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Migraine patients in the UK are warned not to use a certain Chinese herb that has been declared unsafe, possibly even fatal. While complementary medicine is an effective tool for preventing migraines, one cannot assume that all “natural ingredients” are necessarily good…or wise to use.

Please note: All medications, including natural herbs and supplements for migraines should be used only in conjunction with your doctor’s approval and supervision. Never begin a new migraine headache treatment without first consulting a physician.

Monkshood

A popular Chinese herbal treatment for migraines, marketed as Zheng Tian Wan may be harmful to your health, even poisonous, say experts. The medication contains aconite, or “monkshood,” an herb linked to nervous system disorders and heart disease. In ancient Greek times, aconite was referred to as “Queen of Poisons” for its toxic effect on the cardiovascular system.

Patients taking the Chinese herb for migraines were hospitalized for kidney problems, severe vertigo, and painful numbness in the extremities, in addition to heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and chest pains.

Why use Natural Migraine Treatments?

Butterbur

Another Chinese herb, butterbur, has been the focus of many scientific experiments in migraine prevention.

Butterbur is an ancient shrubbery that has been used safely for generations to support healthy functions vital to migraine management. Hypertension, sinus congestion, and neurological disorders are all triggers of migraine headaches. Overwhelmingly, migraine patients who take butterbur pills daily find amazing results.

Still, it’s important to use caution with butterbur supplements, as many manufacturers use unsafe methods in preparing butterbur extracts for production. Always look for butterbur pills that don’t contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), a potentially toxic ingredient that must be removed from the butterbur plant during processing.

Chinese supplements for migraines containing butterbur should also present a “PA-free” logo on the packaging, as an assurance of safety.

Your turn!

What natural medications, including Chinese herbs, do you currently use for migraines?

After reading this, would you consider trying safe alternative treatments for migraines containing butterbur, magnesium, CoQ10, and riboflavin?

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 Smabs Sputzer/flickr

It’s bio-logical, say scientists; chili peppers may provide an important key to preventing migraines. Scientists are using capsaicin oil to develop a treatment tailored specifically for chronic migraine headaches.

Researchers from Amgen, a biotech company in Thousand Oaks, California are working on a new preventative medication for migraines that they hope will put an end to throbbing headaches, eye pain, and muscle stiffness for many.

Migraine science

Scientists believe they have found a strong correlation between the brain’s reaction to chili peppers…and migraine triggers.

When you rub hot chili oil on your skin, your brain reacts by releasing calcitonin gene-related peptides (CGRP), which direct blood flow to the affected areas.

Similarly, CGRPs – the same chemicals triggered by capsaicin oil- also lead to migraine attacks. The trigeminal nerves of the brain release CGRPs, which send out pain signals, causing blood flow to the brain, resulting in debilitating migraine headaches that can last for several days.

By targeting CGRPs, scientists believe they can block receptors from receiving pain signals from CGRPs, effectively aborting a migraine before symptoms like throbbing headaches, nausea, and dizziness can start.

Cure for migraine?

Amgen researchers believe they have found a medication that can block CGRPs from triggering migraines. To test their theory, they are practicing on chili oil.

• Test subjects rubbed chili pepper ointment on their hands, triggering the release of CGRPs associated with migraine.
• At the same time, researchers injected the Amgen drug under their skin.
• According to their reports, their experimental migraine treatment did effectively block CGRP release from the chili oil, and prevented increased blood flow to the affected areas.

If successful, the new Amgen drug will be the first prescription medication of its kind that’s formulated specifically for migraines, and not for comorbid or associated conditions like epilepsy, depression, or hypertension.

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.

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Migraines are not only excruciating headaches; they also raise your risk for brain damage. If you experience more than three migraines each month, in addition to chronic brain fog and fatigue, then you should ask your doctor for an MRI brain scan to check for possible brain damage.

Migraines are a brain disease

According to latest research, migraine patients are a high risk category for “progressive brain damage,” a silent type that shows no unusual symptoms.

Researchers from the Netherlands conducted a study on the risk of brain damage in migraine patients, and results showed a high correlation between migraine attack frequency and increased risk for brain abnormalities.

For the study, they gathered 56 test subjects, including 28 female migraine patients and 28 non-migraineurs for the control group.

Scientists conducted MRI scans, examining key targeted areas of the brain for possible brain damage, noting white matter hyperintensities in the cerebral matter of migraine patients that were absent in the control group brain scans.

