Natural Headache Prevention 101: Tip # 3 for National Headache Awareness Week

Avoiding food and environmental triggers and including stress reduction in one's life are several ways to naturally address headaches and migraines. Other ways to naturally prevent headaches includes dietary supplementation.

Tip Number 3: Utilize various vitamins, herbs, and minerals shown to help in headache prevention

• Magnesium is a mineral that is a vital component to good health. This mineral is essential to keep nerves, muscles, the immune system, and bones functioning optimally. Studies have shown a correlation between magnesium deficiency and frequent headaches. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 320 mg per day for women and 420 mg per day for men. Magnesium can be found in various foods like tomatoes, nuts, and nutritious whole grains. Those wilth low magnesium levels with the guidance of a health care practitioner have slowly increased supplementation to 500-750 mg per day to help prevent migraine headaches.
  
• Melatonin is a sleep hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland. Supplementation with melatonin has been used to help those with insomnia. Researchers have found that 1-3 mg of melatonin have shown promising results in reducing the debilitating side of effects of migraines.
  
• Riboflavin, more commonly known as Vitamin B2, is essential to various functions that occur in the human body. There have been several clinical trials using high doses of up to 400 mg of riboflavin to reduce headache severity. This vitamin is abundant in the American diet such as cereals, milk, beef, and breads. However, the amount of B2 in food is much lower than the dosages used in headache therapy.

Before incorporating any changes in diet, environment, or supplementation it is important to maintain a daily journal to track reactions to the introduction of new things. It is best to test the effectiveness and your body's tolerance by adding one product or changing one thing at a time while keeping records of potential positive and negative effects. As with most alternative therapies, it takes time to see results and it is imperative that the advice of a trained professional is part of any major life change.

Local neurologist and headache specialist, Gary L'Europa M.D., created HeadacheFree, a multi-vitamin that has the RDA for vitamins and minerals as well as increased dosages of riboflavin and magnesium to help headache sufferers.

Additionally, check out your local Whole Foods Market for vitamins, herbs, and minerals as well as on-line sources.

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This information is not to serve as a substitute for medical advice and diagnosis by a licensed health care provider such as a doctor of naturopathy, osteopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, or neurology.

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Photo: Flickr.com