The results were generally positive – there does seem to be value in these types of treatment.
That being said, this field of research is somewhat chaotic. There is little agreement on how to go about the treatments, and the research is actually very limited.
Seeing positive results so often, it’s time to do more extensive and serious research. This will continue to be an important field of study.
For example, this month researches in Milan, Italy published an evaluation of a treatment they’ve been using for the past five years – the sphenopalatine endoscopic ganglion block for cluster headache. The treatment involves an injection of anesthetics and corticosteroids.
Similar treatment for cluster headache has been used in other countries even longer. It’s a temporary relief, however it’s been a real help to many patients. The interesting thing is that it’s successful in chronic cluster patients who were not responding to drugs.
These types of techniques are valuable because they may provide an option for others who are not responding well to drugs, but are not wanting to jump to invasive surgical procedures.
But we need more research to evaluate how to best choose treatment for individual patients.
One hot set of supplements these days are the enzymes. And yes, enzyme manufacturers do make claims about migraine. But is this just another claim, or something that will help the rare person?
This is a bit of a different post, because enzyme supplements is really too big a topic to jump into with both feet. It’s complex, and there are many different enzyme supplements out there.
So I’ll give you a brief introduction, then I’d like to hear from you.
Enzyme supplements – why?
Enzymes are proteins that control chemical reactions in the body. They’re critical to your health – if you’re missing certain enzymes, serious diseases can result.
Enzymes are very important when it comes to digestion – and that’s where we start to find the link to migraine. There is increasing evidence that migraine is impacted by the health of your gut.
And, indeed, enzymes are a common supplement to deal with not only digestive issues, but neurological ones as well.
Now, if your body is having trouble with things like gluten, because of a lack of enzymes – could you add enzymes to your body with a supplement?
The answer is – maybe.
Here’s what I’ve learnt from my own reading thus far. In actual experiences with real people, certain enzymes seem to help with certain issues. (Such as pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, or lactose intolerance). However, when you’re dealing with something complex and indirect such as migraine, results are mixed.
Some people aren’t helped at all. However, a fair number of people seem to find enzymes help as a compliment to other treatments.
But wait – are the enzymes really helping?
Wait – is this simply a case of mixing a useless supplement with an actually useful treatment, and just thinking it’s helping? I think there may be more to it than this. Why?
First, we’ve seen a lot of research relating migraine with gut issues. This includes diet and general gut health. Second, migraine is a condition that goes along with other conditions that are more directly helped by enzymes (for example, digestive problems). Third, enzyme supplements do seem to help with pain and neurological conditions of various kinds. Fourth, if your digestive system improves, it will help you in many indirect ways – improved absorption of nutrients, and improved absorption of medications and supplements. Poor absorption is a common issue when it comes to migraine.
So if it’s so likely there’s a connection, why don’t we have 17 clear studies showing that this is a major migraine treatment? Why have most of you never heard of it?
Could we just all go out and buy an all-in-one enzyme super-pill, and all feel better?
As you’ve guessed, it’s not that simple. Products vary greatly, and your body is so different from the next person’s – in genetics, and in your eating habits, and your past, etc. Your best bet may be a more customized enzyme product. In fact, you may not react well to certain enzyme supplements.
And that makes this very hard to do a clinical study on.
Also, from what I’ve read so far I’m convinced that this works best as … well, a supplement. It works best when you’re already eating a healthy diet, not a lot of processed foods, sugars, sweeteners, and additives. This isn’t something easy you can go out and buy to solve all your problems. On the other hand, a little supplement may make all the difference when diet alone hasn’t been killing all the migraine attacks.
I’ve spent a lot of time reading on the topic, but here’s where you come in. I know some of you have experience, or have read specific research that I haven’t read yet. Share with us your experiences.
More reading: Obviously a very pro-enzyme site, Enzyme Stuff will give you lots to think about regarding how enzyme supplements may be useful. It’s mostly focused giving enzymes to children but there’s lots of ideas here.
Peppermint oil, and its active ingredient menthol, can help alleviate migraine. A new study further confirms what you read in HeadWay back in 2006.
The oil of peppermint, and the active ingredient that comes from mint and peppermint oils – menthol – has long been used to fight migraine. And it’s a natural remedy that continues to be confirmed by the evidence, according to a study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice in February 2010.
This was a small study, however it was a randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, crossed-over study (that’s good). The study covered 118 migraine attacks, and patients were given the menthol solution during the attack.
The side of the head with the most pain was washed with tap water, and then the 10% menthol solution was applied.
Patients receiving the menthol solution were more often pain free after two hours, and also were more often in less pain or pain free/in less pain over a longer time period.
Better yet, patients using the menthol had less nausea/vomiting, and less sensitivity to light or sound.
There are various ways to try this for yourself. Many people use Tiger Balm (I’ve used it myself). If you haven’t used it for many years, you’ll find the formula greatly improved (check out their non-staining ultra Tiger Balm here). As we wrote in HeadWay, an Australian study specifically found that Tiger Balm did as well as Tylenol (acetaminophen or paracetamol) when it came to relieving pain.
Tiger Balm contains other ingredients as well which may make it effective, including mint and menthol but also cinnamon and the herb cajuput.
Some people prefer to try peppermint oil itself, which is generally less strong than the menthol formulations. Be sure to get a quality, 100% essential oil – there’s a lot of garbage out there claiming to be something great. Here’s one example of a quality essential peppermint oil, that can be applied to the temples and back of the neck.
