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There’s a growing interest in using supplemental vitamins to help headaches among migraine sufferers, and for good reason. Over the years, scientists have found convincing proof that supplementing with vitamin B2, magnesium, Coenzyme Q10, and butterbur yields substantially high results in migraine efficacy, while also sustaining optimum neurological and vascular health. Listed are the four best vitamins to help headaches.

Nearly 15% of all people suffer the effects of migraine disorder. Disproportionately, most migraine sufferers are females. Symptoms of migraine attacks range from excruciating headaches (throbbing, piercing) and nausea to debilitating fatigue and visual disorders (aura, flashes of light, loss of peripheral vision). A migraine attack can last for hours or days, and often require a day’s recovery.

Vitamins to help headaches

While migraine abortive medicines and painkillers provide relief and maintenance, they can have harmful side effects that worsen with time.  That’s why headache specialists recommend incorporating a healthy blend of specific vitamins that help headaches into your migraine management plan.

Natural Migraine Treatments that Work: Visit an Osteopath!

The most commonly recommended vitamins and other natural ingredients for migraines are listed below:

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

Scientists have noted riboflavin (vitamin B2) deficiency as a possible trigger of migraine headaches in certain patients. Therefore, riboflavin is seen as one of the best vitamins to help headaches related to migraine. In studies published by the journal Headache, chronic migraine and tension headache sufferers who started using 25 mg doses of riboflavin daily noticed better results almost immediately.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 400 mg per day of riboflavin is significantly beneficial and completely safe for people suffering from migraine headache attacks.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) in Natural Migraine Ingredients

Magnesium

For people suffering from migraines resulting from high blood pressure, magnesium can be exceedingly helpful. Magnesium relaxes the walls of your arteries, improving the flow of blood and oxygen in the veins near your head. Doctors recommend about 400 mg of magnesium taken one to two times daily.

Magnesium- Still Magnificent for Migraines

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an often overlooked nutrient that has been proven to help headaches for people who suffer chronic migraines, often yielding a 50% success rate. Taken daily, 300 mg of CoQ10 helps to boost energy in the chromosomes, providing balance in many biochemical functions of the brain.

Coenzyme Q10 Benefits and Dosage Information

Butterbur (Petasites hybridus)

It’s not a vitamin, but butterbur is also recommended by many migraine specialists for its ability to drastically help headaches. Butterbur is a European shrubbery that has been used for centuries for its beneficial properties in helping sufferers of headache, chronic pain, fever, and muscle spasms.

Some butterbur treatments may contain toxic elements, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are normally removed by special processing. When choosing butterbur supplements to help migraine headaches, make sure they are PA-free.

Butterbur Supplements for Migraines- Are they Safe?

Please tell us…

Which vitamins do you take to help headaches?

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

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

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If you suffer from chronic migraines, then you understand the need to stick to a strict sleep schedule. But getting enough sleep at night is one of the hardest pieces of advice to follow; how are you supposed to get any shut-eye when you’ve got a blinding headache and nausea, to boot? Here are some helpful sleeping tips from fellow migraineurs…

Weekend headaches

The migraine brain hates fluctuations of any kind, and changes in your sleeping patterns are a sure-fire way to summon an instant migraine attack.

• Have you ever noticed that, after taking a short nap in the middle of the day, you wake up with a crushing headache and dizziness?
• If you sleep in late on the weekends, do you feel disoriented and headache-y the rest of the day?
• If you go to sleep later than usual, do you suffer from migraines the next day, even if you wake up at the same time as usual?
• Does sleeping off a migraine sometimes lead to a new kind of headache?

These are all examples of migraines triggered by unusual sleep patterns. To prevent headaches caused by not getting enough restful sleep, or getting too much sleep, it’s important to be consistent with your sleeping habits.

Don’t Lose Sleep over Migraines: 6 Helpful Tips

Develop good sleep hygiene

Experts recommend preparing yourself for sleep hours before you plan to hit the sack. To get yourself in the mood for good sleep and to prevent migraines, practice these sleep hygiene tips:

• Shut off the television and other electronic media devices two hours before bedtime.
• Don’t eat heavy foods after 6:00 p.m.
• Avoid caffeinated drinks in the evening.
• Don’t text in bed.
• Drink soothing chamomile tea.
• Practiced deep breathing and stretching exercises.

10 Ridiculously Healthy Vitamins for Women Migraine Patients

What are things that help you sleep well at night?

