Find the Root Causes of Your Migraines with Integrative Medicine

Are you one of the ten million people in the UK who suffer from migraines?

Read on to learn what lies behind migraines, and some natural ways to prevent them from occurring by addressing their underlying causes.

What are Migraines?

So much more than simply a headache, a migraine can be debilitating. Some sufferers are unable to function during an attack beyond needing to go to bed. Many people experience recurrent attacks or have migraines for several days in a row.

A migraine attack usually lasts between 4 and 72 hours. Sufferers often are left with a migraine ‘hangover’ for a day or so afterwards. This might include symptoms like fatigue, low mood, and foggy headedness.

What are the Symptoms of a Migraine?

Symptoms do vary from person to person, but sufferers often experience severe pain, sometimes throbbing, frequently only on one side of the head. The pain can come with nausea or vomiting, or sensitivity to movement, lights, or smells. Sufferers may additionally experience visual disturbances, problems with speech and ringing in the ears.

Many people experience what is known as a migraine aura prior to an attack. These may comprise flashing or arching lights, stomach pain or tingling in certain areas of the body.

What Causes Migraines?

During a migraine, changes occur to the blood supply to the brain. Blood vessels in the area expand, with the increased volume of blood pressing on nerves, causing pain.

Recent research suggests factors connected with the nervous system cause this blood vessel dilation. The trigeminal nerve is one of your cranial nerves transmitting pain signals from your face to your brain. Once this nerve becomes triggered, it provokes the release of chemicals which dilate blood vessels, increase inflammation, and activate the brain’s pain pathways.

A brain chemical called serotonin, known as the happy neurotransmitter, may also play a role in migraine. Scientists discovered its levels drop during migraine attacks, while people with low serotonin seem to be more likely to suffer from migraines.

Common Migraine Triggers

Many people find certain foods trigger their migraines. Common culprits include chocolate, citrus fruits, red wine, strong, aged, or blue cheese, smoked fish, pickled foods, or processed meats. Many of these foods are high in histamine, and in some people, this can trigger an attack. Some foods on the list contain an animo acid called tyramine. This can sometimes cause blood vessels to contract and then overly expand.

Other triggers include stress, particularly the period following a stressful event, blood sugar fluctuations, strong odours, and changes in pressure. Some people find bright lights, pollutants and certain food additives like MSG and artificial sweeteners can trigger an attack. Caffeine withdrawal is a common culprit.

Migraines are more common in women, particularly at certain times of the month. This hints at the role of hormone imbalance in migraines. Attacks seem to be particularly linked with the sudden drop in oestrogen immediately prior to a menstrual period.

The Gut/Migraine Link

Researchers noticed people with gut issues tended to be more prone to migraines. Your gut and your brain are closely linked via a network of nerves and chemical messengers.

Your gut has a major influence on the amount of inflammatory chemicals in your bloodstream. This is particularly the case if, over time, its lining has become extra permeable. This allows substances into your blood which provoke your immune system into responding. Migraine sufferers tend to have more of these inflammatory chemicals in their blood, particularly during a migraine attack. The inflammation can affect blood vessel function and blood flow to the brain.

The health of your gut’s inner ecosystem is important for maintaining optimal serotonin levels. Your gut bacteria manufacture serotonin and therefore the type of bacteria in your microbiome influence serotonin levels. In research, taking a probiotic supplement designed to improve the gut microbiome reduced the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks (1). Everyone’s microbiome is unique, and this individual difference could explain why some foods affect certain people but not others.

Your oral health is closely connected with your gut. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that research has discovered links between the types of bacteria resident in the mouth and migraine susceptibility. Certain species of oral bacteria enhance the production of a substance called nitric oxide. Generally believed to be beneficial owing to its role in cardiovascular health, nevertheless excess dilation of blood vessels from elevated levels of nitric oxide could potentially trigger a migraine (2).

How to Naturally Support Migraine Sufferers

Conventionally, migraines are treated by medicine to block pain signals or drugs to inhibit the release of pain-producing chemicals. However, these approaches don’t address the underlying causes of your migraines.

On the other hand, integrative medicine approach asks why migraines are occurring. Because they can potentially be caused by so many interconnected factors, a whole-body, personalised approach to migraine prevention is the best approach.

We would recommend your first step to be an Integrative Health Assessment to dig deep into the root causes of your health issues, and start you on your journey towards optimal health. Following this, you may benefit from the advice of one of our specialist therapists, depending on your condition.

For example, a Functional Nutritionist can fine-tune your diet, highlighting any trigger foods you might not have suspected. They’ll also investigate any nutrient deficiencies that may be contributing to your symptoms. For example, magnesium helps the muscles in the walls of blood vessels to relax. In studies, magnesium supplementation significantly reduced migraine attacks (3). Vitamin B2, otherwise known as riboflavin, has been shown in research to be helpful, too (4). Other useful nutrients include vitamin D, co-enzyme Q10 and omega 3 oils.

The GI Map test is useful to assess your gut health, including the balance of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory bacteria. This test can be carried out in the privacy of your home and includes practitioner interpretation.

If stress is contributing to your migraines, somatic therapies like Emotional Freedom Technique may help. Meanwhile, German New Medicine can highlight unresolved trauma that may be triggering your migraines, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can be useful for dealing with chronic pain.

Take your first step towards a migraine-free future by contacting The Forbes Clinic today.