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Welcome to the Migraine Heroes Podcast, a podcast where we share real stories from real
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people suffering and battling with migraine disease.
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In this podcast, we seek to provide support, hope, holistic health, advocacy and inspiration
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for those who suffer from migraine disease.
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Welcome to the Migraine Heroes Podcast.
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I am your host, Diane Ducarme, and today we're diving into the world of supplements and migraines
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with a very specific focus on magnesium.
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There were lots of questions in the community on this topic, so thank you for your questions.
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And here's a podcast dedicated to exploring supplements in the context of migraine disease.
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So magnesium is an essential mineral.
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It's a mineral that is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body.
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For example, it is involved in supporting functions like muscle contraction.
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You can think of also nerve signaling or mood balance.
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And all of these areas we know can influence migraine activity.
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And so research has constantly shown that people with migraines may have a lower magnesium
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level, which makes magnesium supplementation a promising tool or a tool of interest in
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migraine management.
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And a low magnesium level themselves are thought to contribute to increased brain excitability,
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which can trigger migraines.
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And magnesium's calming effect on the nervous system may help to reduce that risk.
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Now let's deep dive into the research.
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And while we need to acknowledge no single supplement is a guaranteed fix to migraine
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disease, which can be incredibly complex, several studies have nonetheless indicated
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that magnesium may help reduce the frequency and severity of migraines for some people.
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Over the years, studies have shown quite consistently that magnesium can help reduce the frequency
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and severity of migraines.
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And a review published in the Journal of Headache and Pain found that magnesium deficiency was
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common in migraine sufferers and that it could reduce migraine frequency by up to 41% in
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one of the studies.
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While I find that number personally very high, respective to what I see day to day, I think
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that it is definitely a mineral worth a lot of attention.
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In one study, patients who took 600 milligrams of magnesium daily experienced fewer migraine
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Another study found that taking magnesium during the onset of migraine was helping to
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reduce pain severity and the duration of an episode.
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It's worth noting one important fact that magnesium oxide was the most and is the most
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researched form of magnesium for migraines.
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Although there are others like magnesium citrate and magnesium glycinate, each type has slightly
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different effects on the body.
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Magnesium oxide is well studied and often used due to its high absorption rate and its
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So magnesium seems to be and is a great place to start.
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And if you haven't tried in a couple of minutes, I'll give you a few tips on how to go about
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starting magnesium. But
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before we do that, I want to mention it's not the only supplement that has been linked
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with migraine support.
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There's a few others that have been frequently mentioned and so I want to mention these few
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others to expand your horizon and expand your toolkits to try at home.
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The first one is riboflavin, vitamin B2.
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I'll say again, riboflavin, vitamin B2, R-I-B-O-F-L-A-V-I-N.
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And this vitamin plays a role in cellular energy production.
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And some studies suggest that it may reduce migraine frequency with a typical dosage being
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around 400 milligrams daily.
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The second one that is often mentioned alongside migraine is coenzyme Q10, which is an
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antioxidant that supports mitochondrial function.
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It's shown potential to reduce migraine in some individuals if taken regularly.
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The third one that is mentioned a lot and with studies dating back from 1983 is feverfew,
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which was traditionally used for headaches and now used as well to prevent migraines
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by reducing inflammation and calming the nervous system.
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So feverfew, it's interesting, at the time was shown to help with migraines for a lot
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of people and then was shown to create diarrhea for others because feverfew is in the family
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of chamomile and chrysanthemum.
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It's quite cold in nature.
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So while it's going to calm your nervous system, it may also cool your digestive tract.
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And so we're going to talk about the implications of that in a minute.
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Another one that is mentioned from time to time is butterbur, which is also called pesticides hybrid juice.
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Butterbur is spelled B-U-T-T-E-R-B-U-R.
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That's a herb often discussed for potential migraine relief.
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The research suggests it may help by reducing inflammation and stabilizing blood vessels
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Now, another one that is mentioned sometimes is vitamin D. And the reason why it's mentioned
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oftentimes is because it seems to be quite low typically in migraine sufferers, especially
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in regions that have low sunlight exposure.
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And research is still ongoing, but it could be added in any case for health and potentially
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With migraine disease, we only have each other to make a difference.
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If you know of someone suffering from migraine attacks, share this podcast with them.
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One that I really like is omega-3, which is found in fish oil, and that brings anti-inflammatory
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effects that may benefit migraine sufferers.
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So this one reduces inflammation and is studied further for migraine management.
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Now in addition to that, there's vitamin B12, essential for energy metabolism, and can be
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particularly useful for those that have migraines linked to B12 deficiency, especially if you
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That one might be a natural supplementation that you might consider.
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Other ones that are mentioned are probiotics.
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Probiotics may prevent migraines by supporting gut health.
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That would also be quite relevant.
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Some that I like less for certain categories of people are ginger.
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So ginger in the West is known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea properties, and so it can
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be very useful in some people.
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In some others, it can make menial disease, vertigo, dizziness a lot stronger, especially
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if you're a bit more advanced in age.
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And so ginger alone might sometimes be a trigger for migraines, a long-term, not an immediate
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trigger, but something that makes something weak, weaker inside the body.