Insomnia from stress and constant migraine headaches is a big roadblock to getting enough sleep. When asked how they get back to sleep at night, many migraine patients responded similarly; medications, meditations, and prayer seem to be the most effective at relieving migraines and getting back to sleep.

Here is a list of sleep tactics that many migraine sufferers use to sleep well:

• Benadryl
• Xanax
• Melatonin
• Lorazepam
• Antidepressants
• Muscle relaxants
• Ibuprofen
• Ambien
• OTC Sleeping pills
• Prayer
• Hot shower or bath
• Meditation
• Hypnotherapy
• Soft music
• Stretching
• Clean the house
• Ice pack
• Heated head wrap
• Reading
• Television
• Carbohydrate snack
• Migraine (restrictive) diet

Please tell us…

How do you get to sleep at night? Have you found that avoiding daytime naps has helped to eliminate migraine headaches?

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

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Sleep Paralysis, Hallucinations, and Migraines

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To prevent migraines, it’s helpful to include natural migraine treatments into your daily life, in addition to consulting in a naturopathic doctor who specializes in chronic migraines. An osteopath is one such alternative medicine practitioner who can provide amazing results in a few office visits.

What is osteopathy?

Many migraine headaches are triggered or worsened by stress, tense muscles, injuries, sinus pressure and incorrect posture. Osteopathy is a natural therapy that can help to relieve migraine headaches by correcting such blockages, improper joint structure, and stiff muscles that can lead to chronic headaches such as migraine.

Although osteopathy uses science-based knowledge on musculoskeletal behavior in helping people with chronic pain, it is still considered by conventional medicine as a branch of alternative natural therapy.

For migraine sufferers, many osteopaths will prescribe natural migraine treatments containing vitamins, herbs, and minerals, in addition to performing manual osteopathic therapy.

(Natural ingredients that help migraines include magnesium, butterbur, riboflavin, and coenzyme Q-10.)

How can osteopathy help migraines?

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) is a hands-on approach to adjusting underlying physical conditions that cause chronic pain and illness, including headaches, vertigo, muscle pain, and tinnitus, all of which are common symptoms of migraine disorder.

Here are some of the many benefits of osteopathy for treating migraines:

• Improving circulation of blood and bodily fluids in the lymphatic system
• Correcting oxygen blockages caused by hypertension
• Releasing tension in the muscles, joints, and nerves
• Targeting blockages and tension that trigger migraine headaches
• Preventing painful muscles spasms
• Restoring basic function and mobility
• Promoting natural healing

Are Migraines Really Triggered by Stress?

Besides migraines, an osteopath can also help to relive asthma, sinus disorders, carpal tunnel syndrome, vertigo, tinnitus, and menstrual pain.

What will my osteopath do?

Listed are some of the basic techniques osteopaths use to treat migraines naturally:

• Articulation – carrying an impaired joint through its natural range of motion for relieving shoulder or neck pain
• Counterstrain – correcting improper reflexes by administering slight pressure to certain counter areas
• Muscle energy – controlled positioning by the patient, as directed by the doctor, in a way that corrects imbalances that may be triggering migraine headaches
• Myofascial release – manual massaging of muscle tissues to relieve pain
• Soft tissue techniques – correction and treatment of skeletal muscles and joint abnormalities that can cause migraine headaches

Please tell us…

Have you visited an osteopath who provides good natural treatments for migraines? Please share your experiences.

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

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Acupuncture for Migraines

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

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Visual disturbances are common symptoms of migraines with aura, a type of migraine that affects approximately one third of all migraine sufferers. Bright flashing lights, tunnel vision, and blind spots occur prior to and during a visual migraine attack, in addition to stroke-like symptoms. Below are some typical types of visual disturbances that happen with migraines.

Migraines with aura

Migraine attacks are a neurological disorder that occurs in phases, or a progression of various ailments, which include but are not limited to intense long-lasting headaches, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to lights (photophobia).

Visual disturbances indicate migraine aura, the phase just minutes before the migraine strikes; symptoms can differ for each patient, and don’t necessarily include a migraine headache at all.

Symptoms of migraines with aura can include vertigo, partial paralysis, visual disturbances, sudden speech slurring, hallucinatory scents, feebleness, and loss of consciousness.

