Migraine Mystery Solved_

10/11/2020 Migraine Mystery Solved?

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MIGRAINE MYSTERY SOLVED?

Nutritional Supplements &

Foods to Help Digestive &

Gastro-Intestinal Problems

Should I Take Probiotics on

an Empty Stomach,

Between Meals or With

Meals?

Diet & Nutritional

Supplements to Improve

Gut (Colon) Health

Allergy - Possible Causes &

Triggers

Migraine is a condition that produces recurring and severe

headaches (usually one-sided). The pain is often pulsating,

accompanied by nausea, light and noise sensitivity, and

lasting from a few hours to a few days.

Migraine is a common health condition, especially among

women. It is estimated that around one in every ve

women in the UK su ers from migraines. Some individuals

have migraines several times a week, while others

experience it only occasionally.

Health Bene ts of

Nutritional Sulfur & MSM

(Methylsulfonylmethane)

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF MIGRAINE

Three Phases Of Liver

Detox

Diet & Nutritional

Supplements for Fatty Liver

It is believed that migraine is linked especially to a drop in

the level of neurotransmitter serotonin (vasoconstrictor)

in the brain, causing a widening in the blood vessels which

stresses nerve bres forcing them to release peptides

https://www.healthaid.co.uk/healthaid-blog/MIGRAINE-MYSTERY-SOLVED 1/13


which travel to the brain's outer covering (meninges)

leading to in ammation and migraine pain. One of the

arguments used to prove this idea is the fact that

the levels of serotonin decreases during migraine

headache whereas an intravenous infusion of serotonin

can stop it.

According to another theory migraine may be also caused

by vascular abnormalities mainly contractions and

dilations of brain blood vessels also triggered by serotonin

and other neurotransmitters abnormalities, for instance

increased levels of glutamate which causes vasodilation.

Although it is still controversial whether migraine is

primarily a vascular problem (dilation of blood vessels) or

a neurological dysfunction, yet it is possible that both of

them play a signi cant role in the development of

migraine headaches. In addition, both factors (vascular

and neurological) are likely to be triggered by various

types of in ammation in the body and possibly other

mentioned below lifestyle and environmental causes.

POSSIBLE CAUSES & TRIGGERS

Drop in neurotransmitters,

especially serotonin (vasoconstrictor), but it is

believed low levels of other neurotransmitters, such

as acetylcholine (vasoconstrictor) or dopamine, and

increase in glutamate (causes vasodilation) also

contribute to migraine

High levels of in ammation in the body

Ca eine, wine (sul tes), beer, cheese, pizza, gluten,

chocolate, sugar, white our products and other

re ned foods, MSG, additives, most margarines and

high in proin ammatory omega 6 fatty acids re ned

commercial oils (sun ower oil, soya oil, vegetable oil,

corn oil), processed foods, carbonated drinks



Monosodium glutamate (MSG) increases oxidative

stress and is a known migraine trigger

De ciency of Magnesium, B2, B3, B12, zinc

Psychological stress, depression, anxiety

Aspartame & sucralose

Certain medications

De ciency of CoQ10 & Lipoic Acid

Allergies & food sensitivity

Nitrates in meat products

Hormonal imbalance (low oestrogen &

progesterone)

Hypoxia (lack of oxygen) mainly caused by lack of

physical activity and shallow breathing

Hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose levels)

Drop in barometric pressure

Lack of sleep

Dehydration caused by drinking insu cient amount

of water and diet low in fruits and vegetables

Pineal gland calci cation (caused by uoride)

Constipation

SEROTONIN & MAIGRAINE

Studies have found that increased brain synthesis of

serotonin o ers natural relief for migraine symptoms,

including pain. Serotonin aids in relieving migraines

because it prevents dilation and promotes constriction of

intracranial blood vessels. Studies have proven the link

between migraines and low serotonin levels in the brain.

The link is so strong that some researchers and experts

have started referring to migraine headaches as “low

serotonin syndrome.”

When someone is experiencing a migraine headache,

the body dramatically increases urinary excretion of the

main metabolite of serotonin (5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid),

which results in low serotonin levels. It means that low

serotonin not only causes migraines, but when someone

starts experiencing a migraine headache serotonin is



excreted with the urine leading to even deeper de ciency

and intensifying the whole problem.

If it is true that serotonin de ciency is the most important

problem behind migraine headaches, those who su er

from this condition should do their best to increase levels

of this neurotransmitter in the brain to prevent migraine

or easy the symptoms. In addition, since serotonin is also

known for its ability to increase body’s pain tolerance,

raising its concentration in the brain should make

migraine pain more manageable.

5HTP (TRYPTOPHAN)

Fortunately, there are some simple means which are

helpful and e ective in raising brain levels of serotonin.