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So something to think about.
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Same for curcumin, which I love from turmeric, however, is also like ginger.
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It's quite warm in nature and it's going to deplete you from some of the hydration, the
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deep hydration coming from the inner system organ, the yin in your body.
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A few complex notions, that would be the object of another podcast, but something to also
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If it helps you, then do it for some time, but please stop it once it stops helping you.
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We have one more that is sometimes recommended for sleep regulation, which is melatonin.
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On this one, I have seen also people start to have dizziness in addition to their migraine
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disease. And typically it came in the anecdotal situations that I've seen, and I've seen quite
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a lot that it was coming from the melatonin itself.
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So also to be mindful about.
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So these are things that you will hear and how to look at them.
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Now, specifically back to magnesium, if you want to start magnesium, here are some tips
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Tip number one is start slow.
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Higher dose can sometimes cause digestive upset. So it's best to start around 200 milligrams
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and then increase gradually.
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Tip number two, choose the right form.
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While magnesium oxide is well studied, that's what we discussed, magnesium glycinate is
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gentler on the stomach and may aid relaxation as well.
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Tip number three, combine it, of course, with lifestyle choices.
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Supplements can be very valuable, but they will work, of course, best in context of holistic
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health and looking at a few lifestyle adjustments.
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Tip number four, be patient.
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Magnesium can take time to build up in your system, and so it's best to take it for at
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least two to three months before evaluating its effects on migraines.
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And tip number five, which is incredibly important, is you are your best judge.
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Your body is the best, your brain is the best, you know best.
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And by that, I mean when you start a supplementation, it should serve you, and if it doesn't immediately,
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it should in turn in time serve you.
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If it doesn't, then I would encourage to re-evaluate the need for that supplement with your health care
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provider or whomever recommended those supplements to you.
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And if it worked, and if it worked for a while, you may also consider halting it.
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Sometimes when you overdo something, you can create a new form of imbalance.
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And so it's really for you to assess and evaluate how that is working for you.
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That's why tracking is so important, because it helps you assess if something's working
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And so it's with a great joy and pleasure, I have to announce that we have a freemium now
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in the Migraine Heroes app.
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It allows you to track free of charge your migraines in regards to your cycles, in regards
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to your bowel movement, according to the International Bristol chart.
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It allows you to track your symptoms as well, and a lot of other features.
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And so that is what we use to take people out of pain and put them in a state of what
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we call sharp and free, meaning not in pain, but also completely without fog, dizziness,
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And so it's a tremendous joy, I have to say, that this is there.
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And then with a very small automated plan, you can get some help and hints and pointers
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on what your migraines look like, sort of individual AI chats that we have trained for
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the last five years, and that will be able to guide you and will know you.
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If that doesn't work still, with having had a great diagnosis from the doctors, having
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tried supplements, having tried medications, and then having tried tracking and with what
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is called a plan, you know, trying to rid yourself of your migraines, if that doesn't
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work, then there's an escalation process with the plans that are called Rose, Magnolia
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and Dahlia, which are all designed to give you more support to get to the desired outcome.
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We acknowledge that while some cases are straightforward and require limited knowledge in order to be
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able to be attended to, others are highly complicated, not to be also dynamic, like
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a lot of doctors will say, migraines can be a moving target.
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And if that's you, then there's everything to escalate.
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However, we completely encourage you to start on a freemium and to go into automation if
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If it's not needed and you might manage that with supplementation, then that's the best
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You can have your life back and you can be healthy and do the things that you love.
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And that's how we thrive, that we serve you directly or not.
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Now, I will just add a few words.
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In my practice day to day, I notice people who have done their MRI, who have seen doctors,
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who have had a confirmation of their migraine diagnostic, which is incredibly important.
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They have also tried all of these supplements and might be still taking many of them and
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Those scientific articles are here to help.
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They're very helpful.
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But you have to acknowledge that all of you are unique and it's highly possible it doesn't
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My bias is given we take care as a team of people who have a lot of migraines that we
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see more people for whom it has not worked.
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However, the data is there and I trust that data is very accurate.
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And if you need more help, then you can escalate.
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Sometimes migraines are more complicated than just taking a few supplements.
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I wish you all the best and a lot of success.
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Please let us know if you have any questions.
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If you're looking for a community, we'd love to have you join us in our Facebook groups.
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Migraine Heroes is a community all about creative expression and open conversations around migraine.
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We have a second group called Migraine and Comorbidities, where we support each other
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through the unique challenges of living with migraine alongside things like IBS, ADHD,
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Just check the links in this description, we'd be very happy to welcome you there.
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The content in this podcast should not be considered a substitute for medical professional
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advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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Always consult with your health care provider for any health related concerns.
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And remember, everyone and every situation is unique.
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Remember sharing is caring.
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Share your story with me. Take my free test and let's connect to help you gain a deeper
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understanding of your migraine profile. Learn about the underlying imbalances that could
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be contributing to your genetic predisposition for migraines.
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Join our community of Migraine Heroes. All the links in the description below.
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MigraineHeroes.com
