Magnesium helps migraine?
Well, we know how debilitating migraine can be and how it affects millions of people around the world. Understanding that migraine can have multiple triggers is a good start for a well-rounded management. I would like to discuss a little about the mineral that often found to be deficient among migraine patients. This mineral is Magnesium. Magnesium is the second most abundant intracellular cation (a positively charged ion). In addition, it is a relaxation mineral and deficiency can often cause headaches, migraines and other health problems.
The demand for natural treatments in managing migraine headaches have been growing steadily in recent years. One great example is Magnesium as it has the efficacy in preventing and alleviating migraine headaches. The strongest evidence for magnesium’s effectiveness is in patients who have aura with their migraines.
* Migraine with aura is a headache that strikes after or along with sensory disturbances. hese disturbances can include flashes of light, blind spots and other vision changes or tingling in your hand or face.
So, how does Magnesium helps migraine?
While the physiological effect of magnesium deficiency in migraine patients can be very complex to understand, but it is effective in alleviating migraine. First of all, Magnesium helps with migraine by preventing a type of brain signaling, called cortical spreading depression. This brain waves produces the visual and sensory changes that are the common forms of aura during migraine attack. By minimising the waves spreading across the brain is how magnesium helps migraine patients. Considering the evidence in its effectiveness for treating migraine, magnesium supplement as a natural relaxant can be a good option. Hence, it would be useful to prevent and/or relieve the onset of the tension-type headaches and migraine attacks. Most of all, it is worth trying rather than taking any long-term use of medications for migraine.
References:
- J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2012 May;119(5):575-9. Why all migraine patients should be treated with magnesium. Mauskop A1, Varughese J.
- 1996; 16:436–440. Magnesium in the prophylaxis of migraine – a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Pfaffenrath V, Wessely P, Meyer C, et al.
- American Migraine Foundation
Best of health,
Dr Chew Wei Lun
D.C., CFMP®, Certified CBP®
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