Migraine Triggers

[Lori Anne]

5 Common Migraine Triggers and How to Avoid Them
Friday, January 22nd, 2010 | Author: admin

If you are a long time migraine sufferer, you may have consulted an Ottawa wellness physician to determine what triggers your migraine and the best ways to avoid them.  But for the person who suffers from migraines on an infrequent basis, it can be much more difficult to figure out what sends us into those sudden attacks of misery.

Oftentimes a full blown migraine can be avoided if we can nip it in the bud.  But in order to do so, we have to have some sense of what causes it in the first place. There are a number of very common things that can trigger migraines in susceptible people.  If you have migraines even occasionally, here is a short synopsis of 5 of the most common migraine triggers:

Food
It is believed by many migraine sufferers that foods containing tyramine are some of the worst migraine triggers.  This chemical is found in many foods that are aged or preserved such as cheese, processed meats and wine. It can also form in leftovers that have been stored in the fridge for several days. Tyramine causes blood vessels to dilate and this action could be what sets the migraine process in motion.   Another suspected ingredient that seems to play a significant role is MSG, a preservative common in processed foods.

Weather
For a long time, researchers have identified barometric pressure as a cause for headaches, and it has more recently also been indicated as a cause for migraines as well. The theory behind this is based on the fact that changes in outside pressure result in changes in oxygen to the brain, which may in turn cause blood vessels to dilate in order to compensate for this.  Weather headache triggers have become significant enough that web sites such as weather.com even have an aches and pains forecast!

Hormones
Any situation that involves hormonal changes such as pregnancy, puberty, menopause or hormone therapy is considered a definite migraine trigger.  Many women find that menstrual cycles and the starting and stopping of oral contraceptives to be their most significant trigger of all.  Studies indicate that there is a definite connection between serotonin, our brain’s “feel good” hormone, and estrogen.  When estrogen drops, so does serotonin, possibly resulting in a migraine.

Environment
For some whose migraines can’t be directly related to triggers from food, the weather or hormones, it is often much more difficult to determine the source.  If you are having difficulty identifying your migraine triggers, it might be wise to look to an environmental source such as air pollutants, cigarette smoke, perfumes and air fresheners or perhaps even the paint or wood finishes in and around your home.

Stress
Stress as a trigger for migraines is the one element that really hasn’t yet been positively documented. It is more the way a person deals with stress that actually becomes the trigger.  For example, someone who grinds their teeth may find that doing so can trigger the onset of a headache.

[Lori Anne]

Foods
Foods high in tyramine are believed to be among the worst migraine triggers. This would include things such as aged cheese and deli meats. There are many foods that could trigger migraine. Caffeine, chocolate, bananas, MSG (found in things such as canned stews, soya sauce, and powdered soups), and citrus fruits. Visit our page on diet and migraine for more on dietary migraine triggers.



So what foods contain tyramine?
Food with tyramine is generally preserved or aged. For this reason, you should be very wary of leftovers that have been in the refrigerator for more than 24-48 hours. The more “aged” foods become, the worse the trigger may be.

Some examples of dangerously high levels are:
soy sauce (0.941 mg/ml), sauerkraut (3.1 mg/100 g), salami (0-125mg/100g)

Dr Seymour Diamond, director of the Diamond Headache Clinic, has developed a low-tyramine headache diet. You can find the details in his book, Conquering Your Migraine, but here's a list of the worst offenders from his book and my own research, broken down into categories:

Meat, fish, poultry and eggs
Anything aged, dried, fermented, salted, smoked or pickled. Watch out especially for pepperoni, salami and liverwurst.
Dairy
Aged cheese. If you get migraines, the best cheese for you is farmers cheese, cottage cheese and cream cheese.
Vegetables
Fava or broad beans, sauerkraut, pickles, olives. Any fermented soy products (ie miso, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce).
Nuts and seeds
All nuts.
Beverages
All alcoholic and fermented beverages
Desserts/sweets:
mincemeat pie
Other
MSG and related chemicals (see our page about MSG for details) Marmite and products containing marmite.


If this list reads like your shopping list, don't be surprised. For some reason those of us with migraines often crave foods that do us the most harm. If you're having a craving, don't go all out. If you must, eat a small amount, and follow up with something more head-friendly.
To summarize
Eat it fresh, and cut down on the prepared foods. Yes, it does take a bit of work and planning, but it does get easier as time goes by. And not only will it help with the migraine situation, you may just find yourself with more energy, strength, endurance and less stress! Think it might be worth a try?

[lavender orchid]

if someone wants to get to the root of a "problem", check on faulty perceptions in the do-it-yourself programming, imho.

http://www.whatismtt.com/

 

[Lori Anne]

if someone wants to get to the root of a "problem", check on faulty perceptions in the do-it-yourself programming, imho.

http://www.whatismtt.com/

 

Thanks for the link lavender!  Tapping is some good stuff for healing.  Why didn't I think of that for migraines? 

[lavender orchid]

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/headachemigraine/a/HomeopathyMigra.htm

Lori-Anne:

today i believe migraine-prone people should be able to afford themselves a good look into alternative living conditions altogether. i know this sounds revolutionary, and can seem coming too late for those needing it most. imho.

[Lori Anne]

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/headachemigraine/a/HomeopathyMigra.htm

Lori-Anne:

today i believe migraine-prone people should be able to afford themselves a good look into alternative living conditions altogether. i know this sounds revolutionary, and can seem coming too late for those needing it most. imho.

Yes, alternative living conditions would be so awesome.   I could see myself in a forest, surrounded by trees and a quietly moving river, lots of birds and wild grasses.

Is that what you mean?

[equinox]

First of all, need to clarify that I haven't had a full-blown migraine since I was 18:: prior to that, I had had several.   Since then, I get the prodromal syndrome, with the nonexisting peripheral vision and visual "aura" (resembling lightbulb filaments). I could look at someone's face and not see their nose and parts of their left cheek.   This lasts about 1/2 hour, and then - no pain. No pain since I was 18.  But the next day, when I wake up, I have a terrible 'hangover'-type feeling

This usually only happens 2 or 3 times a year, and the trigger each time has been exposure to indirect, bright light -- e.g., a very sunny day, an overhead lamp, the refrigerator light, the glare bouncing off some car.

I think what happened to cut off the pain-portion all goes back to the last one I had when I was 18. That one was so horrendous, complete with a trip to the ER and the whole nine yards, that some sort of biofeedback process kicked in intuitively for me. I don't really want ti look the gift-horse-in-the-mouth as to how I've dodged the pain.

But I do do the "tricks" which people do, pre-pain:  I decrease the temperature, either by a cold rag on the head, or sitting in front of a fan -- or sitting on a cold linoleum floor, even!   I reduce the light, and I hum, a low note, like a chant, quietly...