The drug bias is so strong among MDs that most news reports regarding migraine announce yet another new drug claim - better than the last for reducing headaches. The drug approach to migraine has varied from the atrocious to the interesting. A better idea is to remove the food and environmental causes of headache

The Problem - Throbbing, "sick" headaches

The Solution - Diet revision using Alpha Nutrition; relaxation, massage, gentle exercise

The atrocious side of drug treatment is the over-prescription of narcotic pain-relievers, sedatives, tranquilizers and muscle relaxants. Continuous analgesic medication tends to compound the problem, not reduce the headache. Narcotic dependency (addiction) can become a greater problem than the original headache. Drugs with little or nothing to offer but side effects and the risk of dependency include sedative drugs, barbiturates and muscle relaxants.

A wide variety of drugs may reduce the severity of migraine; the diverse mechanisms by which these drugs act point to the multistage, complex mediator pattern of migraine. For years, ergotamine was prescribed to abort the headache in its early stages, especially during the aura, before the pain had begun. Other ergot derivatives were prescribed daily as migraine prophylaxis. Sandomigran had some success but also offered very serious adverse effects. When the headache is hours-long and severe, oral prednisone can be helpful.

Aspirin or ASA remains an effective pain-relieving drug if taken in the first few minutes of an attack. Related anti-inflammatory drugs such as naproxen and ibuprofen work by the same ASA mechanism,  blocking the production of prostaglandins, mediators generated in the first stage of a migraine response. Later, blood platelets release serotonin, and other blood components come into play. ASA, naproxen, ibuprofen or acetominophen are suitable pain-relievers for children with migraine - they should not receive ergotamine nor sumatriptan.

Codeine can be added to aspirin to enhance the pain-relieving effect. For years aspirin, codeine and caffeine combination pills were common prescriptions for migraine - AC& C 1/2, Frosst 292s and Fiorinal C1/2. Fiorinal C1/2  be came popular street drugs; addicts and dealers solicited MD's for prescriptions, usually with migraine complaints, and sold the drug on the streets. Narcotic analgesics are also commonly used - a visit to the MD or hospital for a " shot of demerol" often with gravol for a "bad migraine" is common practice.

Sumatripan, is serotonin receptor agonist and is considered a useful drug to stop an acute migraine attack. Injected Sumatripan was said to relieve  migraine headache in up to 70% of patients. The drug constricts blood vessel and like ergotamine may reduce blood flow to the heart or brain. The use of the drug is contraindicated in any history of  heart disease, hypertension, stroke or threatened stroke. The use of the drug is unwise with many antidepressants, especially the MAO inhibitors and the very popular serotonin re-uptake inhibitors ( Prozac, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, sertaline). A me-too drug, zolmitriptan (ZOMIG) has similar benefits and contraindications. In qualifying studies the minimum dose of zolmitriptan of 1.0 mg was little different from placebo; a dose of 2.5 mg appeared to optimal and double dose of 5.0 mg did not improve results significantly.

Preventive Drugs

Drugs used to lower blood pressure; beta blockers (BB) and calcium channel blockers (CCB) are also sometimes useful if taken daily in reducing the frequency and severity of headaches.

• BB: can cause rebound headaches if withdrawn abruptly
• CCB:  Verapamil is slow to act - allow two months to be effective.
• Antidepressants are seldom helpful; e.g. amitriptyline 10 to 50 mg/ daily 
• Sodium Valproate, last choice - serious side effects

Better than drugs... why not remove the original food causes of migraine headaches?

Headache Solution >> Remove the Cause: The Alpha Nutrition Program is a standard method of diet revision that can resolve chronic headaches. . The first phase of the program is an attempt to clear symptoms. This is home science. You start with the hypothesis that your food intake is causing or contributing to your illness and you do an experiment to find out if it is true. When you read Alpha Nutrition Program instructions, you will realize that there are three tracks through the program - fast, medium and slow. You need to decide the best track for you. To help you decide what strategy is best for you, we suggest rating the severity of your existing illness: You can retreat to Phase 1 foods and replace one or two meals per day with Alpha ENF. This is the medium track on Alpha Nutrition- rehearsal mode. If the problem is prolonged headaches, especially a mixed pattern with daily pain punctuated by attacks of migraine, recovery involves a period of reduced food intake or fasting. The most definitive experiment is to take a food holiday. We recommend Alpha ENF to replace food. The best way to begin is to order the Rescue Starter Pack that includes the Program book and a 500 gram jar of Alpha ENF to try.

The book, the Human Brain, provides a comprehensive account of brain disorders in general including the role of brain circulation, high blood pressure, and atherosclerosis in the production of headache and other symptoms of brain dysfunction.

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	Alpha Nutrition Program
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