My Biggest Frustration with Migraines

Chronic migraines as a progressive brain disorder

I have dedicated a significant amount of time to migraines.  From treatment in my office to hundreds of review articles of medical studies to publishing a book on Migraines And Epilepsy, I consider myself quite educated on the topic.

While there have been a few exceptions in my office (literally less than a handful over the past 18+ years), if patients are willing to make the changes I recommend, they get better.  My recommendations range from a course of treatment in the office to exercise to managing stress to major lifestyle overhauls.  If patients are willing to make these changes, I can almost guarantee that migraines will be history.

Why?  How can patients get better with my recommendations versus the neurologist that they’ve been seeing for years and practice out of a very well-known hospital system?

Because the “why” is far more important to me than suppressing the symptoms of a migraine.  It is VERY rare that I have a chronic migraine patients come into my office that has been educated on the underlying cause of his or her migraine headaches.

But before I get into the secret of migraine headaches I need to make a very important distinction.

By the time patients make it into my office they have accumulated multiple types of headaches.  The two biggest classifications are structural and migrainous.  And I can say, with a high degree of confidence, that every migraine patient has aspects of both.

The structural headaches are related to the soft tissues (ligaments, tendons, muscles and fascia) and joints.  While my opinion is strongly biased, these types of headaches HAVE to be addressed by a chiropractor that understands and treats the soft tissues.  Adjusting alone, exercises alone, Botox alone (and yes-if someone responds to Botox it is because they have been improperly diagnosed with migraines instead of a structural headache) or soft tissue work alone is not going to completely fix the problem.

But, as I mentioned, it’s my bias based on almost 20 years of treatment migraine patients who have not responded elsewhere.

The true migraine headaches, however, do not respond well to good structural care.  This is because the true cause is not one that can be addressed from outside the body.

If you experience chronic migraine headaches and you really, really want to get rid of your headaches, you’re going to have to address the health of your blood vessels.

Period.

Anything less will not guarantee a fix for your headaches.  And medications?  Not a damn one of them will fix your blood vessels.  Some will actually make it worse.  And even if medications control your headaches, they have not fixed the problem.

Poor blood vessel health, endothelial dysfunction, vascular dysfunction.  It goes by different names depending upon who you are speaking to, but they all mean the same thing.

The blood vessels of a true migraine patient have lost the ability to respond appropriate to changes in demand for blood supply.  This system—where the blood vessels open and constrict based on how much oxygen the tissues need—is an incredibly dynamic process, with changes occurring by the second.  If your blood vessel is no longer able to respond to needs of your brain cells your brain cells are not going to be happy with you and can trigger a migraine.

THIS is the key to understanding your migraines.  THIS is the key to lifestyle changes that will help your chronic migraine headaches.

I have certainly spent time on migraine message boards and there are a lot of headache patients who get pissed off at my suggestion that headaches can be fixed.  These patients, however, have not achieved ideal body weight.  They are stressing too much.  They are not eating the right foods (even if he or she thinks his or her diet is ideal).  They are not exercising.  They are smokers.

I would suggest that, as much as it may be offensive to some, patients with true migraine headaches have not made the correct choices for his or her blood vessels and brain.

The details of these changes are beyond the scope of this article, but are outlined very readily in my book Migraines and Epilepsy that can be purchased by clicking here.

While many migraine sufferers care about getting rid of or controlling headaches, there is a bigger problem looming.  Poor blood vessel health has everything to do with risk of heart attack or stroke in the future.  This is absolutely, unquestionable solidly demonstrated in medical research study after research study.

Most of these research studies, however, have focused on migraine with aura.  Most of the studies that have linked future risk of heart disease or stroke have been on migraine with aura.  This particular study is yet another one in the long list of studies linking heart disease risk and migraines, except this one covered ALL migraines, not just those with aura.  Here’s the details on this large study of 17,531 women with migraines who were followed up for 20 years:

• Migraine was associated with a 50% higher risk for major cardiovascular disease.
• They had a 39% higher risk of a heart attack.
• There was a 62% higher risk of having suffered a stroke.’
• Sufferers had a 74% higher risk of having chest pain or having had a coronary angiogram.
• Furthermore, migraines were linked to a 37% higher risk of dying from heart disease.

The relationship is so strong that, in a linked editorial, the suggestion is that migraine should be viewed as a risk factor for heart disease just like high blood pressure and cholesterol.  This is a strong statement and one that is not entertained by the average treating neurologist or primary care doctor.

It also reinforces my concern that the vast majority of true migraine patients are not getting the education needed to understand and improve the condition.  Chronic migraine sufferers HAVE to address the underlying dysfunction of the blood vessels through lifestyle changes geared towards protecting the heart.  This include diet, stress management, exercise and focus on reducing exposure to environmental chemicals that damage the heart and blood vessels.

