Migraine, Stroke and Early Death in Women

Problem for patients: Numerous studies have documented that patients with migraine have increased risk for stroke, cardiovascular disease and early death; these findings have again been confirmed in a recent study published in the British Medical Journal: Migraine and risk of cardiovascular disease in women: prospective cohort study. BMJ 2016; 353 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i2610 (Published 31 May 2016). The New England Journal of Medicine's Journal Watch (June 1, 2016) gave bad advice in its associated article "Migraine in Women Associated with Cardiovascular Events, Mortality" by limiting the discussion to "aspirin therapy" to solve these complex problems.

Patients with migraine consistently show increased risk for:

1. heart attack, myocardial infarction

2. stroke

3. chest pain, need for hospital revascularization

4. cardiovascular death

Problems for patients and doctors: Drug treatment for migraine does not address the underlying problems that cause migraine, since the vast majority of drug treatments only aim to alleviate pain. This drug-focused approach leaves doctors unsuccessful in their treatment and leaves patients vulnerable to ongoing and future health problems.

Mechanisms: Mitochondrial dysfunction appears to be the core, primary defect that underlies migraine headaches, which can then be triggered by any number of a wide range of smaller triggers, ranging from emotional stress and hormonal fluctuations to consumption of allergenic foods and the sulfites in red wine and dried fruits. Hormonal fluctuations and food allergens can trigger glial inflammation (ie, brain inflammation) in patients that already have mitochondrial dysfunction. Likewise, the sulfites in wine and dried fruits (among other dietary triggers) can provoke migraine by exacerbating mitochondrial impairment; sulfite is a poison to the Krebs' cycle and perhaps also the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Very importantly, elevated homocysteine in the blood and brain contributes to both cardiovascular disease and brain neuron excitation (via NMDA receptor activation).

Solutions: A comprehensive protocol should be implemented to address the above-mentioned factors, as well as others.

Resources: Including the excerpts from Inflammation Mastery, 4th Edition

1. Pain Revolution for Migraine and Fibromyalgia: The Paradigm-Shifting Guide for Doctors and Patients Dealing with Chronic Pain (also published in grayscale book "Brain Inflammation" at a lower cost, because grayscale printing is less expensive than is full-color printing).

2. Migraine and Headache Revolution: ebook excerpt

3. Fibromyalgia Solution: ebook excerpt

---

Textbooks and video tutorials: Inflammation Mastery, 4th Edition contains the updated version of most of the main protocols, bound together in a single volume of nearly 1200 pages. The work is also available as a two-volume set titled Textbook of Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine; Volume 1 contains Chapters 1-4 and Volume 2 contains Chapter 5. One can get oriented to the work by viewing the PDF excerpt, a large file of approximately 50 pages including the Table of Contents, page and photo samples, and the Index. All of the large books mentioned above provide access to video presentations and tutorials. These books are not simply compilations of information; they are organized systems of thought. Some sections of the book have been published separately, for example as clinical monographs on individual topics such as the treatment of viral infections, migraine, and fibromyalgia, as you can see here in our complete list of ICHNFM books on Amazon: bit.ly/AmazonICHNFM

---

Studying is the Path to Learning and Gaining Expertise and Mastery

VIDEO 1 hour: Introduction to the "Functional Inflammology Protocol" presented at the 2013 International Conference on Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. This foundational protocol underlies all treatments and protocols detailed in Inflammation Mastery, 4th Edition.