Did you know that nearly 1 in 4 U.S. households include someone with migraine pain?
That’s equal to 36 million men, women, AND children in the United States.
If you are one of these people, you have seen and heard it all when it comes to how to get rid of a migraine. I had a close friend who suffered from extremely debilitating migraines. One day I walked into her house to find her lying flat on the floor in a dark room with potato slices wrapped around her head! Needless to say it didn’t help…
Because I work with the public I have had to tackle this beast named “Migraine” on a number of occasions. When working with people it’s pretty common to either immediately relieve some of the pain as well as take it away fully by using a few simple movement techniques or dietary adjustments.
The 2 things I have personally seen to help people is feeding your body with nutrient rich foods to support thyroid and metabolic function in addition to some focused mobility sessions.
When it comes to nutrition the first thing you will want to do is increase your daily sugar intake and minimize polyunsaturated fats in your diet.
Why will adding sugar to your diet help you? Let me explain…
First, I’m talking about sugar found naturally in foods (with the exception of table sugar which I’ll talk about) that contain fructose, glucose, lactose, and sucrose. Such as organic fruits, organic root vegetables like potatoes and carrots, organic dairy, some pulp-free fruit juices, raw organic honey, and even refined white sugar. Starchy foods like breads, pasta and grain tend to cause issues so stay away from them. White refined sugar isn’t an optimal source of sugar, but it isn’t the demon everyone would like you to believe it to be either!
When the body is under stress the demand for glucose increases, if glucose is low in the blood the body will release adrenaline from the adrenal glands to convert glycogen, to provide additional glucose. The issue with this is, is that adrenaline will mobilize free fatty acids to use as fuel. Free fatty acids disturb the production, transport, and signaling of thyroid hormones. Also, when glucose is in short supply, more cortisol is produced to provide glucose. It does this by the breakdown of structure of muscles and the Thymus Gland in order for glucose dependent systems get what they need. When these stress hormones are released in the body it happens at a “sympathetic state.” In this state your body creates extra tension especially in the neck and shoulders.
Where to get the sugar:
Here’s our hierarch of sugar listed Optimal to Least Optimal but acceptable none the less…
- WHOLE FRUIT – FruitsMelons, oranges, cherries, grapes, cooked apples, fruit juices, honey, as well as adding white sugar to your coffee or milk.
- FRUIT JUICES – orange juice, grape, apple, lemon aid, etc. These are normally like having the whole fruit, but have less fiber. Insoluble fiber in fruits and veggies can be hard on a person’s gut especially if they’re dealing with metabolism problems.
- HONEY and SUCROSE (table sugar) – these are even easier to digest and therefor might be the best source of sugar when someone is just getting started on the path to healing their metabolism.
Why avoid polyunsaturated fats?
Polyunsaturated Fats actually inhibit the natural burning process of glucose (sugar) and get in the way of integrating glucose in it’s other functions throughout your body. And from what you read earlier when the body doesn’t have enough glucose to keep your blood-sugar level, it uses stress hormones like adrenaline to do the job which again can cause increased pulse, blood pressure, and tension. This leads to tight muscle tone, limited mobility, and headaches. Just about every migraine we’ve ever dealt with there has been some link to moments of low blood-sugar. Eating something sugary at the start of what seems to be a headache usually makes it go away with 20 minutes. Chronic
Think about the last time you had to be in a position where mobility was limited… Such as a plane ride, road trip in the car, 8-10 hrs a day in an office chair staring at a computer… When you got up, how tight and stiff were you? Maybe you felt pain in your neck or back? Same thing happens when we have a lack of proper nutrition in our body. When our body can’t function like it needs too and needs to depend on stress hormones to keep us alive, it impacts our body in a negative way.
Examples of Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFAs):
PUFAs can be found in large or small amounts in everything we eat. PUFAs are found in Vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes (like grain and soy), cold water fish (Salmon), poultry, beef, and pork that have been poisoned by a diet rich in PUFAs (grain, soy, and corn fed animals). The worse place where you can ingest PUFAs are the oils. Such as: vegetable, nut, seed, and fish oils.
Your probably shocked on hearing about the Fish oils! I know I was when I first found it out… A great Read that explains why we should stay away from these oils as well as other things is “How to Heal Your Metabolism” by Kate Deering. It’s an easy and informative read that I recommend you read.
Another step I recommend our clients take is to get their protein from Eggs, Beef, Beef liver, Bison, Shrimp, Crab, and Oysters. Making soups of beef bones are another great source of protein which will improve the amino acid profile of your daily intake. Bone broth has a lot of glycine in it. Most people lack it in their diet and when they add it in can half a very calming effect.
Just by doing this you will be providing your body with enough nutrients to start the healing process, and as a result can decrease the occurrence of migraines, headaches, and pain and tension in general. Other cool symptoms of healing your metabolism are increased energy, better sleep, happier, calm, collected mood, and just a better quality of life.
If you’re suffering from migraines we can help! Call 702-220-8222 for free, no obligation consultation with me, today.