Anything less is only a band-aid.

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Low T Symptoms and Fertility; Barking up the Wrong Tree?

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I could not be more against testosterone supplementation. Sure, patients feel better and have more energy, but people on cocaine have more energy, too. Doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

Several years ago, very aggressive marketing by the manufacturers of testosterone supplementation put “low T” on the map, leading to a huge uptake of lab testing for testosterone levels. And guess what? Just like the vitamin D phenomenon, it seems like everyone (males and females alike) came back low.

And low testosterone became linked to everything from fatigue, low libido, belly fat and erectile dysfunction. And you can’t talk about testosterone without talking about fertility.

This is because male fertility is the ultimate expression of testosterone (it’s not, but that’s how society would have us view it). For this reason, you can bet your right testicle on the fact that any fertility consult with a “fertility specialist” will include a testosterone check.

But there are many other factors that play a role in fertility that are indirectly related to testosterone. Environmental chemical exposure to BPA and phthalates are well known to affect fertility rates in both men and women.

Low testosterone, much like low cholesterol or high blood sugar or high blood pressure, is merely the symptom of a bigger problem. Fixing high cholesterol with statins, lowering blood sugar with insulin or lowering blood pressure with medications does not, in any way, shape or form. None of those medications fix the actual underlying “broken thing” that is causing the cholesterol, blood sugar or blood pressure.

Testosterone replacement therapy is absolutely no different.

So, while you feel better in your own little plastic bubble of T replacement therapy, there is something very wrong with your physiology that is absolutely increasing your risk of all kinds of really nasty things like Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and stroke.

I have certainly written on this topic before, but just in case you think I’m really off base on this one, I’d like to present this particular study.

In it, researchers looked at the levels of pesticide exposure from fruits and vegetables and how this related to sperm quality in a group of 189 men age 18-22. The fruits and veggies were categorized as having high [Pesticide Residue Burden Score (PRBS) ≥4] or low-to-moderate (PRBS <4) pesticide residues on the basis of data from the USDA Pesticide Data Program.

Here’s what they found:

• Higher intakes of fruits and veggies, in general, did not affect sperm quality.
• However, men eating fruits and vegetable intake with the lowest pesticides (≥2.8 servings/d) had a 169% sperm count and a 173% higher sperm concentration.
• The intake of fruit and vegetables, regardless of pesticide-residue status, was not associated with reproductive hormone concentrations.

So what does this mean? It means that, while eating more fruits and veggies is important for your health, but it is really important to pay attention to whether or not you are eating organic foods that are well-known to be higher in pesticide levels.

The Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Pesticide Exposure in Produce is the best guide you can find to get this information.

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Why Blockbuster Drugs are Never a Good Thing

Avandia has been in use for over 15 years.  It was launched around the same time that another drug in the same class (PPAR-agonists…Rezulin) was pulled from the market due to liver failure.

Over time, this rapidly-adopted “blockbuster drug” began to accumulate evidence that Avandia greatly increases the risk of heart disease.  Given that 70% of diabetics already die from heart disease, one would think this would be a concern.

The bottom line is that, while this class of drugs makes your blood sugar numbers look better, it creates many more problems than it solves.

Lifestyle changes remain the only answer that doesn’t kill you first.

 

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Can a Simple Mineral Beat Statins for the Heart?

There are times when it seems like the only answer in medicine is another drug.  For heart stuff this is unquestionably statins.

Have high cholesterol?  Take Lipitor.  Have a family history of heart disease?  Take Crestor.  Your dog’s litter mates’ cousins’ owner had a heart attack?  Take atorvastatin.

You get the idea.

But when it comes to natural approaches which are JUST as powerful without a long list of potentially fatal side effects, it seems like “we just need more research.”

In this particular study, we see a simple approach…those with the highest levels of magnesium in their bloodstream had a 40% reduced risk of suffering sudden cardiac death.

At a cost that is just a fraction of even a generic statin and no side effects when taken orally.

 

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MORE EVIDENCE TO SIMPLY LOWER BREAST CANCER RATES

I just have to ask…if you’re not supplementing with Vitamin D yet, why not?

The research is very strong and the bottom line is that we were designed for heavy amounts of sunlight.  Our paleolithic ancestors didn’t have sunscreen.  Didn’t have the option of staying inside and playing Xbox instead of hunting for food.  Granted, my Irish ancestors weren’t hanging out in the Sahara, but they still were getting lots of sunlight at their latitude.

