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