Bad Trade Off "It feels like my skull is split in half."
That's how one of my patients described a migraine to me years ago. Lucky for me, I've never had one myself. But from what I've heard over the years, it's a fair description.
It's estimated that some 18 million Americans suffer with migraines, and the number seems to climb each year. Conventional medicine treats it the same way it same way it treats most things - with prescription drugs. But like many drug "cures," they come with a host of undesirable side effects. The beta blocker drugs often used to prevent migraines can cause dizziness, fatigue, depressed mood and increase your risk of developing diabetes. The tricyclic antidepressants cause drowsiness, problems with short term memory, brain fuzz and if you're really unlucky, bladder dysfunction and urinary retention, another way of saying you become unable to empty your bladder completely. I can tell you, most people cringe at the idea of going on these drugs for the rest of their life. Not only that, most migraine experts will tell you they don't work that well in the first place. That's been my own experience, too.
Now it seems that in addition to being to causing troubling side effects, they can also be dangerous. New research shows that long term use of Topamax, one of the most popular migraine drugs, can cause the buildup of excessive acid in the blood - a condition doctors call systemic metabolic acidosis.
Best case scenario, metabolic acidosis causes kidney stones. If you've ever suffered with the pain of a kidney stone, you may wonder what could be worse. (From what I've seen, it can rival the worst migraine). But if you've got metabolic acidosis, a kidney stone is a blessing, because it's a red flag for the acid buildup in your blood. Without it, the other symptoms, like fatigue, lack of appetite, and rapid breathing might go unnoticed or misdiagnosed - and you could wind up dead - not likely but possible, so why take the chance?
I don't think it's a good gamble to trade the pain of a migraine for the pain of a kidney stone. And I know for sure the incomplete relief of migraine drugs is not worth risking you life.
Especially since there are far better options - safe, healthy options that can help reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines and in some cases get rid of them entirely. I've had great success with my patients with nutrition and lifestyle approaches to migraines. One of the first things I always recommend is exercise - it relieves stress (a known migraine trigger), improves sleep quality and improves brain chemistry - all good things. Eliminating certain foods, like alcohol, aged cheeses, chocolate, dairy products, citrus foods, eggs, and food additives like MSG, artificial sweeteners, and nitrates, can also help. I also recommend certain herbs and nutrients like feverfew, magnesium, and riboflavin; I've told my newsletter readers before about Dr. Alexander Mauskop's MigreLief (www.migrelief.com) which delivers all three of these ingredients in one convenient dose.
These steps won't provide 100 percent relief for everyone - but neither do drugs. Some people may still need medications to help them deal with their migraines. But if you use them in conjunction with my recommendations, you shouldn't need drugs as often or at as high a dose.
| 
 There are times when medical news is too urgent to wait until the next issue, so Dr. Alan Inglis keeps in touch with you through House Calls.
|
|