There is also something in today’s society leading to lowered blood levels of D.  Sunscreen, obesity, spending much time indoors, sunlight coming through glass, showering at night and particulate matter in the atmosphere are all likely playing a role in too low of levels in the blood.  Good thing supplementation is so darn cheap (in our office, $20 for about a YEAR for the highest quality vitamin D).

In this particular study, researchers found that, in those women with the highest vitamin D levels, there was a 27% lower risk of developing breast cancer.  However, for women under 53 years of age, this protection jumped to 40%.

Pretty good numbers for such an inexpensive and safe supplements.

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Fibromyalgia Sufferers: Vibrate Your Way to Better Health

Whole body vibration is a pretty unique experience.  Our office has had this therapy for almost 10 years now and have seem some pretty wonderful results, provided realistic expectations are given.

In general, the less active someone is, the greater the benefits (which raises the question of why gyms have WBV units..?).  In this particular study, patients with fibromyalgia had a very positive response in their balance with the use of WBV for 12 weeks, done 3 times per wk.  Couple this with lifestyle changes and you’re on your way to feeling better.

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Drugs for Ulcers; Extreme Dangers of Long-Term Use

Adobe Stock / freshidea

If you’ve got a bleeding ulcer, drugs that block acid like Nexium, Prilosec and Aciphex can save your life.  Even if that ulcer is caused by your daily anti-inflammatory.

However, for the remaining 99% of the time that acid-blocking drugs are used, they can wreak havoc.

You see, the body digests….and it does everything else.  When it comes to digestion, stomach acid is the lynchpin.  The key.  The big daddy.

Stop the production of stomach acid, and you open up the Mother of all Pandora’s boxes.  Stomach acid does not just participate in digestion, it STARTS it.  Among many other things.  Here is just a small sample of what stomach acid does in the human body:

1. The most obvious function is the digestion of proteins.
2. Most other digestive enzymes are produced in an inactive form (otherwise the enzymes would digest the very glands they are made in). Stomach acid activates these enzymes so they can work.
3. The pH of the stomach has to be low enough to tell the pancreas to release bicarbonate. Stomach acid ensures this happens.  Without it, the pH of the contents released from the stomach (chyme) stay acidic and can damage the entire length of the intestinal tract.
4. Stomach acid turns on certain anti-cancer compounds in foods (like indole-3-carbinol in cruciferous veggies).
5. Stomach acid is needed to absorb certain compounds like iron and B12.

There’s one other little ditty that stomach acid does.  There are very few microorganisms that can survive a pH of 2 or 3.  In other words, stomach acid sterilizes most things that try to make it through the stomach.

That means that if you do not have enough stomach acid because you are, say…taking Nexium…, bacteria will begin to grow in regions of the intestine that are not supposed to have bacteria growing in them.  The technical term for this is small intestine bacterial overgrowth (or SIBO, for short).

And if you want to pick something that can totally screw up your health, SIBO is a good first choice.  Having bacteria growing where it is not supposed to be begins to damage the lining of the small intestine, allowing things to get into your body that are not supposed to.  This can create massive amounts of inflammation everywhere, even in the brain.

Just in case you think I’m making this up, researchers in this particular study looked at the gut flora of the lower intestinal tract (microbiome) of 1827 healthy twins to see if proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use had any negative effects.

Here’s what they found in those PPI users:

• There was a lower number of normal gut bacteria (commensals).
• There was a lower microbial diversity (the “mark of death” when it comes to a healthy gut).
• There were a higher number bacterial from the oral cavity (again indicating that these bacterial are not getting killed off in the stomach), with a special mention of the Streptococcaceae family.

The list I gave earlier is really bad enough when it comes to destroying your health.  But when you add in a disruption to the microbiome, the sky’s the limit to how much damage long-term use is to your health.

And just what is “long-term?”  If you read the safety labels, then anything over 3 months is completely out of context of what these drugs are designed for.  That does not mean that I haven’t seen patients on these for DECADES.  THAT is a disaster waiting to happen.

But what about all those patients out there that make too much stomach acid and need these drugs?

I will go out on a limb and state that almost NO ONE who has reflux or gastritis makes too much stomach acid.  Quite frankly, short of a gastrin-producing tumor, it just doesn’t happen.  As a matter of fact, with stress and with aging, stomach acid production goes down.  It gets to the point where some 40% of women over 50 are not producing any stomach acid AT ALL (achlorhydria).

I’m not saying that stomach acid getting where it’s not supposed to be is a good thing, because it’s not.  What I am saying is that stomach acid is not the problem.  Usually, the problem is just the opposite.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve given digestive support to patients with gastritis or reflux and their symptoms went away.

Kind of ironic that this approach to totally opposed to the mainstream medical approach and yet seems to work very well.

All without destroying your microbiome and your long term health.  What a bargain.

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