Prevent holiday migraines!
“Alcohol is a diuretic that induces fluid loss, and dehydration is also a potent migraine trigger,” he says.
It’s
the jolliest time of the year, but bright holiday lights and scented candles, plus changes in sleeping and eating patterns, make it prime migraine time, too! Luckily, you can keep your holidays headache-free just by:
Toasting with white wine!
Red wine triggers migraines in one in five women—and in one in 12 men! The reason: Its fermentation process creates more troublemaking chemicals like tannins, says neurologist David Buchholz, M.D., author of Heal
Your Headache. Sip white wine or a clear spirit like vodka instead and alternate each alcoholic beverage with a glass of water.
Cutting risk with COQ10!
Folks prone to migraines are often deficient in this vitamin-like antioxidant, which helps protect the brain’s nerve cells from a major headache trigger: oxidative stress. In a Cleveland Clinic study, 61% of migraine patients who took 150 mg. a day of COQ10 saw at least a 50% reduction in migraine attacks, dropping from an average of seven to three a month.
Trying a sleep supplement!
Migraine sufferers who regularly clock less than six hours of sleep a night have more severe and frequent headaches. To the rescue: a 3-mg. nightly dose of melatonin! A proven sleep-inducer, it cut migraine pain, duration and frequency more than 50% for most migraine patients in one study, reports the journal Neurology. For best results, take fast-acting melatonin (not slow-release) between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. to mimic the body’s natural cycle, says researcher Mario Peres, M.D., PH.D.
Getting relief with Botox!
Approved by the FDA for frequent migraines (14 or more days a month), Botox “paralyzes muscles in the face, the back, the neck and the scalp, which prevents those muscles from squeezing the nerves that bring on migraines,” says plastic surgeon Daniel Maman, M.D. Treatments take 10 minutes, last three months and cost $ 500-$ 2,000, which insurance may cover. “Patients who can point with one finger to where their headaches start on their head do particularly well with Botox,” Dr. Maman adds.