Migraine Caffeine

Migraine | Caffeine

Caffeine, for all of its complications – can actually work as an excellent natural migraine abortive (meaning, if consumed when a headache just starts to develop, your pain could decrease or disappear altogether depending on the severity of your headache.) How does this work? Like other abortive drugs, caffeine is able to forcibly shrink your dilated blood vessels – the source of that uncomfortable throbbing pain.The reduction in inflammation can them give you pain relief.

The next time you feel a migraine coming on, try drinking a cup of strong coffee, tea, or a non-diet soda (avoid that aspartame) such as Coca Cola when you feel a migraine coming on (be sure not to add artificial sweeteners.) Other options could include chocolate or chocolate covered espresso beans if chocolate is not a trigger for your migraines. Looking for other options – try this link.

Caffeine can also be found in certain over-the-counter pain killers such as Excedrin and prescription medicines like Fiorinal. One of the benefits of caffeine is that it can help your body absorb medication faster. In theory, adding caffeine to medications can even reduce the amount of active ingredient necessary to feel the same effects. Many people feel this can decrease risk of overdose and other interactions.

Unfortunately, there are still problems with using caffeine on a regular basis. If you ingest caffeine via medicine or through a natural form on a regular basis, your body will come to expect every dose. When the expected amount is not ingested your body will protest causing headaches (which is what prompted you to take the caffeine and pain killers, right?), fatigue, nausea, etc. Many people will not recognize this as symptoms of withdrawal and instead will resume taking their medicine. This behavior will lead to a cycle of headaches and rebound headaches.

In addition to rebound and withdrawal headaches, consuming too much caffeine can lead to other side effects such as fatigue, anxiety, headaches, and trouble sleeping. These symptoms are important to note as many migraine sufferers already experience fatigue and anxiety – there is no need to increase this amount. Increased feelings of fatigue can lead one to drink more caffeinated beverages, which in excesses will then lead to headaches and trouble sleeping. For many people, poor sleep quality can be a major migraine trigger.

If you suspect that caffeine is causing more problems for you than it solves – then slowly reduce your consumption and see how you feel. If you feel fine but worry that your sleep quality could be affected, then try not to eat or drink foods containing caffeine after 2pm.

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Migraines Types

Migraines | Types

Migraine is not just another word for “severe headache.” Instead “migraine” refers to a neurological condition where neurons in the brain react to certain stimuli in an excitable and then inflammatory way. The brain’s inflammatory reaction then causes a cascade of symptoms, of which headache is only one among many.

Migraine Type 1: Migraine Without Aura

Most people think that in order to have an actual migraine there must be aura symptoms. This is not true. A migraine without aura can be defined as a reoccurring headache problem where the attacks last from four hours to 72 hrs. People who experience these types of migraines frequently have pulsating (throbbing) pain of moderate to severe intensity that is located on a single side of the head. Nausea and light or sound sensitivity is also not uncommon. Note: This type of headache is made worse, not better by routine physical activity. This is an important distinction.

Migraines without auras are the most commonly experienced migraine. These tend to reoccur more frequently and carry a more intense level of pain. It is also believed that there is a relationship of some type between migraines without auras and menstruation.

Migraine Type 2: Migraine With Aura

The clichéd view of migraine auras is the person who sees halos around people and objects before the one set of a migraine. This definition is much too limiting. “Aura” is simply the term used to refer to a whole set of neurological symptoms that precede the onset of a migraine headache and disappear once it develops. To be defined strictly as an aura each symptom must develop over five to twenty minutes and last for no more than sixty minutes. This means that “aura” is not just another word for pre-migraine symptoms. Instead it refers to a stage in a migraine attack.

Typical aura symptoms include vision, sensory, or speech problems. Visual symptoms include flickering lights, spots, lines, zigzags, or loss of vision. Other people report seeing “chicken-wire,” “bugs,” or “clouds.” Descriptions and perception will vary from person to person. Auditory symptoms include trouble hearing, hearing things that are not there, or other sound distortions. Sensory symptoms can include feelings of numbness (like a Novocain injection) and/or prickly sensations, feelings of dizziness or being unsteady on your feet. Speech disturbance can be varied but usually involve difficulty speaking or recalling certain words. It important to note again that these symptoms develop and then disappear completely.

