine headaches.

1) Blindness

Vision problems such as acute myopia and glaucoma are listed as a potential side effect of even short-term Topamax usage. Symptoms include nearsightedness, blurry vision, and sharp eye pain.

If you start having vision problems or severe pain in the eye area while using Topamax for migraines or epilepsy, see an eye doctor or ophthalmologist immediately. Don’t wait, because you may have only a small window of opportunity to have your vision restored back to normal.

2) Dementia

Cognitive impairment is one of the most common side effects associated with Topamax in migraine patients, causing mental confusion, memory loss and inability to concentrate, in addition to aphasia symptoms- speech and language problems, difficulty finding the right words to communicate.

3) Mental illness

Migraine patients who use Topamax are twice as likely to suffer emotional distress as non-Topamax users. Symptoms include suicidal thoughts, anxiety, paranoia, deep depression, and disturbing nightmares.

4) Fetal Toxicity

Babies conceived or born to mothers using Topamax for migraine headaches or epilepsy have an increased risk for cleft lip, cleft palate (oral clefts, craniofacial defects, and reduced fetal weights.

5) Hyperammonemia

Topamax may cause an increase of ammonia in the blood, a condition that may lead to brain injury or death.

6) Kidney stones

Migraine sufferers who use long-term Topamax treatments are at risk for excruciatingly painful kidney stones resulting from metabolic acidosis. As a precaution, drink about 100 ounces of water each day.

7) Mobility problems

Topamax may cause damage to the nervous system, resulting in difficulty controlling muscle movement, poor hand-eye coordination, and constant painful numbness and tingling.

8) Heart attack-like symptoms

Topamax usage is linked with an increase in visits to the ER for symptoms that mimic heart attack, such as chest pain and palpitations. Because migraines are already associated with increased risk for heart attack, Topamax users need to be extra careful in monitoring their cardiovascular health.

9) Seizures

Because topiramate is an anti-seizure drug, migraine patients who try to wean off Topamax may suffer seizures as part of withdrawal symptoms; even migraine headache sufferers who have never experienced an epileptic seizure before may begin to experience seizures during the onset of the weaning program.

10) Carcinogenesis

Mice that were given Topamax as part of a scientific trial were more likely to develop urinary bladder tumors than those given a placebo drug.

Natural migraine support

If you’re considering weaning off Topamax, or if you’re just looking for some time-tested and scientifically-proven nutrients that produce good results with migraines, then consider supplementing with natural butterbur root extracts, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), magnesium, and coenzyme Q10.

All four- butterbur, CoQ10, vitamin B2, and magnesium- when used together continue to produce the most favorable results, even in patients who have suffered migraines for several years without respite.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

OTC Painkillers- How do they Work, What are the Risks?

Top 25 Natural Migraine Treatments: Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs

Social Security Disability for Migraine- 5 Tips for Filing

Sources:

Topamax (Topiramate) Drug Information

Topamax: Use With Caution

Image courtesy of foto76/freedigitalphotos

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10): Take it to Heart!

Leah — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:15:43 +0000

In addition to helping with migraines, Coenzyme Q10 is also beneficial for heart health, according to a recent study focusing on heart failure in people with CoQ10 deficiency. This is good news for migraine patients, as heart attack and stroke are risk factors often associated with chronic migraines.

CoQ10 boosts heart health

Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant that may also help to maintain healthy heart muscles. Commenting on his study on CoQ10 for chronic heart failure, which began in 2003, Professor Svend Aage Mortensen from Copenhagen University Hospital says that patients of heart disease require CoQ10 supplements for two reasons:

In many patients who suffer from heart failure, coenzyme Q10 levels are dangerously low, and continue to fall in correlation with the severity of heart failure symptoms.
Cholesterol-blocking statins used to treat heart failure also interfere with CoQ10 absorption, increasing your risk for coenzyme Q10 depletion.

Top 25 Natural Migraine Treatments: Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs

Dr. Mortensen presented the results of his study at the European Heart Failure Congress 2013, proclaiming CoQ10 as the single most important treatment for cardiovascular health in over 10 years.

In the randomized double blind trial, patients who received coenzyme Q10 responded more favorably in relation to major adverse cardiac events, as opposed to patients who received the placebo, by a difference of 14%-25%.

