Migraine is common; affecting at least one in 10 Australians, with up to 75% of sufferers being female so there is a good chance that either yourself or someone you know is affected.

Migraines are usually bad enough to affect a persons daily activities resulting in loss of productivity and quality of life. They can strike unexpectedly at any time with no definitive causative factor having been identified. Migraine onset is usually the culmination of a number of trigger factors including stress, alcohol, glare, hormonal change, dietary factors and altitude. An easy analogy to imagine is an empty glass which is filled up with more and more water each time one of these triggers is experienced. Your body (the glass) can only hold a certain amount of water (trigger factors) until it overflows and spills out, a migraine attack.
Experts recommend an attempt to reduce as many of these triggers as possible so as to decrease the frequency of migraines.

Some Useful Things to try:

CoEnzyme Q10 Supplement
-61.3% of patients achieved at least a 50% reduction in frequency of attacks by the end of a four month trial (150-300mg/day is recommended)

Vitamin D
-Nearly 50% of migraineurs are Vitamin D deficient which is synthesized in the skin when exposed to UV rays from the sun as well as being found in fish, eggs and milk (1000-4000IU

Dietary
-Try to maintain a diet which keeps your blood sugar levels balanced and avoids spikes.
-Coeliac disease is an autoimmune gluten hypersensitivity that is 10x more prevalent in migraine sufferers.

Increase Water intake
-At least 2L/day
-High water intake during the early phase of a migraine can help to abort and episode.

Lifestyle
-Turn down the brightness of computer monitors and TV’s and minimise time spent in front of these.
-Migraineurs should awaken at the same time each day-even on weekends.
-9hrs/night sleep is best (followed by 6hrs/night)
-Ideally best not to be woken up by an alarm.
-Reduce stress wherever possible. Breathing exercises and meditation will help to reduce cortisol levels and brain activity.
-Regular exercise 20mins 3-4 x week

Chiropractic Care
Regular Chiropractic Checkups will ensure that your spine and nervous system are functioning correctly and maximize movement of these joints to avoid stiffening and degeneration.

Stay Well!