Keeping a daily diary of foods ingested as well as cosmetics you are exposed to may help you narrow down the culprit that brings on your migraines. Then try a process of elimination to help you determine what to avoid. This will probably take a long time but if the migraines don’t just disappear forever on their own, time is on your side. Keep in mind that there may be more than one trigger responsible.
Possible Triggers:
- genetic predisposition causes a vulnerability to certain triggers in the environment
- common food triggers include aged cheeses, caffeine, chocolate, fermented foods, nuts, citrus fruits & vinegar, which all contain Tyramine (which increases in leftovers), wine and extreme hunger
- BUT there is no proof that chocolate or cocoa causes migraines
- avoid Tannins & Sulphites found in tea & red-skinned apples
- avoid deli meats, MSG and food additives
- environmental triggers include perfumes, cleaning products, air fresheners and smoke
- you may have high levels of heavy metals and chronic mineral deficiency (low copper, magnesium & zinc) in which case you may want to consider chelation therapy
- Hormones: drops in estrogen due to menstrual cycles, pregnancy, menopause or birth control pills
- Sleep: changes in routine
- Weather: extreme changes in temperature
Possible Relief and Prevention:
- keep a regular sleep schedule
- do mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) to reduce migraine occurances
- take a min. of 600mg daily of chelated magnesium (taurate, glycinate) to reduce the frequency of migraines
- take 400mg of Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) daily
- take 250mg to 1,000mg of ginger 1 to 4 times a day
- take Coenzyme Q10: 100mg 3 x per day
- take Petadolex (Butterbur without alkaloids), 75 mg, twice a day for a min. of 4 months
- try 3 to 4 months of regular acupuncture
- try 5 weeks of regular massages
Here’s a link containing lots of info from various Specialists who share their knowledge about this frustrating ailment. As with everything, there is no “one cure fits all” and it’s up to you to experiment with the process of elimination until you hopefully find the culprit(s) that cause you all that grief: http://www.drperlmutter.com/understanding-headaches/