Migraine Pain

Migraines can be very challenging to manage and a chronic source of pain for some people. Migraines have been associated with hormonal, biochemical imbalances, and food sensitivities. Often, people who experience migraines have a condition known as leaky gut.

Here are some conditions & triggers associated with migraines:

• Gluten and wheat related sensitivity
• Foods such as aged cheeses
• Food additives such as aspartame
• Food preservatives such as MSG
• Hormonal imbalances, such as peri-menopause, estrogen fluctuations with menstrual periods, oral contraceptives.
• Nutrient deficiencies and chemical imbalances such as iron overload, magnesium deficiency.
• Mitochondrial defects (your cellular energy powerhouses) [i]
• Blood sugar imbalances from skipping meals
• Drinking caffeine, alcohol
• Changes in sleep such as sleep loss, jet lag
• Stress
• Toxin exposure
• Weather changes
• Sensitivity to bright lights
• Aura

Here is are some areas of focused research on migraine pain:

• Reduction of dietary triggers (food sensitivities).[ii]
• Co-enzyme Q10 may reduce the frequency but not severity of migraine. [iii]
• Electroacupuncture has been show to be more efficacious in reducing both frequency, anxiety and pain associated with migraines compared to standard Western medicine therapies and standard acupuncture. [iv]
• Intravenous and oral magnesium supplementation has been shown to be effective in a number of studies. [v]
• Probiotic therapy. A specific 14-probiotic strain was studied and shown to significantly reduce migraine frequency, severity of attacks and number of medications taken. [vi]
• Identifying and addressing iron overload which may be an issue for some people.
• Feverfew, an herbal supplement to address migraine pain. [vii]
• A proprietary supplement including Feverfew, magnesium and co-enzyme Q10 led to a progressive reduction of migraines in the population studied. The proportion of patients was at least 50% in the number of days with migraine headache was 75% (51/68) after 3 months, with a progressive increase over the period of supplementation (63.2% [43/68] after 1 month and 70.6% [48/68] after 2 months). [viii]

Here’s how I work with clients to look deeper into migraine pain for hidden sources of pain to test, not guess:

• Food sensitivity testing-Identifies food sensitivities
• Gut pathogen testing-Identifies gut microbe imbalances
• Stress and hormone testing-Measures your cortisol and sex hormone status to identify imbalances
• Gut permeability testing-Identifies presence of leaky gut

Here’s how I work with clients to heal and move from pain to peace:

• Figuring out how to reduce and prevent inflammation and pain by eating the right diet for your body. This includes elimination of key trigger foods and foods identified in the food sensitivity testing.
• Exploring and uncovering hidden healing opportunities with functional lab testing to restore peace to the body. This includes help to rebalance hormones, gut function, detoxification pathways.
• Formulating a personalized, natural, comprehensive pain-free plan that will produce long-lasting results to keep the PEACE. This plan is based on your test results and is modified based on your response to a personalized healing protocol that I develop with you.

For a free discovery session to find out more about how I work with clients with migraine pain, click on the button below.

Resources:

[i] Yorns WR, Hardison HH, Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Migraine, Seminars in Pediatric Neurology,Volume 20, Issue 3, 2013, Pages 188-193, ISSN 1071-9091, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spen.2013.09.002. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071909113000533)

[ii] Sun-Edelstein C, Mauskop A. Foods and supplements in the management of migraine headaches. Clin J Pain. 2009 Jun;25(5):446-52. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e31819a6f65. PMID: 19454881.

[iii] Parohan M, Sarraf P, Javanbakht MH, Ranji-Burachaloo S, Djalali M. Effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on clinical features of migraine: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Neurosci. 2020 Nov;23(11):868-875. doi: 10.1080/1028415X.2019.1572940. Epub 2019 Feb 6. PMID: 30727862.

[iv] Li X, Dai Q, Shi Z, Chen H, Hu Y, Wang X, Zhang X, Tian G. Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Electroacupuncture in Migraine Treatment: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Am J Chin Med. 2019;47(8):1755-1780. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X19500897. Epub 2019 Dec 4. PMID: 31801357.

[v] Chiu HY, Yeh TH, Huang YC, Chen PY. Effects of Intravenous and Oral Magnesium on Reducing Migraine: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Pain Physician. 2016 Jan;19(1):E97-112. PMID: 26752497.

[vi] Martami F, Togha M, Seifishahpar M, Ghorbani Z, Ansari H, Karimi T, Jahromi SR. The effects of a multispecies probiotic supplement on inflammatory markers and episodic and chronic migraine characteristics: A randomized double-blind controlled trial. Cephalalgia. 2019 Jun;39(7):841-853. doi: 10.1177/0333102418820102. Epub 2019 Jan 8. PMID: 30621517.

[vii] Wider B, Pittler MH, Ernst E. Feverfew for preventing migraine. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Apr 20;4(4):CD002286. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002286.pub3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 25892430; PMCID: PMC7133498.

[viii] Guilbot A, Bangratz M, Ait Abdellah S, Lucas C. A combination of coenzyme Q10, feverfew and magnesium for migraine prophylaxis: a prospective observational study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017 Aug 30;17(1):433. doi: 10.1186/s12906-017-1933-7. PMID: 28854909; PMCID: PMC5577764.