Can diet and exercise avoid headaches?

Healthy diet, nutrition and basic fitness tarining can help

Although most headaches, do not have serious health implications, suffering from recurrent headaches can be very debilitating. If you suffer from headaches and want to avoid regular use of over the counter medications, you may find cutting certain foods out of your diet and addressing your own nutrient deficiencies may help.
Regular exercise may help control headaches, although sometimes the opposite is true. It is best to start with a basic resistance training and cardio programme, such as the Bodydoctor programme.

Not all headaches have the same cause

Tension headaches are normally associated with muscular tension due to pinched nerves to the face, neck or scalp as a result of stress or posture. They are described as a gradual onset of a mild, steady or dull ache where pain may be considered "vicelike " - although no throbbing is involved.

In contrast, Migraine headaches as currently described as vascular; involving excessive vasoconstriction or vasodilation of blood vessels, which may also involve increased aggregation of platelets. More recent research may point the finger at abnormal nerve activity and resultant inflammation, although more research needs to be conducted before the underlying cause of migraines is known. Migraines may involve nausea and vomiting and can occur several times per month, lasting for up to 3 days.

Interestingly, the chronic use of pain relievers may exacerbate the problem by interfering with the brain's natural ability to fight headaches. Common causes of headaches include allergies, constipation, eyestrain, sinus pressure, hypertension, low blood sugar, dehydration, hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, stimulant intake such as coffee, alcohol, drugs or tobacco or be due to exposure to irritants such as perfumes and aftershaves. Oral contraceptive use, may also be a cause of headaches by the action of depleting B6.

Therapeutic considerations

Nutrition

Check for food allergies and sensitivities to food additives. Common allergens include wheat, chocolate, MSG (monosodium glutamate), sulphites (additives that prevent food discolouration), luncheon meats, dairy, nuts, fermented foods (eg cheese, sour cream and yoghurt), alcohol, vinegar and marinated foods. Symptoms can occur within minutes or up to 72 hours later, so patterns are often hard to detect, but suspect foods you crave or those you eat the most of.

Eat a well-balanced diet consisting of complex carbohydrates with protein to balance blood sugar levels. Try to avoid sugar and stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.

Avoid foods that contain tyramine as they may cause blood pressure to rise resulting in headache. Foods high in tyramine include aged meats, avocados, canned fish, red plums, alcoholic beverages, bananas, cheese, chicken, chocolate, citrus fruits, cold cuts, herring, onions, peanut butter, pork, smoked fish, sour cream, vinegar, wine and fresh baked yeast products.

Avoid foods that contain phenylalanine such as aspartame (NutraSweet), MSG (monosodium glutamate) and nitrites (preservatives found in processed meats).

In cases of constipation, increase your intake of fibre, especially vegetables and drink two litres of water per day (for dehydration also).

Avoid salt and acid-forming foods (inflammatory) such as meat, cereal, bread and grains. Also avoid fried foods.

A disturbance in the body's serotonin pathway may be the cause of headaches as with migraine headaches. Serotonin increases before and decreases during a headache and in chronic tension headaches, serotonin seems to always be at a low level. The supplement 5-HTP may prove beneficial in this instance.

Headaches are more frequent when environmental heat increases body temperature, causing blood vessels to dilate.

Headaches associated with menstruation are caused by lower levels of oestrogen and may be helped by taking supplemental B6, potassium and magnesium.

Posture, relaxation and exercise

In may be a good idea to see a chiropractor in cases of tension headaches, as there may be a structural problem, for example a misalignment of the spine causing muscular tension in the neck. Learning to relax tight muscles by alternating tension and relaxation (progressive relaxation) is also an option worth trying.

Acupuncture and acupressure have helped many people control migraines. Yoga may also be of benefit.

Regular exercise may help control headaches, although sometimes the opposite is true. It is best to start with a basic resistance training and cardio programme, such as the Bodydoctor programme. A personal trainer can guide you through the exercises and make sure you are exercising safely and at the right intensity.

Headaches whilst exercising may indicate a heart problem.

Apply a cold compress to the head from where the pain is radiating, this may help with muscle spasms by constricting blood vessels. Conversely, add a hot towel or pad to the head to relax the neck and shoulder muscles.

If your headache persists, go to your GP for further investigations, especially if accompanied by blurred vision, fever, pressure behind the eyes that is relieved by vomiting, sensitivity to light, visual colour changes or if you experience a headache after a head injury.

Nutrients that may be of assistance include:

Bromelain - a pineapple extract, which acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Calcium and magnesium - may help to relax muscles and blood vessels.

B vitamins may help reduce platelet aggregation and excessive vasoconstriction.

DL-Phenylalanine (DLPA) for pain relief. (Although not to be supplemented during pregnancy, if you are diabetic, have PKU or suffer from hypertension). Supplemental L-Tyrosine may also be beneficial (although not to be used with an MAO inhibitor drug).

B3 (as niacin), vitamin E and essential fats for circulation. Essential fats are also have anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet aggregation properties.

The botanical herb feverfew and ginger are scientifically well documented as possible cures for headaches.

Research Update

Severity of headaches reduced when gluten is eliminated from the diet
Neurology February 2001; 56:385-388

Investigators in this small study found that eliminating gluten from the diet reduces severe headache symptoms in more than 75% of individuals. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, oats, barley, spelt and rye. All gluten was avoided in this study, however, some people find that just cutting out wheat can help, as wheat has the highest concentration of gluten of all the grains.

Focus on Food

Celery, onion and feverfew juice
Ginger acts like many prescription drugs by regulating prostaglandin production. Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances produced in the body which help control inflammatory processes. If headaches are regular, try this freshly-made juice daily.

2 celery stalks with leaves
¼ onion
½ apple
½ inch of ginger root
4 fresh parsley springs with stems
1 tablespoon of feverfew leaves (or use herbal tincture)

Add to juice extractor and serve with ice.

Information in this nutrition update is provided by Amanda Moore (BSC (hons) Dip ION mBANT) at Totalbeing +44 (0) 845 658 5658. www.totalbeing.com.

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