Vitamins for Migraine : Brain Vitamin

Article by Elf Jackson

Migraines are dreadful throbbing headaches which can cause flashing visual disturbances and complete incapacity. Attacks can last for days, and may or may not come with a warning to the sufferer.

Migraines may be caused by disruptions to the blood flow in the arteries leading to the brain. It is thought that some migraines may be triggered by certain foods, stress, lack of sleep, bright lights, pain, hormonal swings, environmental conditions, or a host of other possible causes.

If you are taking prescribed medication, do not stop taking this without speaking to your doctor. At the same time, you may want to think about some natural treatments including vitamin and mineral supplements and herbs.

If you suffer from migraines regularly, you may want to take magnesium and calcium. Supplements containing magnesium and calcium are available from any supermarket or health-food store. These minerals help maintain healthy blood vessels, and low levels of magnesium are reported in studies of people suffering from long-term migraines.

Two natural remedies are commonly used by migraine sufferers, widely so in Europe. Feverfew seems to reduce the intensity and severity of migraine, especially if taken over a few months. Feverfew can be bought from health-food stores standardized to contain 0.4% parthenolide.

Rosemary also seems to be especially used for heat-induced migraine, and also seems to help with the nausea commonly associated with migraine. Rosemary can be taken as a tea.

If the migraines are ongoing, some migraine sufferers have also used riboflavin for migraine. Riboflavin is a B vitamin (B2), and may act by increasing energy reserves in the brain. Vitamin C and Pantothenic Acid are also reported as useful for migraine. Both of these help the stress-response which sometimes induces migraine.

You could also consider stress or relaxation training, such as meditation or biofeedback. Drink lots of water, and exercise regularly.

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