Migraine Auras without Headache: Silent Migraines

Many of the symptoms associated with migraines with aura also occur before a stroke, so it’s vitally important for migraine patients who experience visual disturbances to practice stroke prevention.

Variances in visual disturbances

Sometimes, you doctor can determine what kind of migraine treatment you require based on what type of visual disturbances you experience before having a migraine attack.

There are several types of temporary visual disturbances that people experience before migraine attacks; here are some of the most common:

Photopsia

Photopsia is a sudden bright flash of light; this is the most common visual disturbance associated with migraines with aura.

Scintillating (Fortification) Scotoma

Scintillating scotoma occurs in 25% of migraine patients, causing a shimmery crescent shape with spiky edges to appear on the left-hand side which can expand to occupy about half of your field of vision on that side. It is also sometimes described as bright zigzag line that spreads across your vision.

Amaurosis Fugax

This is a common symptom of heart disease that is also associated with migraines. Visual disturbances for this type of migraine aura include loss of vision in one eye that lasts for seconds up to a few minutes. Patients describe it as a “dark shade” that is pulled down over that eye for just a few moments.

Metamorphopsia

With metamorphopsia, objects and shapes are distorted in size, shape, and color, with a special emphasis on body parts. In facial metamorphopsia, only faces appear altered and misshapen.

Metamorphopsia is associated with Alice in Wonderland Syndrome Migraine, a phenomenon aptly named for Lewis Carroll’s classic stories, in which people and things are wildly out of proportion with reality. The noted author was a known migraine sufferer, so it’s possible that in illustrating Alice’s adventures he was also describing his own battles with migraine attacks.

Please tell us…

Do you normally experience visual disturbances before a migraine attack?

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

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Migraine Auras without Headache: Silent Migraines

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Do small amounts of beer, wine, or alcohol mixers cause migraines, and are you sure? The science regarding alcohol and its triggering effect on migraines is not always clear cut. A drink of whiskey can either trigger a migraine, or it may relieve it, depending on your migraine type.

Just as certain foods trigger migraines in some but not all migraine patients, certain types of alcohol can trigger a migraine attack, while others may not. And believe it or not, for some, alcohol can actually help to ward off or soothe a migraine headache. The same is true of coffee and chocolate- one migraineur’s panacea can be another’s nightmare.

Alcohol lets it all loose

Alcohol contains ethanol, which has the function of being a “vasodilator,” meaning that it causes the blood vessels to stretch, widen.  Migraine headaches are often caused by vasodilation in the cranial blood vessels. So, for migraine patients who have sensitivity to vasodilation and use anti-vasodilators to prevent migraines, drinking any type of alcohol can result in migraine.

Will you have beer or wine?

For migraine patients who are sensitive to alcohol, beer and wine are usually the biggest culprits. Red wine contains tyramine, while beer contains yeast, both of which are strong migraine triggers.

To prove the effects of alcohol on migraines, tests have been done in which some participants ingested red wine and others ingested vodka. In both cases, the amount of alcohol ingested was the same.

• Results showed that those who drank red wine were more likely to experience a migraine following alcohol ingestion, whereas those who drank vodka did not report any sign of migraine.
• The same test was conducted using beer instead of red wine, with similar results, leading scientists to believe that it is not alcohol per se that triggers migraines, but the type of alcoholic beverage.
• Scientists still aren’t certain why alcohol can sometimes help to relieve migraines in people who aren’t sensitive to yeast, tyramine, or vasodilation.

6 Reasons to Avoid Alcohol if you Suffer Migraine Headaches

Keep a migraine diary

Since the effects of beer, red wine, and other kinds of alcohol seem to be different from one person to another, it is a good idea to record your eating habits, including what you drink in a migraine diary. Take note whenever you get a migraine attack, as well as days when you are migraine-free.  In this way you can discover patterns and take steps to avoid food or drink which appear to be triggering the migraines.

Please tell us…

Have you found that even small amounts of alcohol trigger migraines, or does alcohol have no effect whatsoever?

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

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

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Abdominal migraines are “migraine equivalent” symptoms that don’t include headaches, but rather cause intense stomach pain. For many, that “aha” moment when you realize you’ve been suffering from abdominal migraines all along, albeit without crushing headaches, often occurs later than usual.

When we think of migraines most of us think of headaches – pain that centers in the head and which may include sensitivity to light and sound.   In some cases, nausea may accompany a migraine.  But there is a type of migraine not characterized by a headache – but by abdominal pain and nausea, usually followed by cramping and vomiting.