“CoQ10 is the first medication to improve survival in chronic heart failure since ACE inhibitors and beta blockers more than a decade ago and should be added to standard heart failure therapy,” says Mortensen.

“…( conventional heart failure treatments) block rather than enhance cellular processes, and may have side effects.”

Conversely, coenzyme Q10 is a perfectly safe and natural nutrient, causes no harmful side effects, and restores cellular energy to the heart at a time when it’s most needed, following heart failure.

What is CoQ10?

Coenzyme Q10 is a natural nutrient that occurs in many meat and vegetable products. CoQ10 carries electrons within the mitochondria, helping to boost energy while also serving as a therapeutic antioxidant.

For heart health, doctors recommend CoQ10 tablets, as food sources don’t contain enough of the essential nutrient to provide optimum cardiovascular health benefits after heart failure.

CoQ10 is also recommended by migraine specialists as a helpful natural ingredient proven in countless studies to significantly promote neurological health in migraine patients, especially when used in conjunction with magnesium, riboflavin, and butterbur.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Migraines and Epilepsy: 4 Commonly Asked Questions

Migraine Headaches and Hypertension: What’s the Link?

Sources:

First Drug to Significantly Improve Heart Failure Mortality in Over a Decade

Overview on coenzyme Q10 as adjunctive therapy in chronic heart failure. Rationale, design and end-points of “Q-symbio”–a multinational trial

Image courtesy of qualitystockphotos

Migraine Headaches Coupled with Muscle Pain: CRPS

Leah — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:47:43 +0000

Does it seem like migraines make your arms and legs hurt, in addition to causing excruciating headaches? It’s not your imagination- migraine sufferers are three times as likely to suffer from complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), according to research studies on migraine headaches with chronic muscle pain in the arms, legs, hands or feet.

CRPS is still a relatively-new form of chronic pain that is just beginning to attract more awareness. Still, many scientific journals have commented on complex regional pain syndrome, including this one that was published by Cephalalgia which compared CRPS in patients with migraines and people without any form of chronic headaches.

Migraines and CRPS

There seem to be no similarities between migraines, which cause severe headaches, fatigue and nausea, and CRPS, which causes debilitating muscle pain in a single arm or leg; scientists have noted some significant correlations between the two:

Muscle pain from CRPS and migraines are both neurological conditions.

Both involve chronic pain to an isolated area.

If you have CRPS, you are 3.6 times more likely to suffer a migraine headache than the rest of the population.

Also, patients who suffer CRPS muscle pain are almost twice as likely to suffer some form of chronic headaches as people without sore arm or leg muscles from CRPS.

CRPS, like migraines, is more common in women than in men.

Also like migraines, CRPS can develop in grade-school aged children.

Nearly 60% of the CRPS patients examined in the study experienced migraines with aura, compared to migraine headache sufferers without CRPS.

About 61% of CRPS-migraine patients reported getting severe headaches prior to severe muscle pain from CRPS.

What is CRPS?

Complex regional pain syndrome is a type of chronic pain that usually occurs after an injury. With CRPS, nerve pain is out of proportion with the injury, causing extreme muscle pain in the arm or leg without any signs of bone damage.

CRPS is caused by damage to the nervous system, but can also occur as part of a neurological disorder.

3 Undeniable Truths about Chronic Pain

CRPS symptoms include:

Swelling

Extreme muscle pain

Skin rashes and discolorations

Unusual sweating constrained to the affected area

Sore, stiff joints

Poor muscle control

Difficulty walking or moving the affected limb

Muscle tremors

Treatments for CRPS

Medications and therapies for CRPS and/or migraines include:

Pain relievers, including over-the-counter NSAIDs and prescription opioids

Antidepressants

Anticonvulsants

Steroid medications

Medications to prevent bone loss

Botox

Hot/cold therapy

Topical pain relievers

Exercise and stretching

Relaxation techniques

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

Biofeedback

Spinal cord stimulation

Natural vitamins, minerals, and herbs that support neurological functioning, including B vitamins, coenzyme Q10, magnesium, and butterbur

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Migraine Triggers in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

How long will my Migraine Headache Last? A Migraine Symptom Chart

If your Headache is a Migraine…Are you sure?

