Balancing Your Hormones
March 12th, 2008Migraines tend to hit especially often in the week before your period, when your hormones are shifting quickly. The problem is that the amount of estrogens (female sex hormones) in your blood is dropping precipitously, sending you into a kind of “estrogen withdrawal.”
Once again, foods can come to your rescue. The key, as we saw in chapter 3, is to keep your fat intake to a bare minimum throughout the month. This causes your body to make less estrogen as the weeks go by, so the drop at the end of the month will be less pronounced.
Fiber-rich foods help, too, because they carry excess estrogens out of your body, helping to prevent the estrogen peaks that are followed by the obligatory fall and the symptoms it can cause. Diets rich in beans, grains, and vegetables—which are naturally low in fat and high in fiber—may be why migraines are much less common in Asia and Latin America compared to the United States. The healthiest diets eliminate animal products completely and keep vegetable oils to a minimum.
Some women find relief from premenstrual headaches by combining magnesium (200 milligrams per day) with vitamin B6 (50 to 100 milligrams per day). Avoid higher doses of vitamin B6, which can be toxic. Normally the combination is used daily, but you also can take it for just five days before your period.
Free Yourself from Migraines 1. See your doctor. An accurate diagnosis is essential for treating headaches. 2. Track down your food triggers while having generous amounts of pain-safe foods. 3. Tame hormone changes by avoiding animal products and keeping vegetable oils to a minimum. 4. If you need more, consider feverfew, ginger, or magnesium.