I ran across an article on headaches while searching the web for ways to cope with a cluster headache. I was wondering if anyone has tried a magnesium supplement or a diet high in magnesium and what their results were? here is the website and below is the article pertaining to the cluster headache part of the site. Let me know what you think.


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A deficiency in magnesium can cause regular headaches, cluster headaches, and migraines. Magnesium helps the muscles surrounding the veins and arteries relax, thereby increasing the blood flow. The following factors cause depletion of magnesium: mental stress, coffee, sugar, a high sodium diet, alcohol, cola-type sodas, tobacco, high perspiration, drugs of all types, low thyroid function, diabetes, chronic pain, diuretics, a high carbohydrate diet, and a high calcium diet. Research has found that migraine sufferers often have low magnesium (50% of all sufferers!) and high calcium levels. Magnesium taurate or glycinate may be preferable to other forms of magnesium. The deficiency of magnesium may cause chemical changes in the brain that lead to migraines. A hair analysis will show you your calcium/magnesium ratio, among other mineral and heavy metal levels.
Have your doctor test your magnesium level. However, if you have one or more of the following symptoms, it's likely you have a magnesium deficiency: muscle cramps (especially nighttime leg cramps), menstrual cramps, fatigue, constipation, heart palpitations, insomnia, and anxiety.

Cluster headaches can be eliminated by taking 400 mg of magnesium 3x a day (make sure one capsule is taken before bedtime). If you get diarrhea, cut the dosage a little. In addition, avoid glutamates. For a good overview of glutamates, and magnesium in general, visit Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or




Here is another article I found pertaining to the use of magnesium:

Headaches
        Treating headaches with magnesium should be obvious to the reader by now. Does magnesium work for migraine headaches? Researchers have found that patients who suffer with migraines also suffer with low magnesium levels and high calcium. In fact, most chronic headaches are caused by high calcium and low magnesium. When treated with IV magnesium 88% of those patients found complete relief of their migraines. Low-ionized magnesium and high-ionized calcium/magnesium ratios in patients with daily migrainous headaches are frequently noted. Since starting Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or web site in September of 2000, Shawna Kopchu RN, its director, has given advice to hundreds of migraine patients on the use of magnesium for their migraines. Out of those patients - ALL of them got some sort of relief with the use of magnesium. Some were completely cured and others found that it decreased the frequency and intensity of the migraines they did get. Magnesium glycinate may be preferable to other forms of magnesium in its treatment of migraines.

        I have also found that regular use of magnesium prevents headaches. Since I started using magnesium for depression, I have not had a headache (unless I did something really stupid - for which I deserved a good headache). I have a friend that suffered from cluster headaches, the worst and most debilitating type of headache known to humans. People have committed suicide to be free of them. This person was really irritable (a clear sign of magnesium deficiency) and would not take magnesium, saying that if the best doctors in the field could not cure his headaches, why would he even listen to me? He suffered horrible cluster headaches for another year, and was suffering from some prescription drug overdoses and bad side effects. Finally, his girlfriend told him (after I had proselytized her for that year), that she was going to leave him if he didn't give magnesium a good college try. OK. He was in so much pain that he laid down on the floor. I did too. He knew my position on magnesium already and all he wanted to know was the dosage. I told him that if I were him, I would take, at least in the beginning, 400-mg ionizable magnesium three times a day (breakfast, mid afternoon and bedtime) totaling 1200 mg magnesium. I told him that he would eventually get diarrhea at that dosage, and that he should back off to a more sustainable dosage in about a week. I told him to avoid the toxic forms of magnesium, which would probably make his headaches worse. I also told him to avoid man-made glutamates and cut down on calcium. I didn't see them for several days, then, I heard a loud and very rapid knocking on my door about midnight. It was my friend and his girlfriend, and they were tripping over each other trying to be first to explosively and joyfully tell me the good news! NO MORE HEADACHES! PERIOD!!!!!!!! Not even a minor headache! What more can I say. Chronic headaches without clear explanation (like a well deserved hangover) are just another symptom of our sick, over-medicated, magnesium deficient society. Can you imagine the financial losses that would be incurred by pharmaceutical drug pushers if the truth were known about magnesium and its critical role in health? I suspect they would declare magnesium to be toxic and force the FDA to take it off the market. This may happen due to the Codex treaty.   

Potter wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2009 at 2:30am:



So, I take it then vietvet2tours that you've tried this without success?

And if you take higher doses of it, keep a supply of Pampers on hand.

Brew wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2009 at 7:15am:


Oh...no question...it does keep you....how you say???......loose?

Joe

I took the time to click each link and peruse the bullshit testimonials.  Click em for a good hoot .  Here's the first just for example.

Cluster. This form of headache usually strikes men who smoke and drink and will recur over several weeks, with pain generally centering in one eye.

another

Cluster headaches seem to respond well to chiropractic adjustment.

another

A deficiency in magnesium can cause regular headaches, cluster headaches, and migraines. Magnesium helps the muscles surrounding the veins and arteries relax, thereby increasing the bloodflow.

    Potter

Jeannie wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2009 at 12:34pm:


Yep, it does at high enough doses.

monty wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2009 at 1:13pm:

    Idiots?

      Potter

    You get a mulligan Monty

Jeannie wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2009 at 12:34pm:



Too bad the magnesium doesn't counter....ummm...ALL the effects of verapamil!!!!!!

Heres the best one.

Cluster headaches can be eliminated by taking 400 mg of magnesium 3x a day (make sure one capsule is taken before bedtime).

Who knew? Apparantly not some of the best neuros in the world ?  Someone should let them know.

Marc wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2009 at 1:35pm:


Really? Are you suggesting that magnesium isn't absorbed when taken orally? It is true that an IV drip is faster, and for aborting a particular CH or treating a heart attack, it would be preferred. But for prevention, the body doesn't care if the magnesium is from an IV ... only that it is there.

As a group, clusterheads are quite deficient in magnesium - more than any other group of headache patients. The clusterheads with the lowest magnesium levels were most likely to respond. Is there evidence that oral sources of magnesium won't treat the deficiency, or that orally ingested Mg isn't a calcium channel blocker?

I myself suffer with cluster headaches, and they are hand on heart the WORST thing I have ever experienced. I get them for around April, my cycle lasting 2 months and i get around 8 attacks a day lasting about 45 minutes to an hour and a half. I cannot do anything and get so depressed throughout my cycle often feeling like i want to mad! the only thing that makes me feel better is bashing my head against the wall. Cluster headaches are exhausting they feel like they go on for days when each one only lasts under an hour! The only thing which worked for me is magnesium. Thank GOD for magnesium!!! my CH were prevented taking these tablets, and now i swear by them! I hope it works for my next CH cycle!

I saw a new doctor for my CH today. After seeing countless GP's neurologists homeopaths and naturopaths, Magnesium was suggested for the first time. He gave me an intravenous dose in his rooms and started me on Mag glyc orally. His rational was to use the IV dose to abort an attack and oral dose to chronically keep my levels up and hopefully prevent another attack.
He also did an extensive (expensive) food allergy test, saying that food allergies increase the amount of inflammation in your body chronically, so that when you are in cycle its so much easier to trigg your system.

Awaiting results of mag and bloood tests.... Wish me luck!

Doc Leila wrote on Jul 18^th, 2012 at 3:27pm:

We really don't give Medical advice cuz none of us even pretends to be a Doctor.

       Potter