Sources:

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Fact Sheet

Migraine may be a risk factor for the development of complex regional pain syndrome

Image courtesy of Praisaeng/freedigitalphotos

Are Migraines Really Triggered by Stress?

Leah — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 10:42:43 +0000

According to a recent study, long-term stress triggers migraines and other debilitating ailments, especially if you fall into a certain age group… Here are some interesting results from the 45-year study on stress and chronic pain, and some tips to help you lower your risks for frequent migraine headaches.

Women, stress, and headaches

There’s a lot of hype about stress being the strongest of all migraine triggers, but very little research proving the influence that stress reduction and other natural therapies can have on migraine headaches.

Now, results from a Swedish study on 1,500 middle-aged women which began in 1968 have been published, proving the undeniable link between perceived stress and ailments such as headaches, backaches, joint stiffness, and stomach pain.

Here are some of the details of that study:

•About 1,500 women participated in the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg study on migraines in middle-aged women.

•Women were asked if they suffered from anxiety, fear, nervousness, irritability, anger, or sleeplessness resulting from family or work relationships and health problems.

•In 40% of participants, long-term stress triggered chronic pain symptoms of migraine headaches, aching muscles and joints, or gastrointestinal disorders.

•Twenty percent of women suffered from constant stress during a period of at least five years.

•Stress triggered most migraines in women between the ages of 40-60, the same age range for a large number of migraine patients.

Also read: Ease Stress, Effortlessly! 5 Migraine Management Tips

Which pain symptoms are most predominant?

In the study, scientists focused on three main categories of chronic pain: migraine headaches, muscle and joint pain, and gastrointestinal complaints.

•For muscle and joint pain, 40% of middle-aged women who suffer from high stress are affected.

•For chronic migraine headaches, 28% of participants saw a spike in migraine frequency during long-term stressful periods.

•For gastrointestinal pains, such as stomach cramps, diarrhea, and nausea, another 28% of women saw a correlation between stress and chronic pain.

It’s interesting to note that all three of the ailments listed are common symptoms of migraine; in addition to intense headaches, many migraine patients also suffer from stomach pain, severe nausea, uncontrollable vomiting, neck aches, eye pain, and draining fatigue.

Read: The Earliest Symptoms of Migraine are not Headaches

So, if you are a middle-aged woman who experiences all of these symptoms with migraine, then stress may make you nearly 100% more likely to get a migraine attack in the near future.

Reduce migraine triggers!

Overwhelmingly, natural preventative measures, used in conjunction with doctor-approved migraine treatments, have the most impact on migraine prevention.

These include:

•Migraine trigger avoidance

•Following a migraine-friendly diet

•Keeping a migraine diary

•Stress reduction techniques
•Yoga or tai chi

•Keeping a regular sleep schedule

•Preventing dehydration headaches by drinking enough water

•Taking essential vitamins, minerals, and herbs that impact migraine triggers resulting from vitamin deficiencies, neurological disorders, and vascular irregularities.

The Fab Four

For good health with migraines, experts advise taking these basic four ingredients:

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), magnesium, butterbur, and coenzyme Q10

Read more here- Top 25 Natural Migraine Treatments: Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Beat Menstrual Migraines, Naturally!

Migraines, Women, and Depression: 9 Myths and Truths

5 Effective Natural Supplements for Depression

Sources:

Clear Link Between Perceived Stress and an Increased Incidence of Psychosomatic Symptoms

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/freedigitalphotos

3 Reasons to Get a Migraine Alert Dog

Leah — Wed, 29 May 2013 11:21:16 +0000

What can a migraine alert dog do for you? The real question is: Why didn’t we all think of this sooner? Out of all the effective natural therapies available for chronic migraines, alert dogs are possibly the most overlooked. Here are 3 ways your migraine alert dog can help.

Migraines with aura alert

Service dogs aren’t just for the blind- many organizations train dogs to provide emotional support and handicap services for people who are in wheelchairs, as well as people who are at risk for seizures from epilepsy or diabetes. In many respects, a migraine with aura is similar to a seizure, so a migraine alert dog can be helpful to warn you when a migraine is approaching, giving you advance warning to lie down and take preventative actions.

Migraines and Epilepsy: 4 Commonly Asked Questions

For more information on adopting or training a migraine alert dog, visit Pawsibilities and Dogster.

