Food Cures (53 page)

O
ne of my friends describes her migraines as a pain storm that splits her skull across her right temple, liquefying her brain until it feels like it’s oozing out through her ears. The sound of a phone ringing is like a cartoon frying pan slamming the top of her head. Bright light is like a paintball gun filled with needles shot straight through her eyeballs. Once they strike, these intense, throbbing headaches last anywhere from a few hours to three days. For however long the migraine lasts, all she can do is take rescue medication, lie in a darkened room, and wait for the incapacitating pain to resolve.

About one of every ten Americans has had at least one migraine. Some experience an
aura
that presages the coming pain. An aura is typically some unusual visual experience, such as blind spots, distortion, jagged lines running through the visual field, sparkling or flashing lights, or enhanced color or depth perception. But some auras can cause a feeling of pins-and-needles in arms or legs, speech difficulties, excessive thirst, sleepiness, food cravings, or unexplained mood changes, particularly feelings of depression and irritability. More often, however, there is no warning before the pain sets in.

Migraine headaches usually start on one side, but often spread and encompass the other hemisphere too. During an episode, most migraine sufferers become extremely sensitive to light and sound, and some may vomit or feel nauseated. Migraines can come just once or twice a year, or several times each month. My friend used to get migraines three times a week. Working with her doctor she was able to find the right preventive medication, and cut the frequency by half. A real improvement, but that still meant six migraines a month. Then, after identifying and eliminating food triggers from her diet, the number fell to about one or two.

You’re probably thinking, “That’s great for her, but how much pain relief can
I
expect?” Unfortunately, no one can say with any certainty. Everyone has different triggers, so what worked for my friend may have no effect on you. However, everything mentioned in this chapter helps some people. I recommend that you try everything, keep what works…and never lose hope that you’ll someday be able to avoid or control your headaches.

WHAT AFFECTS
MIGRAINE HEADACHES?

Migraines are a mystery. Scientists don’t know precisely what causes them or what exactly happens in the body once a migraine is triggered. They believe that there is a genetic component, and that the headaches are a result of abnormal functions in certain brain structures. Early research suggested that migraine headaches were caused solely by changes in the way blood vessels in the head dilated and constricted. Now, scientists understand that while blood vessels are part of the migraine process, they are just one event in a cascade of events. For example, we know from brain scans that during migraine headaches there is increased blood flow in the brain stem and the cerebral cortex. Inflammatory chemicals, such as substance P, and other substances are released; nerve centers are stimulated; and there are changes in levels of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. The main lessons are that migraines are physiologically complex, and that they absolutely, positively are not “all in the mind” of the sufferer.

But for our purposes, the more important questions are: What sets off the headache in the first place? And, Can it be stopped? Migraines are triggered by specific factors, many of which are understood…but what triggers one person’s headache may not affect you in the least. The most common triggers are:

Foods.
Many everyday foods are big,
big
triggers. I provide a specific list in the next section.

Stress.
When we are stressed, our bodies react physically—muscles tense, hormones become elevated, and migraines can be triggered.

Hormonal changes.
Because estrogen and progesterone are such potent migraine triggers, women are nearly three times more likely than men to experience migraines. In fact, there is a subset of headache known as the
menstrual migraine
, which can occur one or two days before the start of a woman’s period, or during the first day or two of her period. Women with hormone triggers can take comfort in knowing that many women whose migraines are primarily menstrual find that they get complete relief after menopause.

Intense sensory stimuli.
Bright light, loud noises, and strong smells—such as cleaning chemicals, cigarette smoke, raw onions, and perfume—can trigger migraines.

Physical exertion or abrupt lifestyle changes.
Jumping into an extreme exercise program can cause migraines, as can sexual activity, changing sleep patterns, alternating work shifts, or anything else that breaks your body out of its normal rhythms. If you push yourself in a demanding job all week long, you’ll be more likely to get a migraine when you finally slow down over the weekend. On the flip side, if you enjoy a weekend with a little too much fun, you may develop a Monday migraine.

Environmental factors.
Some people get migraines when there are changes in the air…literally. Their headaches coincide with the arrival of thunderstorms, sudden changes in altitude or barometric pressure, wind storms, seasonal changes, pollen levels. Others are sensitive to the switch to daylight savings time or travel across time zones.

Medications.
Medications can have a wide range of side effects, so it is no surprise that some can cause migraines. You need to be especially wary of antihistamines, decongestants, blood pressure medications, oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy, and prescription pain medications. Interestingly, migraines can also be triggered if you stop taking prescription or over-the-counter pain medications (such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen), a phenomenon called rebound.

Some neurologists believe that all those trigger factors can be additive. They theorize that everybody has a tolerance limit for triggers, and once that limit is exceeded, a migraine is in the near future. If you have extreme sensitivity, then a single mild trigger may be enough to cause a headache. But if you have a greater tolerance, it may take two or three triggers occurring in close succession to push you past that limit. So you may be just fine if you have to use strong-smelling cleaning products. But if you clean, and then a thunderstorm hits, that combination of triggers may be enough to send you over the top. That’s why it is critical to try to eliminate as many potential “controllable” triggers from your life as possible.

HOW FOOD AFFECTS MIGRAINE HEADACHES

The most important role food plays in migraines is as a trigger. Not all the foods on my list will cause migraines in all sufferers, and some people have no food sensitivities. In order to determine what your particular triggers are, I recommend keeping a migraine diary for at least three months. If you discover that one of the foods listed here is a trigger for you, then you know that you should avoid that particular food if you want to remain pain free.

It’s important to remember, however, that you and your migraines are unique; what causes headaches for someone else might be perfectly safe for you. Don’t eliminate foods permanently without confirming that they are triggers…many of the foods on this list contain healthful nutrients.