Q. I get daily headaches, some are migraines but most of them are tension headaches. I also have bipolar, and want to know if there are any herbs or natural supplements I can take to help my tension and headaches without making my bipolar worse. As far as I know there is nothing else wrong with me. I do take a muscle relaxer for neck pain.

A. Tension headaches, like migraines, can have many causes, not just the typical muscle tension. Since you have both migraines and tension headaches, I would suspect more than just holding your muscles tense with stress.

Watch for patterns in your headaches. You mention that they occur daily, so we can probably rule out menstrual migraines. Are your headaches better or worse on weekends? Headaches that get worse on the weekend may be related to caffeine or a food that you eat more of on weekends that you are sensitive to (for example, a bag of chips that you sit down with in front of the TV when vegging out Saturday night). Is there a particular time of day that your headaches get worse or better? It may tip you off as to one of the triggers below.

Other triggers:

· With daily headaches, there is a possibility that you are taking painkillers every day and experiencing “rebound” headaches.

· You may have food allergies or sensitivities, possibly “leaky gut” syndrome. Artificial sweeteners are a common sensitivity.

· You may be hypoglycemic and get a headache with low blood sugar. Do you get irritable before or after the headache occurs? Does eating help? If you are experiencing hypoglycemic headaches, you will want to eat a protein-dense food with every meal and snack.

· You may be dehydrated.

· You may have environmental triggers – perfumes, smog, chemical cleaners.

· Your headaches could also be caused by dental or jaw problems. If your jaw is misaligned, a mouthpiece worn at night could make all the difference.

· You may have low iron, vitamin b, calcium, or magnesium. You could also be ingesting too much vitamin a, but that is less likely.

On to solutions. Some of the things that you can do to combat tension or migraine headaches are:

· For some people, heat helps. For others, cold. It will depend on whether dilation or constriction of blood vessels is the problem. Experiment to see which works for you.

· Sometimes a nap can help. You may be overtired. For me, taking a nap just makes it worse.

· Moderate physical activity such as going for a walk can help. Increasing your level of regular physical activity can make a difference to both your mood and your headaches.

· Stress reduction techniques such as visualization, progressive relaxation, yoga, and biofeedback can be effective.

And finally, what you really were asking about, supplements:

Nutritional:

· The first supplement that I would suggest is magnesium on a daily basis. Low magnesium can cause a myriad of problems, including migraines, tension headaches, and an increase in bipolar symptoms. You may even want to get your doctor to check your magnesium levels. Magnesium helps to relax muscles and calm nerves. It is a natural calcium channel blocker. Calcium channel blockers are prescribed for migraines, depression and anxiety. As well as taking magnesium orally, you can soak in a bath of Epson salts.

· Calcium is also supposed to help calm muscles and nerves and relax blood vessels. But I would recommend raising your magnesium rather than calcium. The body cannot use the calcium in your diet without magnesium.

· Vitamin B complex, and particularly vitamin B-6 are recommended for tension and migraines. Always take B vitamins in a B-complex vitamin rather than individually, unless recommended by your doctor. Taking vitamin B-6 alone can mask vitamin B-12 deficiency, which can cause irreversible nerve damage. Be forewarned that vitamin B-2 will make your urine bright yellow. Don’t be alarmed.

· Essential fatty acids can make a big difference to bipolar and headaches. I would recommend a DHA+GLA (fish oil and primrose oil) combination. Flax oil contains ALA which is converted into the longer chain fatty acids, but it takes a lot more for your body to produce the DHA that it needs, and there are studies that show some people have difficulty converting ALA to DHA even when there is enough in their diet. If you are taking flax oil and are a strict vegetarian, you need to add a source of saturated fat, such as coconut oil, in order to properly convert the ALA to DHA.

· Other nutritional supplements recommended for headaches are: bromelain, coenzyme Q10, glucosamine sulfate, l-tyrosine, l-glutamine, l-arginine, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). I would not take any of these without research into their effect on bipolar. Tyrosine is supposed to be beneficial for bipolar, but I do not know much about the others.

· Other vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and potassium are recommended, but I have not seen research to back them up.

Herbal remedies: (*I am not aware of any contraindications with bipolar)

· Cayenne pepper is supposed to dilate blood vessels and improve circulation. Be forewarned that some headaches are caused by dilation rather than constriction, and cayenne would not help in that instance. (Does warmth or cold help your headache? Warmth dilates and cold constricts.)

· Feverfew is to help prevent headaches rather than treat them once they have occurred. According to one source, feverfew contains parthenolide which has anti-inflammatory properties.

· Ginger contains thromboxane A2 that prevents the release of substances that make blood vessels dilate. This is the reverse of cayenne – you would take ginger for a headache caused by blood vessel constriction. Ginger also helps nausea, if you get an upset stomach with your headaches.

· Teas of celery seeds, peppermint, chamomile, or rosemary (dilates) are said to be good for headaches.

Essential oils/aromatherapy:

· ammonia (5 drops in ½ glass of water and inhale)

· apple cider vinegar (a few tablespoons to a boiling water and inhale for 5 minutes, lie down for 15-20 minutes afterwards)

· eucalyptus oil (massage forehead) – I know that eucalyptus helps for me

· peppermint oil (massage forehead)

· rosemary oil (massage temples – dilates)

Other folk remedies: (*I am a little skeptical of these)

· Honey – two teaspoons with each meal. According to one source, “honey contains potassium and magnesium which will help relax the arteries”

· Mustard – soak your feet for 10-20 minutes in a hot footbath to which you have added 2 teaspoons of powdered mustard

· Foot soak – soak your feet in a pan of very warm water. “Increases the blood flow to the lower extremities and away from the head, where increased blood may be the cause of your headache”.

- Pam