How is your nutrition? Do you have a bad nervous system?…
How do you know you have a headache or a migraine? – Well that is not one of our FAQs. Although migraines have similar symptoms to a headache, they are much more intense. Migraines have side effects like making you sensitive to light and heat or a great deal of pain and these as well as other symptoms last for up to days, maybe even weeks at a time.
It is not always easy to identify the cause of your migraines, but if you record symptoms and possible causes as they happen you can pick up on a pattern and discard whatever the trigger is for your migraines.
Did you know that what you eat could even be the cause? This is one of the triggers that many people over-look. Having a balanced diet helps but even if one of these foods triggers your migraines, the rest of your diet will not help you and you are in for a few days of discomfort. Some people even feel strong cravings for the foods that will trigger their migraines.
This normally happens about 48 hours before the migraine is likely to occur. So if you get a seemingly random, strong craving for one of the following foods, IT’S A TRICK! This is not a real craving. If you indulge into this craving, you are essentially feeding the symptoms and making them so much worse when your migraine does come. Consider it a warning and expect a migraine in the near future.
Here are some of the common foods that cause migraines:
- Caffeine
- Chocolate
- Red wine
- Processed meats
- Sweeteners
- Cheese
- Pork
- Seafood
- Onions
- Marmite
- Wheat
- Alcohol
- Citrus fruits and fruit juices
Our tips:
- Eat a well-balanced diet and if you are going to snack try to eat snacks that are healthier and avoid foods that you think are triggering your migraines
- Avoid very hot or cold drinks – migraines can also be caused by changes in weather – if you are weather sensitive and find migraines occur more in particularly hot or cold conditions, try to avoid them as much as possible or spend less time outside
- Migraines can be caused by being dehydrated or hungry – if you are going to exercise, which we recommend then make sure you drink plenty before and after to avoid dehydration and a migraine
Nutrition is a common cause as people don’t realise there is a relationship between the food they are eating and their migraines. Without knowing, they continue to eat whatever it is that is triggering it. There are many theories for why we get migraines, which is why it isn’t always clear…It is possible that food is a contributor but perhaps not the main cause. Anything from stress to sensory stimuli can trigger a migraine.
Other than Nutrition, restricted joints and tight muscles are very common. In this case, there will be pressure on the back of the skull which is the cause for the pain. To relieve this type of pain, we would suggest a few stages of spinal adjustments to the neck so that the inflammation would be reduced and then there will be less tension on your skull, and therefore less pain for you. Alongside this we would introduce soft tissue therapy that will relax your joints and muscles. These treatments are not a one-time-fix and can take weeks.
