Are Allergies Causing Your Headaches?
Are you one of the many people who suffer from chronic or severe headaches? Perhaps you have been through the medical profession and have no answers? Perhaps you should ask “Are Allergies Causing Your Headaches?”
I have had numerous clients who experience headaches and migraines, who have been to a whole range of doctors, had multiple tests performed only to receive no answers as to the cause of their pain.
An aspect that is often overlooked by the medical profession is that it may be food intolerances and allergies causing your headaches.
I speak from personal experience; if I eat any corn products I suffer for several days with what I would describe as a ‘clamping’ headache – my head feels like it is in a vice and I cannot think straight. No corn, no pain!
Determining Whether it is Allergies Causing Your Headaches
Some doctors may suggest that you avoid certain common food triggers such as coffee, chocolate, wheat, corn, cow’s milk, eggs, citrus, sugar, alcohol, artificial additives, colourings, sweeteners (especially aspartame) and MSG. However, these are just that, ‘common’ triggers; every one of us is a unique individual, and as such we all react to different things.
If you don’t feel well, get bloated, or tired after a meal it is a good indication that the food that you are eating is not suiting your body and may be a factor in your headaches.
An elimination diet
This is where you remove the common food triggers and any others that you suspect and can help you to determine whether they are actually a factor for you. Remember that if your headaches only occur periodically then you may need to remove the foods for several weeks or even a month or more to determine their effect.
Once you have established that you are better without the foods you can reintroduce them, one at a time. It may take a few days or more for any reaction to become apparent so I recommend that you wait 2 weeks before adding another food back in.
And when you find the allergies causing your headaches and eliminate them you will probably notice a range of other improvements too, including your digestion, energy and stamina, muscle function, sleep, memory, concentration and others.
Allergy testing
You can also have allergy testing. This can take the form of blood or skin tests, however, I find these to be of limited use when looking for the cause of headaches as they provide a general list of allergens, and do not identify the specific triggers for your headaches.
I usually recommend muscle testing with an experienced practitioner. You will get the results at the time of the test and it is possible to identify specific triggers for your headaches including allergies, intolerances, nutritional deficiencies and any emotional or structural components.
Once you have identified the food triggers it is easy to then avoid them.
Diet options
Diet in general will play a huge role in relief from headaches and migraines and in general wellness. One of the biggest things you can do is try to return to a more natural, ‘real food’ diet. So, cooking from scratch, using organic produce where possible and sticking to grass fed, free range meats and poultry or wild fish. It can actually be cheaper to eat this way, and you will be surprised how good you can feel.
Of course this has to be balanced with reality, so it is equally important to accept that it is not always possible to eat this way, and not to stress about those occasions when you ‘cheat’!
And, finally, water is an essential part of that natural diet. Dehydration will ALWAYS cause headaches.. so try to get 2 litres or more a day.
Contact me for more information, or book a complementary discovery session.