Abdominal Migraines

This type of migraine is called “Abdominal Migraine”.  Sufferers of this type of migraine are typically children.  This type of abdominal pain, upon testing, shows no source in the gastro-intestinal system.  However, it has been noted that children suffering from this type of abdominal pain exhibit changes in the chemicals serotonin and histamine, found in our bodies.  Sufferers of migraines (headaches) also exhibit the same chemical changes. It is this characteristic which leads us to label this type of abdominal distress as “Abdominal Migraines” rather than classify it as a gastro-intestinal disease.

What are the causes of Abdominal Migraines?

Triggers for abdominal migraine have been described as quite similar to triggers for regular migraine (headache). These triggers include chocolate or nitrite-containing foods, stress, and anxiety.

It is also suggested by some researchers to be due to neurologic or endocrinologic changes. Alterations in the levels of serotonin and histamine in the body, as noted above, may also be causative of Abdominal Migraine. Additionally, it is also thought that genetic factors may be causative as this condition is more common in children who have a family history of migraine.

What helps abdominal migraines?

Usually sleep – overnight or a daytime nap – helps with abdominal migraines.  However, there are medicinal routes to treatment.  Some types of medicine that can be used to treat migraines include:

• Analgesic drugs, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) or acetaminophen
• Sumatriptan (Imitrex, Alsuma), a member of the triptan class of drugs used to treat migraine in adults, has been used to treat some older children with abdominal migraine
• Tricyclic antidepressants and drugs that block the effects of serotonin have been used in some patients to decrease frequency of attacks.
• Valproic acid (Depakote), an anti-seizure medication, has been used to treat abdominal migraine.
• Ergotamine medications, also used for adults with migraine, are used to treat some childhood variants of migraine.
• Low dose aspirin and low dose beta-blocker medications have been used over the long term in some patients in an attempt to diminish the frequency of future attacks.
• The antihistamine cyproheptadine has been shown to be effective in some children with migraine variants.

NOTE:  always consult with your medical doctor before engaging in any medicinal treatment of Abdominal Migraines!

Preventative treatments

Preventive measures can also be taken, in the absence of the Abdominal Migraine to prevent one from occurring.  If certain foods trigger an attack, then one should abstain from eating those foods.  Stress-reduction can also help.

There are many ways one can reduce stress:  certain exercises such as Yoga, Tai Chi, or Feldenkrais can help, breathing exercises, meditation, getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet are all good activities to help with stress reduction.

It also helps to maintain a healthy level of vitamins that are essential for promoting good neurological health, especially with migraines.

Supplementing with vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), magnesium and even butterbur herbal supplements have been found to be exceptionally helpful for people suffering from migraine disorder, including abdominal migraines.

Please tell us…

Do you suffer from symptoms similar to migraine equivalent, but have not been diagnosed with migraines?

Did you have abdominal migraines as a child, but didn’t make the connection until much later in life?

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.

Did this help? Read more:

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Acupuncture is a collection of procedures involving placing fine needles at specific points on the body’s surface to stimulate certain points on the body, followed by gentle manual or electrical stimulation of the needles.  The needles are said to relax the nervous system around central pain pathways and promote the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals.

What is acupuncture?

In its classical form, acupuncture is a characteristic component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that uses thin needles to trigger a healing response in certain points of the body. Contrary to popular belief, treatments aren’t painful, as the acupuncture needles are only as thick as a human hair. There are no drugs or no side effects involved with acupuncture.

Acupuncture addresses the cause of migraines, rather than just treating the pain. As a result, the beneficial effects last longer than any traditional medicinal treatments.

One of the ways in which acupuncture helps with migraines is by eliciting a relaxation response and enhancing circulation, thus promoting good neurological health.

Dr. Ahn Yang has been receiving migraine sufferers for many years. “Acupuncture has been used for 3,000 years…” and can help 80% of patients with migraines, says the head of the Ahn Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The American Headache Society, in February 2012, recommended acupuncture for migraines.

Many migraine patients only require 3-5 acupuncture treatments before they start to feel results.

How does acupuncture help migraines?

Complementary and alternative medicine practitioners suggest using acupuncture for migraines before exploring migraine preventatives that can cause harmful side effects.

The greatest advantage of acupuncture over traditional medicine is that it does virtually no harm. Unlike synthetic drugs, acupuncture has virtually no side effects, and the procedures for treating headaches are much less invasive.

