“Gut” Migraines

Liz Asks the Question:

I have heard that people with migraines often have "gut" problems.  Constipation with occasional diarrhea, hypochlorydia - difficulty digesting fats - -  Have you found this to be true?

-Liz 

Liz,

There can be any number of symptomatic events associated with migraines. These can be directly or indirectly associated with the actual occurrence of the migraine.

For example, a person may be constipated after a migraine attack, but it was the result of taking pain medications that cause constipation, rather than due to the migraine itself.

Pain by itself causes the body to react in various ways and quite often compromises the digestive system. Being in too much pain to eat is an obvious association.

There are other complicating factors to consider when looking at the idea of “gut” migraines, one of which is that of multiple symptoms from a single trigger. For example MSG, a well known trigger for migraines, also causes diarrhea for some people. A person who gets migraines may be subject to both conditions.

The nervous system can react quite differently to any given stimulus or situation, and during stress the body can produce up to forty times more cortisol (a stress hormone) than when the body is not under stress. Prolonged production of cortisol can disrupt the digestive system, irritating the large intestine and causing diarrhea, constipation, cramping, and bloating. Excessive production of digestive acids in the stomach may cause a painful burning.

Therefore, one of the triggers for migraines (excess cortisol) may also be the cause of the irritation of the digestive system.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Lyle

To learn more about migraine prevention, visit www.tuliv.com

You can send you migraine questions to Lyle@tuliv.com