Ketones in the fight against migraines?

Who is going to win?

Migraine? Migraine is not a classic headache, it is a much more severe pain that is triggered by various factors. As a long-term "target" of strong migraine attacks, I unfortunately know exactly what a migraine looks like, how unpredictable it is and how it can ruin a good morning, afternoon, or even a day or two... My migraines started my freshman year of college and continued until I decided that I couldn't go on like that anymore and that something had to change. Migraine attacks were rare at first, a couple of times a year, I controlled them with a slightly stronger painkiller. Then they escalated, slowly and insidiously, so that there were periods when I recorded up to 15 migraine attacks per month - that is, almost every other day. Of course, ordinary painkillers no longer helped, I used more and more powerful pills and sprays. I've tried almost everything. Alternative methods, homeopathy, avoiding alcohol, certain foods, I made sure I was getting enough sleep, water, regular exercise, as little stress as possible... everything. And the migraine still crept back, despite my best efforts. All the results were ok, the neurologist just prescribed me stronger pills. To every question or concern I had, if diet might be to blame (at that time I was already researching the causes of my migraines myself), the answer was no and that it doesn't matter - except for the known causes, which I already avoided anyway. Anyways, enough about me for the start. Let's see what a migraine is, why it occurs and why ketones are mentioned in the title ;-)

What is a migraine?

A migraine is characterized by a severe headache, which is often accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, hypersensitivity to light (photophobia) and sound (phonophobia) and, in some cases, an aura.

Who is affected by migraines?

Migraines are common, affecting 1 in 4 women and 1 in 12 men in Slovenia. According to research, migraines are more common in women, mainly due to hormonal influences. Migraines can occur later in life, but are more common in childhood or young adulthood. About 90% of people who have it had their first migraine before the age of 40.

Types of migraine

We know two types of migraine – with and without aura:

Some people suffer from frequent migraine attacks, such as several times a week, while others only occasionally. It is possible for years to pass between individual migraine attacks.

SYMPTOMS

The main symptom of a migraine is a severe headache. It usually appears on the front of the head or on one side. During a migraine attack, the area of pain can change. We feel it as a crushing pain, which can be moderate or strong. It gets worse when we move.

Symptoms of migraine with aura

An aura is a warning sign of symptoms you experience before a migraine starts. About 1 in 4 migraine sufferers also experience aura symptoms, which are:

• visual problems in the form of disturbances such as flashing lights, zigzag patterns, blind spots and other visual disturbances;
• stiffness in the neck, shoulders, or limbs, or a tingling sensation similar to pins and needles;
• problems with coordination of movements, disorientation or problems with balance;
• speech problems, when you cannot use words correctly in a conversation;
• loss of consciousness is very rare.

Migraine symptoms without aura

Without aura, migraine symptoms are the following:

• nausea during which you may feel uncomfortable or sick, sometimes followed by vomiting;
• increased sensitivity, during which you may experience photophobia (sensitivity to light), phonophobia (sensitivity to sound) or osmophobia (sensitivity to smell) or a combination of these. That's why many people who suffer from migraine need to rest in a quiet and dark place.

Migraine symptoms can last from 4 to 72 hours (3 days). During individual migraine attacks, all associated symptoms disappear. You may feel tired after the attack, which can sometimes last for several days.

CAUSES

Migraines are thought to be caused by changes in substances in the brain. In particular, the level of serotonin, which is a substance that transmits messages, decreases.

Low levels of serotonin can cause the blood vessels in the brain to suddenly constrict and therefore become narrower. This can cause aura symptoms. Not long after, the veins expand, which is believed to be the cause of the headache. The exact reasons for the drop in serotonin levels are not yet known.

Hormones

Some scientists believe that hormones are closely related to migraine. Some women who suffer from migraines say that the attacks are more frequent around the time of menstruation. This type is known as menstrual migraine. Fluctuations in hormone levels are thought to be responsible for the fact that more women than men suffer from migraines. Just before menstruation, estrogen levels drop. Migraines are not triggered by low estrogen levels, but by a change in estrogen levels from one value to another.

Women can experience a menstrual migraine two days before and up to three days after the start of their period. About 1 in 7 women who suffer from migraines have an attack around their period. This condition is known as true menstrual migraine. It is also possible for migraine attacks to occur around menstruation and at other times. This happens to 6 out of 10 women who suffer from migraines.

Migraine triggers

Many factors are associated with triggering a migraine. These include emotional, physical, nutritional, environmental and medical factors and vary from individual to individual.

So, we have defined general information about what a migraine is. But we know that migraine is an extremely elusive and insidious thing. Just when you think you have things under control, it suddenly appears again.

