Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Magnesium Deficiency & Migraines


Magnesium is extremely important to nearly every organ in the body. It is found to be involved in, according to neurosurgeon Dr. Blaylock, in 325 biochemical reactions in the body. It is arguably a deficiency in 80% of the population of the United States.

Not surprisingly, a deficiency in magnesium is implicated in some migraine attacks. Aside from magnesium helping maintain normal blood pressure, blood sugar (glucose) levels and muscle function, it is a catalyst in the biochemistry that is needed to prevent migraines.

Magnesium activates enzymes that are part of energy production as well a regulating calcium levels (especially in muscles...helping preventing cramps) plus regulating copper, zinc, potassium, vitamin D (bone and immune function) and many other important functions of the body.

Levels of magnesium are reduced by too much coffee, carbonated drinks, excessive salt, and alcohol. In addition, heavy menstruation can cause a depletion. This, in particular, is where migraines are impacted. As you may know women of menstruation age have three times as many migraines as men. Migraines are very much related to hormone balance.

What to do about it? A good multivitamin supplement which has the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium prescribed for good health should be taken. This mineral is best assimilated by taking it (in the vitamin complex) with green foods and also with meats.

Just because a little is good, a lot is not better. Too much magnesium can cause diarrhea and can upset the balance of other inorganic minerals such as calcium, zinc and copper. Do not load up on it!

Some researchers believe that combining magnesium with the feverfew herb and riboflavin. The website @ http://www.migraine-headache-relief can provide this supplement.

The B vitamins are very valuable in counteracting migraine headaches. It goes without saying that a good multiple vitamin supplement with the B vitamin complex is the best way to go to eliminate one significant cause of migraine headaches.

The B vitamins in research studies are proven very beneficial in reducing migraine attacks by themselves. Ditto for feverfew...by itself it has proven beneficial.
Denis Van Loan DDS

Friday, April 2, 2010

Trans Fats, Artery Inflammation & Migraines

Many people do not realize the enormous significance of dietary intake in the cause and prevention of migraine headaches. Many chemical substances precipitate migraine headaches. Yes, most migraineurs realize that there are certain triggers. I am not talking so much about these triggers; I am concerned about the process that is significant in migraine attacks.


Many people do not understand the process of inflammation that frequently occurs. What is less understood is the insults to your blood vessels which make you vulnerable to migraine headaches.


I've talked previously about the significant key to migraines is the condition of the blood vessels. Blood vessel spasm alone is a unique component of the migraine process. Hormone changes and certainly chemicals do trigger migraine headaches through vascular spasms.


Long term, there is another factor about blood vessels that has proven itself to be significant, is inflammation. Inflammation disrupts normal function and usually is accompanied by pain.


Excess homocysteine, often a product of red meats, is one culprit. Other inflammatory agents of blood vessels are trans fats, preservatives and unhealthy (toxic) chemicals.



Trans fats are found in poly saturated vegetable oils (shortenings) and all highly heated oils. They become chemically stable and hard for the body to break down.


Trans fats are more inert and unreactive to body chemistry. Trans fats are simply hard to metabolize and eliminate from the body. They are foreign objects.


According to Dr. DeMaria's book: "Dr. Bob's TransFat Survival Guide", the half life is 18 days. Realistically it takes 51 days to purge your body of most trans fats. Frequent consumption of trans fats stockpiles them in your body.


If you eat a lot of French fries or consume a lot of shortening, margarine and preserved foods, you accumulate these harmful trans fats. You tax and overload you body, especially the liver and kidneys.


How do these "fats" work? Trans fats cause inflammation in the body, resulting in aches and pains everywhere. Postglandins, which are natural pain relievers are neutralized. Not surprisingly the body chemistry is disrupted and I'm convinced that future research will co-relate increased migraines due to the blood vessel inflammation from these agents.


Research has already shown that inflammation due to homocysteine significantly increases migraine headaches. I would say ditto to all preservatives and chemical irritants. If you have difficulty in metabolizing and eliminating any irritants such toxic chemicals and preservatives, you can trigger headaches.


I cannot advise you individually what to do, but I find a diet free of anything toxic or inflammatory eliminates 95% of my vascular headaches.


