Headache cure may be as simple as controlling diet
carolSIMONTACCHI csimontacchi@earthlink.net
Good health can sometimes take good detective work, especially when it comes to headaches, because headaches can be caused by so many factors. Hypothyroidism, food sensitivities, TMJ (please do not ask me to spell it out), spinal misalignment, stress, nutrient deficiencies are just a few of the possible causes.

Since my primary training and interest is nutrition, I naturally look at nutrition first. Fixing the diet and possible nutrient deficiencies may be the most cost effective way to approach the problem, since we could all eat a little better.

There may be a connection between migraine headaches and magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is an essential mineral, used in hundreds of enzymes throughout the body and is particularly helpful in helping to regulate nerve transmission and muscle contractibility. In the journal Cephalgia, a study involving 90 headache patients were compared to 40 patients without headaches. Patients with both migraine and tension headaches had lower salivary and serum magnesium levels than age-matched controls. In addition, serum magnesium tended to be even lower during migraine attacks.

According to other studies, CoQ10 deficiency is common in headache patients. Approximately 75 percent of the subjects in one study group were found to have a deficiency in CoQ10, and almost one-half had levels below the reference level.

The essential fatty acid, phosphatidyl choline is useful for treating headaches. People with morning headaches that often get better during the day often respond to thyroid support (iodine and tyrosine are excellent in this department). Many headache sufferers will respond positively to supplementation with B complex vitamins.

Detoxification is often helpful for many conditions, including headaches. But be careful how you do it, because if you do not support the body's natural detox pathways, you can actually harm yourself.

According to a study published in Neurology, limiting gluten (a protein found in wheat, oats, barley, rye, and spelt) could reduce symptoms of severe headaches.

I always have interesting personal anecdotes about food sensitivities and symptoms. As my doctor told me once, "You have the weirdest responses to food I have ever seen."

For example, "My $2000 Bowl of Oatmeal" was a fairly astounding tale of food allergy and severe chest pain.

I recently started having moderate pain down the left side of my neck and in the trapezius muscle. It was not severe enough to take analgesics but I noticed an ominous bulging of the skin by my collarbone when I felt the worst. Not to bore you with the details but I learned, serendipitously, that eating chocolate caused the pain. Stopped eating chocolate and the pain disappeared. Sorry, chocolate lovers, but that is a true story. Sensitivities are a common cause of all sorts of pain, including headaches. What food do you love most dearly? Bingo.

Carol Simontacchi is the owner of the Island Nutrition Center on Sanibel. She can be reached at 472-4499 or on the Web at www.islandnutritioncenter.metaehealth. com. ¦