Natural Migraine Relief
Migraines are more of a women’s health concern than is commonly known. Although they can have many causes ranging from nutritional deficiencies to lack of sleep, a large factor is hormonal imbalance. In fact, research has shown that menstrual migraines, migraines that occur during hormonal fluctuations of the end of your cycle, are more severe than migraines that occur at any other time. When you have a compounding issue that contributes to tension and inflammation on top of this, you can experience a very painful and cyclical migraine issue that begins to impact your quality of life.
This blog will discuss what exactly a migraine is and what causes it, how you can avoid chronically taking medication to ease the pain, and how to treat the underlying causes.
What are Migraines?
Migraines are classified as not just headaches but as a neurological disease. They are commonly unilateral (impacting one side of the head) and cause an intense throbbing and sensitivity to noise and light with associated nausea. Migraines can last from hours to days and occur about 75% of the time without an aura. When migraines are aura related, they also display symptoms of sensory disturbances such as tinnitus, vision disturbance, dizziness, difficulty speaking, and tingling sensations. Roughly 1 in 3 people who suffer from migraines will experience associated auras.
The exact cause of migraines is not completely known. As science catches up, we have evidence and data of the most common causes of migraines
Changes in estrogen levels. Women get migraine levels at a higher rate than men, especially at the ages of 15-55 (menstruating years)
Genetic predisposition. 80% of people who suffer from migraines have a first degree relative with the same condition
High cortisol levels may play a role in migraines. Those who suffer from chronic daily migraines also tend to report high stress levels
Caffeine. Both withdrawal from and an excessive amount of caffeine impacts your blood vessels. Caffeine has vasoconstrictive properties, and therefore can relieve pressure snd blood flow, but dependency will have a reverse effect!
Specific foods, especially those high in nitrates such as chocolate and wine. The gut bacteria that digest nitrates, release nitrites as a waste product, which collects as nitric oxide in our blood. This then causes blood vessel dilation, a possible cause of migraines.
Muscle tension can also be a more straight forward cause of chronic migraines. Contraction in the head, neck, and shoulders can lead to blood vessel dilation and proceed to a tension headache
Migraines have a large array of possible causes and are difficult to pin down. I want to go more in depth in the connection between migraines and hormones as this impacts so many women who are unaware of the linkage.
Menstrual Migraines
A common association with migraines is hormonal fluctuations, especially that of estrogen. At the end of your cycle, you experience a massive dip in estrogen, which triggers a bleed and a release of prostaglandins and histamine. Recent research shows that 20-25% of women who experience migraines are suffering from them during this phase in their cycle.
Prostaglandins are triggered at the end of your cycle to assist in release and repair of the uterine lining (endometrium). Unfortunately, this also sends signals to cause pain and inflammation as part of the healing process
When estrogen levels are high, your mast cells are triggered to release more histamine. This can trigger an immune system response resulting in migraines, skin rashes, stomach upset, etc. Read my past blog here on the connection between estrogen and histamine!
Intense withdrawal in estrogen can lead to alterations in levels of the neurotransmitters glutamate and serotonin.
The above neurotransmitters are especially associated with aura migraines. Research shows that the excitatory messenger molecule glutamate is pouring out in massive amounts during auras.
If you notice symptoms of migraines in the days leading up to your period, this can definitely be a possible explanation for you. There are a handful of ways you can begin to approach managing this pain without reaching for a bottle of pills every month, in addition to working with a naturopathic doctor who can personalize a treatment plan for you.
Natural Relief for Migraines
Once you have a better understanding of what exactly a migraine is and what could be causing the specific symptoms for you, it becomes a lot less intimidating to care for yourself during them. The pain is certainly intense and debilitating, but the treatment doesn’t have to be. The possible causes may be varied, but luckily the ways you can treat and support yourself overlap regardless and there is no harm in any of them!
Magnesium is intensely beneficial for migraines. It protects neurons from excessive glutamate, stabilizes serotonin receptors, prevents prostaglandin release/levels, reduces inflammation levels, eases muscle tension, and more. Glycinate is a vey well absorbed form and will also ease anxiety and tension which can be a cause for you. Oxide is another common form used for migraine treatment, at 400-600 mg a day
Progesterone. If you have very low progesterone levels in relation to estrogen, you may benefit from supplementing with bio identical progesterone or a supplement such as Vitex to stimulate ovulation and hormonal balance. Foods that support progesterone levels include banana, avocados, whole grain oatmeal, nuts, and foods rich in vitamin B6.
B Vitamins such as B2 can aid in migraine prevention as it keeps serotonin levels balanced and reduces oxidative stress
Diet. Evidence shows that eating gluten free can eliminate up to 89% of migraines. Although this is not guaranteed and will vary for everybody, it is worth trying for a few weeks to note down any changes in pain levels. Gluten sensitivity can contribute not only to inflammation and nutrient absorption, but also cause an autoimmune reaction against the enzyme that converts glutamate to GABA, resulting in high glutamate levels
Melatonin supplementation can assist in your bodies ability to regulate neurotransmitters and inflammation levels
Proper rest and relaxation is really pivotal for migraine relief. Any form of pain, especially an extreme tension headache like a migraine, feeds off of high cortisol levels and the body being in a state of fight or flight. Practices such as yoga, meditation, getting 7-8 hours of sleep, and light movement every day can all assist in migraine treatment and prevention
Essential oils. Smelling peppermint and lavender oils is shown to decrease migraine symptoms
Butterbur and Feverfew are two folk herbal remedies for migraine relief. These contain anti-inflammatory properties and also help ease nausea and sensitivity associated with migraines
If you are experiencing chronic migraines that are impacting your life, regardless of whether they are hormonal or not, it is highly recommended to talk about this with your naturopathic doctor and also get appropriate lab work to narrow down a cause. Once you add in lifestyle medicine suggested above such as daily movement, proper rest, herbal remedies, upping intake of magnesium and progesterone supporting foods, and more, you should then discuss next steps with your physician.
If you are currently on hormonal birth control, this is a very important factor to take into account as well as synthetic estrogen and/or progesterone can drastically worsen symptoms, increase stroke risk, or be an IUD associated disorder referred to as intracranial hypertension