What Causes Migraines?

Migraines are the third most prevalent illness in the world, and now nearly one in four U.S. households includes someone who has at least occasional migraines. You don’t have to suffer with them you just need to find out what is causing them!

Potential Triggers include:

  • Forward head

  • Blood sugar imbalances

  • Mineral Depletion

  • Artificial sweeteners

  • MSG

  • Allergies

  • Mold toxicity

  • Hormonal imbalances

  • Dehydration

  • Histamine based foods

  • Lack of Sleep

  • Caffeine

  • EMF

  • Viral infections

The list here are some of the common causes that should be addressed if you are suffering from migraines. Number 1, if you have never done any real detox (juice cleansing and the like do not count) this should be the first step. Everyone’s bodies are burdened with toxins on a daily basis and checking for all those things I keep talking about like parasites, mold toxicity (huge cause of migraines!), heavy metal toxicity, potential hidden viral infections, xenoestrogens and other environmental toxins which contribute to hormone imbalances.

An elimination diet removing common offenders including no soy, corn, dairy, gluten, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, eggs for some people as well, and of course processed foods. Make sure your intake of water is sufficient for your body weight. Try a low histamine diet since this can also be a big trigger in many people.

Try to identify if your hormones are playing a role - do you always get one before your period since migraines are more common in women due to big fluctuations in progesterone and estrogen. Hormone imbalances start in the gut so balancing your blood sugar is key.

Mineral imbalances are another big cause so are you getting enough micronutrients in your diet - especially MAGNESIUM. Did you know nearly 3/4 people are deficient in this magnesium and it is needed for over 800 chemical processes in the body? The next time you have a migraine try reaching for magnesium before the OTC meds. My favorite forms are malate or glycinate as they are better absorbed. Another mineral to watch out for is excess copper. Copper toxicity is also more common in women and especially vegetarians, I'll be doing a post about this soon.

Other environmental triggers are EMF radiation. Keep your cell phone away from you as much as you can, grab a case to shield yourself

  • Use EMF blocking headphones and a blanket or lap guard to shield when using a laptop. Then the Wi-Fi router off when you sleep, your cell phone should not be near you when your sleeping and use EMF neutralizing plugs in your outlets to limit dirty electricity near your bed while you sleep.

    Again, getting to the route cause will take a little work but there is ALWAYS a reason for your symptom. Your symptoms are your bodies way of asking for help and the need to address some underlying toxicity before it manifests to something worse. Working with a practitioner is the best way to do this in order to identify all potential root causes and using a holistic approach is best to restore the body to balance.

Heather Oricchio