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The pain of a migraine headache can be agonizing and often
severe. In some cases migraines can case disabling effects including
an intense sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and vomiting. The
excruciating pain of a migraine may debilitate you for several hours
or even several days. Some people are able to feel a migraine coming
on and experience symptoms such as tingling in their arms and legs,
blind spots, and flashes of light. Over 28 million Americans suffer
from migraine headaches, three times as many women as
men.
Nutritional supplements that may be helpful for
migraine sufferers
Research has shown that migraine
sufferers, in comparison to healthy people, tend to have lower
levels of magnesium in their blood and in their brain. Although not
all studies agree, it has been suggested that, for some people,
taking oral supplements of magnesium
sulfate may help decrease the rate at which headaches reoccur. A
preliminary study, involving a group of mostly pre-menopausal women,
found that the frequency of migraine headaches was reduced by 80% in
those who were treated with approximately 200mg of magnesium each
day.
It has also been suggested that high doses of
riboflavin, or vitamin B2, may
also thwart the onset of migraines by correcting microscopic
deficiencies within the brain cells. In one study, a group of 49
migraine sufferers were given 400mg of vitamin B2 each day. Results
from this study showed that both the severity of the migraines as
well as their frequency had been reduced by over
two-thirds.
Herbal supplements that may be helpful
for migraine sufferers
Some evidence suggests that
herbal supplements such as butterbur and feverfew may help
to reduce the magnitude of a migraine and may also work as migraine
preventatives. Feverfew is the herb most commonly used for the
continuous prevention of migraines.
In fact, three different
clinical trials have shown that a prolonged use of feverfew brings
about a decline in the frequency, duration, and severity or migraine
headaches.
Research has indicated that treating migraines
with 250mcg of parthenolide, provided in standardized feverfew leaf
extract, is most effective. Active results may not be noticeable for
a minimum of four to six weeks.
Supporting
Literature
Gallai V, Sarchielli P, Coata G,
et al. Serum and salivary magnesium levels in migraine. Results in a
group of juvenile patients. Headache 1992;32:132–5.
Barbiroli B,
Lodi R, Cortelli P, et al. Low brain free magnesium in migraine and
cluster headache: an interictal study by in vivo phosphorus magnetic
resonance spectroscopy on 86 patients. Cephalalgia
1997;17:254.
Schoenen J, Lenaerts M, Bastings E. High-dose
riboflavin as a prophylactic treatment of migraine: results of an
open pilot study. Cephalalgia 1994;14:328–9.
Volger BK, Pittler
MH, Ernst E. Feverfew as a preventive treatment for migraine: a
systematic review. Cephalagia 1998;18:703–8.
Murphy JJ,
Hepinstall S, Mitchell JRA. Randomized double-blind placebo
controlled trial of feverfew in migraine prevention. Lancet
1988;ii:189–92.
Johnson ES, Kadam NP, Hylands DM, Hylands PJ.
Efficacy of feverfew as prophylactic treatment of migraine. Br Med J
1985;291:569–73.
Palevitch D, Earon G, Carasso R. Feverfew
(Tanacetum parthenium) as a prophylactic treatment for migraine: A
double-blind placebo-controlled study. Phytother Res
1997;11:508–11.
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