interesting migraine response to a change in diet

I have been waiting to post this because I didn't know if my diet change was what is making the difference, but after a month of tracking I do see a difference.
About 6 weeks a go my friend sent me a "diet" shake system because she was feeling so good using it. She has migraines and IBS. I have a shake at breakfast and one at lunch. In between those times a nutritional drink and small snacks. Followed by a whole food, organic dinner (I make this part) There is also a cleanse component to this.

I don't know if it is the removal of something destructive from my diet or ingredients in this shake system. But I have had fewer migraines and had a whole week with none. I only had a small controllable one on the weekend at the marathon hockey tournament. They are not gone of course but they are at a level comparable to using Epival (when it worked for me)

I have not posted the name of the product because this is NOT a sales pitch. In fact I don't sell it at all. I just wanted to pass on information. If anyone is more interested let me know and I'll pass on the name. I know this wouldn't be for everyone, very restricted diet, shakes are expensive...

Jo

What are the ingredients in the shakes?

I'd love to know what it is. I am a vega girl myself...though I swear I'm allergic to something in it.

Vega is a vegan sport supplement that I add to shakes each morning that was created by a top male athelete who also happens to be vegan. It has really good ingrediants and soooo many of your daily amounts needed for vitamins.

It may not be the milkshakes, it may be the fact that you are eating less of a variety of processed foods. I find the less varied my diet is, the less migraines I get, as long as I am not eating a lot of junk food and avoiding good food that may be triggers.
I try to avoid sugar, I've never been able to get rid of it completely. Sugar is like loud noise or bright lights-overstimulation.

I was thinking a little bit along those lines as well. That it could be the removal of something from my diet that was triggering my migraine response. (I was thinking bread, I had toast every morning) There are many ingredients in this that are good for you. My neuro says there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, nothing that can hurt, and some elements may have anti-inflammatory properties. Interesting. Either way I do feel good, lots of energy and fewer migraines.

As with anything herbal or otherwise there could be interactions, that is why I took it to my neurologist, just to check. I know some elements in "natural or herbal remedies" can cause intereactions. The product is called Isagenix for those who asked.

I guess at this point in my struggle with migraine, I am trying what I can as I am quickly running out of options with preventative meds. So its been worth it to me. Fair warning though it is expensive! My husband just about fell over when the first charge came in on our card.

Jo

I just looked at the ingredients list for this product. I'm willing to bet it's the insane amount of B-vitamins in the shakes.

These shakes might work because they help you avoid other foods that would trigger your migraine. Multiple studies have shown that careful diet restriction can alleviate migraines. A study on chronic migraines in children showed that 93% of patients could stop their frequent severe migraines by restricting their diet (see first reference). In the study, the patients ate only 4 foods (ex: rice, lamb, apples, and brassica) for a week. If that helped reduce their migraines, they added foods back once a week until their diet was nutritious and socially acceptable. Similar results have been demonstrated in adult patient populations (see second reference). There is growing evidence that migraines are a type of allergic disease.

I learned a while ago that my diet was by far the best way to manage my migraines. I tried an elimination diet. I cut out 7 common allergens from my diet (Milk, Egg, Wheat, Tomato, Beef, Corn, Soy) and got much better. I now eat mainly rice, vegetables, and fish and have almost no migraines.


Best,
Steven

References:

Egger, J., et al. "Is migraine food allergy?: a double-blind controlled trial of oligoantigenic diet treatment." The Lancet (1983): 865-869.

Mansfield, Lyndon E., et al. "Food allergy and adult migraine: double-blind and mediator confirmation of an allergic etiology." Annals of allergy (1985): 126.

Monro, Jean, Claudio Carini, and Jonathan Brostoff. "Migraine is a food-allergic disease." The Lancet (1984): 719-721.

Thanks, Steven.  I'm going to look into this.  I've tried diet after diet...so why not try one again.