Here’s a fact that the pharmaceutical companies will try to keep from hitting the mainstream media.  Daily supplements of vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid were found to reduce the frequency, severity and disability of migraine headaches twofold.

The study conducted by researchers at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia found that the B vitamin combination lowered levels of the amino acid, homocysteine, which can be elevated in some people and lead to migraines.¹ Previous studies have found that elevated levels of homocysteine increase the risk of stroke and other coronary arterial diseases.

The Australian study tested 52 migraine sufferers with auras who were given either a placebo or a supplement combination of 2 mg folic acid, 25 mg vitamin B6 and 400 mcg of B12.  After 6 months, the vitamin group had a 39% reduction in homocysteine and a reduction in the frequency of migraine disability from 60% to 30%.  No changes were observed in the placebo group.

For the 28 million Americans who experience frequent migraines and rely on pain medications, this news couldn’t be better.

A study published in 2003 estimated that at least two-thirds of migraine sufferers who were prescribed triptans, the most popular migraine medication, delayed or avoided taking them and risked even more severe and longer-lasting headaches.

The reason? Concerns about medication side effects, which can include nausea, sleepiness and fatigue, racing heartbeat, and difficulty thinking clearly^.2

On the other end of the spectrum are individuals that overuse their migraine medication.  This causes a type of headache known as “rebound” or medication overuse headache (MOH).  MOH sufferers experience pain — often on a daily basis — that is characteristic of both migraines and tension headaches.

Neurologist Dr.  Peter Goadsby says, “there is now substantial evidence that all drugs used for the treatment of headache may cause MOH in patients with primary headache disorder.” ³

Is it any wonder that migraine sufferers are in a lifetime catch-22 situation of chronic pain?

If you suffer from frequent migraines, start taking a good B Complex supplement.   You may not only reduce the frequency and severity of your headaches, you’ll have additional protection from the silent arterial killer, homocysteine.

Even if you don’t have migraines, B vitamins should be part of your daily nutrient program.  Along with protection from homocysteine, you’ll also combat depression, help keep cholesterol in the normal range, enable your cells to properly grow and divide, improve your memory, and break down foods for needed energy.

Let’s see a prescription drug do all of that!

References

1. http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Health-condition-categories/Cognitive-and-mental-function/
   B-vitamins-may-offer-migraine-relief.
2. http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/news/20030116/migraine-drugs-effects-scare-many-away.
3. http://www.authorsden.com/categories/article_top.asp?catid=16&id=20121.

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