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Migraines

Natural Help for Migraines

by Linda Woolven and Ted Snider | January 11, 2023

Migraine headaches are the third most common illness in the world, affecting 12 percent to 22 percent of Americans and at least 8.3 percent of Canadians. Ninety-one percent of them can’t function normally during their attacks and frequently miss work.

Nutrient Deficiencies

Many young people who suffer from migraines are deficient in certain nutrients. 42 percent of kids with migraines are low in B2, 71 percent are low in CoQ10 and 91 percent are low in vitamin D. Females are most likely to have a CoQ10 deficiency; males are more likely to be deficient in vitamin D (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center June 10, 2016).

5-HTP, SAMe & Melatonin: Raising Serotonin

Low serotonin is an important cause of migraine. 5-HTP increases serotonin. In double-blind research, 400 mg of 5-HTP a day reduced the frequency, severity and duration of migraines in 90 percent of people (Clin J Pain 1986;3:123-29). 600 mg of 5-HTP a day proved just as effective as the migraine drug methysergide. But while 12.5 percent of people on the drug dropped out of the study because of side effects, none of the 5-HTP group did (Eur Neurol 1986;25:327-29). 5-HTP was especially effective for intensity and duration. The same impressive results have been achieved using only 200 mg of 5-HTP (Pharmacol Res Commun 1972;5:213-18; Headache 1973;13:19-22).

SAMe

Another serotonin increasing nutrient, SAMe reduces symptoms of migraine when used long term (Int J Clin Pharmacol Res 1986;6:15-17). And an important double-blind study gave 25 mg amitriptyline, 3 mg melatonin or placebo to people who experience two to eight migraines a month. Melatonin reduced the number of headache days by 2.7 versus 2.2 for amitriptyline and 1.1 for placebo. More people responded to melatonin than to amitriptyline. People on amitryptiline had significant weight gain; people on melatonin lost weight (J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2016;87:1127–1132).

Feverfew

Important migraine herb feverfew reduces the number and severity of migraines as well as nausea and vomiting (Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985;291:569-73; Lancet 1988;2:189-92; Cephalagia 2005;25:1031-41). It also helps with sensitivity to light and noise (Phytother Res 1997;11:508-11). When people were given a sublingual combination of feverfew and ginger or a placebo, 32 percent of the herb group were pain free two hours later compared to only 16 percent of the placebo group. Sixty-four percent of the feverfew/ginger group had no pain or only mild pain compared to 39 percent of the placebo group (Headache 2011;51:1078-86). Feverfew should be taken preventively daily.

Ginger: Advantage Over Drugs

In a double-blind study, people who suffer migraine without aura were given the drug sumatriptan or a low 250 mg dose of ginger upon onset of a migraine for one month while continuing their previous treatment. The drug and herb were similarly effective at reducing frequency of headaches. Both groups had a significant reduction in severity: 4.7 units in the drug group; 4.6 in the herb group. After two hours, 44 percent of both were headache free and 70 percent of the drug group and 64 percent of the ginger group had a 90 percent reduction in pain. 88 percent on ginger and 86 percent on the drug reported high satisfaction with their treatment. There were significantly more adverse events on the drug (Phytother Res 2014;28:412-5).

A systematic review of ginger research found that ginger beat placebo for migraine in one study and was as good as, but safer than, drugs in another (Nutrients 2020;12(1): 157).

Butterbur: Helping Adults & Kids

Butterbur works as well as drugs while being safer. Double-blind studies show that butterbur reduces frequency, severity, number of days suffered as well as the nausea and vomiting of migraine (Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 2000;38:430-35; Neurology 2002;58:A472; Eur Neurol 2004;51:89-97; Neurology 2004;63:2240-44). Butterbur reduces migraine frequency by 48 percent versus a significantly inferior 26 percent on placebo. 68 percent of the butterbur group responded versus 49 percent in the placebo group: also a significant difference (Ann NY Acad Sci 2009;1155:278-83).

Butterbur also helps kids, which is important, since kids are especially difficult to treat. Migraine frequency was reduced by 63 percent with 77 percent of the kids reducing their migraine frequency by at least 50 percent (Headache 2005;45:196-203).

Coenzyme Q10: Less Headaches

CoQ10 helps 95 percent of migraine sufferers. When people take 150 mg of CoQ10, 61.3 percent reduce their headache days by more than 50 percent and migraine frequency goes down by 55.3 percent (Cephalagia 2002;22:137-41). In a double-blind study, 100mg of CoQ10 taken three times a day reduced frequency of headaches and nausea significantly better than placebo. 47.6 percent on CoQ10 had at least 50 percent fewer attacks compared to 14.4 percent of those taking placebo (Neurology 2005;64:713- 15). A meta-analysis of four studies found that CoQ10 reduces frequency of attacks by a significant 1.87 attacks a month (Nutr Neurosci 2019 6:1-8).

