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DR ARGHYA SARKHEL
Dr Sarkhel is a consultant psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience; he is also on the specialist register of General Medicinal Council and is passionate about providing practical lifestyle and mindfulness-based treatments to his patients.
I GET FREQUENT MIGRAINES – ARE THERE ANY NATURAL SOLUTIONS TO HELP STOP THEM?
A migraine is a recurrent, intense headache that involves either the right, left or both sides of the head. It can last for days, weeks or even months and is often very debilitating. Apart from the headache itself, patients may suffer from feeling sick (nausea), intolerance to loud noise (phonophobia), or sensitivity to bright light (photophobia). There are different types of migraine. In some cases, a migraine is preceded by an aura that may involve speech problems, sensory difficulties in vision or hearing, involuntary movements etc.
When it comes to treating migraines, food is indeed important from the point of view of identifying trigger foods that can set your migraines off. Common foods that could potentially precipitate a migraine include artificial sweeteners, caffeine withdrawal, chocolate, processed meats and foods containing tyramine and histamine. You are the best judge of your body, so keep a food and drink journal and try and identify key triggers, and then eliminate them from your diet. A study suggests that eliminating trigger foods in your diet can significantly reduce your migraines.