One of the most important ways to achieve this goal is by

providing the body with amino acid tryptophan, or even

better 5-HTP (5-Hydroxy L-Tryptophan), which is made

from tryptophan.

Because of its ability to boost serotonin levels, 5HTP

synthesized from tryptophan, has been used to help

individuals su ering from numerous disorders, including:

migraines, tension headaches, depression, or anxiety.

It is very important to remember that su cient amounts

of vitamin C, B3, B6 (pyridoxine), folate, zinc, and

magnesium are necessary for the formation of

tryptophan, which, in turn, is necessary in our body for the

synthesis of serotonin. Apart from that, it has been shown

that magnesium, vitamin B6 and B3 can also assist

conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.

It is true that tryptophan is also found in animal foods

especially milk, but animal sources (including milk and

dairy) are much higher in other competitive amino acids

thus hindering absorption of tryptophan. Because

tryptophan is an amino acid (protein), therefore a diet rich

in other types of protein (meat and dairy products) greatly



hinders tryptophan from passing from the blood to your

brain. It is so because tryptophan has to compete with

many other amino acids (proteins) while trying to enter

the brain and as a result only small amount of this

important amino acid gets in. That is another reason why

it is much better to supplement tryptophan in the form of

5HTP instead of relying on animal foods. In addition,

unlike 5HTP, meat and dairy products also contain

numerous high-risk factors such as cholesterol,

triglycerides, antibiotics, or dioxins.

Study by Professor J. Wurtman (2009) demonstrated that

tryptophan, which is the building block of serotonin, can

get into our brains only when sweet unre ned

carbohydrates are consumed. Thus, more serotonin is

made after you consume sweet unre ned carbohydrates

such as fruits (especially bananas and dried fruits).

Numerous studies have demonstrated that the amino acid

5-HTP (5-Hydroxy L-Tryptophan), which is made from

tryptophan, and that in turn is used by the body to

produce serotonin is helpful in coping with migraines,

obesity, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. 5-HTP is also

regarded as a potent antioxidant able to protect the body

against the free-radical damage, thus reducing the risk of

numerous health problems such as cardiovascular

diseases, fatigue, cancer, etc.

In 1989, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported

evidence linking L-tryptophan supplements to a disorder

characterized by an elevated white blood cell count.

However, subsequent research showed that it was

contaminants in the supplements, not the tryptophan,

that was responsible for the problem.

L-TYPTOPHAN VS 5HTP

Supplementing with L-tryptophan instead of 5-HTP is

much less e ective way to increase serotonin levels

because L-tryptophan has to be rst converted to 5-HTP. It



means that taking L-tryptophan will result in producing

less serotonin than after supplementing with 5-HTP. Both

L-Tryptophan and 5-HTP must cross the blood-brain

barrier to make serotonin in the brain. However, unlike L-

Tryptophan 5-HTP doesn’t have to compete with other

amino acids to cross the blood-brain barrier. As a result 5-

HTP is much more e ective in getting into brain than it is

in case of L-tryptophan. For this reason 5-HTP is regarded

as signi cantly more e ective form of tryptophan in

boosting brain serotonin levels. Human body uses L-

tryptophan to produce a number of compounds including

Niacin (Vitamin B3), but 5-HTP is only used to produce

serotonin and melatonin (from serotonin). Your body can

convert L-Tryptophan and 5-HTP to serotonin in the liver

and also in the brain. When Part of L-tryptophan can be

converted to serotonin in the liver and this serotonin can’t

be used by the brain to improve mood or prevent

migraine.

While supplementing with L-tryptophan and 5-HTP it is

also very important to make sure that the rst is taken

with vitamin B3 and the second with vitamin B6.

Tryptophan is crucial in boosting serotonin levels because

serotonin is made in the body from tryptophan.

Tryptophan is rst converted in the liver into 5HTP (5-

Hydroxy L-Tryptophan) by the enzyme tryptophan

hydroxylase with the help of vitamin B3 (niacin). The

problem, however, is that when the liver attempts to

convert tryptophan to 5HTP in the absence of adequate

levels of vitamin B3, it will use tryptophan to synthetize it,

and it uses 60mg of tryptophan to produce 1mg of niacin,

thus leading to tryptophan and serotonin de ciency! That

is why if L-tryptophan supplements are taken instead of 5-

HTP it should be used with B3. On the other hand, when 5-

HTP gets into the liver another enzyme (decarboxylase)

converts it to 5HT, but it can do it e ectively only with the

help of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). Unfortunately, when body

is de cient in this vitamin, liver will convert 5HTP to some

toxic metabolites! For this reason 5-HTP, which

e ectiveness in boosting serotonin levels is higher than



that of L-tryptophan, should be supplemented with

pyridoxine (vitamin B6).