Stress management

The more stressed you are, the likelier you are to have a migraine attack; that’s a direct correlation that has been proven time after time in various scientific studies on migraine triggers.

Likewise, many studies have been conducting proving the therapeutic benefits of having a pet- especially a dog- in relieving stress, anxiety, depression, and yes- even pain. Enter the migraine alert dog…

Pain experts say that just petting a dog for 15-30 minutes triggers feel-good chemicals in your brain that help to quiet pain signals and lessen even excruciating migraine headache pain. Plus, your dog likes it, too!

Ease Stress, Effortlessly! 5 Migraine Management Tips

Workout buddy

Daily exercise is an effective way of relieving stress and reducing migraines naturally, but only if you stick to the routine. You don’t have to lift weights, join an aerobics class, or even work yourself up into a sweat to benefit, but you do have to keep it regular and try not to “fall off the wagon.”

According to many studies, having a workout buddy- or a migraine dog that needs daily walking- significantly increases your likeliness to stay with the program.

Exercise or Topamax: Which would you pick for Migraine Prevention?

What are other natural migraine therapies?

Do you already have a dog that helps you manage migraines? Good! Here are some other natural migraine therapies that don’t require prescription medication:

Natural supplementation of vitamins, herbs, and minerals that benefit migraine sufferers, including the big four: Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), butterbur, and magnesium.

Acupuncture

Yoga and tai chi

Relaxation techniques

Aromatherapy

Stress management counseling

Exercise

Restrictive dieting

Keeping a migraine diary

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

OTC Painkillers- How do they Work, What are the Risks?

Top 25 Natural Migraine Treatments: Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs

Image courtesy of federico stevanin/freedigitalphotos

Ginger for Migraine Help: As Good as Imitrex?

Leah — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:17:36 +0000

There are many natural, alternative therapies that help migraine headaches dramatically- one underrated ingredient that has entered the spotlight recently is ginger root. In addition to supplementing with vitamin B2, magnesium, coenzyme Q10, and butterbur, health experts are also recommending this natural ingredient, proven to help people suffering from chronic migraines.

Can ginger help migraines?

According to a migraine study just released by Phytotherapy Research, using natural ingredients such as ginger to help symptoms of migraines is significantly effective for a large number of migraine patients. For the study, they examined the efficacy of ginger powder for migraine attacks, compared to the triptans such as Imitrex, which are commonly prescribed for preventing migraines.

They found that gentle ginger extracts provided positive results that paralleled Imitrex, without causing any of the dangerous side effects associated with prescription migraine medications.

The study

In the double-blind, randomized clinical trial, 100 patients who regularly experience migraines were randomly provided with one of two medications: sumatriptan (Imitrex) or natural ginger powder.

Scientists took into account migraine headache severity, duration of head pain, and time between onset of migraine attacks and medication usage for each patient, for a total of five consecutive migraine attacks thereafter.

The results

It made almost no difference if test subjects used prescription-strength sumatriptan or all-natural supplements such as ginger root.

Two hours after taking medication, regardless of whether they received the Imitrex pills or the ginger, patients reported similar results.

And when asked if they were satisfied with the help they received for migraines, and if they were willing to continue usage, patients similarly gave the same positive response for either treatment.

What about side effects?

Side effect results, however, vastly differ.

The majority of prescription migraine medications such as Imitrex and Topiramate create debilitating side effects that include severe dizziness, memory loss, fatigue, heart palpitations, and sometimes, headaches.

Migraine Medication Pros and Cons: the Basics

Conversely, ginger extracts and other natural ingredients for migraine help by supporting good health- boosting neurological functioning, sustaining normal blood pressure, supporting red blood cell production for oxygen, and destroying free radicals that cause inflammation.

Get more natural migraine help

Countless similar studies have been conducted pointing to the benefits of natural herbs, vitamins, and minerals for people who suffer migraines.

Overwhelmingly, scientists found that a combination of butterbur, riboflavin (vitamin B2), CoQ10, and magnesium provided the most significant results when compared to prescription migraine drugs.

To begin supplementing with natural ingredients that help migraines, consult in your primary care doctor, neurologist, or migraine headache specialist.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Why use Natural Migraine Treatments?