Acupuncture helps people with migraines by providing the following health benefits:

• It stimulates nerves located in muscles and other tissues, which then leads to release of endorphins and other neurohumoral factors, and also changes the processing of pain in the brain and spinal cord.
• By promoting release of vascular and immune-modulatory factors, acupuncture can sustain a healthy response to inflammation in people with migraines.
• For migraine patients with cortical spreading depression (an electrical wave in the brain associated with migraine), acupuncture helps to manage plasma levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P (both implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine)
• It helps to modulate extra-cranial and intra-cranial blood flow
• For people with migraines, acupuncture promotes healthy serotonin levels in the brain. (Serotonin may be linked to the initiation of migraines.)

Besides migraine, acupuncture is also beneficial for people suffering from other types of chronic pain, including lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, hip pain, knee pain, foot pain, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Great advice with migraines

It is recommended that migraine sufferers consider making some important lifestyle changes to reduce the incidence of headaches:

• Sleep adequately (7-8 hours per day)
• Avoid physical or mental fatigue
• Avoid alcohol (especially red wine)
• Avoid caffeine
• Eliminate foods that trigger migraines: dairy, chocolate, spices, wheat and corn
• Avoid any triggers that cause your headaches

As always, one should consult with their doctor before engaging in any new treatments.

Please tell us…

Have you tried using acupuncture for migraines?

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

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A migraine attack by any other name is still a migraine, so why use terms like migraine equivalent to describe migraine attacks that don’t involve headaches? Listed are some migraine equivalent neuropathy symptoms.

Migraines are relative. Literally.

Migraines are a neurological disorder, and crippling headaches that can last for days are the most common symptom, but not exclusively.

If you always get head pain with migraine attacks, then it’s fairly easy to get a diagnosis for migraine illness and commence to get the proper treatment. But sometimes, migraine attacks cause a wide variety of debilitating symptoms that exclude headache, and the patient may not even realize that migraines are the root of the problem.

Either way, it’s all part of the same neurological illness, but for clarification purposes and for future diagnosis if chronic headaches should occur later in life, doctors label certain types of migraine symptoms as migraine equivalent, meaning that they are equal to a migraine attack, just without the headaches.

Diagnosing migraine equivalent

As with migraines that occur with headaches, migraine equivalent neuropathy can only be diagnosed after other ailments or injuries have been ruled out.

Before confirming symptoms of migraine equivalent, you doctor will take the following criteria into account:

• Evidence of brain lesions
• Family history of migraine attacks
• Previous history of chronic headaches
• Brain tumor

Migraine equivalent types

The following migraine symptoms may indicate a migraine attack, even if headaches don’t occur even once:

Abdominal migraine

Abdominal migraines are most common with young children, especially girls, and don’t produce headaches. Instead, migraine equivalent symptoms include strong stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and excessive yawning.

These symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for stress or anxiety, when they really indicate a need for migraine treatment.

Migraine with aura

Migraines with aura are very similar to typical migraine attacks, except that they include a pre-migraine phase that warn of the impending attack, and don’t necessarily produce strong headaches.

Symptoms of migraine with aura include:

• Unusual ocular symptoms, such as white spots, voids, oscillating shapes, zigzags, blurring, and partial blindness
• Nausea, vomiting, and vertigo
• Distorted sense of time and spatial awareness
• Hallucinatory scents
• Temporary speech slurring
• Loss of consciousness
• Partial paralysis

Some of these symptoms may simulate a stroke, so it’s important for your friends and family to know if you suffer from migraines with aura. Even if you think you are having a severe migraine equivalent attack involving stroke-like symptoms, you should have somebody contact emergency services.

Please tell us…

Do you suffer from symptoms similar to migraine equivalent, but have not been diagnosed with migraines?

Did you have abdominal migraines as a child, but didn’t make the connection until much later in life?

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.

Did this help? Read more:

Migraine Headaches Triggered by Coughing

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Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/freedigitalphotos

Migraine with aura could be linked with brain damage, according to an analysis of 19 medical studies which was just released. Screaming headaches, nausea, and extreme light sensitivity typical of chronic migraines with aura often occur in people with minor brain damage in the pain-sensitive white-matter areas, as observed in MRI brain scans of migraine patients.

Are All Migraines a Genetic Mutation?

