I did some continuing education on migraines this week so thought I would pass on some recommendations. It is important to make sure you are well hydrated if you suffer from migraines, Sipping from a water bottle can be helpful. Add an electrolyte solution if it is particularly hot or you are sweating. It is important to prioritize sleep and rest if you are prone to migraines. Sleep in a cool dark room.n Sticking to a good sleep wake cycle can help establish beneficial circadian rhythms which help regulate your sleep.
Diet is incredibly important when you are treating migraines. Doing IgG testing to identify food sensitivities is a start. In terms of a migraine diet, it might be important to cut out high histamine foods like fermented foods (kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, etc.). High tyrosine foods might be cut out too such as aged cheeses, wine, etc. Nutrients like magnesium glycinate or magnesium threonate are particularly helpful to supplement along with riboflavin (B2). The goal is often to decrease the severity of the migraine then decrease the frequency of the migraine.
In migraine, you may see a specific pattern or aura beforehand. You may suffer from nausea or vomiting alongside the headache. There is some relation to vasodilation or constriction of the arteries. There can be hormonal migraine patterns with estrogen dominance. Histamine can increase inflammation and estrogen can prevent the breakdown of histamine. Low progesterone can be related to inability to breakdown mast cells. Increased histamine can cause H2 receptors in the GI tract causing anxiety, fatigue and pain related to high mast cells. High salicylate foods, high tyramine foods and high histamine foods many need to be eliminated.
Doing Dutch hormone testing may help one discern if hormones are clouding the picture. As mentioned, estrogen promotes the release of histamine. You can look at the full load of hormones with Dutch testing including the PMS window leading up to the period. You can also look at estrogen metabolism for clues about estrogen breakdown and whether that may play a role in your migraines, If your 16-OH metabolite is high, you may not be clearing estrogen. You may need to methylate it out (provide help to move it through phase 2). You may have low serum estrogen with high metabolites. You may have rapid changes of estrogen levels in perimenopause affecting your migraine pattern. Look at testosterone, is testosterone being aromatized to estrogen?
How can your hormones be balanced and regulated? Working on liver function may play a role here. I do a lot of liver drainage with patients that have high estrogen levels which can cause irritability along with migraines.
You may need to look at gut health, blood sugar, detoxification pathways, neurotransmitters, homeostasis pathways. Paint a solid picture of your migraine- before you get one, what did you eat, what time of the month is it, are you hydrated, are you sleeping?
Nutrients that may assist include Mg, B2, CoQ10. Diet may need to be followed for three weeks. Pull out nitrates, salicylates, high tyramine foods.
All these factors may help treat your migraines successfully. There are many homeopathic remedies that can offer symptomatic help for migraines such as belladonna, lachesis, natrum muriaticum, and calcarea carbonica. If you need more help with treating your migraines, please book an appointment with me. I am a registered naturopathic doctor in the province of Alberta. I am practicing on the Jane platform doing telemedicine. To book a session with me go to www.robinvinge.con then click on contact to be led to my Jane booking site.
Reference: Assessment and Approach to the Estrogen Dominant Female Allison Smith, ND
Estrogen Dominance: Signs and Symptoms. Rebecca Clemson, ND