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Migraine Headaches
or Vascular Headaches
or Cluster Headaches
M igraine headaches are a disease and should be treated as a disease. Migraines can lead to
serious disability and even stroke in younger patients. There is a complex series of changes that
occur in the arteries. There is usually inflammation, which occurs in the artery caused by various
irritants (see heart disease—an inflammatory disease), this leads to endothelial
dysfunction (poor functioning of the lining of the artery). This causes severe spasm of the artery
causing lack of blood supply to that area of the brain. This creates the “aura” or
numbness, blurred vision, flashing lights, which can precede the migraine headache. This is
quickly followed by rapid dilatation of the artery. It is the dilating of the artery that causes the
severe pain associated with migraine headaches. Not every one experiences an
“aura” but approximately 50% of the patients will. There is also usually a strong
family history of migraine headaches in patients who suffer migraine headaches.
Traditional medical treatment now involve medications like Imitrex, Amerge, Maxalt, etc. which
actually causes constriction of the artery again. These medications can give significant relief in a
short period of time in the majority of cases. However, physicians still use beta-blockers,
calcium channel blockers, and sometimes anti-depressants to cut down the frequency and
severity of these migraine headaches.
There is no doubt that there is a strong hereditary factor in migraine headaches. However,
understanding that the trigger for these headaches is arterial spasm usually caused by
inflammation brings Nutritional Medicine to the forefront in helping patients avoid these
headaches. Nutritional supplements can either eliminate or significantly reduce all the causes of
inflammation of the artery. Nutrients like magnesium have also been thoroughly studied in
patients with migraines. Magnesium is nature's own calcium channel blocker. Using higher
doses of magnesium in supplementation along with cellular nutrition can significantly decrease
the number and frequency of migraine headaches.
Migraine sufferers should also keep a food diary and note any particular consistent food intake
associated with their migraines. Food allergies, especially with dairy products, can be a major
and
is also essential in decreasing the number of migraine
headaches you may get. Stress management is also critical in helping to control these
headaches.
is to simply take an Antioxidant Tabletand Mineral Tablet that contains as close to the recommended nutrients you can see by clicking on each particular nutrient or tablet. Several nutritional companies are now combining most ofthese nutrients into one or two different tablets, which makes it much more convenient to get thecellular nutrition that I recommend. The Antioxidant and Mineral Tablets need to offer the cellALL of the antioxidants, B-cofactors, and antioxidant minerals needed by the cell at ideal levels.
In order to achieve the best results, in general I recommend taking 2 Antioxidant Tablets and 2Mineral Tablets in the AM with breakfast and in the PM with your evening meal. Now the exactamount may vary with the particular nutritional company you choose; however, nutritionalsshould always be taken with food because of better absorption and better tolerance.
, I also recommend adding to theAntioxidant Tablet and Mineral Tablet some additional Calcium/Magnesium Tablets andessential fats. You are able to get additional essential fatty acids from high-quality Flax Seed Oilor pharmaceutical-grade, filtered Fish Oil Capsules. These recommendations provide all thenutrients at their ideal levels creating the cellular nutrition I recommend in my book, What YourDoctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine .
Enhancers
It is critical that you know the necessity of adding Enhancers, which contain additional potentantioxidants, to your foundational cellular nutrition for optimal results. Patients who are sufferingfrom a chronic degenerative disease or illness are producing more free radicals and are undermore oxidative stress than the average healthy individual. Therefore, adding potent Enhancersto the basic cellular nutrition I recommend offers you the best chance to bring this oxidativestress back under control. The synergy and increased potency created by this approach tonutritional medicine is why I'm able to get such consistent improvement in the health of mypatients.
However, in order to suit each individual's unique financial situation, I always offer both an and for adding Enhancers. Obviously, one'simprovement of their health will be more consistent with the optimal recommendations; however,a minimal regime can still produce significant improvement in your health.
