Migraine Headaches
Migraine headaches – perhaps the most painful of all headaches – are caused by excessive constriction (narrowing) and then excessive dilation (expansion) of the blood vessels in your head. This explains why migraine sufferers complain of a severe pulsating or throbbing pain in the head. Migraines are surprisingly common, affecting an estimated 20 percent of all men and 25 percent to 30 percent of all women at some point in their lives. That’s a lot of people, hundreds of millions in fact, so it should help a lot of you breathe easier to know that you can count on magnesium for at least some relief.
Several different studies have determined that a magnesium deficiency can set the stage for a migraine, with one researcher saying, “The importance of magnesium in the (development) of migraine headaches is clearly established… The available evidence suggests that up to 50 percent of patients during an acute migraine attack have lowered levels of … magnesium. Infusion of magnesium results in a rapid and sustained relief of an acute migraine in such patients”.
According to other reports, magnesium can lessen the severity of a migraine by reducing the constrictions and spasms in the arteries that cause them in the first place. This improves and stabilizes the circulation of blood to the head area, including the brain.
In a double-blind study of 81 people with a history of recurrent migraines, some of the patients were given oral magnesium daily while the others received a placebo. By the ninth week, nearly 42 percent of the magnesium group reported a reduction in the frequency of their attacks, as opposed to only 15.8 percent of patients in the placebo group. But again, to be perfectly fair, I have seen results from a similar study that found magnesium, when compared to a placebo, provided no benefits in reducing the frequency of migraines.
My personal experience, along with the experiences of many of my colleagues, convinces me that this latter study was possibly flawed in some way, though I admit to having no hard evidence to support this belief. What I can and do support, however, is the opinion of the researcher who stated, “Because of an excellent safety profile and low cost, and despite the lack of definitive studies, we feel that a trial of oral magnesium supplementation can be recommended to a majority of migraine sufferers.”
I have seen many of my patients reduce the frequency and severity of many types of headaches by taking 400 mg daily of elemental magnesium. This includes tension headaches, cluster headaches and migraines.
If the migraine headaches are usually associated with nausea and vomiting, it is also important to improve the function of the liver. This can be done by increasing the amount of raw salad vegetables and raw juices in the diet and by taking a good liver tonic – see
www.liverdoctor.com
Fish oil supplements can also help to reduce the inflammatory component of headaches – take two capsules of 1000 mg each, twice daily just before food. The liquid form of fish oil is much more effective and doses vary from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon twice daily, just before food.
All migraine sufferers should ensure a good intake of water with the aim of drinking two liters (2 quarts) daily. This will improve the circulation of blood to the brain. Dehydration will increase the frequency and severity of headaches.
Testimonial
Dear Dr Cabot:
I am writing to tell you about the great relief I have obtained from taking magnesium tablets. Since the age of 24, I have been suffering from severe migraines that would put me to bed for at least a day. They would often start with flashing lights and nausea and just a dull ache on one side of my head. Then the pain would get worse and turn into a pulsating throbbing pain all over my head. I could not move or stand the light. Sometimes these frightening headaches would awaken me in the early hours of the morning and I would be scared I was going to have a stroke!
I have tried many different drugs over the years but they had side effects and only relieved the pain for a few hours. I nearly became addicted to pain killing injections. Then I read about the beneficial effects that magnesium could have on migraines and I thought to myself – no, it’s too simple, how could a natural substance help such severe pain?
However I was desperate; I thought, well I have nothing to lose. I started taking two Magnesium Complete tablets twice daily and found that gradually my headaches became less frequent, and when I got one, it was not as bad. I have not had a migraine for five months now and I can’t believe my luck!
My life has changed in such a great way and I no longer worry about having to cancel things and miss out on the things I love to do. I would also like to thank you for your book on raw juicing, as I am sure that the juice recipes I have been using have also helped to prevent the headaches. I no longer feel nauseated or have to live on painkillers and I think that something must have helped my liver – perhaps the magnesium or perhaps the raw juices.
Julia Mac Donald
Brisbane, Queensland