In a message dated 4/2/02 4:01:38 PM, Tom Bridgeland
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
<< Since starting eating paleo last year I have noticed (boy have I
noticed!) a steep decline in the number and severity of migraine
headaches. . . . .Wheat seems to be the biggest factor for me. >>
Yup. Agreed. I have had the same experience with migraines. I, too, still get
one now and then, and find I must take Ibuprofen to get it under control. For
me, cured meats and aged cheeses, sometimes chocolate, are triggers.
(tyramine containing foods)
You might find the following study interesting:
13/02/2001 12:36 - (SA) Wheat can trigger migraines
New York - According to the results of a small new study, some people may
experience migraine headaches due to an otherwise harmless culprit: wheat.
The investigators found that limiting gluten - a protein found in wheat and
other grains - reduced symptoms of severe headache in seven out of nine
patients.
The patients were all found to have a sensitivity to gluten, which results in
a heightened immune responsiveness triggered by the protein, according to the
report published in the February issue of Neurology.
Gluten sensitivity can include celiac disease, an inherited inability to
digest gluten that results in abdominal distention, vomiting, diarrhoea,
muscle wasting and lethargy. Other conditions can also develop, including
neurological problems or dermatitis herpetiformis - blister-like lesions on
the elbows, buttocks and knees, the report indicates. The only treatment is
strict avoidance of certain foods.
In the new study, Dr Marios Hadjivassiliou, from the Royal Hallamshire
Hospital in Sheffield, UK, and colleagues looked at 10 patients who had a
long history of headaches that had recently worsened or became resistant to
treatment. Many of the patients also had a lack of balance or unsteadiness.
Tests showed that these patients had a sensitivity to gluten, and magnetic
resonance imaging scans suggested they had inflammation in the central
nervous system.
Nine of the 10 patients tried a gluten-free diet, and seven stopped having
headaches. Two other patients had some--but not complete - success by
switching to a gluten-free diet. One patient did not follow the diet.
"If the results of the current study are confirmed, removal of the trigger
factor by the early introduction of gluten-free diet may be a promising
therapeutic intervention,'' Hadjivassiliou and colleagues write.
"Further studies of the effect of gluten-free diet are needed to confirm
these preliminary findings,'' the researchers conclude.
Maddy Mason
Hudson Valley, NY
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