Recommended Enhancers:
• Grape Seed Extract — 3 tablets daily • Calcium/Magnesium Tablet — 6 tablets daily • Melatonin — 3 mg at bedtime (from your health food store) • Additional Essential Fats — 2 tbls of Flax Seed Oil twice daily or 4 capsules of Fish • Grape Seed Extract — 2 tablets daily • Additional Calcium/Magnesium Tablets — 6 tablets daily Optimal Recommendations
Nutritional Supplement
Breakfast Lunch
Fish Oil Capsule (may substitute for Flax Seed Oil) Minimal Recommendation
Nutritional Supplement
Breakfast Lunch
Choosing High-Quality Nutritional Supplements
One of the most difficult aspects of being involved in nutritional medicine is the fact thatnutritional supplement companies are basically an uncontrolled industry. The FDA looks atsupplements like foods. Nutritional companies are really not required to put in their tablets whatthey say is on their label. The quality of products that is placed in most supplements is of inferiorquality and their manufacturing processes are generally suspect. People who have read mybooks or used this web site will sometimes go out to their local chain stores, drug stores, orhealth food stores and try to put together my recommendations on their own. The frustrating thing about this is that they think that they are doing what I am recommending only to either notget any health benefits from their efforts or very marginal results.
When you look at my nutritional recommendations for the Antioxidant tablet and Mineral tablet,you will quickly realize that you cannot get this amount of supplementation in a simple dailymultivitamin. However, some companies are now putting all of the needed nutrients together inone or two different pills. In order to achieve the optimal levels I recommend, you will most likelyneed to take several (four to eight tablets) daily. The more antioxidants you take and the morevariation your supplement provides the better. Also be sure that you are getting all therecommended levels of the minerals and the B-cofactors.
You need to spend a little time investigating the nutritional company you choose. You can locateinformation on the company's website or you may need to call the company directly. Mostimportantly, you want a company that follows pharmaceutical-grade Good ManufacturingPractices (GMP). This means that they purchase pharmaceutical-grade raw materials and thenfollow pharmaceutical-grade Good Manufacturing Practices in producing their supplements.
These companies produce what is called pharmaceutical-grade supplements, meaning similarguidelines are followed for manufacturing their products as companies making over-the-counteror prescription medications. The government does not require the manufacturers of nutritionalsupplements to do this; still, some nutritional companies put this extra effort into themanufacturing of their products to provide their customers with the assurance that they aregetting what is on the label. These high-quality manufacturers will put the actual amounts of thenutrients found in their products on the label and give full disclosure of all the ingredients. Youalso want to find an expiration date on the bottle and the company's full address.
Another aspect of quality that needs to be considered is whether or not the manufacturer of yournutritional supplements follows what are known as U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP) standards.
These are government guidelines that assure consumers that their medications and supplementtablets are of the highest quality and will dissolve properly and be readily absorbed into thebody. Pharmaceutical-grade GMP's would be rendered worthless if the company does not alsofollow USP standards for the dissolution of their tablets. If the tablet does not dissolve properly,it does not matter what they put in them. Choosing a company that follows the USP guidelines iscertainly a step in the right direction.
Balance and completeness is another very critical aspect of choosing a high-quality nutritionalsupplement. Just like there are drug-interactions, there are also nutrient interactions that cancreate poor absorption and poor interactions. This is probably the most difficult aspect for theaverage consumer to really know or understand. Therefore it is critical to choose a companythat understands completeness and balance in their products.
Another aspect to consider when you are researching a particular company is where it marketsits products. A company that markets internationally usually has to follow higher standards thanthose who market only in the United States. Canada, Australia, and Western Europeancountries have the highest standards for the manufacturing of nutritional supplements. Canadaand Australia presently have some of the most restrictive requirements for nutritionalsupplements.
