Supplements for Migraines

Migraines: Much-needed relief from migraine attacks

When the big guns aren't effective, it may be time
to go back and give some simple tools a try. That's
the finding of a new study that tested dietary
supplements on patients who had been unsuccessful in
relieving migraines with a variety of drugs.


Migraines: Preliminary results look promising


Could free radical damage contribute to migraine
headaches? Dr. Sirichai Chayasirisobhon of Kaiser
Permanente Medical Center set out to address that
question when he recruited a dozen patients, each
with a long-term history of little or no success at
treating migraines with various drugs, including
antidepressants, beta-blockers and anticonvulsants.

At the outset of the study, subjects completed a
migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire
to assess the impact of migraine flare-ups on
activities at home, at work and while interacting
with friends and family. For the three-month trial
period, each subject received daily supplements that
contained 600 mg of vitamin C, 300 IU of vitamin E
and 1,200 mg of a pine bark extract. Subjects were
allowed to continue using whatever medications they
were currently taking.

When subjects completed a second MIDAS questionnaire
at the end of the study period, their responses
indicated a marked improvement. And even though the
lack of a control group opens the possibility of
placebo effect, the results were promising:

* The overall MIDAS score improvement was more
than 50 percent

* Average Number of migraine days was reduced
from 44 days in the three months prior to
supplementation, to just 26 days during the trial
period

* Average migraine severity score was reduced
from 7.5 (out of 10) to 5.5

One subject dropped out of the trial. Of the
remaining 11, two reported no change in migraine
frequency, duration or severity. Among the other
nine, the overall MIDAS score improvement was nearly
68 percent.


Migraines: CoQ10 helps alleviate migraines


So...what's up with this pine bark extract?

Although not identified in the study, I believe the
extract is almost certainly Pycnogenol; a natural
antioxidant extracted from French maritime pine
bark. Pycnogenol contains a variety of polyphenols
with anti-inflammatory properties that have been
shown to benefit the cardiovascular system by
promoting proper blood flow. In a previous e-Alert
we compared the effectiveness of Pycnogenol's
antioxidant qualities to two of the most powerful
antioxidants: glutathione and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10).

In fact, Dr. Chayasirisobhon might have produced

even more impressive migraine relief if he had added
CoQ10 to the supplement mix.

In a CoQ10 trial conducted in 2002, 32 migraine
patients each received 150 mg of the antioxidant
daily for three months. In the month before the
study began, the group experienced an average of
more than seven days of migraine each. But by the
end of the study that monthly average had dropped to
just under three days. About 60 percent of the
subjects reported that their frequency of migraines
dropped to less than half of what it had been before
the study.

And in another e-Alert I told you about a Swiss
study in which 42 migraine patients received either
100 mg of CoQ10 three times each day, or a placebo.
No other methods were used to prevent migraines.
After three months of supplementation, researchers
found that migraine frequency, total days with
migraine, and total days with nausea were all
significantly reduced in the CoQ10 group, compared
to placebo. Overall, the incidence of migraines was
almost cut in half in the CoQ10 group, while the
reduction of migraines in the placebo group was less
than 15 percent.

When this research was presented at the 2004 annual
meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, the
Swiss team noted that migraines might be triggered
by a breakdown in the production of cellular energy.
They theorised that CoQ10 helps prevent migraines by
promoting proper respiration in the powerhouses of
the cell: the mitochondria.

If you suffer from migraines, talk to your doctor or
a healthcare professional about these promising
antioxidant studies before expanding your supplement
regimen.

Sources:

"Use of a Pine Bark Extract and Antioxidant Vitamin
Combination Product as Therapy for Migraine in
Patients Refractory to Pharmacologic Medication"
Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, Vol.
46, No. 5, May 2006, Blackwell-synergy.com
"Antioxidant Combo May Prevent Some Migraines"
Reuters Health, 6/1/06, reutershealth.com "Teen
Refuses Court-Ordered Test to Check Cancer Status"
Elizabeth Simpson, The Virginian-Pilot, 6/26/06,
home.hamptonroads.com "Judge OKs Alternative
Treatment for Teen" The Guardian, 6/2/06,
guardian.co.uk