Researchers confirmed an unusually high rate of brain damage in migraine patients, deformities in parts of the brain that control thinking skills, as well as autonomic functioning needed for respiration and blood pressure.

Migraine patients who experienced more than three migraine attacks each month exhibited more brain abnormalities than patients who had fewer than three migraine episodes each month.

Furthermore, Migraine patients with a 15+ year history of migraines had the most severe signs of brain damage, compared to patients who have been experiencing migraine attacks for fewer than 15 years, proving a direct correlation between severity of migraines and brain damage.

More migraine comorbidities

In addition to brain damage, other serious conditions linked with migraines include stroke, heart attack, and epilepsy. Additionally, migraine patients are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

5 Effective Natural Supplements for Depression

What does all this mean?

If you get more than three migraine attacks each month, and you’ve been experiencing migraine attacks for at least 15 years, then migraine prevention isn’t just a matter of finding relief from pain and nausea- it can also save your life.

If you’ve been procrastinating on trying a new approach to migraine therapy, then don’t wait any longer. Speak to your doctor, and ask him what other options are available that you haven’t tried, including natural preventive tools for migraines.

Some good ones to try:

•Restrictive dieting, such as gluten-free, dairy-free, or specific migraine target avoidance
•Keeping a migraine diary to track frequency
•Natural supplementation of vitamins, minerals, and herbs that help migraine patients, such as vitamin B2 (riboflavin), magnesium, coenzyme Q10, and butterbur extracts
•Gentle daily exercise, including yoga, stretching, and low-impact aerobics
•Acupuncture
•Meditation

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.

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Stress is one of the greatest triggers of migraine attacks, as it weakens your immune system, causes brain fatigue, and deprives you of much-needed energy. Here are some excellent tips to help you reduce stress now, and prevent migraines later.

Imagine a place…

John Lennon was really onto something when he famously asked the world to imagine a better place to live in; guided imagery is one of the best tools for relaxation, as it uses positive affirmations, controlled breathing, and focused meditation to help you improve circulation, relax your muscles, lower your heartbeat, and achieve a deep, restful state, thus reducing migraine triggers in stress.

Try it! Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and visualize a scene that makes you feel safe, relaxed, and comfortable. Breathe in to the count of three, hold your breath for three counts, and exhale to the count of six. Repeat, and continue for at least 15 minutes.

Take a hike…

Sometimes, you just need to remove yourself from a stressful environment. A power walk is a great tool for warding off a stress-related migraine while also burning calories, easing stress, and boosting your cardiovascular health.

Try it! On your lunch break, reserve at least 10 minutes after eating for a brief stroll or jog in the area. At home, take your dog for a run, or enjoy a casual walk around the neighborhood after supper.

Lean on somebody…

Sometimes, you just need a hug. Physical contact with a friend, relative, or even a loyal pet is a proven method of stress reduction, and a great tool for migraine management!

Try it! When you feel anxious or depressed, ask somebody for a hug! You’ll both feel better for it.

Can Anxiety Attacks cause Migraines?

Have a cuppa…

To ease headaches and lower stress levels instantly, brew yourself a hot cup of decaffeinated coffee or herb tea.

Try it! Buy a tea sampler containing a selection of herb teas that relieve migraine symptoms; good choices are chamomile, mint, licorice, and decaffeinated green tea.

Nourish yourself…

Eating healthy, migraine trigger-free foods while also taking beneficial supplements that ease migraine symptoms is an important part of migraine management. Choose nutrients that boost circulation, support the nervous system, maintain cardiovascular health, and sustain proper immune system functioning.

Try it! Vitamins, mineral, and herbs that benefit migraine patients most are butterbur extracts, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, coenzyme Q10, magnesium, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

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.

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Image courtesy of photostock/free digital photos

Walk-in clinics are starting to replace urgent care and ER, and for good reason. Many now treat chronic illnesses like migraines, fibromyalgia, diabetes, and asthma, only without charging exorbitant prices or making you wait for hours. Here are some pros and cons to visiting a walk-in clinic for chronic migraine.