If you want to try something similar to what was used in the study (10% menthol), try Biofreeze Spray (which, like Tiger Balm, contains other ingredients, but different ones) or BenGay Menthol Pain Relieving Gel (a gel, not a spray, with 2.5% menthol). BioFreeze may send you a small free sample – call them at 1-800-246-3733.
Because of the varying scents of these products, you may quickly find you prefer some over others. To try something less strong, you can try to BenGay PM or peppermint essential oil. However, you also may miss some of the benefits of the other ingredients of something like Tiger Balm.
Whatever you try first, this is an inexpensive and less invasive way to fight migraine.
You might have heard of capsaicin – the "active" ingredient in hot peppers – as a pain causer but also a pain reliever. How can that be? And, could it be useful to fight a migraine?
Here’s the short story. Capsaicin is a proven pain-reliever. However, the evidence that it will specifically fight migraine is not as strong. However, some people do feel it helps them, and it is a natural option that you might want to try.
Capsaicin creams are often used for arthritis and cluster headache. As you might expect, it causes a slight burning feeling – particularly at first (with repeated use it gets better). But then something surprising happens – it may actually relieve pain. Why?
Capsaicin, it seems, has the ability to interrupt pain messages going to the brain. The effect is not long term, but for many people it’s long enough.
Cluster headache patients sometimes apply this cream to the nostrils. Arthritis patients put the cream over the area that hurts. It can be used several times a day.
Strangely enough, taking capsaicin supplements (such as Nature’s Way CapsiCool Controlled Heat) or even putting cayenne or other peppers in your food may help fight migraine, indirectly. Such supplements are believed to help with digestion, fight heart disease, fight bacteria, and act as an antioxidant.
You may have heard of the popular Sinus Buster products as well, which deliver the capsaicin in a nasal spray. I’ve been a little biased against Sinus Buster, partly because more than once someone has spammed me trying to promote it. Also, I have yet to see good evidence for their new product, Headache Buster, which adds feverfew and peppermint to the mix. (Don’t get me wrong – feverfew is an excellent migraine preventative. But the evidence is for specific formulations of feverfew taken as a supplement).
However, taking capsaicin in this form is an option, and it has helped some. You could try the original Sinus Buster for migraine.
Capsaicin could be tried both as an abortive or preventative for migraine.One short study on capsaicin in 2003 suggested that daily administration to the nostrils (the same as with cluster headache patients) did bring about an improvement in migraine symptoms.
If you’re thinking about using capsaicin, as always, talk to your doctor. You may want to start with a mild cream (apply using gloves to avoid irritating the skin on your hands – and don’t get it in your eyes! Ouch!) and then go to something stronger. Intranasal civamide is another newer option you can ask your doctor about.
Some available options:
Capzasin HP Creme – branded for arthritis, but a cream you could use for migraine as well. 1% capsaicin.
Would you believe – a gluten-free, casein-free diet for migraine? And … um … just what is that, anyway?
First, let’s back up a step. There are a host of diets for migraine. Actually, I’d like to talk more about that in a future post. But let’s start by saying many are sceptical about these diets.
For one thing, it’s hard to get long term, scientific data about these diets. For another – they simply don’t work for everyone, no matter what some people claim.
On the other hand – diets do work for some. From my research, I remain strongly convinced that diet should be one of the key factors in your migraine treatment.
The other day I got an email from Carolyn. She says she has been migraine-free for 6 years, and healthy overall, due to a gluten-free, casein-free diet (otherwise known as the GFCF diet).
This diet is often talked about when it comes to autism and even schizophrenia. But migraine also comes up occasionally as a "symptom" in people who could benefit from the diet.
Casein is found in milk and cheese. And yes, I’ve heard people recommend cutting out dairy to stop migraine attacks as well (our friend Carolyn cut out beef as well, but that’s not standard for the GFCF diet).
It’s even harder than you think – many "dairy-free" diets still contain casein, including soy products.
The Theory Behind it All
Why this combination of gluten and casein? It’s a tricky question. If the diet does work, why?
The theory is that the GFCF diet limits opiate peptides in the body, which may be interfering with certain neurological functions of the body.
However, at this point we need more information before we can confirm exactly what is happening.
First, if you’ve tried a GFCF diet for migraine, please let us know how long you have been/were on it, and the results.
If you’re thinking of giving it a try, you already know it will be a challenge. You’ll need to do research before-hand, get products and recipes together that will make things easier, and try to find people who can support you.
You might want to try things one step at a time. Carolyn said that she started with a gluten-free diet, and found that her migraine attacks diminished. Then she moved on to the gluten-free casein-free diet ("everything from a cow", in her case).
When used for children with autism, the diet is often started the other way around (or, all at once) – casein-free first, then gluten free.
You may or may not see a change right away, and as with many things you may feel worse before feeling better. Carolyn gave a good suggestion – commit to 6 months and see how it goes.
Planning is crucial. Talk to your doctor. While she may not understand, she at least needs to know you’re going to try this.
Do your research. Just cutting out milk and bread is not enough – gluten and casein are in a great many products – but that’s far beyond the scope of this post.
Again, if you’ve tried this diet, especially if you’ve tried it for migraine, we want to hear your experiences! Please, leave a comment, or contact me here.
(currently buy-one-get-one-free)