What also helps? A good vitamin B complex supplement that includes B-2, B-6, B-12 and Folic acid significantly reduces migraine headaches in proven studies. For more information on headache relief go to: http://www.migraineheadache-relief.com Denis Van Loan DDS

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Turmeric, Curcumin...Alzheimer's & Migraine Pain Relief

Turmeric is one of my favorite supplements as an anti-inflammatory, pain reliever. It is a natural spice, has broad health benefits and is inexpensive as compared to drugs. It fights oxidative damage, relieves pain and chronic inflammation; it increases life expectancy. It is an excellent supplement for migraine headache pain.

The Journal of Health reports in vol.3 issue 7 some well researched comprehensive benefits to your health. Modern research validates its effectiveness, especially in the past 15 years. Numerous studies and the experience of populations like India that have high dietary intake confirm its benefits. East Indians have decreased Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. Here are most of the validated health benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative • An excellent pain killer, helping relieve migraines
• Resists DNA mutation
• Fight bacteria
• Fights viruses and fungi
• Helps balance cholesterol
• Fights Alzheimer’s disease • Chelates copper and iron
• Aids digestion
• Helps blood pressure and cardiovascular health

The overarching benefit is arguably that of reducing inflammation and free radical damage. The significance of this is that virtually all diseases have the issue of inflammation...it is central to disease.’

The unseen damage of chronic inflammation occurs at the cellular level in the form of free radical damage. Classic inflammation is experienced as swelling and pain in the body.

What is free radical damage? It is the oxidative effect that damages the cellular DNA and hence the genetic code of the cell. Damaged cells produce disease when they multiply. They make the cells sick so that they cannot function efficiently.

Free radical damage is no small thing in our western civilization. None of us escape from it, so it behooves us to combat it and eliminate it as much as possible. Turmeric is a great warrior on our behalf.

We are constantly exposed to unhealthy food, preservatives, trans fats and excesses of various foods like sugar and salt. These all become inflammatory agents; therefore anti-oxidants like the curcuminoids are a good weapon against them. The liver has to filter out the invaders and wastes, so anything that helps reduce these destructive elements helps liver health.

Another well known enemy of health is the micro organisms. These include bacteria, viruses and fungi. Curcuminoids excel here also. They bolster the health of cells. The individual defense cell is better strengthened to combat bacteria. In the case of viruses they replicate themselves using the resources of cellular DNA. Antibiotics are not effective against either viruses or most fungi, curcumins are.

Anything that disrupts your biochemistry makes you more susceptible to migraine headaches.


Because curcumins help keep the DNA or genetic code of the cell in a healthy state, they inhibit viral proliferation. In the case of fungi, the curcuminoids are shown in lab studies to inhibit aflatoxins. What are aflatoxins? They are toxic products of fungi that can harm the liver and always produce inflammation.

How about cholesterol balance? First of all it is a well researched and proven fact that cholesterol is necessary and important for health. It is needed for proper lipid balance and for the many cortical steroid hormones as well as vitamin D. It is the core molecule for them all. For free information and a comprehensive report on cholesterol go to: http://naturalhealthsecrets.ws

Studies show that the HDL (high density lipids) cholesterol is very good and should be in high ratio to the LDL (low density lipids). Curcuminoids do this.

The International Journal of Vitamin Nutritional Research reports this in a small study of 10 people. A daily dose of 500 mg of curcumin was given and it produced a 29% increase of the good HDL and significantly reduced the level of LDL. LDL’s are associated with inflammation and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. While it is not the LDL itself that causes cardiovascular disease, it is the inflammation in the blood vessels that collects the LDL and oxidized LDL that causes the disease.

It is the inflamed blood vessels that attract the LDL which co-relates to increased heart attack and stroke. The LDL acts like a bandage that can chip off and cause a blockage or blood clot in a coronary or cerebral blood vessel.

Aside from helping cardiovascular health by keeping cholesterol healthy, curcumins lower blood pressure. They function by inhibiting PAF (platelet activating factor). The PAF reduces clotting tendencies. This decreases the incidence of heart attack and stroke.

The anti-inflammatory power of curcumins is believed to work in two ways. It is a free radical scavenger that is an anti-oxidant...directly reducing inflammation. Secondly it triggers the release of natural cortisone...probably the most powerful anti-inflammatory agent known.

Inflammation is a major cause of pain. Pain is the by product of Cox 2 enzymes that produce post glandins. Curcuminoids were studied at the famous Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Center. Their research revealed that indeed that Cox 2 was effectively reduced by curcumins. Inflammation as well as pain was reduced.

