A: Headaches are a very common problem for human beings. Studies have estimated that about ninety per cent of men and ninety-five per cent of women have at least one unprovoked headache each year. Over 20 million Americans have moderate to severe migraines that cause some incapacitation one to several times per month. Migraine headaches are distinguished from the more common tension-type headache by their throbbing component often associated with nausea and visual disturbances. Despite their prevalence, the cause of migraines is not well understood. People with migraines have an increased sensitivity to a wide range of stimuli from certain foods to noise to bright lights. A center in the nervous system deep in the brainstem seems to lose its equilibrium triggering the pain and blood vessel changes.

Every person has a favored physiological system that expresses the accumulation of stresses and imbalances. For some, it may be the digestive system; for others the immune system. For people with migraines, their nervous systems are vulnerable. You can use your headache as a “canary in the mine shaft.” Ask yourself, “What aspects of my life need some attention?” and make the necessary shifts. Look at your sleeping patterns, look at your diet, look at your work environment, and look at your core relationships. Make the commitment to eliminate what is not nourishing you and bring in more of what will. If you are not already meditating, learn to quiet your mind and settle your body, to raise your threshold of reactivity to stressful events in your life. Be certain to get enough rest and try to stay on a regular daily routine (early to bed, early to rise) even on the weekends.

For about one-quarter of migraine patients, foods can provoke a headache. The most common foods that have been associated with migraines include alcohol, aged cheeses, chocolate, cured meats, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and caffeine. A common cause of migraines is due to caffeine withdrawal in someone who drinks coffee daily and then goes for a day without the caffeine dose.

Herbal medicines may offer some benefit. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) was traditionally used to help normalize menstruation and facilitate childbirth. In two separate studies published in the mid 1980’s patients who took feverfew on a daily basis had significantly fewer headaches than those taking a placebo control. Butterbur (Petasites hybridus), an herb native to Europe and Asia, has been shown in a recent study to reduce the frequency of migraine headaches by more than two-thirds. The Ayurvedic herbs, Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) have been used traditionally to balance the nervous system. They have been shown to reduce reactivity to stressful events and may raise your threshold to trigger a life disturbing headache.

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