Balmer,
I cut-and-pasted this article from the website I mentioned in the previous post. It's a start, anyway.... (Mindy, it might also help with your daughter.) It's not just about chocolate--when you scroll down, you'll see there are different recommendations for different types of migraines.
Migraines
Migraine sufferers may think they have little to celebrate, but for those who cannot resist indulging in chocolate comes some excellent news - according to new research by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh, and contrary to popular belief, chocolate does not play a significant role in triggering typical migraine-type headaches.
For years chocolate has topped the list of the common food triggers believed to cause this condition that affects an estimated 5 million Britons. So the research, carried out by the University’s Pain Evaluation and Treatment Institute, turns conventional wisdom on its head.
In the study, 63 women, (all suffering from chronic headaches, and 50% suffering from migraines), first spent two weeks following diets that restricted their intake of amine; the substance found in chocolate and other foods, including dates, citrus fruits, yeast, nuts, dairy products and red wine, which is believed to cause headaches. Each participant then underwent double-blind clinical trials in which they were given two samples of chocolate and two of carob in random order. They all kept diaries monitoring diet and headaches, and the researchers concluded that despite the women’s own beliefs about chocolate causing headaches, it was no more of a culprit than carob.
Nutritionists claim that food triggers are responsible for up to 90% of migraine cases, but even they accept it is difficult for a sufferer to identify which foods they are reacting to. One woman, for example, discovered that her headaches were triggered by cinnamon - which is unlikely to be on the list of foods your doctor suggests for you to avoid. Elimination and rotation diets can help pinpoint more obvious culprits, but the entire task is also made more problematic by the fact it can take someone more than a week to react to a particular food you may have eaten.
No two migraines are the same according to Penny Povey, a medical herbalist who practices at Farmacia in London. She treats women who suffer migraines caused by hormonal disturbances around the time of menstruation; and are so severe that they spend three days in bed vomiting; and migraines which more closely resemble cluster-type headaches in men. Many sufferers will recognise her description of flashing lights, and the desperate need to retreat to somewhere quiet and dark - while others know their headache is definitely the result of a food allergy.
Homeopathy, which has proven highly effective for many sufferers, keys in to these differences and makes a point of prescribing remedies according to not only the type of pain but also how it starts. If the headache is worse on the right side, for example, and if trying to concentrate makes the pain worse, your homeopath is likely to suggest Lycopodium 6c (this figure denotes the strength or potency of the dilution.) Blurring of the vision and vomiting would suggest Iris 6c, while a throbbing, blinding headache with a feeling of congestion in the head would probably be best treated by Natrum mur. 6c.
Whatever the type of pain, the herb feverfew has an excellent track record in helping to keep migraines at bay when taken daily. It can take up to a month to kick in - so you need to persevere and take 50 drops of a tincture with your breakfast each morning, says Povey. Penny Povey has now formulated a new migraine remedy that also includes the mild sedative, valerian, for those who sense the onset of a migraine headache.
In another American study by scientists at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, taking fish oil capsules daily was also shown to not only halve the number of migraine attacks, but also reduce the pain and severity of those that did occur. In the trial, 60% of subjects benefitted from the supplement, which reduced the number of attacks from two a week to two a fortnight. Men reported more relief than women, and if you are going to investigate this nutritional approach, take fish oils made from an unpolluted source.
Many sufferers have been found to be deficient in magnesium. However, Gareth Zeal, nutritional advisor to the GNC retail chain, says you need to take a pretty hefty dose - 2x500mg tablets daily -to benefit. Vitamin B2 has also been shown to help reduce the number of attacks; as the B vitamins work best when taken together, take a B complex supplement which provides the equivalent of 400mg of B2 daily.
Clinical trials of a little known herb called Butterbur (Petasites hybridus), show how migraine sufferers who took 50mg of standardised extract of this herb twice daily reduced the number of migraine days by 62% over a six month period. This herb was traditionally used by the ancient Greeks as a muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory, pain-killing agent. A standardised extract guarantees a minimum dose of the active ingredients; for the same results, you need the same dosage.
The immediate cause of a migraine headache is constriction and then swelling of the arteries that supply the brain. Why this should suddenly happen between the ages of 10 and 30, and why these headaches are three times more common in women than men is anybody’s guess - although abnormally low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin have been identified in sufferers. There is strong evidence of a genetic risk - if one parent is a sufferer then a child has a 40% chance of getting migraines too - but they can also disappear, as suddenly as they started, in middle age; which for those who are still suffering is one good reason to look forward to celebrating your half century.
What to take for migraines:
*Homeopathy gets excellent results with migraines. To find a medically-qualified practitioner contact The British Homeopathic Association on 08704-443950. The Society of Homeopaths keeps a register of non-medically qualified practitioners. Call 01604-817890 to find one in your area.
*Migravoid provides 50mg of Butterbur per capsule, and costs £19.95 for 60 tablets. Mail order from Victoria Health on 0800-413596.
*Farmacia’s Migraine Mix is a combination herbal tincture which also contains chamomile. It costs £8 for 100ml. Take 100 drops, three times a day, when you have a headache. Feverfew tincture costs £6 for 100ml. To mail order call 020-7831 0830 and add £1.50 p&p.
*Higher Nature makes fish oil capsules from an unpolluted source. 90 x 500mg capsules cost £4.70. Call 01435-882880 for mail order - p&p is free. Take two a day.
WARNING: Do not take Feverfew if you are already taking Warfarin, or during pregnancy.
