Trace
Minerals and Migraine Help
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| By
Chris D. Meletis, N.D.
Eighteen percent of American women and six percent of
American men suffer from migraines. Magnesium and trace
minerals may help with this and other health disorders.
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An
increasingly large amount of disease today may be
attributable to deficiencies in the supply of trace
minerals in our diets.1 How can this be the case when the
availability of food in our country is unprecedented, with
a supermarket on every corner? These deficiencies do not
stem from a lack of quantity of food, rather they stem
from the quality of food. Trace minerals can be found
mainly in whole, unprocessed foods such as vegetables and
fruits. Unfortunately, the large majority of fruits and
vegetables found in supermarkets today are nutritionally
devoid of these minerals, largely in part to the
high-yield farming practices in this and other countries.
The mineral content of food is mainly dependent on the
amount of minerals found in the soil in which it is grown.
Current farming practices leave soils with less than
optimal amounts of these minerals, especially the
less-common trace minerals. As a result of this, our food
supplies leave us at risk for deficiencies of these very
important substances. Because of this situation, it is
essential that every person now supplement their diet with
trace minerals in order to avoid the many diseases that
are attributable to this scarcity. A lack of vital
nutrients leaves the body unable to function fully,
leaving it vulnerable to disease.
Trace minerals have numerous roles. Oftentimes, because
these minerals are found in such small quantities in the
body, scientists and physicians have paid little attention
to their importance in health and disease prevention.
However, with the advent of improved science and the
recognition of the efficacy of natural medicine, we are
beginning to understand how vital these elements are to
our
health.
Trace minerals, in a sense, are akin to the numerous tiny
nails, nuts, and bolts that hold a house together. At
first glance, a home is made of much more than these
items. However, if they are slowly removed and never
replaced, the house will continue to sag and, finally,
will fall apart. So it is the same with the smallest
building blocks of our bodies. Trace minerals are
important in the proper functioning of enzyme systems,
nerve conduction and muscle function, assisting with
transfer of |
nourishment into cells, providing the framework for
tissues, and regulation of organ functions. These
‘‘behind-the-scenes’’ functions are not possible
without a constant, adequate supply of minerals. Even with
the many multivitamin and mineral supplements available,
most of these products fall short because they do not
contain large enough amounts of the trace minerals that
are so important to health.
Physicians that specialize in natural medicine are some of
the biggest proponents of trace mineral supplementation.
This type of physician is attuned to the many subtleties
of the functions of the human body, and, oftentimes,
addresses health issues with nutritional therapeutics in
an attempt to bring the body’s health back into balance.
This process of balance, also known as homeostasis, occurs
quite wonderfully all by itself, as long as the body has
the proper fuel and building materials. Unfortunately,
physicians are seeing more and more diseases, which can be
attributed to the body’s inability to achieve this
balance. This trend towards ill health is directly related
to the dearth of nutritional value in our diets today.
However, practitioners of natural medicine are very
excited with the many dramatic turnarounds toward health
that many of their patients have experienced with the use
of mineral supplementation. A common example of this is
the treatment of migraine headaches with magnesium. Recent
statistics suggest that 18 percent of women and six
percent of men suffer from migraine, and those numbers are
increasing.2 The Centers for Disease Control reported a 60
percent increase in the disease from 1980 to 1989.3
Migraine headaches occur when the blood vessels in the
brain spasm and constrict. Soon after this constriction
occurs, the blood vessels then reflexively open, or
dilate. When the vessels become dilated, they occupy more
space in the brain, activating nearby pain receptors. It
is speculated that an imbalance of mineral stores in the
body can lead to this spasm of the blood vessels. Many
researchers have suggested magnesium plays an important
role in migraine attacks.
“Recent evidence
suggests up to 50 percent of migraine patients have
lowered levels of tissue magnesium during an acute
migraine attack.”
