Migraine Headaches - Riboflavin

Don't be so sad! Help is on the way with alternative treatments for migraines! There is a better way. A good herbal or nutritional supplement treatment plan can provide relief without the pain of rebound headaches. In this first of three articles, we will look at one of the most beneficial natural supplements for headache treatment.

Riboflavin

Riboflavin is also known as Vitamin B-2. It plays a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals. It is yellow or yellow-orange in color. In addition to being used as a food coloring it is also used to fortify foods such as baby-foods, breakfast cereal, pastas, processed cheese, fruit drinks and sauces. It is also widely used in vitamin supplements.

For over 30 years Riboflavin has been used as a part of the phototherapy treatment of neonatal jaundice. It has recently been used in a new treatment to slow or stop the progression of the corneal disorder keratoconus (corneal collagen crosslinking). There have been studies conducted on riboflavin and its affects on headaches. In both a European and American study riboflavin was shown to effectively treat migraines at a dose of 400 mg per day. (European study: C. Boehnke, High-dose riboflabin treatment is efficacious in migraine prophylaxis: an open study in a tertiary care center. Eur J Neurol, 2004, 11(7): p. 175-7. American study: A.J. Yee, Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis, Neurology, 1999, 52(2): p. 431-2)

In a separate study performed by Sandor, Afra, Ambrosini and Shoenen riboflavin has shown that when combined with beta-blockers it may be a useful treatment of migraine headaches. (Phophylactic treatment of migraine with beta-blockers and riboflavin: different effects on the intensity dependence of auditory evoked cortical potentials. Headache,. 2000, Jan). In an open-label trial (no placebo control group), as reported by the Mother Earth News (MEN) web site (Natural Health/2007-03-01/Natural-Headache-Remedies), 400 mg a day for six months cut migraine headache frequency in half and decreased medication use. MEN goes on to say that "another study showed that three months of riboflavin led to a 50 percent improvement in almost 60 percent of the volunteers, versus a 15 percent improvement over the people taking a dummy pill."

For more information about the causes of headaches check out our website. I have been through it for 40 years. I have had amazing relief in the last 8 months. I want to share my story and provide items that have helped with as many as possible.

Tom Thorne

http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/