Reasons to go to a walk-in for migraines

• Guaranteed admission in case of emergency migraine attack
• Many locations in most cities
• Twenty-four hour service, seven days per week
• Option to walk in or schedule appointment
• Most walk-in clinics provide quick service
• Clear, menu-style pricing
• Option to pay with cash or insurance benefits
• Walk-in clinics accept most insurance plans
• Cheaper than ER or urgent care clinics
• Migraine medication history and other health records are accessible from all retail clinic locations
• Practical for people without health insurance or Medicare
• Retail clinics usually practice evidence-based medicine, including for migraine therapies
• Many convenient care clinics diagnose and treat chronic illnesses
• Registered nurse or medical assistant is always on hand
• Migraine medicine prescriptions can be ordered on line and picked up at the store’s pharmacy
• Website features full disclosed information on what types of services they provide for migraine patients

Reasons not to go to a walk-in for migraines

• Hasty consultations may not allow time for much discussion about migraine history or symptoms
• Walk-in clinics don’t have a doctor on the premises
• In exchange for convenience, you lose out on the opportunity to build a rapport with a primary care doctor
• Not all retail clinics treat chronic illness or pain, and treatments offered may be limited
• Walk-in clinics don’t follow up with patients on migraine medications
• Quality of care may vary according to the state regulations

Your turn!

What has been your experience with retail clinics like Walgreens for migraine attacks?

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.

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Do bright lights make your eyes squint painfully, and trigger headaches? Photophobia, or light sensitivity is a common symptom of migraines, but it can also result from a life-threatening injury. Listed are some causes of non-ocular photophobia, including migraine.

What is photophobia?

First, what it’s not: photophobia isn’t an irrational fear of bright lights. People with hypersensitivity to UV glares, strobe lights, and bright white LEDs need to avoid exposure in order to prevent suffering intense eye pain, sharp headaches, dizziness, and nausea; these are all symptoms that occur with photophobia, a comorbid condition of migraines.

For many, photophobia becomes a disability. Bright fluorescent lighting in the workplace make it difficult to concentrate, as pounding migraine headaches, intense pain between the eyes, and stomach cramps worsen. Even driving a car can be challenging, as bright rays of sunlight can catch you off-guard and make you lose your focus, even for a moment.

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Worse, when photophobia is a constant sidekick of migraine disorder, it decreases your chances of catching life-threatening conditions that cause similar symptoms when exposed to bright white light.

Common causes of photophobia

Assuming that you don’t have vision problems, ultra-light sensitivity can have several causes, including the most common, which is migraine.

• Migraines- A whopping 80% of migraine patients experience severe eye pain, headaches, and nausea when exposed to bluish-white lights, fluorescent bulbs, flickering images, and stark white backgrounds.
• Blepharospasm- Involuntary facial twitching is the second-most common cause of light sensitivity, causing pain while watching television, driving, or reading. Stress may also trigger photophobia.
• Depression- Although photophobia is not a psychological fear of lights, it does seem to become more severe during bouts of depression and anxiety.
• Head injury- Sudden intense headaches and extreme sensitivity to light may occur following a severe head injury.
• Meningitis- Brain inflammation caused by meningitis can produce symptoms similar to migraine, including crushing headaches and eye pain.
• Pituitary tumors- Cancer in the pituitary gland may cause hypersensitivity to light, and can be ruled out with medical imaging.
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage- a stroke from bleeding in the subarachnoid cavity of the brain is life threatening, and requires emergency care.

Photophobia treatment and prevention

To prevent head pain from photophobia, it’s important to use a multi-pronged approach to treatment. Most importantly, it’s crucial to address the underlying disorder, whether it is migraines, eye twitching, or depression.

Listed are some helpful tips for reducing sensitivity to bright lights.

• Wear dark or rose-colored sunglasses, indoors and outside.
• Look for FL-41 lenses guaranteed to block blue-green lights.
• Seek FDA-approved safe incandescent light bulbs.
• Try to increase your tolerance to light; resist the temptation to sit in total darkness.
• Get enough sleep at night.
• Take any medications or supplements that help to reduce migraine triggers, in addition to treating depression.
• Get your eyes checked regularly.
• Use eye drops to prevent dry eyes.

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.

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Image(s) courtesy of stockimages/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How does magnesium help with migraines? Let us count the ways…Magnesium is an essential nutrient that targets many of the physical and neurological migraine triggers which increase your risk for chronic migraine attacks.

No one “miracle cure” can stop migraines, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have options. To prevent or lower migraine attacks, it’s important to be able to reduce the number of triggers in your life that result in symptoms of migraines, such as crushing headaches, nausea, dizziness, eye pain, and intense fatigue.