Starting Your Nutritional Program
Over 80 to 90% of my patients are able to start taking their nutritional supplements withabsolutely no problems. The cellular nutrition that I recommend provides nutrients that you getfrom foods but at levels you just are not able to obtain from your foods. These are not herbs nordo they have any pharmaceutical properties. They are merely nutrients that our bodies need tofunction at its optimal level. My cellular nutritional recommendations have been developed toprovide all the essential nutrients to the cell at these optimal or advance levels that have beenshown to provide a health benefit in our medical literature. The level of the nutritionals providedin these recommendations are all well within safe parameters. However, you will be nourishingyour body more effectively than you have ever nourished it before. The medical literature hasshown us that when you supplement your body with these high quality, complete and balancednutritional supplements that there are several health benefits. Remember, taking supplements isabout healthnot disease. Over time of supplementing a good diet and exercise program, youwill not only optimize your body's natural antioxidant defense system, but also, its naturalimmune and repair system. Your body will also now be able to begin to remove waste products(toxins) more effectively from the body. A small percentage of my patients (less than 10 to 20%)may experience some mild detoxification reactions.
Detoxification:
The most common detoxification reaction is mild muscle aches and/or mild headaches. Thesesymptoms will usually pass within a few days to a week or two. If the discomfort is notunbearable, I simply have my patients continue their nutritionals as I have recommended.
However, occasionally there is a more severe reaction. The patient is not in danger; rather, theamounts of nutrients are just too much too fast. In this case, I have my patients quit theirsupplements for a few days until the reaction subsides. I will then have them start back on theirprogram but initially at lower doses (approximately one third of the recommended dose). Oncethey are tolerating this amount of supplementation, I suggest slowly building up to therecommended doses.
Some of my patients actually develop a "detox" skin rash somewhere on their body. As youknow, the skin is an important route for ridding the body's toxins. This rash is a dry, red rash thatlooks almost like a mild sunburn. Some people confuse this with an allergic reaction to thesupplements. I have never seen an allergic reaction to the high-quality nutritional supplements Irecommend.
Patients may also experience some aspect of loose stools or even diarrhea. This again is acommon "detox" reaction because the GI tract is another prime route for eliminating toxins fromthe body. This symptom will usually diminish within 7 to 10 days. It is an important part of thedetoxification and healing process. Therefore, I usually encourage my patients to continue thesupplements as recommended unless their bottom gets too sore. I will then again recommendlower doses of the supplements until they feel better and then begin adding the supplementsback more slowly until the recommended doses are reached.
Natural Relaxation Response:
A small percentage of patients develop a natural relaxation response when minerals areabsorbed into their body. This is of great concern to those patients who have just been told thatnutritional supplementation may potentially improve their energy level. They take thesupplements as recommended only to find themselves more fatigued and dragging themselvesaround throughout their day. If you experience this response, I recommend that you take all ofyour minerals with a light bedtime snack. This allows you to take advantage of your body'sresponse while getting a good night's sleep.
Stomach Upset:
A small percentage of patients have difficulty tolerating vitamin C. It can cause an upsetstomach that will usually become evident a couple days after starting their nutritional program.
The vitamin C I recommend usually is found in the Antioxidant Tablet. If you are experiencingsignificant nausea, I suggest taking just one Antioxidant Tablet with the largest meal. Once thislevel of supplementation is better tolerated, I suggest slowly adding another Antioxidant Tabletto the next largest meal. I anticipate building them up to the recommended level ofsupplementation, but sometimes this is just not possible. For those extremely sensitive, I advisejust taking the amount of Antioxidant Tablets that they can tolerate even if this is just one or twoper day.
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this web site as accurate as possible. The purpose of thissite is to educate and inform. As such it is based on scientific evidence and my clinical trainingand experience. No individual should at any time use the information found on this web site forself-diagnosis, treatment, or justification in accepting or declining any medical therapy for anyhealth problems or diseases. Any application of the advice herein is at the reader's owndiscretion and risk. Therefore, any individual who has a specific health problem or is takingmedications must first seek advice from his or her personal physician or healthcare providerbefore starting a nutritional supplement program. Dr. Strand shall have neither liability norresponsibility to any person or entity with respect to loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged tobe caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this web site. We assume noresponsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein. Any slights ofpeople, places, or organizations are unintentional.

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