If you are one of the 56 million Americans who suffers from migraine headaches, you know just how disabling they can be. I remember my days in the emergency room. Migraine sufferers would stagger in after their common painkillers failed. They were incapacitated and in obvious distress. The staff would take them into a room and inject powerful narcotics. About all we could do was drug out the pain. They went home and were told to sleep it off. Often they would come back. That is still about all that doctors can do for you even today. Migraine drugs have a miserable failure rate. But Ive got great news. Researchers have found that two of my favorite and most recommended nutrients can help.
CoQ10 and thioctic acid, also known as alpha lipoic acid (ALA), are metabolic enhancers. That means that they improve your metabolism. You may know about CoQ10 for vascular disease and immune function. And ALA is just terrific for promoting your all-important glutathione detoxification pathways. Turns out both may help you with your migraines.
One study followed 1,550 pediatric and adolescent patients aged 3-22. These subjects had frequent migraine-type headaches. Interestingly, 74.6% of the subjects had low levels of plasma CoQ10 levels. Of these, about one-third were actually below the reference range of 0.21-1.77mcg/mL.
The researchers then gave these patients supplemental CoQ10 (liquid gel preparation) at a dose of 1-3 mg per kilogram of body weight. That is about 100-200 mg for an average-sized adult. Of these, the researchers measured 250 of them at follow-up about three months later.
Supplementation raised their plasma levels to an average of 1.2 mcg/mL. And the number of migraines likewise significantly fell from 19.2 days per month to 12.5 days per month. Headache disability improved from 47.4 to 22.8 (as assessed by a standardized scale), and 46.3% of patients experienced a 50% reduction in headache frequency. These numbers together make me wonder if migraines might be a marker for physiological CoQ10 deficiency.
As for ALA, researchers studied 44 patients in a randomized controlled trial. They gave the patients 600 mg of ALA or a placebo for three months. The proportion of subjects who experienced a 50% improvement in headaches was not significantly different between the groups. However, the researchers looked within the groups for more specific results. And they found some solid results! Specifically, migraine frequency, the number of days with headaches, and the severity of headaches were all significantly reduced in the ALA group.
This is great news. Here are two totally safe nutrients that could give you significant benefit. And remember, these studies were separate, so the researchers gave the nutrients separately. They should work even better together.
Yes, the CoQ10 study was conducted on younger people. But go back and note that almost 75% had low levels. And a significant number were below the already low reference range. I am sure that this information is applicable to anyone at any age that is got a deficiency. I cant wait for feedback from migraine sufferers on combining the two. You might also add riboflavin (vitamin B2) at 400 mg per day. Other research has shown it can safely reduce migraine frequency up to 68%.
My favorite brand of ALA is actually called Thioctic Acid, from Cardiovascular Research. Ive used it with enthusiasm since I first learned of it in 1988. Its available from many health food stores and Vitamin Shoppe (www.vitaminshoppe.com).
If you decide to combine these two, or even add the high dose riboflavin, please let me know about your progress so that I can inform other readers.Ref: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 2007; 47(1): 52-57; Headache, 2007; 47(1): 73-80; Neurology, 1998;50:466-70.