The Natural Connection

Everyone has a major headache at one time or other. They tend to come when it is most inconvenient and almost always cost a lot of money. The major headaches in my life usually involve mechanical things that I don’t understand, like carburetors and fuel pumps, air conditioning units, or septic tanks. Major headaches also almost always occur on holidays, when all the mechanics I know go fishing. 

Often major headaches are preceded by premonitory sounds. The auspicious sound of KA-CHUNK! suddenly originating from a metal object with moving parts is universally understood as an early warning sign of a major headache about to happen. In my experience, the more difficult it is for me to describe the sound, the more expensive it is for someone else to fix it, 

About 11% of the population suffers from major headaches of a physical sort, called classic migraine. Migraine headaches are often described as a throbbing, recurring headache, typically affecting only one side of the head. The patient usually has an aura, or a premonition 10-30 minutes preceding the headache. Hearing or visual disturbances, numbness, weakness, irritability, or tingling sensations are common. Because of the unusual symptoms, the patient may even seek medical attention, thinking that they are having a stroke. 

During a migraine headache, blood vessels to the brain and scalp constrict and then dilate. This results in an irritation of surrounding nerves, and the patient has the sensation that their head is pounding and pulsating with pain. 

Physical headaches, like mechanical ones, seem to increase during the holidays for a number of reasons. Stress, excessive sun exposure, sensitivity to certain foods, altered sleep patterns, and alcohol consumption can trigger migraine headaches in susceptible individuals. For some reason, many of my patients experience more migraines on weekends, after the stress of a busy work week. 

Once initiated, the pain of migraine headaches can persist for hours, or even days if not treated. The patient is frequently nauseated, dizzy, and unable to tolerate light or noise. Sometimes the pain is so intense that the patient needs to seek treatment in an emergency room, which can be a costly major headache in itself. 

There is no single simple drug of choice for the treatment of classic migraine. Over the past few years emphasis has been placed on helping patients prevent the occurrence of the headache, or at least diminish the intensity and duration so that the patient’s life and occupation are not severely disrupted. 

Just as the specific symptoms of a migraine can be unique to an given individual, treatment also needs to be tailored to each patient. For many patients, a combination approach of prescription medication for pain relief, and a variety of complementary and alternative therapies for prevention seem to be the answer. 

In December 2000, the American Academy of Neurology published guidelines for the use of medications for the prevention of migraine headaches. In addition to the commonly used prescription medications, the new guidelines include the use of feverfew, a medicinal plant, as well as various nutritional supplements such as magnesium supplements, and riboflavin (Vitamin B2). 

Feverfew in the dose of 300 mg of .2% standardized extracts twice a day reduced the incidence of migraines up to 70% in some studies. In Great Britain, feverfew leaves are often chewed for migraine relief, but mouth ulcers are common when the fresh leaves are eaten. This herb can sometimes alter women’s menstrual cycles, and cannot be used by pregnant or breast-feeding patients, or children. 

High dose Vitamin B2 (400 mg/day) has been shown to reduce migraine frequency by two-thirds. Migraine sufferers are often magnesium deficient, and supplements may be helpful in these patients. Omega-3 fatty acids are also increasingly recommended for patients with migraine. 

Many patients with migraine also respond well to chiropractic treatments, massage therapy, and acupuncture. Aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, water aerobics, and low impact aerobics are other options to help reduce the frequency of migraines. 

For more information about alternative and complementary therapies for the treatment of migraine headaches, please write to The Natural Connection, c/o Pauline Bellecci, MD, PO Box 777, Waycross, GA 31502 or contact us on our web site www.swampdocs.com

©2000-2003 Pauline M. Bellecci, MD