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The information contained in these pages is intended only as a layman’s guide.
It is not intended for use in place of conventional medicines but only as a back up.
I strongly recommend that you discuss it with your G.P. before starting any course of supplements or alterative therapy
It is not intended for use in place of conventional medicines but only as a back up.
I strongly recommend that you discuss it with your G.P. before starting any course of supplements or alterative therapy
WHAT CAUSES A MIGRAINE?
Nitrates are often a prime cause of migraine headaches. They cause the blood vessels in the head to constrict, and then they ‘rebound’ and dilate causing the throbbing pain.
Nitrate is preservative found in canned meat, hot dogs and salami type sausages.
Other prime culprits are Tyramine (an amino acid) found in chocolate, red wine and aged cheese and mono sodium glutamate, flavour enhancer found in many ready prepared food products and used extensively in Chinese take away.
Doctors often tell migraine sufferers to routinely avoid all these foods, but it is unlikely that all are to blame in every case. The important thing is to identify which are your triggers. Keep a food diary, when you feel a headache starting note down everything you have eaten in the last 24 hours. Probably after a while you will notice the same things cropping up. It is possible that your trigger (or triggers) is not one of the most common ones, especially if you continue to have frequent headaches despite abiding by the usual cheese, chocolate and coffee rule. And while we’re on the subject of coffee for some people sipping a cup of coffee works as well as an over the counter painkiller. Caffeine in coffee can counter a headache by temporarily constricting dilated blood vessels, which may be causing the pain. Too much however will eventually cause the blood vessels to dilate painfully again. Dr Sheftell, M.D. Co-
Research has shown that many regular migraine suffers (at least once a month) have low levels of serotonin in the brain. This is thought to be a major factor.
Eating a diet high in complex carbohydrates and low in fat can increase serotonin levels. Increase your fibre intake by eating fresh fruit/vegetables, dried beans, wholemeal bread, pasta or rice. There is an exception to this rule however, if you are hypoglycaemic, having low blood sugar. If you have noticed that headaches occur after eating a lot of carbohydrates you probably suffer with low sugar levels in the blood; in this case you will do better eating a little more protein in the form of lean meat, tofu, eggs or low fat cheese and cut down on the carbohydrates.