Some people experience all of the typical symptoms and behavior of an aura but do not go on to develop the single sided, pulsating headache typical of a migraine without aura. Others do not develop headaches at all.

Migraine Type 3: Typical Aura without Headache

Some people do not continue on to a headache phase after experiencing an aura. This is reported common among older individuals and men. In all cases it is recommended to have the condition examined by a physician to rule out other causes – especially in people over forty, and those who experience prolonged or very brief aura.

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Cause of Migraines

Cause of Migraines: Your Brain

The brain is essentially made of billions of nerve cells called neurons – which are connected to other neurons located throughout your body. Neurons have the unique ability among all other cells of your body to receive and send information through electrochemical methods. Neurons can then be categorized by the function they perform be that receiving or sending signals to your skin, muscles, and glands, or sensing important data about your environment (light, sound, touch,) or simple moving information from one neuron to another.

The human brain can then be organized into the following basic parts:

The brain stem- Controls functions that are meant to be automatic like the heart, digestive system, and limb movements.
The cerebellum – Coordinates movement.
The hypothalamus and pituitary gland – Regulates body temperature and behavioral responses like eating, drinking, sexuality, anger, and happiness.
The cerebral cortex – The master control center which integrates all incoming information and controls all higher order functions like speech, thought, and memory.

Understanding the lower brain is crucial for all headache and migraine sufferers. The lower brain can be organized into parts that can then be further broken down into groups of neurons called nuclei that share a common specialty.

Medulla – Regulates blood pressure, breathing, and acts as the relay point for sensory information from the cranial nerves.

Pons – Involved in breathing, sleep, and taste. Relays movement and position information from the cerebellum to the cortex.

Midbrain – Links sections of the brain involved in motor functions, eye movements, and sound.

Thalamus – Regulates what sensory information reaches your awareness and also relays motor information exchange.

Hypothalamus – Controls hormonal secretions from the pituitary gland, as well as sexual reproduction, eating, drinking, growth, almost all aspects of behavior, as well as your sleep-wake cycle.

Cause of Migraines: Why Does it Hurt?

Exactly how the migraine process begins is still unclear despite advances in medical imaging. The most current theory is known as “cortical spreading depression” in which abnormal brain chemistry begins a chain of reactions ultimately affecting one’s central nervous system. It is thought that the brains of migraine sufferers are more sensitive to change and certain conditions than other people who do not experience migraines. When the brain encounters a condition it does not like it reacts by raising an alert. As a migraine sufferer, you brain appears to be more sensitive and reactive to certain conditions.

Your brain’s alert signal causes neurons to become excited and spread across your cortex. The neurons start sending messages using built in nerve pathways such as the trigeminal (located behind the ear on either side of your head and spreads in three directions – up towards your forehead, straight across to your nose, and along your jaw) and upper cervical nerves to blood vessels around the head, face, and neck, causing them to become swollen and irritated.

Chemicals are also released at this time including serotonin (levels rise then fall), dopamine (responsible for changes in mood, nausea, and fatigue,) and norepinephrine. This abnormal flow of chemicals is thought to be caused by a deficiency of magnesium and malfunctioning calcium channels. The nerves surrounding this tissue then communicate back to your brain that there is inflammation. Your brain takes tissue inflammation seriously and as such alerts you via the sensation of pain.

Additionally worth emphasizing a second time is that pain (headache) is really a symptom of the migraine process. Is it possible to have a headache and not a migraine? Yes. Is it possible to have a migraine and not a headache? Yes.

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Magnesium Migraines

Remember, always consult your doctor before you begin taking any vitamin, mineral, or herbal supplement for your condition, especially if you are currently taking any other medications or have other medical conditions. Even “natural” supplements can have dangerous side effects, especially when mixed with other medications.

Magnesium, the Most Important Migraine Mineral

Did you know that as many as 50% of all migraine sufferers may have a magnesium deficiency? Magnesium deficiency has been linked to many neurological conditions and chronic health problems including migraines and cluster headaches. Today’s magnesium deficiency is likely due to depleted soils, eating an unbalanced diet, consuming junk and processed foods which remove magnesium from the body, and being under constant physical or emotional stress.

Magnesium is the ideal natural migraine supplement to start with as it is inexpensive, easily available, and has the least risk of side effects.

Magnesium can:

Reduce neuron excitability which can lead to headaches.