People who suffer from severe migraines with aura, including symptoms of crushing headaches, gut-wrenching stomach pain, and visual disturbances are 1.7 times more likely than non-migraineurs to have increased abnormalities of the brain. Results from the study conducted by the Montefiore Headache Center, Bronx, N.Y. were published recently in Neurology.

However, scientists aren’t clear if the MRI results indicate a “migraine brain” pattern that can be used to predict your risk for getting chronic migraines with aura, or if what they are witnessing is the result of brain damage from constant migraine attacks.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome Migraine

“Part of the message I hope to communicate here is: If you have migraine with aura and you have white-matter lesions, they’re probably not a cause of concern,” said Dr. Richard B. Lipton, study co-author and lead neurologist of the New York hospital, referring to the lack of any evidence suggesting that brain scarring may impact cognitive health or nervous system integrity.

Millions of US citizens suffer from chronic migraines, and about 1/3 of migraine patients also experience migraine aura, a phenomenon which precedes migraine attacks and creates stroke-like symptoms: faintness, partial paralysis, vertigo, olfactory hallucinations, speech slurring, and strange visual disturbances, such as blind spots, flashing lights, and black voids.

People who get migraines with aura have an increased risk for stroke and epilepsy, both conditions which affect the brain, in addition to heart attack, according to latest studies.

Please tell us…

If you suffer from migraines with aura, are you likely to submit to MRI brain testing? Have you also experienced illnesses that correlate with migraine aura, such as stroke and epilepsy?

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

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Are Migraines Always Hereditary?

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Image courtesy of flickr.com/awhazlett

Statistically, more women than men have migraines.  However, those statistics might be skewed.  There is increasing evidence that most men tend not to seek advice from headache experts about their migraines, and thus remain undiagnosed. So there may be many more male migraine sufferers out there than we realize, suffering silently.

Man-graines are for men

Picture the allegorical male driver with the road map who won’t stop to ask directions. Only in this case, the map is bright pink with hearts and flowers printed on the cover. Where can he turn for help, when his only road map is written in female-ese, and his gut instincts tell him to press onward?

Because while there is a plethora of advice about migraine headaches directed solely at women, there is very little information or attention focused on the male experience in migraine illness.

Yet, millions of men do get migraines, and they suffer just as badly as female migraineurs.

They just don’t have their own support group.

Man up!

Men have a tendency to “beat themselves up more.” They are very physically active, and are more likely to let of steam by engaging in contact sports, rather than “talking about it.” This type of emotional denial takes its toll on a person, and can be the cause of migraine headaches when the family history is there.

Migraines: What are they, and what can be done for them?

Sports headache

In male migraineurs who haven’t inherited the migraine gene, the cause of the migraine headaches may result from sports injuries. Whiplash, concussions, and a history of sudden jolts to the upper neck can cause misalignment of the upper neck area, resulting in structural problems that can lead to migraines.

Another bloody migraine…

Prolonged tension or stress in the neck or nerves can cause vasospasm in the neck and head.  Vasospasm is a constriction of the blood vessels.  Ischemia is the restriction of blood supply, meaning lack of oxygen supply.  Vasospasm is thought to cause “ischemia” to those parts of the brain and head that those blood vessels supply. The constant constriction and opening of these blood vessels causes a pulsating effect in migraines as well as the migraine headache pain itself.

Migraine lifestyles

Lifestyle factors are also a consideration, and may contribute to other migraine triggers, compounding the effect. Alcohol consumption, caffeinated foods, intake of monosodium glutamate, intake of nitrates, hunger, lack of sleep, and fatigue can increase migraines both in men and women.

Migraine prevention

It thus makes sense that the following steps should be taken to help prevent migraines:

• Get a good night’s sleep.
• Exercise to loosen muscles, including the neck and shoulder muscles. (This is especially helpful for men with migraines, as increasing flexibility can help to release a buildup of stress in the neck and shoulder muscles that are common to many men.)
• Stay away from problem foods, such as coffee, alcoholic beverages and convenience foods which have a lot of nitrates or monosodium glutamate and often lead to strong headaches.
• Take vitamins and supplements that sustain vascular health and neurological wellness in migraine sufferers.
• Learn relaxation techniques to reduce stress, such as breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation.
• Avoid intense stimuli such as bright lights, flashing lights, loud music, and loud noise from TV or computers.
• Avoid dehydration headaches by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.

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:

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Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici