Fasting for Migraine Headaches
I suffer from migraines and every time I start a diet or something an attack comes on. I’ve got medication to cut off a migraine attack, could I use that during a fast? How would I prepare for a fast so that I avoid a migraine attack coming on? I am really overweight, I weigh 95kg and am 1.76cm tall. So a fast would help my weight and hopefully cure my migraine, right?
Cindy Pa-ac 
Amy Seery 
Totes Boots 
Grace Fawoye 
Clay Lapre 
Hi Fatty,
A migraine headache is a form of vascular headache. Migraine headache is caused by vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) that causes the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the large arteries of the brain. Enlargement of these blood vessels stretches the nerves that coil around them and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the arteries magnifies the pain.
Migraine attacks commonly activate the sympathetic nervous system in the body. The sympathetic nervous system is often thought of as the part of the nervous system that controls primitive responses to stress and pain, the so-called “fight or flight” response, and this activation causes many of the symptoms associated with migraine attacks; for example, the increased sympathetic nervous activity in the intestine causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Source http://www.medicinenet.com/migraine_headache/article.htm
Juice fasting or calorie restriction can trigger a migraine attack. Yet a prolonged juice fast may significantly improve migraine headaches. One factor that many reduce the frequency or intensity of an migaine attack would be the reduction in blood pressure and the reduction of the viscosity of the blood due to reduced digestion. Research has shown that Fatty acids, primarily linoleic [omega-6] and oleic [omega-9] acids, may be involved in the mechanism of migraine vascular headaches. . . . Paradoxically, certain fish oils containing high quantities of omega-3 fatty acids, as in cod and salmon, have been found to prevent migraine attacks in certain patients. Therefore a juice fast with 2 to 4 tablespoons of essential oils taken with the juice may also assist in the healing process and reduce the detoxification rate to the point that no migraines are triggered. As there no other people that I have personally guided with this condition, a few migraine sufferers conducting juice fasting would offer valuable information.
hi
I have a history of chronic migraine from very younger age ..and I am doing my juice fasting ..during this years I have been doing a lot of research on my migraines and normally I have realized that food,stress and weather was the main cause of all this headaches. The main culprits are processed food that we eat ..this develops toxins in your body ..when you are fasting the intense release of the toxins aggravates the headaches systems ..mostly because this toxins are trapped in the fat cells when the break up they release the toxins as well ..all you need to do is be patient with yourself
during fasting the Liver is really working very hard to get rid of the toxins..so its important that you do coffee enema ..which will give you instant release from the headache
along with this u need to do yoga and breathing exercises also some mediations ..the process of healing is difficult but all this symptoms are sign of healing
I have the same problem..every time I try to fast I get a migraine. I gave up all caffeine and sugar..never ate anything bad so there were no toxins breaking up bad enough to cause such a horrific headache..I have also completed a fast only to get the migraine when I start to eat again.
Hi Hayley3,
Migraine triggers are varied. During fasting, headaches are very common and reduce as the fast continues. Water fasting causes more headaches than juice fasting. Toxins ketones, low blood sugar, may all be contributors to triggering migraines. I find acupressure spots help me when I get tension headaches. manisha_ja”s advice is worth a try.