Other recent studies have shown that CoQ10 can reduce, not only the frequency, but the severity and duration of migraine headaches in adults (J Headache Pain. 2015;16:A186; Nutr Neurosci. 2019;22:607–15). An eight week double-blind study found that a combo of curcumin and CoQ10 significantly improved frequency, severity and duration of migraine (Nutr Neurosci. 2021 Apr;24(4):317-326).

CoQ10 & Kids

Migraine is the most common type of headache in children. 10 percent of kids between 5 and 15 suffer from migraines. An early study found that giving CoQ10 to kids who are deficient in CoQ10 reduced the frequency of migraines (Headache. 2007;47:73–80).

An important new study compared CoQ10 to amitriptyline and looked at, not just frequency, but duration and severity of headaches. It included 72 children between the ages of 5 and 15 who suffered from migraines. The dose of CoQ10 was 30 mg for children under 30 kg and 60 mg for children over 30 kg. The kids were all followed for three months.

For each of frequency, duration and severity, both treatments led to significant improvement. In each case, the amitriptyline worked faster, but, in each case, in the second and third months the two treatments were equally effective, meaning that CoQ10 is equally as effective as amitriptyline for the long-term control of migraines in children.

CoQ10 was also equally effective at improving quality of life.

So, CoQ10 and amitriptyline are equally effective at long term management of migraine in children. Amitriptyline has the advantage of working a little faster. But CoQ10 has the important advantage of being safer. The use of amitriptyline in kids is limited by its side effects, including drowsiness, dry mouth, constipation, increased appetite and arrhythmia. In this study, there were “more unwanted effects” in the amitriptyline group, which is in line with the general safety of CoQ10.

The researchers conclude their study by saying that CoQ10 has “comparable therapeutic effects” and “fewer side effects” than amitriptyline, making it a good choice for prevention of migraine headaches (Adv Biomed Res. 2022; 11: 43).

Magnesium

Double-blind research shows that 600mg of magnesium a day reduces headache frequency by 41.6 percent compared to 15.8 percent on placebo (Cephalagia 1996;16:257-63). 360 mg a day has been shown to reduce the number of days of premenstrual migraine (Headache 1991;31:298-301). Like CoQ10 and butterbur, magnesium helps kids, reducing frequency and severity of headaches (Headache 2003;43:601- 10). A double-blind study found that magnesium significantly reduces headache frequency, though not significantly better than placebo. Compared to placebo, the magnesium led to significantly lower severity (Eur J Endocrinol 2009;160(4):611-7).

Vitamin B2

Two studies have used a large dose of 400 mg of B2. One found a 2/3 reduction in frequency and severity (Cephalalgia 1994;14:328-29); the other found frequency of headaches cut in half in 59 percent of people versus only 15 percent on placebo (Neurology 1998;50:466- 70). For such a large dose to be effective, B2 may need to be taken in several small doses throughout the day. But a third study found that much smaller doses may do the trick. The preliminary study found only 25 mg a day reduces the frequency of headaches by a third in chronic migraine sufferers (Headache 2004;44:885-90).

Homocysteine & the Other B Vitamins

Homocysteine has been linked to migraine. When migraine sufferers took 2 mg of folic acid, 25 mg of B6 and 400 mcg of B12 for six months in a double-blind study, homocysteine went down by 39 percent and headache frequency and severity were significantly reduced (Pharmacogenet Genomics. 2009 Jun;19(6):422-8).

Teaming Up: Omega-3 & Curcumin

A placebo-controlled study found that an omega-3 EFA/curcumin combo significantly reduces the frequency, severity and duration of migraine headaches (Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets 2019 ;19(6):874-884). Pine Bark: Frequency, Pain & Free Radicals

An interesting study found that 150 mg of pine bark extract significantly reduces the number of migraines, pain scores and working incapacity. An interesting discovery was that all the migraine sufferers had high levels of free radicals that went down significantly on the pine bark (Panminerva Med 2020;62(2):102-108).

In the first study of cinnamon and migraine, 600 mg of cinnamon after each meal significantly reduced migraine frequency, duration and severity versus placebo (Phtother Res November 2020;34(11):2945-2952). VR

Side-bar start*

Cinnamon

Asystematic review (Phytother Res 2020;34(10):2493-2517) looked at 19 studies of migraine. It found:

• Most studied herb: ferverfew (6/7 studies found benefit)
• Most impressive herb: butterbur (3/3 double-blind studies found benefit)
• Most surprising herb: adding coriander syrup to drugs significantly reduces severity, duration and frequency
• Adding curcumin or curcumin plus CoQ10 to drugs helps
• Peppermint, chamomile and lavender essential oils all help

Side-bar end*

Linda Woolven is a master herbalist, acupuncturist and solution-focused counsellor with a virtual practice in Toronto, ON, Canada. Woolven and Ted Snider are the authors of several books on natural health. You can see their books at www.thenaturalpathnewsletter.com. They are also the authors of the natural health newsletter The Natural Path. The Natural Path is a natural health newsletter specifically designed to help health food stores increase their sales by educating their customers. The Natural Path contains no advertising and never mentions a brand name. For more information about supplying The Natural Path Newsletter to your customers, contact Snider at tedsnider@bell.net or (416) 782-8211.

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