Researchers have been investigating the magnesium migraines connection because of magnesium’s role in stabilizing blood vessels walls. Magnesium is also an important mineral when it comes to helping you get to sleep. Regular sleeping patterns are also very important to migraine sufferers. Magnesium also helps in protein synthesis, and keeps your bones strong and helps maintain normal nerve and muscle function.

It was first suggested that a deficiency in magnesium could cause

headaches over 70 years ago. It makes sense, because a lot of the things that cause the body to run short of magnesium also either trigger migraines or lower your resistance. For example alcohol, stress, and menstruation. Today we know that about half of the people who get migraines are also short of a certain type of magnesium (serum ionized).
When faced with a migraine that won’t respond to treatment, many headache specialists will give an injection of magnesium. You should be able to get benefits from long term (2-3 months or more) regular magnesium supplements. The magnesium migraines link may make a big difference to many people.

Is my magnesium low?

Chances are good that you do not have a serious magnesium deficiency. However, there are situations where magnesium can get low. Certain drugs especially can lower your amounts of magnesium, such as diuretics and certain antibiotics. Alcohol may also lower your magnesium levels.
Researchers are sharply divided on the need for magnesium in migraineurs. Most believe that magnesium may play some role in migraine, but some believe that increasing your body’s magnesium is THE key in eliminating migraine, even if you don’t have a “serious deficiency”.

Dr. Sarah DeRossett, American neurologist and headache specialist was quoted in July 2003 in support of magnesium and riboflavin/vitamin B2 for migraine sufferers. “About 15 to 20 percent of the American population is deficient in magnesium, and patients who have migraines have lower blood levels of magnesium than patients who don’t have migraines.” Read the article here.

You would be wise to make sure you’re eating plenty of magnesium-rich foods. If your magnesium is very low, your doctor may suggest a supplement or injections, or even intravenous treatment. Magnesium migraines treatment is becoming more and more popular with migraine sufferers.

Normal adults require about 310-420mg of magnesium daily. Be aware that too much magnesium can cause side effects, and that there are different types of magnesium, which is why it is wise to be monitored by a doctor before you drastically raise your magnesium levels through supplements.

Symptoms of low magnesium…

Magnesium is important to the body, and so low magnesium can cause a host of problems, such as:
irregular heartbeats, loss of appetite, insomnia (a killer for migraineurs!), weakness, shortness of breath, PMS, anxiety, dizziness, nausea, and poor coordination.
What can I eat to boost my magnesium?

First, try to cut down on the processed food you eat. Processed food is prepared in such a way that it cuts down the magnesium.
Magnesium is found in many foods, but some of the best include wheat germ, beans, soy products, whole grains, seafood, dark green leafy vegetables, bananas (warning: bananas are a major migraine trigger for some people) and milk.

Magnesium migraines and the BIG PICTURE

So many migraine treatments have to be seen as part of the big picture. One thing effects the other. Researchers are more and more realizing that the interaction of various things in your body need to be taken into consideration when it comes to migraine – the way chemicals react together, the way various organs work with the nervous system. That’s why migraineurs need to try combinations of treatments. There may be a magnesium migraines treatment that involves more than just taking magnesium itself.
One of the more popular proponents of magnesium supplements, Dr. Alexander Mauskop, is the director of the New York Headache Center. He writes in his book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Migraines that he has found a treatment that is remarkably effective using magnesium, vitamin B2 and feverfew. He makes a good case for the magnesium migraines link and has backed up his opinion with good research.

Dr Barton M Alturn, professor of physiology and medicine at the State University of New York Health Science Center also writes about the magnesium migraines connection (quoted in Nature’s Medicines ):

We believe that everyone should be taking 500-600 milligrams of magnesium a day in a combination of diet and supplements.

A study in June 2008 also confirmed the benefits of magnesium for migraineurs. Read more about this study, titled The effects of magnesium prophylaxis in migraine without aura.

What kind of magnesium should I buy?

