Migraine Headaches
I will be getting to this important very soon. In the meantime, please read Pain, Pain Go Away in my Pain Management section. Migraines are complex, but there is a definite relationship between the development of these oftentimes debilitating headaches and the food intolerance concepts purported in the pain paper.
A great Website to visit is that of the Sage Systems Test for delayed food allergies. They claim a phenomenal success rate for those whop have this test done and eat accordingly. I have now had personal and Internet clients who have enjoyed amazing recoveries from not only migraines but also IBS, MS, seizures and peripheral neuropathies when they eliminated the “big 4”- gluten (wheat, barley, rye), dairy, soy and corn- while also eating according to the results of this test.
A true example: I had a self-employed client who was spending $750 per month on Imitrex for her migraines. I told her about the Sage test (above) and she had it done. She came into my office with her pet about 6 months later and she reported that her last migraine had occurred 2 weeks after starting the elimination diet dictated by her test results. She told me that they sent her a laminated card about the size of a driver’s license with the foods to avoid listed on the back. I asked to see it…and man, was I glad I did. On it were the usual suspects- wheat, milk, corn, soy, peanuts and few others, about 12 in all. And among the others…coffee! I almost knocked myself out hitting my head with the palm of my hand. “That is why I am still having some occasional IBS signs!” I said to her. Whodathunkit? Coffee allergy. But once we understand how secondary food allergies develop (Google “zonulin”), this should make perfect sense, especially in celiacs who are drinking gallons of coffee to counteract the depression they almost invariably experience.
But remember when having any lab test done: The lectins of some foods (gluten grains, dairy, soy, corn, peanuts/legumes, and nightshades) can do direct harm to tissue, including neurons, joints and other organs without the involvement of antibodies. The immune reaction comes after the damage is done and, sadly, some individuals do not respond appropriately. In other words, these abnormal individuals do not form antibodies to the damaging foods/agents and are, thereby, negative on diagnostic tests. This is one reason why some gluten intolerant individuals are negative on all currently available laboratory tests. That is when we need to be “listening” to our body- feeling the energy level drop, the rumbling in the tummy, the onset of body aches, or the headache appearing out of nowhere- all of which we should have been watching for all long.
To this day, one of the best “diagnostic tests” is to see how you feel after eating something. If you get inappropriately sleepy or have any of the above symptoms arise after eating, there is something wrong. Our body is quite good at warning us of our mistakes. We have simply learned to turn a deaf ear and reach for a pill.
Dogtor J
