WHAT ARE MIGRAINES?
According to the American Migraine Foundation, roughly 11% of the US population or 39 million people are suffering from migraine headaches. Anyone who’s experienced a migraine headache knows the hardship it can have on their quality of life. Chronic migraines can be quite disabling, as they come bundled with a combination of severely incapacitating neurological symptoms. Typical symptoms include:
- Throbbing pain, generally on one side of the head
- Flashes of light or blind spots (aura) before and during the episode
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Feeling of numbness and/or tingling in the face, arm, or leg
- Dizziness
- Sensitivity to light, sound, smell, and touch
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF MIGRAINES?
Although migraine root causes aren’t fully understood, researchers believe that a combination of genetics and environmental factors might be involved. Environmental factors that have been associated with migraine include:
- Toxins in the body (like mercury)
- Inflammation
- H-pylori infection
- Intestinal conditions (like SIBO)
- Imbalances in hormones
- Hormonal changes
- Food sensitivities (i.e. gluten)
- Histamine sensitivity
- Lack of certain nutrients (like magnesium)
- Exogenous chemicals (i.e. artificial sweeteners)
- Alcohol
- Medications (oral contraceptives and vasodilators)
- Stress
- Changes in the wake-sleep pattern
- Jetlag
- Weather or barometric pressure changes.
Migraine Treatment Options
At Beso Wellness in Phoenix, you can count on an accurate diagnosis and some of the most effective migraine relief treatments available. Since your genetic and environmental factors, lifestyle and triggers are unique to you, our doctors will craft a personalized treatment plan so you can get back to your daily routine. When addressing migraine, the treatments are classified into 3 basic categories: acute, preventative, and grand scheme.
The Acute treatment category is aimed at addressing the onset or in-progress migraine episodes and mostly involves the use of prescription medications such as Ergotamine, Triptans, DHE 45, Toradol and some over-the-counter NSAIDs. In some cases, Zofran medicine is prescribed to address nausea and vomiting.
The Preventative treatment category encompasses an array of treatment options that vary with frequency and severity and might include beta-blockers, antidepressants, calcium channel blockers, and anticonvulsants. In our clinic, we are seeing a lot of success with Botulinum toxin A injections (FDA-approved Botox) for chronic migraines. They have proved to be an effective preventative treatment for reducing the frequency and severity of migraines in over 90% of patients.
The final category, which we call “grand scheme” involves the use of a multitude of non-conventional modalities. Beso Wellness doctors take a functional medicine approach and partner with you to address the root causes that are known to be associated with migraine. They can range from gut microbiome imbalances, stress, genetics, nutrition, food sensitivities, the presence of toxins, and medications.
Some of the common modalities we employ in this category may include but are not limited to: weight management, gut microbiome optimization, hormone replacement therapy, massage therapy, heavy metals detox with chelation therapy, IV therapy, vitamins and nutrients supplementation, dietary and nutritional changes, stress management and hypnotherapy.
In-person or virtual consultation
Thyroid hormone replacement therapy requires a high level of expertise and professional care from your provider. Put simply, it is complex as the doctor needs to test and account for TSH, TRH, T3, T4, Total T3, Total T4, TPO, and Tg (thyroid antibodies tests). A low TSH may stem from an abnormality in the pituitary gland, which prevents it from producing enough TSH to stimulate the thyroid gland (secondary hypothyroidism). Thyroid hormone replacement therapy is a very individualized treatment process, however, it is highly effective when done by Beso Wellness doctors. Please contact Beso Wellness to discuss what treatment option will best alleviate your hypothyroid symptoms, allowing you to live a healthy, normal life.
FDA Disclaimer
The information contained herein is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All information presented on this website is intended for informational use only and not for the purpose of rendering medical advice. Some of the statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA.