Migraine

In many cases migraine can be avoided

I am a long-term victim of migraine attacks and I very occasionally get a nasty one; with the flickering lights, nausea, and the central area of my vision becomes indistinct. Why very occasionally? Because my migraines are entirely preventable and I only have a problem if I have a lapse and eat the wrong things!

What are the foodstuffs that cause me problems? Well chocolate is one; dark chocolate to be precise, I can indulge lightly and get away with one or two pieces, but any more, or having it two or three days in a row and I am heading for a bout. Even worse is pickled or preserved walnuts, it takes just a single nut to guarantee an attack followed by a throbbing head. Other foodstuffs can also do the trick; cashew nuts, red wine and mouldy cheeses are also suspects, if I have all three in a 24 hour period then 'thats it!

I kept a food diary for a while and it all became perfectly clear, I just had to avoid certain things and a major health problem would almost completely vanish.

Coffee and stress can possibly be a another cause; I say this because this year I had a migraine episode and I had not had any of the things that normally bring on the problem, however I had drunk more than my usual amount of coffee and I had a big workload that had prevented me getting proper sleep. Apart from that one time, however, I have never had a migraine where I was unable to pinpoint the food culprit.

I cannot promise that everyone with a migraine problem can achieve what I have, but it is worthwhile trying food elimination, and if successful one can also avoid drugs with unknown long term side effects. You can search the internet and find lists of likely trigger foods

Natasha Prince