Why Eating Gluten-Free May Cure Your Headaches

Everyone gets a headache from time to time.  A headache is just something we accept as a fact of life.  But what if you get severe headaches or migraines on a regular basis?  Then the headache can actually interfere in your life activities.  It stops being an annoying condition and becomes a true medical condition.

Migraine headaches are severe headaches that can make it difficult for people to even open their eyes or to think clearly.  Researchers are doing thousands of studies on the cause of migraines even as you read this article.  They still don’t know for sure why some people get them on a regular basis.  But the doctors do know that the headaches are physically caused by the constriction of blood vessels in the brain.

Celiac disease can make itself known by a host of symptoms.  Some of those symptoms are neurological.  When a symptom is neurological it means the brain and/or the nervous system is affected.  For some people, the neurological symptoms are the only symptoms that indicate Celiac disease may exist.  The neurological symptoms that have been documented in people with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance include peripheral neuropathies, dementia, seizures, balance problems (called ataxia) and migraines.

Our body is composed of several systems and they are all interconnected. So when your blood vessels constrict in the brain, you might get a migraine or you might find you have trouble maintaining stability.  Research has shown that up to 4% of people with migraines might actually have Celiac disease.  That’s a lot of people when you consider millions have gluten intolerance.

Migraine headaches may be related to depression also.  Depression is one of the many symptoms of Celiac disease.  Since the body is suffering from malabsorption the physical systems are not getting enough nourishment.  That includes the brain.  The theory is that malabsorption may actually affect the ability of the brains neurons to fire properly.  This can lead to depression and migraine headaches.

Fortunately studies have also shown that a gluten free diet can help blood flow to the brain.  After 6 months on a gluten free diet, many people stop experiencing migraines.  The gluten free diet eliminates the gluten protein, the body begins to heal, and malabsorption becomes a thing of the past.  When the body gets proper nutrition, the brain is being supplied with the nutrients it needs too.

There are millions of people living with migraine headaches who actually have Celiac disease.  If you frequently suffer from migraines or unexplained milder headaches then you should consider being tested for gluten intolerance.  It may be that your headaches have a really simple cure……don’t eat gluten!