Relax blood vessels reducing the inflammation responsible for causing migraines.
Block calcium.
Promote serotonin release and uptake.
Help muscles relax.
Reduce high blood pressure and possibly prevent heart attacks.

How Can You Tell If You Have a Magnesium Deficiency?

In general it is difficult to determine simply from symptoms if one is deficient in magnesium. However, if you experience regular migraines, exhaustion, and muscle stiffness or cramps – there is a strong possibility that you could have a magnesium deficiency.

Ideally, it is best to consume foods rich in magnesium like: green vegetables (think spinach, artichokes, etc,) beans (black beans, navy beans, white beans, soy) fish (Halibut,) peas, nuts(almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, and pine nuts,) seeds (pumpkin seeds, and whole grains (buckwheat, corn meal, oat bran, barley, brown rice.) Also, be sure to avoid foods which unnecessarily drain magnesium from the body such as alcohol (in fact it is believed that the “hangover headache” than many people experience could be due to magnesium deficiency.)

Once one is in a state of deficiency, taking magnesium supplements could be very helpful. When shopping for supplements be sure to look for pills which are sold in capsules of 200mg or larger, otherwise you may find that you end up taking way too many pills.

This is a crucial secret to making sure your magnesium supplement works to treat your migraine-

Do NOT take at the same time as calcium. That’s right a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement won’t work. Calcium and magnesium work to balance each other out. In this particular instance you do not want calcium intake to reduce how much magnesium your body retains.

Like other preventative medications, magnesium can take a couple months before you see full benefit. On the other hand, many people will also notice effects within a day or so. Reactions appear to vary somewhat from person to person.

Note: Keep in mind that in high amounts magnesium can act as a laxative. Start slowly and build up over time. Too much top fast can have unintentional consequences.

Note: Magnesium is not recommended for people who have kidney failure or myasthenia gravis.

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migrane symptoms

Symptoms of Migraines

Migraines are usually described as severe, disabling, reoccurring headache usually affecting only one side of the head, and often accompanied by other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and visual disturbances.

If you don’t feel like that describes what you are experiencing, it is hard to know how to proceed. You may even be questioning whether or not you are experiencing headaches or migraines and their symptoms. Let’s go beyond “common knowledge” and talk about the real and varied symptoms of migraine:

Your head can feel:

Painful, under pressure, swollen, numb, or heavy.
Like it’s buzzing, vibrating, pulsating, trickling, crawling, drilling, rushing
As though an ice pick, or hot poker is being forced through your eye.

The level of pain can be:

Mild – Uncomfortable but ignorable.
Moderate – Uncomfortable enough to make regular tasks harder to do.
Severe – Too painful to go about daily tasks.

Feelings of pain or other discomfort can come on:

Gradually – Slowly over a matter of days.
Extremely rapidly – Seemingly instantly or within minutes.

The pain or other symptoms may be located:

Anywhere in your head, face, or neck.
In a very specific spot like your eye, side of the head, sinus, ear channel, jaw, teeth or another single location.
All around the head, face, or neck.

The pain can last anywhere from seconds to years.

Episodes can be:

Infrequent – Occurs less than once per month.
Frequent – Occurs anywhere from twice per month to 14 times per month.
Chronic – Occurs more than 15 days per month.

You may experience odd symptoms that disappear when your headache starts:

Visual disturbances – seeing twinkling lights, zigzags, and double vision. Or you may lose sight including blurred vision, black spots, or blindness.
Auditory disturbances – difficulty hearing, echoes, and hearing things that are not there.

While experiencing the headache you may also experience:

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation.
Fever, sweating, dizziness, or chills.
Sensitive, tender, bruised, or burning sensations anywhere on your face or scalp.
Visibly swollen veins, bloodshot eyes, drooping eyelids, tears, flushed skin, or nosebleeds.
Frightening symptoms like numbness, paralysis, or seizures.

You may experience the following all the time, even when you don’t have a headache:

Neck and shoulder stiffness, spasms, pain or cramps.
Nasal pain, congestion or drip.

Does any of the above sound like what you are experiencing? If so make a note next to the appropriate sections. Also, do not miss the last bullet point – chronic daily symptoms like a stiff and painful neck, sinus congestion and more can all be attributed to the root cause of headache and migraine conditions. This means if you treat your headache and migraine, you may also resolve other chronic problems you assumed were unrelated.

