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Is there a link between candida and migraine symptoms?

Migraines normally start with a throbbing sensation on one side of the head, and if left untreated can start to move to the other side also. In most cases around about 60% of migraine sufferers will get some symptoms about 24 hours prior to a migraine attack.

They may find that they have mood changes and crave particular types of foods. They also may yawn repetitively and feel fatigued.

Dehydration can be a cause of migraines and a person may feel dry and thirsty, but unfortunately they also find that they may retain fluids and feel a little bloated. However, consuming more water will help with the elimination of toxins, which are believed to be one of the reasons that a candida infection can cause migraines.

Interestingly, some candida is present in and on our skin all the time. It is no threat to the host, and is considered beneficial if maintained in balance in the Gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It is only when it is allowed to colonize that it becomes a threat to the host and can cause any one of dozens of symptoms, including migraines.

When there is a candida infection, the body has to deal with more toxins and there is a greater strain on the immune response. An example of one of the toxins that is releases is acetaldehyde, which is considered a responsible for a person’s symptoms when they have an alcohol “hang-over”.

In a study carried out which looked at the relationship between Candida and migraine attacks it was found that 13 out of the 17 sufferers responded to change of diet and medication within 3 months and so suffered from less severe and fewer migraine attacks.

Also blood tests were carried out during this study and it was found that the number of Candida antibodies had decreased as well.

The remaining 4 did not respond to the program during the study because they did not actually follow the regime provided by the research team.

So, the first step to take if you believe that you have a migraine that may be caused by candida is to get the candida infection diagnosed.

This step may not be as simple as it sounds, as yeast infections are not always easy to diagnose as we already have candida present in our bodies. However, there are various tests that can be carried out that you can ask your doctor about.

There are also a number of symptoms that can be identified that are associated with candida; these should also be mentioned to your doctor if they are identified.

Once diagnosed there are a number of treatment options, which are designed to one or more than one of the following; kill the fungus, starve the fungus, improve the diet, bolster the immune system.

There are also natural methods that can be used to relieve the symptoms.

Continue reading to discover how you can get a copy of our free newsletter, designed to help people understand the symptoms and eliminate candida infections for good.

Unfortunately, when a treatment starts to bring the candida infection under control, even more toxins can be released into the body. However, this is a necessary evil to remove the long-term symptoms.

One way to eliminate toxins quicker, and also help with migraines is to increase the volume of water drunk during the day. Water can help flush out toxins in the body, and it also helps reduce the symptoms of the migraine.

There is one final thing to consider once the candida infection is under control. You will need to understand what triggered the candida infection in the first place. The above treatments may help eliminate the candida infections, but they could come back if the root cause is not understood and resolved.

So, if there is a candida infection, eliminate the impact of candida and migraine symptoms should ease or disappear.

Those who think of migraine as “just a bad headache” may be surprised to hear about hemiplegic migraine, a type of migraine that can involve weakness or even paralysis on one side of the body. But those familiar with migraine know that it’s much more than a headache. In fact, it’s often not a headache at all! Migraine attacks involve a number of symptoms. Headache is a common one, but there can also be nausea, skin sensitivity, a sensitivity to light or sound, confusion or weakness.

Hemiplegic migraine is a specific type of migraine. Usually, it’s divided into two types – sporadic hemiplegic migraine and familial hemiplegic migraine. Both types are similar, the difference being that those with familial hemiplegic have a close relative that gets migraine with aura – particularly the symptom of weakness.

If you’ve got hemiplegic migraine, either familial or sporadic, you may experience:

* Sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of the body (temporary)

* Numbness, a pins-and-needles prickling sensation

* Difficulty speaking

* Headache

Headache and hemiplegic migraine may go together. This is considered to be one of the most severe forms of migraine, with reason. The sufferer can be incapacitate by an attack. This is good reason to see a doctor, and if diagnosed to make sure that you carry with you some sort of medical identification at all times.

There are other challenges when it comes to hemiplegic migraine. First, the number of severe symptoms that need to be treated all at once, including weakness or paralysis. Second, the connections with stroke mean that the most common migraine-targeting medications (triptans and egotamines) are not recommended.