About 4 years ago, I declared a fight against my migraines. I decided to do this completely on my own because I simply didn't know how to proceed, but I didn't want to spend the rest of my life taking painkillers. My worst nightmare was leaving home without my pills. Because my migraine was really unpredictable. It hit me right on the spot and if I didn't take the pill in time, it "rewarded" me with severe pain and vomiting. And what did my "fight" against migraine look like? It started with completely eliminating gluten from my diet. The migraines did decrease, but it was still not ok. In addition, I easily replaced bread with gluten-free bread, cereal with gluten-free cereal, etc. Today it is clear to me that of course I could not feel ok with all the amount of sugar and carbohydrates I consumed, but at the time I had the feeling that I had hit a wall again. There really was less migraines, but my mental and physical well-being and the entire immune system were in complete disarray. But, I didn't give up. I had a reason, a culprit - it was gluten (at least at that point) and I started to research further. And that led me first to the PALEO diet and then to the LCHF/KETO way of eating. And it was the latter that helped me fight migraine attacks. Since I've been on the LCHF/KETO diet (and it's been good 3 years), that severe migraine that used to be my weekly companion is just a bad memory. Occasionally it comes gently on those days of the month, but now more in the form of a gentle headache than a migraine.

And what is the reason that the LCHF diet was so successful in banishing migraines from my life? 

My migraine medicine is called: KETONES

You can read what ketones are in the blog What are ketones, but here I will list a couple of characteristics or reasons WHY ketones win the battle against migraines:

The LCHF/KETO diet is primarily a low-carbohydrate and high-fat diet. The very absence of hydrates allows the body to use fats as a source of energy, and during their synthesis, the liver produces ketones. Ketone production can be accelerated by adding coconut oil to the diet or even better MCT oil.

1. An extraordinary number of recent studies confirm that the LCHF/KETO diet helps with epilepsy and migraines.

2. Ketones block the high levels of glutamate that are present in patients with migraine or epilepsy. The LCHF/KETO diet is highly researched and has good results in epilepsy studies and exceptional results in epilepsy patients.

3. The LCHF/KETO diet has its rules and one of them is that processed, pre-prepared foods full of harmful sugars and vegetable oils are out of the question. This reduces inflammatory conditions in the body and the body's autoimmune responses.

4. Saturated fats are no longer taboo and have been proven not to harm health. The LCHF/KETO diet basically consists of healthy fats, dominated by a lot of saturated fat. It is known, however, that fats are absolutely necessary for the synthesis of vitamin D and hormones. 

5. Hunger is one of the main migraine triggers. Hunger, which is triggered by a lack of glucose due to the fact that our body uses glucose as a source of energy. However, when we are on the LCHF/KETO diet, the main source of energy for our body is precisely fats or KETONES. Ketones reduce the feeling of hunger, as the body gets used to using its own fat as fuel. But when we add MCT oil to the diet, ketone production is increased and appetite is very successfully controlled. Ketones contribute to increased energy and well-being. Imagine no more hunger attacks every 3 hours, full of energy that is constant because there are no drops in blood sugar, your mind is sharp and your concentration is at an all time high. Migraine doesn't stand a chance. And for that we can thank the ketones.

6. Oxidative stress is greatly reduced on the LCHF/KETO diet. Oxidative stress is linked to glutamate and can trigger migraines. Ketones block glutamate spikes and lower overall levels of oxidative stress. This clearly shows that ketones play an important role in migraine prevention.

7. MCT oil is proven to help patients with Alzheimer's disease. Research shows that the brains of migraine sufferers and Alzheimer's patients share certain characteristics. Research on both types of patients shows that ketones greatly help improve brain function, reduce oxidative stress and problems using glucose as a fuel for the brain in these patients. MCT oil helps the production of ketones. I use it regularly and it works well.

8. Our brain uses either glucose or ketones for its functioning. Both energy sources are efficient and the brain has a remarkable ability to switch between these two energy sources. If there were no ketones, the brain would simply stop functioning due to hypoglycemia after the glucose reserves are depleted (these are enough for about 24 hours of brain activity). However, since the body can metabolize ketones from its own fat or from a diet rich in fat, the supply of fuel for the brain is virtually unlimited. The condition when the brain uses ketones for its function is called KETOSIS.

9. Migraine sufferers usually have problems metabolizing glucose into energy for the brain. This usually manifests itself in fatigue, poor concentration, mood swings and, of course, headaches and migraines. Ketones are considered a much "cleaner" fuel for the brain, and at the same time, they have the ability to pass through the cell wall more easily than glucose. So the brain accepts and uses ketones much more easily than glucose.

I can fully confirm everything written above from my own experience. Research in this area - regarding the use of the LCHF/KETO diet for health purposes, of course - is ongoing all the time and the results are exceptional. 

And you? Do you have any similar experience with migraines? How do you deal with migraines and do you know a friend who would benefit from my experience? Share this post, maybe you can relieve someone's severe migraine attacks.