FAQ Episode 22: Personality, brain chemistry, magnesium and migraine.

FAQ for Natural Migraine Relief

Isn’t it fascinating how each of us has a distinct personality style? No right or wrong about it, per se, but even early in a child’s development we can start to see an individual style that is the composite of thousands of genetic variations in chemical expression, one that is unique to that person.

There is a subset of personality styles that has also been associated with a higher incidence of migraine. In the brain chemistry of this crew the release of catecholamines may be relatively ‘overactive’. A simple way to think of catecholamines is the ‘accelerator’ (vs. ‘the brake’) in the nervous system. When this neuronal accelerator is in a relatively hyperactive state we can see an accentuation of traits like:

• anxiety

• panic attacks

• attention deficit

• chronic fatigue

• sleep disorders

• phobic disorders.

This group is in general more prone to both having a migraine and also to suffering more than average when they do have one.

Individuals in this group also have a lower than average blood and intracellular magnesium levels. Part of this occurs as the body uses up magnesium in the process of the “catecholamine overdrive” state. Having a lower magnesium level also accelerates the cascade that drives up catecholamines. This can become a classic vicious cycle process that can perpetuate recurrent migraines.

Fortunately, we can reverse this process to some degree. Taking magnesium to optimize both blood and intracellular levels can downregulate this cascade, and along with it, minimize the negative effects on the related personality traits we mentioned above. Also to the bottom line of this blog’s focus, magnesium repletion can reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches.

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If you have migraines, taking supplemental magnesium is usually the very first thing I reccomend you do as a non-drug intervention… easily #1. If you have some of the traits or personality styles mentioned above, I would double down on this advice. It is a simple, safe, inexpensive and for many…quite an effective intervention.

You will see multiple regimens and products online, and without trying to parse among their claims, I like to keep it simple to get started. Almost any magnesium will do, although the oxide form is not as well absorbed. I often start with magnesium citrate in a powdered form. Many brands will come a serving size of 300-400 mg/day. I would start with that, and then raise the dose every 3-4 days by an additional 100-200 mg/day. The goal is find out what dose hits your “bowel tolerence”, meaning the dose just beyond your ability to absorb all of it. Any magnesium not absorbed will enhance your downstream bowel motility (that’s why M-O-M is a laxative!) and you can get on the ‘too loose’ side. If you have more than 2-3 easy to pass or too loose BMs per day, just cut the dose back some. As you raise your total body magnesium levels, you will find that your eventual daily dose can drop back down to whatever baseline “keeps you regular.” I find that this usually is a 2-3 month process, so please be willing to walk through the process. For at least 2/3 of those whose migraines (and wired personality traits) who responded to magnesium supplementation it took ~60+ days to see the best effect.

Optimizing your magnesium is only one of 90 non-drug therapy options I’ve found useful for migraine headaches.  If you would like to understand the broader range of root cause factors that drive your migraines and then individualize the many possible therapy options, you should take a look at my comprehensive Natural Migraine Relief for Women course and its unique Migraine Action Plan system.  See www.naturalmigrainerelief.online for more details.

Also, remember to subscribe to this Substack blog to get regular postings on Frequently Asked Questions about Natural Migraine Relief for Women.

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References:

Neurotic, neuromuscular and autonomic nervous form of magnesium imbalance Magnes Res. 1997 Jun;10(2):169-95. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9368238/

Magnesium, stress and neuropsychiatric disorders L Galland  Magnes Trace Elements. 1991;10(2-4):287-301. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1844561/

Brain and CSF magnesium concentrations during magnesium deficit in animals and humans: neurological symptoms M E Morris  Magnesium Reserch. 1992 Dec;5(4):303-13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1296767/

Comparative analysis of serum manganese, zinc, calcium, copper and magnesium level in panic disorder patients Zabun Nahar  Biol Trace Elem Research. 2010 Mar;133(3):284-90. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19582379/