Treating migraines with nutrients: A focus on Eastern medicine

By Trupti Gokani, MD
Migraine is more common than asthma and diabetes combined, with 36 million sufferers in the United States. Moderate to severe episodes of pain are often associated with nausea and sensitivities to light, sound, or smell. While medications are available, many seek other approaches, such as natural supplements, herbals, or homeopathy in the hope of avoiding stronger medications.
As pain practitioners, we must learn integrative approaches so we can advise our patients on the best options for their headache. In my practice, I find the science of Ayurveda, which is 5,000 years old, to be a unique framework that allows me to offer a more systematic, non-pharmaceutical approach to treat pain.
There is a general list of items that all sufferers of migraines should avoid because they can increase the chances of experiencing symptoms. One of these is tyramine, an amino acid found in aged and fermented foods, such as aged cheeses, alcohol, processed meats, canned, or pickled foods, citrus fruits, soy products, and even chocolate. Alcohol is especially harmful to migraine sufferers because it expands blood vessels and increases liver toxicity. Once blood vessels expand, headaches occur, usually within an hour of drinking alcohol.
Additionally, ingredients in packaged foods often cause headaches. Food additive such as nitrates, food coloring, or MSG (monosodium glutamate) should be avoided as much as possible because they can cause pain on the front or side of the head that is different from migraine symptoms. Similarly, cold foods such as ice cream lead to “brainfreeze” headaches, the sharp pain in the middle of the forehead that lasts for a few minutes after eating. For some, this can be the start of a migraine that may last up to several hours.
Caffeine can also cause headaches or migraines and should be avoided by patients with chronic headaches to avoid rebound headaches. While caffeine will relieve headache pain for a short time, patients develop a tolerance and withdrawal causes pain starting behind the eyes and moving toward the front of the head. Caffeine can also negatively affect the adrenal glands, interfering with production of a variety of hormones essential to the body’s harmony.
Lastly, dairy products, specifically milk, yogurt, sour cream, and cottage cheese, can cause headaches because of their pro-inflammatory effects. People with dairy allergies to dairy will likely become congested and obtain a pressure headache in their frontal area because of the histamine produced during an allergic reaction.
And there are a variety of nutrients beneficial to all dosha types that are well recognized to help headache sufferers, including omega-3 fatty acids and folic acid, as just two examples (see sidebar)
By combining traditional western approaches of medications and injectables with a systems-based model of Ayurveda, we can offer migraineurs another model to help them understand and treat their head pain condition. Using the concept of the dosha, one can understand how migraine patients have become misaligned and take steps to create a more balanced physiology. Utilizing foods and nutrients, this can be done in conjunction with medications to create an optimal mind and body.
Trupti Gokani, MD, is an award-winning, board-certified neurologist best known for her innovative and integrative approach to treating headache pain. She is the founder of the North Shore Headache Clinic and the Zira Mind and Body Center in Chicago, and the author of "The Mysterious Mind: How to Use Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science to Heal Your Headaches and Reclaim Your Health."