Why are the symptoms of migraine so varied? Simply stated, migraine can be best defined as a neurological condition of which headache is just one of many symptoms. No two people will experience migraines the same way. Some people will experience the full range of symptoms whereas others only one or two. Some people will even have symptoms of migraine without the sensation of headache.

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Migraine Weight Gain

Side Effect of Migraines: Weight Gain

Weight gain when you don’t feel well 80% of the time is practically inevitable. It seems like for many of us, food is the last source of comfort when we are in pain. Unfortunately, this comfort can lead to significant weight gain, especially when combined with prescription drugs which may also cause weight gain.

So what is one to do?

I struggled for at least three years trying to lose an extra 30-40lbs. I kept thinking I needed to exercise more. What I didn’t realize was that I was simply eating too much. That was a pretty difficult conclusion to come to as food and cooking is such a joy in my life.

The Diet Option

I was able to lose and keep off close to 15lbs using Leigh Peele’s Fat Loss Troubleshoot. The Fat Loss Troubleshoot was marketed for people within the fitness community who simply could not lose weight no matter what (and as such, spoke to specific issues of fitness competitors.) That felt like me. Minus the fitness competitor part. The approach of the this diet is to tell you exactly how many calories you need to eat per day in order to lose weight. The Fat Loss Troubleshoot also explains a few little known ways you will fool yourself into thinking you are eating less than you are – preventing weight loss. For me, this plan worked and it was the key. Unfortunately, the Fat Loss Troubleshoot is going away at some point in the near future to be replaced by the Body by Eats program – which is launching at the end of October. Body by Eats is a little different in that the program focuses more on what to eat and less on what not to eat. The program is also significantly less expensive and comes with numerous cookbooks. I think in general this program would be good for anybody who does not have to stick to an extremely restricted diet. Body by Eats does retain some of its fitness community roots – so don’t be put off by specific parts of the program which seem like they may not relate to you, such as a “bulking” diet for body builders. Most of this specialty stuff is not the bulk of the book.

The Exercise Option

I simply do not have the time to train at a gym. I also do not have the money or space for a super expensive home gym. Any exercise I do at home must be quick and nearly equipment free (except for some exercise bands and free weights.) The exercises must also be simple and not too challenging for someone who is somewhat prone to injury. Better yet, I am looking for a routine to provide some cardiovascular exercise when the weather is too poor to exercise outside (we get 6 months of solid rain sometimes.)

Right now this is the routine I am following:

Currently, I cannot continue on to the third circuit. Two is max for me. This takes around or slightly less than 20 minutes depending on how often I have to stop to catch my breath.

Here is the routine:

60 jumping jacks
10-15 spiderman (or regular) pushups
10-15 lunges (each leg)
20 spiderman climbs
45 second wall squat
60 second plank hold (do best you can)
5 burpees
25 running high knees

There are of course lots of other posted routines so you can find a workout to suit your preferences. You can find more information about Turbulence Training here.

Conclusion

The sense of accomplishment (and control over my body) that I achieved through these methods did a lot to repair the damage of years of pain and suffering. If you are in a similar place and the time is right, I really encourage you to see what you can do.

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Remedies for Migraines

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy can be useful for relieving pain, nausea, and increasing relaxation. Remember, aromatherapy oils are meant to be inhaled, not applied directly to the skin unless diluted with oil. Direct application is not recommended for pregnant women, otherwise many migraine sufferers like to apply an oil blend directly to the temples. You can use oils singly or in bends.

Commonly used oils include:

Lavender
Peppermint (also good for nausea)
Chamomile
Clary sage
Melissa
Jasmine
Rosemary

Acupuncture and Acupressure

Acupuncture is a Chinese technique of treating medical conditions or energy imbalances by inserting needles into acupuncture points which are connected to the body’s meridians (energy pathways.) It is thought that acupuncture can work to block sensations of pain and help release natural pain relieving hormones.

These days acupuncture is covered or partly covered by many insurance plans. This may be a course of treatment you wish to explore.

Acupressure is Chinese technique of applying pressure to certain points on the body for medicinal purposes. Acupressure can be self administered or applied by a professional.

