Do you suffer with recurring migraines? Don’t really want to take medication, but not sure what else to do?
“4.9 million people in Australia suffer from migraine”1
Migraines are severely disabling, with symptoms ranging from intense head pain to nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. Only those people who have ever suffered one can truly understand.
The biggest inconvenience with migraines is that they are a chronic disorder with debilitating episodic attacks – that is they just keep recurring. Most migraine sufferers often don’t know when the next one is going to turn up and ruin their day.
The other reality with migraines is the effects of the migraine are often felt long after the migraine has gone. The migraine itself usually lasts between 4 to 72 hours, the fatigue, body aches, dizziness and weakness that follows can also last between 1 day and a week.
I’ve seen a lot of patients with migraines over the years and one of the most amazing things is that people think that migraines are just dumb bad luck, bad genes or simply their cross to bear in life. These people often have a list of possible triggers but have no clear understanding why the triggers only cause migraines on some days.
The good news is that a migraine is not some mysterious form of headache. We know that a migraine is a complicated series of events that involve neurological, physiological and vascular changes.
Now, I know complicated sounds daunting, but don’t give up hope.
It is also known that migraines are an outward expression of an irritated, sensitive and inflamed mid brain. For those that are sensitive to this outward expression along the trigeminovascular system this presents as a migraine. But what is the mid brain?
The mid brain is part of the brain continuous with the spinal cord that helps control your sound processing, vertical eye movements, position in space and your fight and flight mechanism. That’s a lot of responsibility of some very critical systems.
Whilst the guide contains a lot of various treatment options, I’ve listed some of the most common substances that help and put them together here for you.
It is the irritation of the mid brain, through irritation of the systems that it controls, that is the underlying cause of migraine. If you calm down the systems that are irritated, and the associated inflammation, then you can calm down the mid brain. No mid brain irritation and inflammation no migraine!
Are you looking for natural alternatives to take instead of medications? Particularly things that may help the mechanism driving your migraines rather than just the symptoms.
Here are 5 supplements that we regularly use to help patients that suffer with migraines
- Cocao nibs
Cacao nibs have been shown to reduce certain biochemical markers that are involved in the stimulation or excitation of these central neural pathways.
- Grape Seed extract
Recent animal trials have shown grape seed extract to reduce the activity of cells that are contributing to inflammation in this part of the brain. We’ve seen great results clinically with patients who have elected to trial it for their migraines.
Don’t confuse this with grapefruit seed extract, they are different products.
- PEA
Scientists believe through the stimulation of anandamide, PEA is able to stimulate the cannabinoid receptors. As a result, it has been shown to reduce specific inflammatory markers neurologically resulting in reduced pain, inflammation, convulsions and even provide neuroprotection.
- Chicken bone broth
Enriched chicken bone broth in recent animal studies was shown to significantly reduce the sensitization of the trigeminovascular system prior to irritation of the area.
As such it is possible that enriched chicken bone broth may have a positive effect on migraine
- Andrographis
More commonly known for its antiviral and immune properties than anything else, Andrographis has recently been discovered to have some amazing anti-inflammatory effects neurologically. In one study Andrographis was shown to reduce specific inflammatory markers in a key area of the mid brain known as the mesencephalon.
Migraine can be a complicated minefield to manage alone, that’s why I assembled my crack team of expert practitioners to help you free your life. If you need some help, just send me a message or give me a call on 93187758 and let’s get started. Alternatively, if you’d just like a copy of my full ultimate nutrient guide to end Migraine’s you can download a copy by CLICKING HERE.
