headaches

There is the good and the bad of genetics – migraines falling in the latter. These painful headaches afflict four out of five individuals that have a family history of migraines.

In fact, if one biological parent suffers from migraine headaches, there is a 50% chance it can be passed to a child. That number jumps to 75% if both parents suffer from migraine headaches.

 However, there are ways to prevent migraines and it should be done strategically. It is recommend to keep track of what you eat & drink to prevent these headaches (actually, it’s a good idea to track your diet!)

Here are a few tips and tricks to help prevent the onset of a migraine headache attack.

Hold The Drinks

Alcohol increases blood flow to your brain. Sometimes it’s the impurities and/or by-products produced as your body metabolizes alcohol. The worst culprits: Whiskey, red wine, beer and champagne.

Temperature Control

Don’t get too overheated from exercise (water helps with this) or be out in extremely hot temperatures. Additionally, cold foods like ice cream can be triggers.

Get Rest

Research shows that adults who get fewer than seven hours of sleep — whether for just one night or over the course of days, weeks, or months — have more difficulty concentrating and more mood problems. A lack of sleep is also a culprit for triggering migraine headaches.

 Know Your Diet

With so many healthy choices on the market today, a robust diet to prevent migraine attacks is very attainable.

Stay away from this list:

Aged Cheeses such as: blue cheese, mozzarella, feta, cheddar and parmesan. They contain Tyramine – a substance known to trigger migraines.

Processed meats such as ham, sausage and bologna. They have food additives such as nitrates that can trigger migraines.

MSG – be careful with your next Chinese meal!

Potato chips.

Pizza.

Peanuts.

Dried Fruits.

Lastly, and you may not like this at 7am, but too much coffee can trigger a headache.

 Before you diagnose yourself, we recommend an office visit.

Self diagnosis can be problematic if there is an underlying factor that is the real culprit of these headaches.