So you’ve decided that you’d like to try a magnesium supplement, you know there’s a magnesium migraines link, but there are dozens out there – which should you try?
Certain types of magnesium are not well absorbed by the body. Too much magnesium, particularly the wrong kinds of magnesium, can cause diarrhea and simply make your mineral deficiency worse. Also, remember to take magnesium for at least 60-90 days to see if it makes a difference.

If your body isn’t absorbing magnesium well, try avoid these types of magnesium: Oxide, hydroxide, and chloride. Instead, look for magnesium types that end in “ate”, particularly glycinate, but also gluconate, lactate and orotate.

Note: Very often two or more types of magnesium are combined, such as oxide and citrate. The best thing is to simply talk to your doctor and then try one kind and see how your body handles it.

Source Naturals has an excellent supplement which contains 400mg of magnesium, which many doctors suggest as a good amount for migraineurs to take. It’s called Ultra-Mag Magnesium complex.

A very good supplement for migraine containing magnesium and other migraine-fighting componants is MigreLief. There is now an article online about MigreLief that you can read. You can also purchase MigreLief with magnesium here.

A note about calcium: Magnesium and calcium

balance each other out in the body. If you have too much of one and not enough of another, it can cause problems. That’s one reason why it’s important not to take too much of one or the other.

However, when taking magnesium for migraine don’t buy a calcium/magnesium blend. If you’re taking a calcium supplement, take it at another time of day. It can interfere with the benefits of the magnesium for migraine.

I have parents often ask me to suggest ways they can get their kids to eat healthier. The first question I ask them is: How do they eat themselves? The answer is telling, as many parents confess to not eating as well as they should.
As a parent, I know only too well that children will instinctively learn from you, both the good and bad. If you know a lot about food and eat a variety of natural and healthy foods, your children will pick up on those habits. If you don’t set the right example, by eating a healthy diet yourself, then you are setting the stage for your children to eat poorly. To ensure that your child develops a healthy mindset towards eating, it is up to you to lead by example. Good eating starts at home!
Here are 3 tips to help you incorporate more vegetables into your family’s diet. It is well documented that families who consume plenty of vegetables tend to have a healthier lifestyle in general. Share these healthy eating tips with your children. When preparing meals let them help pick ingredients and participate whenever possible.

1. Set the tone. If you hold your nose while you eat a broccoli stalk, do you think your kids will want to eat it? What if you make comments like, “yuck” or “How could something that tastes so bad be good for you?” Act as if you are enjoying the experience. This will obviously work better with vegetables you actually do enjoy, but remember that words and thoughts are powerful. You can learn to like new things if you try them a few times. Emphasizing the positives about vegetables, and expressing that at the dinner table, will resonate positively with you and your entire family.

2. Disguise your vegetables. This is a good one for anyone with especially picky kids at home. One idea that works well is to blend vegetables into fruit smoothies. Tossing some fresh veggies in a morning smoothie along with fruits (strawberries, oranges and blueberries work well) and whatever smoothie base you like (almond milk, yogurt, fruit juice, etc) is a great way to get vegetables in at breakfast. Spinach works especially well, as does kale, avocado, wheat grass, carrots and cucumbers. Experiment and blend up a few different combinations of fruits and vegetables until you find a concoction you really like. Let your kids pick the ingredients and help in the experiment. If they absolutely refuse to eat vegetables, you don’t have to tell the kids what’s in the “fruit” smoothie. Keep the fruit-to-vegetables ratio on the sweeter side (more fruit) at first. Gradually work in more veggies as everyone gets used to the taste.
You could also chop up vegetables and add them to omelets, cassaroles, meat loaf, etc. You could mix carrots and peas in mashed potatoes. There are many ways to add vegetables to different kinds of food. Check out this website for more great tips and recipes – www.doitdelicious.com.