Top 25 Natural Migraine Treatments: Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for Chronic Pain

Sources:

Comparison Between the Efficacy of Ginger and Sumatriptan in the Ablative Treatment of the Common Migraine

Image courtesy of blucolt/flickr

Rebound Headaches and Migraines- FAQ

Leah — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:51:05 +0000

Rebound headaches, triggered by over-the-counter pain relievers, are often problematic with migraines. How do you know when you’ve taken enough Tylenol, Advil, or Excedrin for migraines…and what are you supposed to do about painful lingering headaches once you’ve reached your limit? Below are some frequently-asked questions people have about preventing rebound headaches and migraines.

What is a rebound headache?

Rebound headaches, also called analgesic overuse syndrome, are persistent headaches that occur from taking too many NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for pain relief.

If you take ibuprofen, acetaminophen or other headache medications for longer than a 5-day period, then you may be inadvertently increasing your risk for chronic migraines, or making an already-severe form of migraines even worse.

Over-the-counter analgesics, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, or other pain-relieving medications can, over time, increase frequency, severity, and duration of migraine attacks.

Which drugs cause rebound headaches?

The most common NSAIDs linked to rebound headaches with migraines are:

Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid)

Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)

Naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, Anaprox, Naprelan)

NSAID-caffeine combinations

NSAID- butalbital combinations

Opioids

Why use Natural Migraine Treatments?

How can I prevent rebound headaches?

To put a stop to rebound headaches and prevent further migraine headaches, doctors may recommend a multi-pronged approach to migraine prophylaxis and treatment.

Options include:

Migraine prophylaxis medications, under the supervision of your migraine specialist, neurologist, or general practitioner

Biofeedback

Migraine trigger avoidance

Exercise

Meditation

Acupuncture

Restrictive dieting

Supplementing with natural herbs, vitamins, and minerals that aid migraine patients, including riboflavin, butterbur, coenzyme Q10, and magnesium.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Best for Migraines: Advil or Tylenol?

Migraine Medication Pros and Cons: the Basics

Are You on the Rebound with Your Headache?

Sources:

Rebound Headaches

Image courtesy of winnond/freedigitalphotos

Migraines and ADD/ADHD- Prepare for Sensory Overload!

Leah — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:52:16 +0000

You’re not imagining it- if you get frequent migraines, then ADD/ADHD (yes, adults can have it) may also account for your long list of ailments, like nausea, crushing headaches, brain fog, attention problems, and hypersensitivity to lights, sounds, touch, scents- everything! Here are some findings that scientists have linking chronic migraines and ADD/ADHD.

Migraines and ADD/ADHD

Millions of people suffer excruciating headaches from migraines, and likewise, millions of adults in the US struggle with attention problems and sensory overload caused by ADD/ADHD.

Today, scientists believe that migraines and ADD/ADHD have more in common than we realized, and may provide important clues in devising appropriate treatments for people suffering from fatigue, disorientation, and a low tolerance for noise, even when they’re not having a migraine attack.

“…we think that this association between ADHD and migraine is mediated by a mutual comorbidity in mood disorders,” explains author Ole Bernt Fasmer, MD, PhD, regarding the study that was published in Psychiatry Weekly.

What do they have in common?

It can’t be a coincidence that some of the strongest migraine triggers involve the senses. In addition to changes in weather, food ingredients, and hormone fluctuations, many sensory-based environmental factors increase your risk for having a migraine attack, including:

Bright fluorescent lighting

Glare from harsh sunlight

Flickering lights

Stark white backgrounds

Black and white striped or zigzagged patterns

Strong perfumes

Cigarette smoke

Loud noises

Chatter, people talking all at once

Large crowds

10 Surprising Facts about Migraines you probably didn’t know

Interestingly enough, the same migraine triggers associated with hypersensitivity are the same ones that bother adults with attention problems ADD/ADHD.

And it isn’t a coincidence. In a famous 2012 study conducted by researchers in Norway, Migraine, Asthma, Mood Disorder, and Comorbid Adult ADHD, scientists found that males with ADHD have a 23% risk for migraines, compared with 11% of the general population. Furthermore, females, who are three times more likely than males to suffer from migraines, have a 34% risk of having severe migraines and ADD/ADHD, compared to 25% in women who don’t have attention problems.