There is good news! For one thing, new genetic research is helping us to diagnose this type of migraine more easily. Also, there are many other migraine treatments and medications that can be used, and that have been used successfully. The important thing, however, is to seek expert help as soon as possible. If you’re already aware of a migraine connection, find a headache and migraine specialist if at all possible. If you’re not sure, make sure you see a doctor so that she can rule out other severe problems, such as stroke. If you seek help right away, you can avoid serious problems. There is help available, as we understand more and more about migraine, paralysis and other types of headache.

1) Feverfew
The herb feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) has been used for centuries as a folk remedy for headache, migraine, arthritis, pain, and fever in Europe.

It became especially popular in England in the 1980s as an alternative to conventional drugs for migraines.

Several studies have evaluated the effectiveness of feverfew for the prevention and treatment of migraines. For example, one study examined the use of a feverfew extract or a placebo in 170 people with migraines. There was a significant decrease in migraine frequency with feverfew, which decreased by 1.9 migraines per month, compared to the placebo, which decreased by 1.3 migraines per month.

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In 2005, scientists at the New York, Albert Einstein College of Medicine carried out a trial on 24,000 headache and migraine sufferers. They studied the headache medications used by these sufferers, to determine whether participants suffering on less than 15 days a month were more likely to develop chronic attacks

The survey showed that those who used barbiturates and caffeine-containing drugs as pain relief were at risk of developing rebound headaches, also known as medication-overuse headaches. If taken to excess, or too often, these medications can worsen the migraine severity and frequency, making the problem harder to treat. By 2006, 209 of the people who had taken part in the study had developed chronic migraine.

Pregnant or breast-feeding women, and anyone with heart disease or peptic ulcers, should not use these drugs for fear of complications. (Adapted from: American Academy of Neurology (2008, April 27). Overuse of Codeine, Oxycodone and Barbiturates Increases Risk Of Chronic Migraine. ScienceDaily.)

Other medications are widely available for preventing migraines but they are rarely wholly successful and they also have numerous side-effects. One of the most common forms of migraine treatments used by doctors is an anti depressant such as Amitriptyline. These are extremely addictive and when a patient stops taking them they may suffer debilitating withdrawal symptoms for many months. This should not be attempted without the supervision of a qualified medical practitioner.

Migraine sufferers are beginning to realise that prescription drugs simply aren’t effective unless they continually increase their doses. Finding that the side effects are far too numerous and too uncomfortable to continue treatments, many are now turning to natural remedies which focus on the entire body, not merely the source of pain as is the case with prescription drugs. The side effects from natural remedies are usually less profound and there are no known addictions.

One such remedy is butterbur. “Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine” notes that butterbur is used for migraine of “liver origins”. In Asia, Europe and regions of North America, where Butterbur grows naturally, extracts from the leaves and flowers have been used for centuries as a ‘folk remedy’. Conditions other than migraine that are believed to respond to Butterbur are allergies, asthma and stomach cramps. Butterbur is a member of the ragweed family of plants and anyone who is allergic to daisy, marigold, chrysanthemum or ragweed should not use it, neither should people who have kidney or liver disease, or pregnant women. It should never be used for treating children.

Modern studies suggest that Butterbur works by calming spasms in some muscle tissues and reducing inflammation of the walls of blood vessels.

A study, published in Neurology, suggests that use of an extract from Butterbur can reduce the frequency of migraines. The study, conducted by the Yeshiva University in New York, involved the use of a butterbur extract, Petodolex. The 245 people who took part in the study had experienced between two and six migraine attacks per month during the three months before the trial began. Three months before starting they stop taking their usual migraine preventative treatment, so that the chemical residues could be eliminated from their system.

The trial compared the effect of taking Butterbur extract over a four month period, using 50mg, 75mg doses twice a day and a placebo.

After four months of treatment, migraine frequency was reduced by 48% in those who used the 75mg dose, with a 26% reduction in the placebo group. Those who took the 50mg dose were found to have a 36% reduction in the frequency of migraines, and researchers felt this was not significantly different from the effects of the placebo. Significantly more people in the 75mg dose group had a 50% reduction in monthly migraine attacks than those in the placebo group. (Adapted from Neurology Dec 2004; 63:2240-4; Press releases from Yeshiva University).

Butterbur is known to have side effects which include indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation however, reports from the studies suggested that those using Butterbur only reported mild side effects, the most common being burping.

When using natural alternatives for migraine treatment, you will usually benefit most from consulting a qualified practitioner.