VITAMIN B2 (RIBOFLAVIN)

Apart from 5-HTP (Tryptophan) also vitamin B2 (ribo avin)

supplementation seems to be bene cial in coping with

migraine headaches. In mentioned below studies usually

about 300-400mg of a daily dose of ribo avin was used:

“A 2016 review on the clinical evidence behind Ribo avin

for Migraine concluded that daily doses of B2 may

improve mitochondrial function, thereby preventing

attacks and reducing the need for treatment.”

“A 2004 study found that patients who took Ribo avin

experienced signi cantly fewer headaches and used fewer

migraine pain killers or could completely avoid

medications.”

“A 2016 review on the clinical evidence behind Ribo avin

for Migraine concluded that daily doses of B2 may

improve mitochondrial function, thereby preventing

attacks and reducing the need for treatment.”

“A 2015 trial of 55 migraine patients on vitamin B2 showed

decreased migraine ‘attack frequency’ and ‘headache

days’.”

“1998 study of 80 patients with migraine found that those

in the Ribo avin group experienced 50% fewer migraines

and reduced severity of pain than those in the placebo

group (15% reduction).”

“Since in case of migraine headaches Vitamin B2 may be

able to achieve similar results to prescription alternatives

with much fewer problems, ribo avin can be considered

as safe and more natural alternative to meds.”

In addition, Vitamin B2 is also needed to make serotonin,

which de ciency is regarded as the key trigger of migraine



headaches.

OTHER SEROTONIN BOOSTERS

Apart from 5-HTP (tryptophan) and vitamin B2 also the

following are bene cial in increasing Serotonin levels:

Vitamins C, B1, B3, B6, B12, D, folic acid, calcium, selenium,

zinc, & magnesium, regular exercise, and sunlight.

LIFESTYLE AND SEROTONIN

In the book ‘The Natural Way to Overcome Depression,

Obesity, and Insomnia’ Dr. Michael Murray wrote: “Bad

diet, lack of exercise, use of harmful substances such as

alcohol or ca eine (co ee, tea, cola drinks, etc.) can rob

your brain of the ability to make enough serotonin. This

produces a range of signi cant complications: depression,

obesity, insomnia, migraine headaches, or chronic

fatigue.” It means that in order to have more serotonin

you have to exercise and avoid stimulants such as alcohol

and foods or drinks which contain ca eine (co ee, tea,

cola drinks, etc.).

In January 2009 Psychopharmacology reported that one of

the studies found that also stress greatly decreases

serotonin levels.

If you want to have enough serotonin you should stay

away from the low-calorie slimming diets as experiments

with rats demonstrated that reducing calories in their diet

decreased serotonin levels. Instead, follow the normalcalorie

unre ned plant-based diet which is the best, most

healthy and e ective way to elevate serotonin levels in the

body.

Fortunately there are some natural ways you can use to

have more of this precious hormone. According to

Harvard psychiatrist Joseph Glenmullen serotonin can be

enhanced by positive thinking, stress control, and by



aerobic exercise such as brisk walking. Exercise can raise

serotonin levels by both increasing the synthesis and

release of it.

According to Dr. Sang Lee even looking at certain lights

and colours such as blue or green can positively a ect

serotonin levels. That is why seeing the green colour of

grass or trees and blue colour of the sky, ocean, lake, river,

or even swimming pool water may positively in uence

serotonin levels. Knowing this we can understand why the

surrounding us nature is dominated by these two colours.

Our loving Creator, who intended us to spend most of the

time outside, gave us so much blue and green colours in

order to boost good hormones, soothe our nervous

system and to energize us at the same time during the day

stimulating our metabolism.

It is now a well-documented scienti c fact that it is the lack

of light (especially during winter season) which is

responsible for causing a popular form of depression

called SAD (Seasonal A ective Disorder) that occurs at the

same time every year. For this reason light therapy is used

in this case with excellent results. That is why in the

northern areas of the United States signi cantly more

people su er from depression than in the southern and

sunny states.

In one interesting experiment scientists asked patients

with depression to wake up early in the morning at 5 am,

go out and expose themselves to the sunlight. As a result

the symptoms of depression disappeared. They also

demonstrated that the early morning sunlight was the

most e ective in ghting depression. However, in order to

wake up early in the morning you also need to go to bad

before 10pm.

It was demonstrated that the full-spectrum light

stimulated chickens to release serotonin so well that they

lived twice as long! In addition to that, they were also

calmer and produced eggs which were much lower in

cholesterol! That is why also when we wisely expose our



body to the sunlight we feel more relaxed, have stronger

immune system, and have lower blood cholesterol.

It was reported that the non-full-spectrum lighting, which

is often used in work places and our homes, has created

stressful amounts of hormones such as cortisol and ACTH.

