More good news for chocolate lovers: cocoa may ease migraine headaches. Migraine sufferers may want to add more chocolate to their diets, according to the findings of a new animal study that was presented at the International Headache Society’s 14th International Headache Congress held in Philadelphia.
For the study, researchers fed two groups of rats a diet enriched with either 1 or 10 percent cocoa for two weeks. After that time, they found that the high-cocoa diet boosted levels of anti-inflammatory compounds in the brain and reduced the pro-inflammatory processes within trigeminal ganglia, which are thought to play a role in migraines.
The researchers from Missouri State University told audiences that this is the first evidence of cocoa’s role in repressing the inflammatory response. The scientists reported that although more research is needed, chocolate shows promise for the prevention and treatment of migraine headaches.
That is great news for the approximately 36 million people in the U.S. who suffer from migraine headaches. If you are thinking of adding more chocolate to your diet, I would advise you to skip milk chocolate and go with dark chocolate, which is packed with brain-friendly antioxidants. And remember, this doesn’t give you free rein to gorge on an entire bag of chocolate. It is high in fat and calories. A little goes a long way.
Other natural treatments for migraines include deep breathing exercises, meditation, and hypnosis. You can learn more about these natural remedies in the Effective Tools for Calming Stress mp3 or the Magnificent Mind with Medical Hypnosis 2 CD set.
Natural supplements that have been shown to offer relief from migraines include ginger (especially good for the nausea that often accompanies migraine), feverfew, 5-HTP, and magnesium. 5-HTP works by boosting serotonin in the brain, which may have an effect on blood vessel dilation, which may provide some relief from headache pain. If you’d like to try it, order the Amen Clinics Neuro5-HTP today.
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Just wanted to get an opinion regarding
my son who has depression/anxiety.
He has been on zoloft 200mg per day and effexor
and he states it is not controlling his anxiety or it is noticeably not controlling his depression. He was recently change to paxil extended release and clonazepm . i have a huge concern regarding clonazepm he has a past hx of addiction. to drugs and then etoh.
if he came to the clinic for a consultation
would they be able to determine the cause
of his depression and anxiety could it possibly have been from the drugs? and could
they develop a plan to treat his symptoms
and get him off the meds and on to supplements.a concern mom
what is the best clinic to obtain a consult at for young adults?
This maybe good news for chocolate lovers; but why does dark chocolate give me headaches that leads to migraines?
Dear Dr. Amen,
I appreciate your work. Now I am thinking about what I see in my family of 3 children born to me and 2 adopted,each at about age 1.
I have always provided healthy foods to the family,but the 2 adopted girls consistently refused the very vegetables the others learned to enjoy at a young age. In addition they craved sweets in a different way, even though they were not indulged much with them. Later they fell into smoking and drugs to varying degrees, especially the one who also suffered from headaches. Now I have a grandaughter who has consistent headaches and who craves chocolate inordinately. None of the children born into my adopted daughters’family eat any vegetables and very few fruits though I provide them. On the other hand the children of the boys who were born to me eat widely and in a very healthy way.
I read your article about sweets and violence and see your point but I wonder if there is something Else Going On at the same time. I’m thinking that the influence of the mother’s diet during pregnancy, or maybe the sstress level that she is living with makes a difference. Or maybe how they are fed during the first year? OR maybe if the mother was an addict or not stable emotionally? I was surprised to learn that ll my love and good food was not enough to overcome their penchant for carbs and sweets.
I would like to know what you would suggest for 20 yr old with who use to use Depokote and now he decided to use marijuana. I notice he is looses his temper more frequently. PS: Hot Temper.