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Thanks for all the responses to my survey question about who has had relief
in intensity or frequency of migraine since going GF.  The responses came
back in many forms which made me realize that I should have posed a more
detailed query to try to arrive at less variable levels of response to
summarize- I wish I had Dr. Valivach's expertise!  Though the results below
weren't scientifically compiled, they provide a revealing look at how a GF
diet has affected those who have suffered migraine.

There were a total of 58 respondents.  Since this is a celiac list, I've
assumed the respondent was celiac unless they said otherwise.

Among the celiacs responding:

8  saw no connection between GF status and migraine:
   1- identified chocolate as the sole trigger
   1- thyroid was the problem- chocolate no longer a trigger!
   2- migraines came and went without regard to GF status
   3- migraines remained the same regardless of GF status
   1- worse than ever!

25 said they'd had a reduction or cessation of migraine since going GF, with
   no mention of any triggers involved (except gluten presumably).  This
   doesn't mean they don't have them, all we know is they weren't mentioned.

14 said they'd reduced or eliminated migraine by going GF and also eliminating
   a known trigger.  Some said they could still trigger a migraine- it
   was usually less intense than before GF, or if just as bad were less freq.

   I hadn't asked for people to list triggers, but many people volunteered
   information on their triggers, which are listed below.  This list thus
   won't be complete but it's startlingly diverse as it is!  Note: many
   people had more than one trigger, and some just mentioned eliminating
   triggers but not what they were.

        4- stress
        6- hormone fluctuations
        3- sleep deprivation
        2- hunger
        1- weather changes
        1- cigarette smoke
        4- caffeine or caffeine withdrawal
        1- MSG
        1- artificial sweeteners
        1- processed foods
        4- sugar
        6- alcohol
        4- wine (in addition to the alcohol repsonses)
        10-chocolate
        4- cheese
        1- dairy
        1- pickles
        1- corn
        1- potatoes
        1- peanuts
        1- citrus
        1- yeast
        7- wheat (this number surely would be higher, but most respondents
                  are GF)
        2- unidentified triggers

Several people commented on the synergistic effect of triggers.  Two or more
combine to produce a worse migraine.  I for one have found chocolate and
alcohol are OK alone unless combined with another trigger, like lack of
sleep, or hormones, or gluten!

One perceptive respondent said it was difficult to say what contributed most
to migraine relief since going GF, because her GF diet eliminated possible
triggers as former foods, especially processed foods, are avoided to avoid
gluten.

Relief from other problems- epilepsy, Miniere's disease and sinus problems
(see below) was found along with migraine relief.

2  non-migraineurs said their sinus headaches improved after going GF.  In
addition, several of the migraineurs also described relief from other kinds
of headaches as well.

3  respondents without celiac diagnosis had improvement in migraine after
going on a GF diet.

2  recently diagnosed and GF celiacs said it was too early yet to tell any
improvement

3  respondents just described their migraine and/or triggers and didn't
give enough information to say if they'd improved or not after GF diet
(thanks to all who responded to my nagging to clarify their response!)

1  person put his 2 cents worth in to say he's a celiac who doesn't have
migraine, raising the interesting question of just what % of celiacs have
migraine.  Judging from the number of responses, it may be a higher
percentage than in the general population.  And that 44 had improvement
from their GF diet vs. 8 who didn't (really only 4 were as bad or worse,
the other four improved for other unrelated reasons) suggests that there's
a pretty strong connection of gluten underlying migraine in this group, or
at least being one of the triggers.

Medications which were used to help migraine were Inderal, Anaprox, Paxil,
Imitrex, antihistamines, and feverfew.

There were too many responses to include captions from each, but here are a
couple which capture the essence of the majority-

Moira: I had migraines all my life, until I went gf.  I have been gf for 4
years now and during that time I have had only 2 migraine headaches.
Coincidence?  I don't think so.

Joan: Last December I let my gastroenterologist talk me into trying a gluten
challenge for a month (after being gluten-free for 7 years).  Within 48
hours, I was sneezing continuously and had to begin taking allergy medicine
(ornade), which I had to continue even after I quit eating gluten 4 weeks
later.  I am still bothered by allergies, but it is beginning to taper off
so it's not quite so frequent.  Also, I started having headaches again while
I was eating gluten.  The headaches quit within a few weeks of not eating
any more gluten.  I will never eat gluten again!!!

Thanks again to all!

Mary R.