Here is a resource maintained by the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture to help you find a practitioner near you: http://medicalacupuncture.org/findadoc/index.html

Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a non-medical process which is based on the premise that one can affect one’s body’s involuntary functions if one is made aware of them. In order to learn this technique, certain machines can be used which will tell you if you are successfully relaxing muscles or reducing stress. Once the technique is mastered the need for the actual machine is diminished. So, the whole idea of biofeedback is to learn how to relax and reduce tension, not that different from meditation or guided visualization.

The most commonly used biofeedback techniques are:

EMG (electromyogram) biofeedback –This technique uses an EMG machine which measures electrical activity in one’s muscles (electrical activity can indicate tension or a lack of.) You will then connect electrodes to the skin above muscles you believe to be tense like one’s forehead, jaw, etc. Then once the electrodes are connected you will concentrate on relaxing these muscles. The EMG machine will then indicate by turning on a light for each muscle group that is tense.
Temperature biofeedback will detect via sensor to one’s hands or feet signs of stress or anxiety. When one is stressed or upset the body will redirect blood to areas of the body. This redirection will cause a decrease in skin temperature. Like the EMG, this machine will indicate via light or sound if skin temperature changes.
Galvanic skin response – measures the water and salt in your sweat gland ducts. Changes can indicate stress.

Crystal Therapy

Some people believe that stones or crystals emit vibrations which can influence the state of one’s body or mind. The most common method of treatment is to be in physical contact or in close proximity to the stones. You will frequently hear of people wearing amethyst necklaces, resting the stone itself on the area of pain, or placing a large stone near the head of one’s bed.

Crystal’s recommended for headaches and migraines include:

Amethyst (Most commonly used.)
Cat’s-eye
Dioptase
Magnesite
Smokey quartz
Suglite

Medicine for Migraines

Medicine for Migraines: Abortive Medications

Abortive medications treat the root cause of a headache or migraine by constricting swollen blood vessels. This kind of medication can be good for people who experience fewer than four migraines per month. Abortive medications must be taken when the first symptoms of migraines are felt, if you wait too long the medicine will not work.

Caffeine: A simple abortive

Try drinking a cup of strong coffee or a non-diet soda such as Coca Cola when you feel a migraine coming on (be sure not to add artificial sweeteners.) Other options could include chocolate or chocolate covered espresso beans if chocolate is not a trigger for your migraines. Caffeine can also be found in certain over-the-counter pain killers such as Excedrin.

Triptans

The most common category of abortive drugs are those known as triptans: Imitrex (Sumatriptan), Zomig (Zolmitriptan), Naramig (Naratriptan), Maxalt (Rizatriptan), Axert (Almotriptan), Frova (Frovatriptan) and Relpax (Eletriptan.) Triptans are a great alternative to previous medications which were merely very strong pain killers.

What do you need to know about triptans?

Triptans work by forcibly constricting inflamed swollen blood vessels (and as such are not safe for those with uncontrolled high blood pressure, those at risk for heart disease or stroke, and any migraine sufferer who experiences hemiplegic or basilar type migraines, AND anyone taking SSRI antidepressants) by binding to serotonin receptors in the brain.
Triptans are not preventative medications; instead they end a migraine attack once it has started. Triptans must be taken in the early stage of a migraine to be effective.
Triptans are expensive. Your insurance company may limit the number of pills you are allowed per month. Your doctor can over-ride this limitation but you will probably need to fight our insurance company.
Triptans seem to be effective for 80% of migraine sufferers (if your condition is not successfully treated by triptans, this does NOT mean you do not have migraines.) Each type of triptan will bind to a different serotonin receptor in the brain – for this reason if one did not work there is argument to keep trying.
If overused triptans will cause rebound headaches.

Ergotamines

Ergotamines are an older abortive drug. Unlike triptans they can stop a full-blown migraine attack. DHE-45 is the most commonly prescribed ergotamine but it has known side effects such as nausea, confusion, and blood vessel spasms. DHE-45 also conflicts with MANY medications so be extra careful to check for complications and make sure your doctor knows all the medications you are taking.

Inhaled Medical Oxygen

Inhaled Medical Oxygen has shown to be effective for cluster headache sufferers and also migraine sufferers (although to a lesser degree.)

GelStat Migraine (OTC)

GelStat Migraine is an over-the-counter medication made of ginger and feverfew which is meant to be taken in the early stages of a migraine. GelStat will not work for everyone or even every time, but this may be an excellent option to try. http://www.gelstat.com/


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