Helpful Headache Hints

There are currently less than 500 certified headache specialists to serve the estimated 36 million migraine sufferers. It can be hard to find qualified help! Life-style education becomes particularly important to managing your symptoms in a disease without a cure. One particular area of importance is maintaining a healthy weight combined with the consideration of appropriate diet and exercise routines.  

In the past, a lot of time was spent discussing particular foods as triggers for migraine. Recent epidemiological data supports that red wine, processed meats with nitrites, other foods with nitrates, and possibly aged cheeses are migraine triggers. The data does not substantiate chocolate as a true migraine trigger. This is great news for all you chocolate lovers out there!

Increasing data suggests fasting or missing a meal is a more substantial migraine trigger than individual foods may be. While it is important to recognize if an individual food or drink triggers a migraine and remove it, broad diets that focus on elimination of multiple foods are not supported as being effective. Data over the past decade suggests those who focus on a low fat or high in omega-3 and low in omega-6 diet may have some benefit in reducing headache frequency if they suffer from migraine or chronic daily headache. The jury is still out on ketogenic diets (high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate) as the data has been variable on its effectiveness for reducing headache frequency.

Physical activity may be more important to focus on than your diet. Lack of physical activity and aerobic exercise has been demonstrated to be associated with a 21-50% increased risk of headache attacks in adults (HR 1.209; p<.01) and adolescent (OR 1.5; 95% CI: 1.0-2.2) migraines (Verrotti et al 2014). In addition, increasing data supports that aerobic activity (approximately 3 days/wk of 40 minutes of aerobic exercise to a light sweat or light short of breath) may be as effective as some pharmacological preventative agents in reducing headache frequency in those with migraine. It is always a good idea to talk with your doctor and nutritionist before you start an exercise or diet regimen.

Discover the newest medication and treatment discoveries for headache, as well as suggestions for how to manage triggers.

Obesity and Headache: Part I- A Systematic Review of the Epidemiology of Obesity and Headache.
Chai NC, Scher AI, Moghekar A, Bond DS, Peterlin BL

Obesity and Headache: Part II- Potential Mechanism and treatment Considerations.
Chai NC, Bond DS, Moghekar A, Scher AI, Peterlin BL

Obesity and Headache/Migraine: The Importance of Weight Reduction through Lifestyle Modifications.
Verrotti A, Di Fonzo A, Penta L, Agostinelli S, Parisi P