What Triggers a Migraine?

Triggers. Knowing what triggers your migraines and understanding why can help eliminate some of the migraines you suffer from. Unfortunately, there are both external and internal triggers that cause migraines which makes it virtually impossible to fully eliminate migraines by just trying to avoid triggers.

The cause of migraines is not the same as a migraine trigger. The actual cause or reason you get migraines, while others do not, is found in the makeup of your DNA. There are genes in your DNA, now commonly called "migraine genes,” that make you prone to migraines.

Internal Triggers. Since you have these inherited genes, certain natural functions of the human body, hormone production for example, can trigger a migraine. This is one of the internal types of migraine triggers. Other internal triggers include how the body naturally reacts to heat, exercise and even weather changes.

External Triggers, on the other hand, are external things that can bring about a migraine attack. These triggers may vary for each person and include smells, foods, artificial and natural ingredients, drinks, prescription drugs, and many of the health fads such as probiotics. There are also triggers that appear to be universal to all migraineurs (people who get migraines), for example MSG and red wine.

NO + Tyramine = Migraine. This may look complicated but it is quite simple. NO (nitric oxide plus tyramine (from L-tyrosine) will give you a migraine headache. To avoid getting a migraine, don't elevate the levels of nitric oxide or tyramine in your body.

Eliminating Triggers. Since it is virtually impossible to eliminate and avoid all types of migraine triggers, the best solution for a migraine-free life may be found by taking a safe migraine preventive such as Tuliv Migraine Defense to prevent your migraine from ever happening.

Triggers Can Be Confusing. Sometimes it is difficult to determine what is triggering your migraines and that is why we offer free migraine consulting. For example, do you know why you may wake up at 4 AM with a throbbing migraine? We do. Call 1-866-367-5953 for migraine consulting or click on the Live Help icon on the upper left corner of this page.

New Thoughts on Triggers - Many triggers are well known and published. Knowing how such things as foods, drinks, heat, exercise, and weather change can cause migraines is part of our migraine research.

Now that we know why certain things trigger migraines, we can help you quickly identify these and we have also used this information in the creation of our Tuliv Migraine Defense migraine prevention product.

New products that trigger migraines are now commonplace in the health world that tries to promote a new way of healthy living. Probiotics is the prime example of this. Probiotics products raise the level of nitric oxide in the body and this triggers migraine headaches. Stay away from probiotics if you want to avoid migraines.

New health drinks promising a better life, energy, and brain functions often contain L-tyrosine which triggers migraine headaches. Read labels or stay away from such health drinks.

Read the following list of things to stay away from in order to avoid migraine headaches.

• L-tyrosine and Tyramine and the foods and products that contain these. L-tyrosine, in its converted form of tyramine. Tyramine is a component of the chemical formula that causes migraine headaches. Read all labels and never eat, drink or use (lotions etc.) anything that contains these.



• Nitric Oxide (NO) and products that contain NO or elevate it will produce a migraine headache. Nitric oxide is produced when the body digests fermented products, yogurt, cheese and other like things. It is also what is produced by Viagra and other male enhancement supplements.



• Nitric oxide is also the reason people get migraine headaches after being in the sun or exercising. NO is used by the body to expand blood vessels to deliver more blood to areas for cooling and muscle use, after which the remaining excise NO causes a problem for migraineurs.



• Acidophilus and products that contain acidophilus turn into nitric oxide when digested.
  
  
• Glutamic Acid and how the body response to glutamate has been getting new attention in migraine research. Products that contain glutamic acid or used the word glutamate (a form of glutamic acid) in the ingredients, i.e. MSG and flavor enhancers should be avoid completely.



• MSG is monosodium glutamate (also known as sodium glutamate), is a sodium salt that is used as a food additives in many processed foods and the preparation of Chinese foods. Many times these are marketed in stores as flavor enhancers. Trade names of monosodium glutamate include Ajinomoto, Vetsin, and Accent.

• Yogurt, as it can trigger migraines because it is a high level source of acidophilus. If you eat yogurt to avoid yeast, consider taking Coral Calcium or our product Tuliv pH Balance to help balance your pH. Yeast must have an acid environment to grow. Keeping the body's pH levels in balance may be a way to avoid yeast infections.



• Protein Drinks, bars, and tablets that contain the amino acid L-tyrosine or claim to boost Nitric Oxide levels in the body (read labels carefully).



• Probiotics - although it may be beneficial for many, its can certainly introduces problems for migraineurs because it can increase Nitric Oxide levels in the body and some may contain tyramine



• Colon and other cleansing therapies that use acidophilus and other such ingredients that often trigger migraines because they can elevate the nitric oxide level.



• Sunless Self Tan Products, especially those that contain L-tyrosine.



• Artificial sweeteners.



• All "diet" products and beverages, as these most often use an artificial sweetener; this includes almost every product that uses the word "diet".



• New health products should be approached with extreme caution as they can easily disrupt the balance of your system and trigger migraines.



• Exercise, Heat, and Sun - Exercise and heat can cause the body to produce excess amounts of nitric oxide. This is the reason why being in the sun often precedes the onset of a migraine. Try to keep your body cool and do a slow warm up before exercising.