What about Alzheimer’s? There is evidence that a poor ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol increases the incidence of Alzheimer’s. (Twice as much...according to a long term study in Finland.) It is interesting that 10% of Americans over age 65 develop Alzheimer’s: whereas only 1% of India residents develop it.

Researcher Sally Frautschy from UCLA sums it up best. Her study concluded that the high lifetime intake of curry spices like turmeric was responsible for the reduction. I quote Sally: “We believe curcumin will do three important things: trigger clearance of amyloid (a plaque like substance strangling brain cells) already present; reverse oxidative damage contributing to memory loss (and) reduce toxic substances associated with chronic inflammation.” Reported in the Journal of Health and Longevity...vol. 3, issue 7.

Here is what Wikipedia, arguably an objective source of information, publishes: (I paraphrase). Curcumin works as an antioxidant and free radical scavenger. It reduces inflammation and some studies show effectiveness against amyloid plaque, which is the pathologic plaque of Alzheimer’s.

Researchers on Alzheimer’s found India has the lowest incidence of Alzheimer’s of anyone in the world, after age 65. They have an occurrence of 1% versus the population of the United States where the rate it 10%. Curcumin is believed to be the agent responsible for this low rate in India because of their high consumption of turmeric.

Curcuminoids have been shown to inhibit viruses such as a HIV and herpes simplex.
Curcuminoids work at the DNA level to inhibit the replication of viral components. In studies this is shown to reduce the incidence of cancer and other inflammatory (like arthritis) diseases.

In regards to how it works in Alzheimer’s, another plausible explanation offered by the famous Linus Pauling Institute is that of chelation. Curcuminoids are shown to reduce copper and iron, two heavy metals found in excess in the brains of Alzheimer victims. Heavy metal accumulation is strongly linked to increased Alzheimer’s.

I can personally attest to the effectiveness of turmeric (curcumin) in pain relief. For me it is as effective as aspirin and at least one scientific study substantiates this. Bulk spice sources such as health food stores usually have turmeric at the best price. For more free information on migraines go to: http://www.migraineheadache-relief.com

Perhaps you are wondering if this spice is a problem for people with stomach distress. Dr. David Juan, M.D. (the vitamin doctor) answers this question for us. In a study he followed, here are the results.

A group of 106 patients with stomach distress were given 500 mg of curcumin. Examination of the subjects found a 87% improvement with full or partial relief. The placebo comparison group also had significant resolution with the curcumin...they had a 53% improvement. This still meant that there was a 34% improvement over those who did not get the curcumin...Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Migraine Headaches, Food Intolerance & Allergies


I’ve written about chemical imbalances in other reports before. Migraine headaches can be categorized as upset biochemistry that is most frequently precipitated by what is eaten. (exception: hormone cycles)

The disturbance of these undigested “foods” often triggers a chemical and/or hormone imbalance.

Allow me to explain. Typically about one third of the population has food imbalances. What this means is that certain foods are not well tolerated by the individual and they upset the body chemistry. The problem is that neither the individual nor the doctor realizes the problem.

The linings of the GI (gastro-intestinal) tract normally prevent large molecules from entry into the blood stream. If they manage to enter through because of irritating inflammation in the GI tract (“leaky gut”), then the blood handles these large molecules as invaders.

For more information and migraine remedies go to: http://www.migraineheadache-relief.com
Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Allergies, Migraines & Food Intolerances


I’ve written about chemical imbalances in other reports before. Migraine headaches can be categorized as upset biochemistry that is most frequently precipitated by what is eaten. (exception: hormone cycles)

The disturbance of these undigested “foods” often triggers a chemical and/or hormone imbalance.

Allow me to explain. Typically about one third of the population has food imbalances. What this means is that certain foods are not well tolerated by the individual and they upset the body chemistry. The problem is that neither the individual nor the doctor realizes the problem.

The linings of the GI (gastro-intestinal) tract normally prevent large molecules from entry into the blood stream. If they manage to enter through because of irritating inflammation in the GI tract (“leaky gut”), then the blood handles these large molecules as invaders. The response of the immune system is that of an allergic reaction.

