Carol was a 32 year old woman who had been suffering from daily migraine episodes for almost 10 years. She had been through all the standard conventional medical examinations and imaging procedures all indicating no pathology. There was a familial component to the migraines which in conclusion lead her to believe that migraines just ran in the family and this was something she would have to live with for the rest of her life. She was currently managing her symptoms using acupuncture and pharmaceutical medications.
As with all of my patients, close examination of their daily diet is part of their naturopathic consultation. Specifically with migraine sufferers, I find there is a huge association between food intolerances and migraines. I have repetitively seen the removal of a food significantly lessen or completely resolve migraine episodes. The most common food triggers I see clinically for many is not the typical chocolate, alcohol, aged cheeses, or MSG, but instead dairy, gluten, and eggs. As for Carol it seemed that gluten was the possible suspect.
Gluten is a protein found in the grains: wheat, barley, rye, kamut, and spelt. It’s the part of these grains that gives dough its elastic consistency. Gluten intolerance is when the body’s immune system is intolerant of gluten and its sub-protein gliadin in the diet and is forming antibodies or displaying some other evidence of an inflammatory reaction. The symptoms of gluten sensitivity are so varied, many people who have health issues may be unaware that their suffering may be due to gluten.
For Carol, her health issue didn’t involve any gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms so it was hard for her to believe that gluten could be causing her migraine episodes. Since 1966, scientific evidence has been accumulating regarding gluten sensitivity without the classic GI symptoms. During the past five years, many scientists have begun to re-evaluate the notion that gluten sensitivity is solely a disease of the GI tract due to the overwhelming evidence indicating otherwise. Other organs suspected of being involvement with gluten intolerance include: joints, heart, thyroid, bone, brain, and neuronal synapses. Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Huntington’s disease, autism, cardiomyopathies, dermatitis herpetiformis, dementia, and osteoporosis have all been shown in the literature to be connected to gluten.
While there is data to suggest that a certain percentage of migraine sufferers react to gluten, few medical doctors routinely test their patients for it. In 2003 a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology indicated that of the 90 patients who were diagnosed with idiopathic migraine, 4.4% had celiac disease compared to 0.4% of the 23 controls. The patients were treated for six months with a gluten-free diet and their symptoms decreased or were eliminated. The patients also showed an improvement in their cerebral blood flow on a gluten-free diet that was confirmed with diagnostic imaging.
There are many blood tests to confirm your diagnosis of gluten intolerance. If you do decide to ask your doctor and he/she agrees be sure to not start eliminating gluten from your diet until after the testing is done. The test could come back negative if you are not actively eating gluten.
On the other hand, eliminating gluten from the diet is an easy way to determine if it’s the cause of your migraine episodes. As in Carol’s situation this is what she did, and after 4 weeks of eliminating gluten she noticed a significant improvement in her migraines. They weren’t as frequent or long lasting. In addition to eliminating gluten from her diet she also supplemented with beneficial nutrients such as magnesium and riboflavin which have also been shown to be helpful in managing migraines.
Like many patients that I see who have gluten intolerance, it may take months of not eating gluten before their symptoms completely resolve. Carol has been gluten free now for 8 months and on average experiences one headache every few months. In comparison to her daily migraine episodes in the past this a dramatic improvement, and for her a great enough reason to never look at gluten again!
About the author
Since 2005, Dr Fey has helped thousands of women, men, and children find real solutions to their health concerns. She truly believe that giving the proper care and nutrients your body has an amazing ability to heal. She is committed to finding the root cause of illness by utilizing a whole body approach not just focusing solely on presenting symptoms.
Dr. Amanda Fey is the owner and practicing Naturopathic Doctor at Complementary Medicine & Healing Arts, the Southern Tiers Center For Natural Healthcare located in the Binghamton NY area. The office website is www.naturallywell.us. To contact the office call 607-729-0591 or email cmhahealth@gmail.com.