Why supplements are not enough

If you Google supplements and migraine, chances are you will come across articles on the effectiveness of nutritionals and herbal medicines such as magnesium, vitamin B2, ginger, CoQ10 and many others to help prevent or treat migraine attacks.

And these can be a great starting point when it comes to creating your own migraine management plan.

To be honest though, they are not enough. When consulting with patients, I first need to consider all the other possible drivers of migraine, including:

• Endocrine (hormone) system balance

• Liver and digestive function

• Stress levels – physical, mental and emotional

• Neurotransmitter activity

• Musculoskeletal condition

• Nervous system support

• Food intolerances

• Dietary amine consumption

• Sleep

• Hydration and electrolyte balance

• Methylation

• Cardiovascular health

• Genetics

• Vagus nerve function

• Inflammation

• Medication use

• Blood sugar balance

• Alcohol and caffeine consumption

That’s a lot to look at, isn’t it? (And it’s why an initial consultation with me takes 60 minutes or so plus the importance of follow up appointments - because we have a lot to cover to get to the root cause of your migraine picture.)

After all that, often the supplements I prescribe are not your standard “migraine” ones - but also supplements that support the root cause of migraine.

Or sometimes, I might not prescribe any supplements at all, because we need to look at food as medicine or lifestyle adjustments to make first.

So – by all means - start with supplements. But to really tackle the migraine beast, take the time to look at what else is going on in your body.

Take care migraine warriors,

Josie x

PS – reach out to me for an appointment if you would like to work with a qualified migraine complementary medicine practitioner - who really knows her stuff when it comes to migraine - and finally enjoy more migraine attack-free days.