Did you know that migraine headaches are the main cause of disability for people under the age of 50? Today, we will be talking about the underlying causes of migraines. A major cause is inflammation. Let’s look at some healthier choices we can make to avoid these headaches.
Let’s start with some background on inflammation. Inflammation occurs when the immune system is always under stress. This can be from many things including obesity, smoking, excessive drinking, a poor diet, lingering injury, stress, or a combination. Systemic inflammation it’s also connected to having an elevated risk for certain diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.
Diets like Paleo, DASH, and a Mediterranean diet all include foods which are anti-inflammatory. In these diets, there are a lot of fruits and vegetables. They also avoid highly processed foods with added sugars. Research also suggests that the Ketogenic, low-glycemic, and even a modified Atkins diet can also be beneficial. The Western diet which we are all used to includes many processed and sugary foods, which ultimately cause inflammation.
Gut microbiota is something which also plays a role in the inflammatory process. Try to consume more foods that produce healthy bacteria for the gut, which leads to less inflammation that can reduce your chances of migraine headaches. Eating more foods with omega-3 fatty acids can also aid with this.
The above diets which lower inflammation, will also help for weight loss. Carrying excess weight also stimulates inflammation in the body. A study on weight loss and migraines found that it can reduce the headache and its intensity, frequency, duration, and disability. Weight loss also reduces stress, which is a major cause of inflammation.
Switching to a healthy lifestyle can be challenging, but we are here to help you with nutrition or exercise related questions. If you are experiencing any pain which prevents you from exercising, we can also help treat that to get you started on your healthy lifestyle. And of course, we will give you treatment for the migraine pain.