“Fireworks” in the blood can now occur. In the case of migraines,
IgE immuoglobins (antibodies) interact with mast cells which release histamine and heparin. The end result is inflammation in the vascular system.

In a migraine sensitive individual, inflammation in the form of cytokines and other irritants can produce spasm and pain in the cerebral blood vessels. This can trigger headaches and an avalanche of migraine symptoms.

Hormone disruption can occur which compounds and exacerbates the problem. The bottom line is that the body chemistry is disrupted and pain and migraine symptoms prevail.

Migraineurs know about some of the triggers but sometimes they are unaware of other culprits that set off migraine headaches for them.

A careful record or mental note of exactly what is eaten, including such things salad dressings, seasonings and such things as MSG often prove to be the culprits.

More information can be obtained by going to my website @ http://www.migraineheadache-relief.com …Denis Van Loan DDS

Friday, January 8, 2010

Enzymes & Migraines

As I have reported in earlier writings, body chemistry is the crux of the problem with migraines. When there is a nutritional deficiency, incompatible biochemistry, or simply a broken link in the biochemistry chain, migraines can flare up.

In the case of enzymes, they play a crucial part in the assimilation and utilization of the nutrients that you take in. Without them biochemistry is disrupted. There are over 3000 enzymes in the body, involving a multitude of functions.

Karen De Felice, author of a respected book on enzymes, "Enzymes for digestive Health and Nutritional Wealth", reports her migraines went away after supplementation with enzymes. Also she reports her mind was much clearer.

Fortunately there are broad spectrum enzyme supplements that help digest casein/lactose (in milk), gluten (in wheat, barley, rye), proteins, fats and carbohydrates. These are probably the most important enzymes for proper biochemistry regarding digestion and pain relief. Gluten and lactose intolerance is very common in our population.

The importance of digestive enzymes are easily recognized but few people recognized the value of proteolytic enzymes which break down proteins that can cause high blood pressure, inflammation and pain.

The second largest selling non-prescription "drug" for pain relief in Germany is called "Wobenzym". It is a collection of enzymes, the most significant are the proteolytic enzymes, which break down the irritating proteins that cause pain in the body.

A similar compounding in America is "Flavenzyme", which I obtain from Vitacost.com online. Most of us do not get enough raw, fresh, fruits and vegetables, (primary source of enzymes), so supplementation is a good idea. "Flavenzyme" is enteric coated so that it is not destroyed by digestion. Denis Van Loan DDS

P. S. For more valuable information on migraines go to:
http://www.migraineheadache-relief.com

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Trans fats are bad for migraines

Many people do not realize the enormous significance of dietary intake in the cause and elimination of migraine headaches. Yes, most migraineurs realize that there are certain triggers. I am not talking so much about these triggers; even though they are definitely significant in migraine attacks.

Trans fats, found in poly saturated vegetable oils (shortenings) and all highly heated oils, become stable and hard for the body to break down. Trans fats are more inert and nonreactive to body chemistry.

Trans fats are simply hard to metabolize and eliminate from the body. According to Dr. DeMaria's book: "Dr. Bob's TransFat Survival Guide", the half life is 18 days. Realistically it takes 51 days to purge your body of most of a trans fat.


If you eat a lot of french fries or consume a lot of shortening, margarine and preserved foods, you accumulate these harmful fats. You tax and overload you body, especially the liver and kidneys.

How do these "fats" work? Trans fats cause inflammation in the body, resulting in aches and pains everywhere. Postglandins, which are natural pain relievers are neutralized. Not surprisingly the body chemistry is disrupted and I'm convinced that future research will co-relate increased migraines due to the blood vessel inflammation from these agents.

Research has already shown that inflammation due to homocysteine, from excess red meat consumption, significantly increases migraine headaches. I would say ditto to all preservatives. If you have difficulty in metabolizing and elimination of any irritants such toxic chemicals and preservatives, you can trigger headaches.

I do not advise you what to do, but I find a diet free of anything toxic or inflammatory eliminates 95% of my vascular headaches. Man adulterated foods and preservatives are generally bad.

What also helps? A good vitamin B complex supplement that includes B-2, B-6, B-12 and Folic acid significantly reduces migraine headaches in proven studies. Magnesium is beneficial. Also there are other supplements that help prevent migraine headaches...Denis Van Loan DDS


For more free information on migraine headache relief go to to my website of http://www.migraineheadache-relief.com/