Magnesium reduces triggers

In addition to avoiding food ingredients that cause migraines, it helps to know what nutrients you should take to lower your risk for an attack.

Of all the natural supplements that benefit migraine patients, magnesium is one of the most talked-about, and for good reason…

Many scientific studies have confirmed an unusually high incidence of magnesium deficiency in patients of migraine disorder, leading researchers to believe that low levels of magnesium may be a common trigger of chronic migraines.

Magnesium- for Migraines and Beyond

Magnesium is also good for your heart, mental health, and your nervous system; it will help you sleep better, digest food more effectively, and stay hydrated.

Supplementing with magnesium helps your body function normally, thus improving your chances of having a migraine-free day, week, month…and life.

Magnesium benefits, in a nutshell

Magnesium promotes hundreds of crucial biochemical reactions throughout your body. Here are some of the top benefits that magnesium provides in managing migraines.

• Magnesium helps to maintain healthy blood pressure.

• Magnesium helps to relax the muscles.

• Magnesium supports good bone density.

• Magnesium supplementation prevents symptoms of deficiency that increase your risk for stroke and heart disease, both of which are also correlated to migraines.

• Magnesium has proved beneficial for patients suffering from depression, insomnia, anxiety, and agitation, comorbid conditions of migraine.

How much magnesium do I need?

Most of us don’t get nearly enough magnesium from diet alone. Some of the riches sources- kelp, nuts, and wheat germ- are not staple ingredients of the American diet.

Not only that, but the foods that many of us do consume in abundance- sugar, salt, and sodas- are all notorious for draining magnesium from your body and causing magnesium deficiency.

The only way to make certain you’re getting enough magnesium is to take it in pill form.

To prevent magnesium deficiency and manage migraines more efficiently, doctors recommend taking about 400 to 1,000 mg of magnesium supplements each 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(s) courtesy of chokphoto/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About 20% of children suffer from pediatric migraines, according to recent data, resulting in a significant percentage of school absences and decreased productivity in grade school-aged adolescents. In approving medications such as triptans for pediatric migraines, scientists have encountered several challenges along the way.

Recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics published Migraine Therapeutics in Adolescents, a report which explains some of the difficulties scientists have experienced in accurately testing the effectiveness of certain popular migraine medications, including various triptans, for use with child and teen-aged migraine patients.

• Scientists closely examined five migraine medications which are often prescribed for adults.
• All migraine drugs had a history of at least one pharmacokinetic (PK) and one efficacy trial, as submitted to the FDA between 1999 and 2011.
• Researches took into account variances in dosing, absorption rates, and bioavailability between pediatric and adult migraine patients.
• Between 2008 and 2011, two triptan drugs, almotriptan (Axert) and rizatriptan (Maxalt) gained attention for effectiveness in treating children with migraines.

Children favor placebos

One of the biggest challenges that scientists face in proving the effectiveness of a prescription drug for child migraine patients is the existence of the placebo group. In numerous trials focusing on pediatric migraine drugs, researchers noted a high response rate to the random placebo, almost equaling that of the trial migraine drug, including triptans such as Maxalt.

In order to perform an accurate test study on migraine medicines, scientists believe they may need to better educate child test subjects about the role of the placebo beforehand, in addition to encouraging them to report negative results when applicable.

Innovations in placebo testing may also yield more precise results; scientists hope to begin testing of pediatric migraine drugs first with the placebo, separating out patients who responded immediately to the false migraine drug.

Childhood migraines are different

Another battle doctors face stems from the mere fact that most migraine medications are tested on adults, who experience symptoms that often differ from those experienced by adolescents.

Before researchers can efficiently treat pediatric migraines, they need to understand the many similarities and variances between migraines in adults and children.

Hopefully, future testing of migraine medications for school-aged children will result in increased availability and better options for migraine patients of all ages.

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Your turn!

Do you have children who suffer from migraines? If so, what medications have you found to be most effective?

Have you experimented with natural vitamins, minerals, and herbs for migraines?

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, Facebook, or Google+.

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The use of triptans for pediatric migraines.

Image(s) courtesy of  chrisroll/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Women who get migraines with aura and also use birth control may be at a significantly higher risk of suffering stroke from blood clots than migraine patients who don’t use hormonal contraceptives, according to a recently released study. Here are some of the details of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital report on migraines with aura.