3. Make it easy. Eating fresh vegetables bought that morning from the local farmer’s market is the healthiest option, but can be hard to fit in to a busy working schedule. I’m a big believer in organic frozen vegetables, which are available now in most grocery stores. They’re convenient, easy to prepare, come in many varieties and can taste pretty good. Stick with the flash-frozen kind that are just veggies and contain no added sauces. You can add your own spices and a touch of butter to make them extra yummy. Corn on the cob (who doesn’t like corn on the cob?) and baked sweet potatoes are two other easy ways to prepare vegetables. For corn, fill your pot with water, add 1/4 cup of brown sugar, drop in your corn, bring everything to a boil, let it boil for 6-8 minutes then remove from the water and let it cool enough to eat. For sweet potatoes, rub olive oil on the skin then pierce the potato once or twice with a fork. Wrap it in foil, place on an oven tray and bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 40-60 minutes. After 40 minutes, give it a poke once in while with a fork. When it feels nice and soft it’s ready. Let it cool then enjoy!

The potential harms, caused mostly by too much caffeine or similar ingredients, include heart palpitations, seizures, strokes and even sudden death, the authors write in the medical journal Pediatrics. They reviewed data from the government and interest groups, scientific literature, case reports and articles in popular and trade media.

Dakota Sailor, 18, a high school senior in Carl Junction, Mo., says risks linked with energy drinks aren’t just hype.

Sailor had a seizure and was hospitalized for five days last year after drinking two large energy drinks — a brand he’d never tried before. He said his doctor thinks caffeine or caffeine-like ingredients may have been to blame.

The report says some cans have four to five times more caffeine than soda, and Sailor said some kids he knows “drink four or five of them a day. That’s just dumb.”

Sailor has sworn off the drinks and thinks other kids should, too.

The report’s authors want pediatricians to routinely ask patients and their parents about energy drink use and to advise against drinking them.

“We would discourage the routine use” by children and teens, said Dr. Steven Lipshultz, pediatrics chairman at the University of Miami’s medical school. He wrote the report with colleagues from that center.

The report says energy drinks often contain ingredients that can enhance the jittery effects of caffeine or that can have other side effects including nausea and diarrhea. It says they should be regulated as stringently as tobacco, alcohol and prescription medicines.

“For most children, adolescents, and young adults, safe levels of consumption have not been established,” the report said.

Introduced more than 20 years ago, energy drinks are the fastest growing U.S. beverage market; 2011 sales are expected to top $9 billion, the report said. It cites research suggesting that about one-third of teens and young adults regularly consume energy drinks. Yet research is lacking on risk from long-term use and effects in kids — especially those with medical conditions that may increase the dangers, the report said.

The report comes amid a crackdown on energy drinks containing alcohol and caffeine, including recent Food and Drug Administration warning letters to manufacturers and bans in several states because of alcohol overdoses.

The report focuses on nonalcoholic drinks but emphasizes that drinking them along with alcohol is dangerous.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers adopted codes late last year to start tracking energy drink overdoses and side effects nationwide; 677 cases occurred from October through December; so far, 331 have been reported this year.

Most 2011 cases involved children and teens. Of the more than 300 energy drink poisonings this year, a quarter of them involved kids younger than 6, according to a data chart from the poison control group.

That’s a tiny fraction of the more than 2 million poisonings from other substances reported to the group each year. But the chart’s list of reported energy drink-related symptoms is lengthy, including seizures, hallucinations, rapid heart rate, chest pain, high blood pressure and irritability, but no deaths.

Monday’s paper doesn’t quantify drink-related complications or deaths. It cites other reports on a few deaths in Europe of teens or young adults who mixed the drinks with alcohol, or who had conditions like epilepsy that may have increased the risks.

Maureen Storey, senior vice president of science policy at the American Beverage Association, an industry group, said the report “does nothing more than perpetuate misinformation” about energy drinks.

Many of the drinks contain much less caffeine than coffee from popular coffeehouses, and caffeine amounts are listed on many of the products, she said in a written statement.

Caffeine is safe, but those who are sensitive to it can check the labels, she said.

A clinical report on energy drinks is expected soon from the American Academy of Pediatrics that may include guidelines for doctors.

Dr. Marcie Schneider, an adolescent medicine specialist in Greenwich, Conn., and member of the academy’s nutrition committee, praised Monday’s report for raising awareness about the risks.

“These drinks have no benefit, no place in the diet of kids,” Schneider said