Magnesium
is crucial for maintaining arterial health, normal blood pressure,
and normal heart rhythm. In addition, there is strong evidence that
magnesium (along with feverfew,
butterbur and Vitamin
B2) is an
important nutrient in dealing with headaches and/or migraines. Also, scientific evidence shows an
important relationship
between magnesium deficiency and Pre-Menstrual syndrome
(PMS).
Blood
Flow
Magnesium helps muscles, including those surrounding arteries, to relax,
and this may be why a deficiency of this mineral is linked to headaches and/or migraines.
Researchers have learned that some of the same things that deplete the
body’s supply of magnesium -- including stress, alcohol, and pregnancy --
can trigger pain in susceptible people. They also discovered some of
magnesium’s other actions:
- Helps blood vessels stay open in the brain
- May prevent
sudden spasms that “clamp down” on arteries
- Supports
blood flow by helping to prevent platelets from sticking together inappropriately
- Maintains the stability of cell membranes
- Interferes
with inflammation-producing substances
Bound and Free
While
magnesium may help, not just any kind of magnesium will do. The two
forms of magnesium that circulate in the blood are “bound” and
“free.” The bound form is “tied” to other substances and is
relatively inactive. The free form is not bound to other substances and
remains active, a characteristic that researchers believe enables it to
counteract ill effects in various ways.
Up
to half of the people who suffer from head pain are deficient in the free and
active form of magnesium, which is known as serum ionized magnesium.4
If free magnesium levels fall too low, the vessels supplying blood to the head area may “clamp down” inappropriately, hindering blood flow to the head.
These vessels may become “stuck” in the contracted state, leaving the
“pain switch” jammed in the “on” position. Inflammatory
substances may be released that heighten pain sensations.
Measuring Magnesium
Through
the 1990s, the relationship between headaches/migraines and magnesium was unclear.
This confusion was due to problems involved in measuring magnesium. Researchers were able to measure only the total magnesium in the blood and not
the free-form. When a technique for measuring free magnesium was finally
developed, it became clear that a deficiency in free magnesium was a definite
risk factor.
In
1993, two different studies were performed by Alexander Mauskop, MD, one of
the nation’s leading authorities and author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You.5,6 Mauskop and his team
found that people in the throes of a head pain had lower levels of free
magnesium in their blood.
Their
next step was to determine whether replacing the missing magnesium would
lessen the pain. In 1995, Mauskop and his colleagues gave intravenous
injections of magnesium to patients who were in the throes of pain and also
had low levels of free magnesium.7
The magnesium injections lessened the pain, sometimes in as little as 15
minutes. Mauskop found that the lower the initial level of free
magnesium in migraine sufferers, the more substantial and long lasting was the
relief offered by the injections. The following year, Mauskop published
a study reporting equally good results among 40 people.8
After
learning that an intravenous infusion of magnesium could lessen pain in
progress, researchers wondered whether taking daily magnesium supplements
could keep head pain from striking in the first place. German
researchers addressed that question in a study of 81 subjects.9
The volunteers in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study,
suffered from various head pains for an average of 3.6 times each month. For
12 weeks, half of the subjects were given 600 mg of magnesium daily, while the
other half received a placebo.
Results Encouraging
Among
those taking magnesium, the number of subjects and medications required,
all dropped significantly. An earlier Italian study, performed exclusively on
women suffering from menstrual pain, also found that magnesium supplementation
could support issues associated with Pre-Menstrual
syndrome (PMS).10
Dr.
Mauskop agreed that magnesium supplements could indeed make pain less
frequent, noting, “a trial of oral magnesium supplementation may be
recommended to a majority of sufferers of headaches and/or migraines.”4
Minor
deficiencies of magnesium are widespread and significant percentage of Americans suffer from
chronic magnesium deficiency.11
Even minor magnesium deficiencies may be enough to trigger pain in susceptible
people. A daily dose of 300-400 mg of supplemental magnesium appears to
be effective for most people. Some experts recommend splitting the dose
and taking each half with a meal, one early in the day and the other later on in the same day.
Alexander
Mauskop, MD, Discusses Supplements
“As a physician, I’ve been particularly impressed by the efficacy of magnesium which I have been researching for the past 12 years. At
least, fifty percent of people are deficient in magnesium and can enjoy
dramatic improvement if they supplement their diet with this mineral. I
know they can, because I’ve seen it happen over and over again.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Dr. Mauskop continues, “Although
the results with riboflavin (Vitamin B2) alone are not as impressive as those
seen with magnesium, the combination of the vitamin and the mineral is
potentially strong. You need to take megadoses of riboflavin, 400 mg,
and should be prepared to wait two to three months to enjoy the benefits.
Feverfew and Butterbur
Dr. Mauskop adds, “Feverfew
has been tested in five double-blind studies. There is a clear trend
showing that it is better than a placebo which means it has definite
benefits. As for butterbur, one of the two major studies on the
butterbur root extract was centered here at my New York Center. The test
showed that it was much more effective than a placebo. “We
can always use more study, but it’s safe to say that a large percentage of sufferers can be helped by supplements such as magnesium, riboflavin,
feverfew, and butterbur.”
Alexander
Mauskop, MD, is one of the nation’s leading authorities. A neurologist with 20 years’ experience treating
patients, Dr. Mauskop is director of his New York Center, and an
associate professor of neurology at the State University of New York (SUNY)
Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.