On the other hand, the arti cial full spectrum lighting,

which imitates the natural light found in sunlight, can

signi cantly improve our mood and energy level.

Some experts, however, conclude that it is not the type of

light but rather its intensity which is more important as

the therapeutic value comes from the brightness of the

light. They seem to agree that the full spectrum light is

healthier but they suggest that at the same time any

bright light therapy helps to decrease the symptoms of

SAD, PMS, heart rhythm disorders, insomnia, or

bromyalgia, and help to cope with obesity through

elevating the serotonin levels.

Unfortunately, for therapeutic purposes we need very

bright light of at least 2,500 lux. The stronger the light the

better results can be achieved. That is why it is so

important to go for a walk and use bene ts of the natural

sunlight any time the weather is ne because in a full

daylight even without direct sun the strength of light is

10,00025,000 lux, while in direct sunlight it is

32,000130,000 lux! Even on a cloudy day we have about

1,000 lux of light available. Unfortunately, the arti cial

light we have at home or work is usually only between 50

to 150 lux.

REFERENCES AND SOURCESS

- Liebman, T. N., & Crystal, S. C. (2016). What Is the Evidence that Ribo avin

Can Be Used for Migraine Prophylaxis?. Einstein Journal of Biology and

Medicine, 27(1), 7-9.

- Schoenen J, Jacquy J, Lenaerts M. E ectiveness of high-dose ribo avin in

migraine prophylaxis: A randomized controlled trial. Neurology.

1998;50(2):466–470.



- Rahimdel A, Zeinali A, Yazdian-Anari P, Hajizadeh R, Arefnia E. E ectiveness

of Vitamin B2 versus Sodium Valproate in Migraine Prophylaxis: 2015 Oct

19;7(6):1344-8. doi: 10.14661/1344.

- Daniel, O., & Mauskop, A. (2016). Nutraceuticals in acute and prophylactic

treatment of migraine. Current treatment options in neurology, 18(4), 14.

- https://www.migrainekey.com/migraine-trigger/glutamic-acid-glutamate/

- Li D, He L. Meta-analysis supports association between serotonin transporter

(5-HTT) and suicidal behavior. Mol Psychiatry 2006; 12:47-54.

- 7 Foods That Could Boost Your Serotonin, Written by Healthline Editorial

Team Medically Reviewed by Peggy Pletcher, MS, RD, LD, CDE on April 28,

2015

- Serotonin a la carte: supplementation with the serotonin precursor 5-

hydroxytryptophan, EH Turner et al., Pharmacol Ther. 2006 Mar;109(3):325-

38. Epub 2005 Jul 14.

- 5-HTP e cacy and contraindications, M Hinz, A Stein and T Uncini,

Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2012; 8: 323–328, Published online 2012 Jul 19. doi:

10.2147/NDT.S33259

- The function of serotonin within the liver, Ruddell, Richard G. et al., Journal of

Hepatology , Volume 48 , Issue 4 , 666 - 675

- Michael T. Murray (1998). 5-HTP: The Natural Way to Boost Serotonin and

Overcome Depression, Obesity, and Insomnia. June 1st 1998 Bantam.

- Hirsch M, et al. Unipolar depression in adults and selective serotonin

reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): Pharmacology, administration and side e ects.

www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed June 5, 2013.

- Young SN (2007). “How to increase serotonin in the human brain without

drugs”. J Psychiatry Neurosci 32 (6): 3949. PMC 2077351. PMID 18043762.

- Martinez A, Knappskog PM, Haavik J. A structural approach into human

tryptophan hydroxylase and its implications for the regulation of serotonin

biosynthesis. Curr Med Chem 2001 Jul; 8(9): 1077-91. 2001. PMID: 15980.

- Moore P, Landolt HP, Seifritz E, et al. Clinical and physiological consequences

of rapid tryptophan depletion. Neuropsychopharmacology 2000 Dec; 23(6):

601-22. 2000. PMID: 16020.

- University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine (2005, July 11). Mood Lighting:

Penn Researchers Determine Role Of Serotonin In Modulating.

- Taking Antidepressants: Your Comprehensive Guide to Starting, Staying On,

and Safely Quitting, by Michael D. Banov, M.D. (Sunrise River Press, 2010).

- The Antidepressant Solution: A Step-by-Step Guide to Safely Overcoming

Antidepressant Withdrawal, Dependence, and “Addiction,” by Joseph



Glenmullen, M.D. (Free Press, 2006).

- Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2013 Feb 2. pii: S0959-4388 (13) 00027-5.

- J Nutr. 2012 Dec; 142(12):2236S-2244S.

Tags: Migraine headache serotonin 5-htp l-tryptophan

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