Products to Avoid

• Airborne Read More



• Resveratrol which is basically the same thing that is contained in red wine except the concentration is much higher and as we know, red wine can easily trigger migraine headaches. One of the reported side effects of resveratrol is headaches for even those who do not get migraines. Many report getting headaches within a day or two of first taking resveratrol. The reason why resveratrol triggers migraines is because it promotes vasodilation by enhancing the production of a naturally occurring substance in the body called nitric oxide. If you have been following the migraine research of Tuliv, you have seen that nitric oxide is one of the most prominent factors involved in a migraine headache. Our recommendation is to avoid Resveratrol.

Coffee and other Caffeine Drinks.

Our migraine research at Tuliv has found that caffeine itself when consumed as a single event once or twice a day does not make any significant difference in the migraine episodes; rather, the problem is in the daily pattern of consuming caffeine throughout the day that affects the onset of a migraine.

In other words, if you drink a cup of coffee in the morning and a soda containing caffeine in the afternoon, you should not have a problem; however, if you have several cups periodically throughout the day, you may be setting yourself up for a migraine headache.

Caffeine is a natural short-term vasoconstrictor, which means it works in a way similar to that of triptans when relieving a migraine headache.

Each time coffee, or another product that contains caffeine, is drunk it constricts the blood vessels of the trigeminal-vascular system (area of migraine headache pain). As the caffeine effect wears off, the vessels relax and expand with blood. When this happens several times throughout the day, the throbbing pattern of the blood vessels can place enough pressure on the nerve endings to cause them to become irritated and secrete a chemical that can initiate a full blown migraine.

Learning to read labels can be one of the easiest ways to prevent migraines. Check the ingredients of everything you consume or put on your skin. Be aware that many times MSG is disguised as "flavor enhancer".

Eileen suggests using the grandma rule: "If your grandmother didn't use it as an ingredient in her cooking, then why would you want to eat it now?"

See List of Food and Supplement Ingredients to Avoid

Before ordering food from a menu or a buffet, always ask if any of the foods contain MSG. If the server doesn't know, then get up and leave - don't take a chance. When in doubt, don't eat it, This includes your best friend's favorite dish at the pot-luck dinner.

If you have questions about any of this information or have additions to add to the list of things to avoid, please call us at 1-866-367-5953 or send an email to AvoidMigraines@Tuliv.com. We do want to hear from you. Also see additional information by going to More Things to Avoid or you can Print List to refer to anytime.

What Else May Be Contributing To Your Migraines?

  Effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy

Many women have been prescribed or use hormone replacement therapy, such as estrogen and progesterone, in attempts to control migraines or block the symptoms of menopause. These remedies for migraines are generally short-lived as the body readjusts to the added hormones. Adding hormones can actually and painfully result in an increase in migraine frequency and intensity. Unfortunately the connection between adding hormones and increased migraines is not understood by most doctors or patients; therefore, HRT continues unchallenged.

Migraine Defense neither adds to nor depletes the body of any hormones. Migraine Defense works by preventing unwanted migraine producing chemicals from being released during times of hormone fluctuation; therefore, Tuliv Migraine Defense is safe to use anytime and does not cause alterations in natural hormone activity of the body.

 Pharmaceutical Drugs may be Contributing to your Migraines.

Many migraineurs and doctors need to understand that certain pharmaceutical drugs have "headache" as one of their major side effects. Birth control pills and other hormone based contraceptives top the list of drugs that can cause or contribute to migraine problems. Although some doctors will prescribe birth control pills or hormones as a possible way to prevent migraines, there is little evidence that these are reliable or long lasting solutions.

You should never take for granted that your doctor knows the side effects of a drug or that he or she has knowledge about how it affects a person with migraines. Don't be afraid to ask if he knows of any side effect that may result in a headache. Remember, you are the one who is paying the doctor to work for you. Just because it is prescribed by a doctor doesn't mean that it can't cause a migraine.

If you start a new drug and your head begins to hurt, more often than not, the drug is the cause of your new headache. Since it is your head that hurts, and you can put two and two together, don't be easily persuaded that the drug is not the cause of your new headaches.

  Repairing the Long Term Effects of Migraines.

Migraines are very taxing on the body. Neck muscles and joints become tense, sore, and strained. This pain and tension are often misdiagnosed as the cause, rather than the result of migraines.

To help with the after-effects of migraines, Migraine Defense contains an ingredient (Borage Oil) that is used by the body to generate natural anti-inflammatories to relieve inflammation in the body. You can also order our Tuliv Evening Primrose Oil product to increase these anti-inflammatory effects.

  Migraine Defense Improves the Lives of Many.

Our clients call and send emails each day to tell us what a wonderful difference Migraine Defense has made in their lives. We hear from those who have been able to return to work, go back to school and improve their performance, and once again find enjoyment in their daily lives with their families and friends.

They also have told us how much better they feel and how Migraine Defense has allowed them to find renewed pleasure in the joy of love and being loved.