Migraine disease is a debilitating condition, impacting millions of people worldwide. While triggers vary from person to person, a common trigger is food and diet. In this blog post, we've drawn insights from Dr. David Buchholz's book, "Heal Your Headache," to emphasize the importance of healthy eating and avoiding triggers in managing migraines effectively.
Understanding Migraine Triggers
Migraine triggers can vary significantly among individuals, and food triggers are no exception. While certain foods are commonly associated with migraines, it's important to recognize that triggers can differ from person to person. This variability highlights the importance of understanding your own triggers through self-awareness and observation.
Let's explore some food triggers, including the less common ones like bananas, raspberries, avocados, onions, and citrus fruits. These foods contain compounds that can potentially trigger migraines in susceptible individuals. For example, bananas, raspberries, avocados, onions and citrus fruits all contain tyramine, which is believed to be a big trigger for most who suffer from migraine. Additionally, dried fruits that contain sulfites are also likely triggers.
Threshold and Trigger Load
Understanding the concepts of your threshold and your trigger load is essential in comprehending why certain individuals can eat foods that are common triggers, and still not trigger a migraine attack. Migraine attacks are triggered when your trigger load reaches your threshold. The relationship between your trigger load and threshold is important to understand.
Every individual has a different threshold, which can drive the frequency of migraine attacks. Those with a lower threshold are more likely to experience migraines more frequently because less is required to reach the threshold. On the other hand, individuals with a higher threshold may be able to tolerate certain triggers without exceeding their threshold, thus experiencing less frequent attacks.
This variability in thresholds explains why some people can consume trigger foods like chocolate without an immediate migraine attack. For individuals with a higher threshold, consuming trigger foods may not reach the threshold level necessary to trigger a migraine. However, it's important to note that trigger loads can accumulate over time, potentially leading to a migraine attack after encountering just a small trigger. Similar to the concept of "the straw that broke the camels back."
Dr. David Buchholz and the Elimination Diet
Dr. David Buchholz, a renowned neurologist at Johns Hopkins University, has extensively studied the impact of food triggers on migraine with his patients over the last 3 decades. In his book, "Heal Your Headache," he introduces the concept of an elimination diet as a means to identify food triggers for migraine.
The elimination diet involves removing potential trigger foods from your diet for a period of time and then systematically reintroducing them to observe any migraine reactions. By carefully tracking the results, you can identify specific trigger foods and their impact on your migraines. But remember, the challenge is that everyone has a different threshold, so it's not easy to always correlate foods with migraine attacks.
Dr. Buchholz emphasizes the significance of healthy eating and avoiding triggers as part of an overall migraine management strategy. While the elimination diet can be a helpful tool, it's important to consult with a healthcare professional to ensure proper guidance and support during the process.
Healthy Ways to Alleviate Migraines
While managing migraines involves various factors, including lifestyle, stress management, and medication, making dietary adjustments can play a significant role in reducing migraine frequency. Adopting a healthy eating approach and avoiding known triggers can alleviate some of the burden of migraines.
Here are some tips for incorporating healthy habits into your migraine management:
- Maintain a balanced diet: Opt for whole foods, lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Stay hydrated and limit processed foods. Avoid anything artificial, preserved, and aged.
- Identify trigger foods: Keep a migraine diary to track your food intake and associated symptoms. This will help you pinpoint specific trigger foods unique to your condition. The most common foods include caffeine, nuts, chocolate, MSG, nitrates and cured meats, aged cheeses and diary, red wine, vinegar, citrus fruits, bananas, fresh yeast-risen baked goods, artificial sweeteners, and soy products.
- Practice moderation: Even if you identify trigger foods, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to eliminate them entirely. Sometimes, consuming small portions or moderating the frequency can reduce the risk of triggering a migraine.
- Consider a food diary: Apart from tracking triggers, maintaining a detailed food diary can help identify patterns and potential correlations between certain foods and migraine attacks.
Understanding the relationship between migraine and food triggers empowers individuals to take proactive steps towards managing their condition effectively. While each person's threshold and trigger load may differ, adopting a healthy eating approach and avoiding known triggers can contribute to mitigating migraine frequency. Dr. David Buchholz's book, "Heal Your Headache," provides valuable insights into the impact of an elimination diet in identifying trigger foods. By making informed choices and seeking guidance from healthcare professionals, individuals can navigate the complexities of diet and migraines on their path towards better migraine management.
Remember, migraine management is a personalized journey, and it's essential to find what works best for you. By incorporating healthy habits and understanding your triggers, you can take control of your migraines and improve your overall well-being
.