What exactly is ADD/ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD) is a condition that we use to describe people exhibiting a certain set of behaviors in relation to their ability to focus, filter out sensory stimuli, and form and execute goals, along with several other cognitive skills.

Currently, about 9 million adults in the US have some form of ADD/ADHD.

Treatments for migraines and ADD/ADHD

As always, learn as much as you can about migraines and ADD/ADHD, and visit an experienced doctor for a correct diagnosis.

To treat migraine headaches and attention problems from ADD/ADHD, your doctor may prescribe medications that address your specific symptoms.

Additionally, many natural vitamins and herbs can help to boost cognitive functioning and sustain energy, enabling patients of migraines and ADD/ADHD to maintain mental focus and alertness throughout the day.

These include essential B vitamins, including riboflavin and vitamin B12, which help to preserve the nervous system.

Other beneficial nutrients include magnesium, CoQ10, and butterbur extracts.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Do Migraines Cause Brain Damage?

10 Ridiculously Healthy Vitamins for Women Migraine Patients

Brain Fog: Is it Migraine or Head Cold?

Sources:

Migraine, Asthma, Mood Disorder, and Comorbid Adult ADHD

Attention Deficit Disorder Association

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/freedigitalphotos.net

5 Foods that Help with Migraines

Leah — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:17:32 +0000

Knowing which foods to eat is an instrumental part of migraine prevention. While most people know which foods to avoid- wine, pizza, and sourdough bread, for example- many migraine patients don’t know which foods they should include in their diet, foods containing magnesium and riboflavin that help with migraines.

Migraines are a chronic neurological condition that causes excruciating headaches, stomach-wrenching nausea, incessant fatigue, and hypersensitivity to stimuli in lights, sounds, scents, and touch.

While scientists have not yet developed a cure for migraines, or even a medication formulated specifically for the migraine patient, there are many helpful natural treatments that can help, including following a migraine-friendly diet.

Many healthy foods that help with migraines contain nutrients that target specific biological processes that occur during a migraine attack, including the aura phase, intense headaches and nausea, and fatigue that occurs during recuperation.

As with any other migraine treatment, consult your headache specialist before switching to a new diet, and keep a migraine diary to help you learn which foods to avoid.

The following foods, assuming they are on your “green light” list, may help with migraines.

Spinach

Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach provide magnesium, a nutrient that is instrumental in hundreds of important biochemical reactions throughout your body.

Magnesium promotes healthy nerves and muscles, supports the cardiovascular system, regulates blood sugar levels, and helps to convert food into energy.

Foods containing magnesium are especially beneficial for women that suffer from menstrual migraines. In many studies on migraines, scientists have noted high correlations between migraine frequency and magnesium deficiency.

In addition to spinach, other good sources of magnesium include yams, cantaloupe, walnuts, and whole grains.

Getting Enough Magnesium…Are you?

To boost magnesium intake, consider taking natural magnesium supplements that are gentle on the stomach.

Seafood

Seafood is high in two essential nutrients that help migraines; omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins, such as vitamin B12 (cobalamin).

Omega-3’s have anti-inflammatory properties that help migraineurs, while B12 vitamins protect the nervous system, boost energy, and sustain production of red blood cells needed for oxygen.

Vitamin B12 and omega-3 oils occur naturally in sardines, salmon, tuna, herring, halibut, and crab meat.

Low Fat Dairy Products

If dairy foods don’t trigger migraines, then you should try to include them in your diet; they may actually help a great deal. Low-fat yogurt, cheeses, and milk are rich sources of riboflavin, another B vitamin that helps people who suffer migraines by boosting cellular energy.

Several scientific studies focusing on migraine frequency have confirmed the benefits of taking extra doses of riboflavin supplements.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) in Natural Migraine Ingredients

Nondairy food sources of riboflavin include meat, eggs, and nuts.

Melon

Dehydration is a common trigger of migraine headaches. During the summer time, snack on thick wedges of watermelon, which contain natural electrolytes to keep you hydrated and avoid headaches.

Ginger

Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that help with migraine headaches. Plus, foods containing ginger may help to stave off nausea and stomach pain that occur during a migraine with aura.

Add fresh ginger juice to carrot salad, or squeeze a few drops into a cup of tea for a tummy-soothing brew.

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Sources:

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

Magnesium- Health Professional Fact Sheet

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