Who doesn’t know them? As one of the most common manifestations of pain in everyday life, the migraine headache is, unfortunately, a recurring companion for many of us. Generally characterized as a pulsating headache occurring primarily on one side of the head, migraines affect around 8% of men and 14% of women.
Beyond the pain, migraines can cause other symptoms such as increased sensitivity to light and noise, impaired vision, and nausea. However, neurological deficits such as perceptual disorders can also occur, which is then referred to as migraine with aura. These headache attacks can last from a few hours to several days and usually torment those affected for their entire lifetime. Even children can be vulnerable to migraine attacks.
How do migraines occur?
The causes and triggers of migraines are still not fully understood. Possible contributing factors include genetic pre-disposition, aggravating weather factors, day to day stress, side effects of some medications, and hormonal disorders. Women can be particularly vulnerable during menstrual periods.
Could magnesium help fight migraine?
A recent meta-study investigated whether magnesium could alleviate the symptoms of migraines or even eliminate them entirely. There were 21 studies used for this large-scale analysis, with 11 studies administering magnesium intravenously and 10 studies dissolving magnesium or taking magnesium in tablet form.
Magnesium quickly improved the symptoms of migraine after 15 minutes
A total of 1,700 people with continuous migraine issues participated in this study with significant results. The study found that of the group of participants to which magnesium was administered intravenously, a significant improvement in symptoms was rapidly achieved after only 15 – 45 minutes. The duration of the migraine attack was also reduced significantly by magnesium supplementation. The group that received magnesium in dissolved or tablet form also showed a reduction in the frequency of migraine attacks and a reduction in symptoms.
The exact connections between migraine amelioration and magnesium will require further investigation and study. However, since magnesium is inexpensive and readily available, these clear results from existing studies offer new treatment strategies for migraine sufferers. In any case, we can look forward to new study results.
