• Occurs 3 times more commonly in women than men

• Usually begins in teenage years

• Has 5 main causes

and the answer is .......MIGRAINES!

Here’s some simple info that may help you reduce or avoid migraines……

TYPES

• Common - severe headache, nausea/vomiting, photophobia (dislike of light), sound sensitivity, fatigue, possible numbness on one side of the body

• Classic - possibly no headache, visual changes (partial loss of vision, flashing or shimmering lights or colours), followed by fatigue

5 MAIN CAUSES

• Dehydration

• Hunger/low blood sugar

• Magnesium Deficiency

• Food intolerance

• Hormonal Imbalances

WARNING SIGNS FOR MEDICAL INVESTIGATION

• A new type of headache

• Headaches becoming more often, more severe & lasting longer

• Waking up with headaches

• Vision changes, or nervous system (numbness, stumbling, clumsiness, personality change)

HOW TO TREAT

Drink more water!

Fluid intake should be;

• Adult female – 2.1 litres/day Adult male – 2.5 litres/day

While all types of fluid are included in government recommendations, I recommend that as much of this fluid intake as possible should be water, preferably filtered

Eat regularly!

Small snacks (“grazing”) throughout the day & avoiding missed meals is the way to go

Take a good Magnesium supplement!

Other signs of magnesium deficiency can include;

• Muscle tension/cramps

• Irritability or anxiety

Find out food intolerances & minimize intake, or treat the body so foods can be tolerated

Most common food intolerances include;

• Amines – in chocolate, cured meats, cheeses, flavoured chips/snacks, some takeaway foods and ……leftover dinners! As foods age, more amines develop, increasing the flavour – (that’s why cooked meals often taste better the next day)!

• Salicylates – in citrus fruits, berries, stone fruits, tomato products, tea, honey, almonds and many other foods

• Dairy products – removal of dairy products may resolve migraines in many cases

Hormonal imbalances

If you’re a woman, and migraines occur at that time of the month, natural supplements may completely resolve your migraines. Adjustment of hormones, along with magnesium and vitamin B6 is usually very effective for this migraine cause.

There are a number of other migraine causes and treatments to suit. As a rule, I view migraines and other symptoms as friends, letting you know something is wrong with the body. Instead of suppressing symptoms with the usual pain relievers, we can use them to find out what’s wrong, and then fix the underlying problem to stop migraines from happening. For further information that’s accurate for your migraines, talk to your Naturopath! And for those with warning signs as mentioned above, check it out with your GP.

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