The activities of magnesium in the body include preventing
blood vessel spasm, inhibiting blood clotting, and
stabilizing cell membranes—all of which are involved in
migraine development.4 Magnesium concentration exerts an
effect on neurotransmitter production and receptors,
proinflammatory molecules, and other migraine-related
chemicals in the brain.5 Recent evidence suggests up to 50
percent of migraine patients have lowered levels of tissue
magnesium during an acute migraine attack.6 Another study
discovered brain magnesium concentrations were 19 percent
lower in patients during migraine attack compared to
healthy controls.7 Because recent research strongly
indicates a magnesium deficiency in migraine headaches,
natural medicine practitioners prescribe magnesium along
with other trace minerals as a primary treatment for this
condition with great success. |
Because of their widespread distribution throughout the
metabolic workings of the human body, trace minerals are
integral to the functioning of one of the body’s largest
organ systems, the muscles. Mainly, magnesium plays a
large role in the relaxation of muscles following their
contraction. Without this vital nutrient, it would be
impossible for the muscles of the human body to function.
Muscle cramps are prevalent in western society due to lack
of intake of an appropriate amount of minerals. One easy,
straightforward cure for muscle cramping is
supplementation with magnesium and other trace minerals,
as they allow the muscles to function smoothly and
correctly. The role of magnesium in relieving cramped
muscles also makes it a highly appropriate therapy for the
muscle pain associated with fibromyalgia, a condition that
is often treated successfully by practitioners of natural
medicine. These practitioners often use high doses of
magnesium and other trace mineral combinations to reduce
the painful and tender muscles that are so common in
fibromyalgia patients.
Another condition that is successfully treated with
magnesium and trace minerals is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
People with this condition often experience profound
muscle aches and weakness. It has been shown that in order
for proper muscle contraction and relaxation to occur,
magnesium and calcium need to be present in proper amounts
in the body, which can be difficult to achieve even in a
standard healthy diet. Additionally, magnesium and mineral
supplementation may decrease the pain involved with
sports-related injuries and excessive physical activity.
As we use our muscular system, it is slowly depleted of
these minerals, making replacement a top priority. Others
signs of magnesium deficiency include disorientation,
depression, tingling, numbness, seizures, abnormal heart
rhythms in addition to muscle spasms and cramps.8,9
A minimum of at least 60 trace minerals has been
demonstrated to be vital to health and well being.10 This
article has covered only a small fraction of the
multitudes of health benefits of trace minerals. As
science and natural medicine continues to uncover the many
roles for all of these trace minerals, doctors are finding
exciting solutions to several maladies that may be
successfully treated by replacing these nutrients in the
body. Unless we begin replacing these minerals early on in
life, we put ourselves at risk for the many diseases of
mineral deficiency that are becoming more and more
prevalent in society today.
1. Medical Nutrition from Marz, 2nd Edition. Omni-Press,
1997. pps: 103-107.
2. Stewart WF, Lipton RB, Celentano DD, et al. Prevalence
of migraine headache in the United States: relation to
age, income, race, and other sociodemographic factors.
JAMA 1992;267: 64-69.
3. Rappaport AM, Scheftell FD. Headache Disorders: A
Management Guide for Practitioners. Philadelphia, PA: WB
Saunders Co.;1996: 4.
4. McCarty MF. Magnesium taurate and fish oil for
prevention of migraine. Med Hypotheses 1996;47: 461-466.
5. Sinclair, S. Migraine Headaches: Nutritional, Botanical
and Other Alternative Approaches. Alternative Medicine
Review - Volume 4, Number 2, April 1999.
6. Mauskop A, Altura BM. Role of magnesium in the
pathogenesis and treatment of migraine. Clin Neurosci
1998;5:24-27.
7. Ramadan NM, Halvorson H, Vande-Linde A, et al. Low
brain magnesium in migraine. Headache 1989;29: 590-593.
8. Rude RK. Magnesium deficiency: A cause of heterogeneous
disease in humans. J Bone Miner Res 1998;13: 749-58.
9. Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board.
Dietary Reference Intakes: Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium,
Vitamin D and Fluoride. National Academy Press.
Washington, DC, 1999.
10. Kelly, GS. Sports Nutrition: A Review of Selected
Nutritional Supplements For Bodybuilders and Strength
Athletes. Alternative Medicine Review - Volume 2, Number
3, May 1997. |
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