To treat hormonal migraines, look elsewhere

For the study which was published by Neurology, scientists wanted to know if your chances of experiencing thrombotic events such as stroke are higher for female migraine patients with aura (MwA) or without aura (MWoA), and if the usage or recent or older birth control methods has any effect, as well.

What they discovered is that female migraine with aura patients who use combined hormonal contraceptives (CHCs) are at a considerably high risk for suffering stroke or deep vein thrombosis, especially when compared to migraine patients who don’t use birth control.

Beat Menstrual Migraines, Naturally!

Study author Shivang Joshi commented on the safety of using birth control to treat migraines triggered by hormones, noting that “combined hormonal contraceptives are sometimes recommended to treat migraine, but they are not approved by the FDA for this indication.”

Which contraceptives are most dangerous?

Combined hormonal contraceptives examined for this study on migraine patients included:

•Etonogestrel-ethinyl estradiol vaginal ring (Nuvaring)
•Drospirenone-ethinyl estradiol (Yasmin)
•Norgestromin-ethinyl estradiol transdermal patch (Ortho Evra)
•Levonorgestrel-ethinyl estradiol
•Norethindrone-ethinyl estradiol (Ortho-Novum)
•Norgestimate-ethinyl estradiol (Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo)

Scientists confirmed increased risk for stroke when migraine patients used newer CHCs, such as the Nuvaring and the Ortho Evra patch, as opposed to some of the older birth control tablets.

While this research is still in the preliminary stages, health experts recommend avoiding the birth control patch or ring if you get migraines with aura, particularly if you are obese or suffer from hypertension.

To reduce your risk for stroke while managing migraines more effectively, consider increasing daily exercise, following a low-fat diet, and supplementing with vitamins, minerals, and herbs that help to regulate circulation and sustain neurological health.

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(s) courtesy of BrandonSigma/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It’s the chicken and the egg syndrome all over again; does eating chocolate cause a migraine attack, or do migraines make you crave caffeine? While having any chronic illness can lead to depression, is there any truth to the notion that feeling despair exacerbates pain, including excruciating migraine headaches? According to some scientists, we may never understand the exact cause of persistent migraines.

Migraine trigger avoidance- don’t try this at home

Scientists have identified hundreds of migraine triggers that may increase your chances of having a migraine attack. Naturally, health experts have jumped on the boat in advising migraine patients to avoid all migraine triggers, from food preservatives such as MSG and alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer, to strong scents and even exercise.

But according to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researcher Timothy T. Houle, Ph.D, most people with migraines who eliminate foods such as dairy products, gluten, and ripe fruits from their diets are doing so unnecessarily, as only individual scientific examination can truly determine if your migraine attacks are being caused by stress, hormonal fluctuations, or a penchant for aged cheese.

11 Headache Triggers you Never Thought Of

“Correctly identifying triggers allows patients to avoid or manage them in an attempt to prevent future headaches,” he says. “However, daily fluctuations of variables – such as weather, diet, hormone levels, sleep, physical activity and stress – appear to be enough to prevent the perfect conditions necessary for determining triggers.”

Only science will tell

“The goal of this research is to better understand what conditions must be true for an individual headache sufferer to conclude that something causes their headaches.”

Because the migraine trigger modality is often inconsistent, patients may suffer from migraine anxiety, the fear of leaving the house lest a migraine occur, or end up following a wild goose chase that either doesn’t work, or results in even worse migraine attacks caused by medication misuse.

For the Wake Forest study, scientists examined nine women who suffered from migraines with aura and migraine without aura.

Participants recorded stress levels in a daily diary and also submitted to urine tests for hormone levels.

Scientists also took into account weather conditions, a common migraine trigger, dating back three years.

Researchers noted that due to their inability to simulate “migraine triggers” consistently and accurately for each patient in a manner that satisfies scientific standards, they were not successful in proving that any one factor increases one’s risk of experiencing a migraine attack.

All the more so, they concluded, it’s impossible for a patient of migraines to reliably determine her migraine triggers by trial and error alone, without the benefit of scientific applications.

Your turn!

Do you agree with the idea that migraine triggers are almost possible to track?

Besides prescription medication, what other strategies do you use to prevent migraines?

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.

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Image(s) courtesy of renjith krishnan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net