This month’s case study is 40 year old ‘Anne’ who came to the Clinic with menstrual migraines

I had suffered with menstrual migraines most my adult life. The migraines would start 5 days before my period and they would affect my speech and vision and I would experience a numb sensation down my arm. These symptoms were debilitating and I would have to take a cocktail of strong painkillers to get me through.

Over the years I was finding that I was becoming resistant to many of the migraine drugs so I would have to keep trying new ones. Another side effect I experienced was I would then get what felt like a ‘rebound’ migraine which was even worse than the first. It had got to the point that I was fed up with feeling like this every month and realising that all I was doing by taking the painkillers was masking the underlying cause. I read a magazine article on hormone imbalance and nutrition. I knew my migraines were affected my by hormones because they always came at the same time each month.

 

In the past I had tried a few natural remedies and changed my diet, but at this stage I decided to seek professional help because there was clearly something I had been overlooking.

 

I phoned The Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic and booked an appointment in the London clinic which was easy for me to get to from work. I was sent a Nutritional Questionnaire that I was asked to complete and return before my first appointment to allow the nutritionist time to review it.

 

It was very comprehensive asking for information about my medical history, including drugs I was taking, symptoms and most importantly my diet!  As I went through the questionnaire, I soon realised that migraines were not my only problem. I had to underline symptoms that I frequently suffered with and this included mouth ulcers, bloating and constipation. I felt like I was falling apart!

 

My first consultation was one hour and the nutritionist took a detailed medical history and talked about my migraines in depth – it was quite refreshing because usually when I saw my GP there was no explanation of why I was getting these recurrent migraines and certainly no advice apart from taking drugs.  She explained that headaches are one the most common premenstrual symptoms and usually triggered by low levels of oestrogen or fluctuating hormones, making us more sensitive to headaches.

 

Some 80 per cent of migraine sufferers stop having headaches when they become pregnant, so there is an obvious correlation there. Aside from hormone imbalance, other triggers are inflammation, low levels of essential fats and low magnesium, plus food sensitivity. The nutritionist explained that I had to pay particular attention to my blood sugar, because missing meals or eating irregularly can actually trigger a migraine at any time, but especially premenstrually, when we are more sensitive to those fluctuations.

 

One main observation from my diet was lack of protein, which meant that I was eating mostly carbohydrates which are not favourable for keeping blood sugar levels stable. The nutritionist explained the importance of eating some protein (fish, eggs, pulses, nuts and seeds, quinoa) with every meal and every snack to help keep my blood sugar on an even keel. She also noticed that I was going longer than 3 hours without food which again is not ideal for keeping blood sugar stable.

 

Because of the hormonal link with my menstrual migraines the nutritionist recommended a test to actually see what was going on with my hormones throughout my cycle but mostly important in the few days running up to my period. The Female Hormone Test analyses levels of oestrogen and progesterone over the menstrual cycle. It was a really easy test to perform because it was via saliva and was performed at home.

 

The nutritionist gave me some excellent meal suggestions and a menu planner which was very inspirational! Although I thought I was eating well, this made me realise there was definitely room for improvement! The main recommendation was to avoid wheat, more so for the bloating and constipation and mouth ulcers, but there has been some correlation between migraines and wheat sensitivity.

 

I also had to eat every 3 hours and always think about eating sufficient protein. To make this easier she asked me to keep a food diary so I could keep a check on this. I would often just have toast for breakfast, vegetable soup for lunch and tomato based pasta sauce for dinner so some days there was no protein at all! Keep a food diary also made me eat more green vegetables which I knew I had found difficult. The dark green vegetables like broccoli, kale and cabbage are rich in magnesium which is so important for migraines. It is natural muscle relaxant so a deficiency can cause the blood vessels in the brain to go into spasm and then trigger a migraine.

 

The nutritionist also suggested some supplements including a good multi vitamin and mineral to provide me with a foundation of nutrients, fish oil to reduce inflammation and additional magnesium. She also recommended the mineral chromium which helps blood sugar stability. We talked about herbs like Angus Castus and Milk Thistle but she they weren’t added at this stage because she didn’t want them to interfere with the results of the Female Hormone Test. She explained that once the results from the test were back she could be more specific as to which herbs would be best. 

 

I was so motivated to get started with the programme because I felt I really understood why I had to eat certain foods and exclude others and how important it was to balance my meals with protein and carbohydrate. I think that if you have the knowledge and you understand how food essentially is medicine, it makes you more able to change and want to be more proactive. I thought it was going to be harder avoiding the wheat but in fact I was really amazed at how easy it was! All the supermarkets are well stocked with alternatives and even sandwich bars offered an alternative. Within the first week I experienced a definite reduction in bloating and my bowels were opening every day. The magnesium supplement also helped by bowels to relax which eases the constipation.

 

In conjunction with the diet and supplements I was collecting my saliva samples ready to send back at the end of my cycle for analysis. I was really excited about what this was going to show. I felt really confident in the fact that this test was being used to determine the best herbs for me, rather than just giving a ‘blanket’ treatment as I had all too often experienced by going to the GP.

 

I had my follow up consultation 6 weeks after and the nutritionist went through the results from the Female Hormone test. The main observation was totally erratic oestrogen and progesterone in the week leading up to my period. Based on this she added a supplement called Agnus Castus Plus which contains Agnus Castus, Black Cohosh, Skull Cap and Milk Thistle. She explained that taking herbs in a formulation is more nurturing and balancing on the menstrual cycle. The Milk Thistle is important for liver function and how it processes the hormones plus a healthy liver is more able to break down certain foods that might trigger a migraine. She also explained the importance of supporting the liver with people taking drugs which are a huge burden on the liver.

 

By the end of the first 6 weeks I had had one period and the migraines were definitely less intense and only lasted for 3 instead of 5 days. My digestion had improved and I had not had a single mouth ulcer though I was still having to take my migraine drug, At my second follow up, which was another 6 weeks on I was feeling fantastic and my migraines were even less intense and really felt more like a headache. I no longer had blurred vision or numbness in my arm and best of all I only had to take one painkiller throughout the 3 days. I couldn’t believe how some relatively simple dietary changes and nutritional supplements could make such a difference. I just wish I had gone down this route sooner.

 

Marilyn’s Comment

 

This case shows just how important it is to fuel our bodies with good nutrients which naturally have a medicinal affect without having to take a cocktail of drugs.

 

Ann had been taking some very strong migraine drugs, using them almost as a ‘prop’ to just get her though that 5 day window before her period. It is understandable that so many people, just like Ann get caught up in this drug cycle because it is the easier option, but it gets to the point when the body becomes immune to the drugs and realise that all they are doing is dealing with the symptom and not the cause.

 

Although Ann said that she wishes she had made changes sooner – it is never too late to change.

 

‘You are what you eat’ as the saying goes, so next time you have a headache or perhaps digestive problems like constipation or diarrhea, listen to your body and take a look at what you are putting in it. Try keeping a food diary for a couple of weeks to keep you focused and you can really learn so much about how your body processes different foods and what impact they have on your body.

 

If you are interested in having the Female Hormone Test mentioned here please see the the Resource Page.

 

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 1st, 2008 at 2:40 am and is filed under Case Studies (The True Power of Good Nutrition), Periods and PMS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.