Nine out of ten people suffer from a headache at some point in their life, although this does not transcend the simple discomfort derived from a hard working day. However, about 20 percent of the population, mostly women, suffer recurrent attacks of migraine triggered by multiple factors (stress, atmospheric changes, lack of sleep, fasting …), which prevent them from carrying out their daily tasks normally . Migraine is considered one of the most disabling diseases, since it is often not limited to a severe headache, but is accompanied by intolerance to light, movement and noise, and forces the patient to isolate himself in an environment of total darkness and silence.
Faced with this situation, many patients resort to alternative therapies given the limited efficacy of anti-inflammatory drugs and the momentary improvement in symptoms reported by these preventive treatments. But the truth is that homeopathic medicines or herbal preparations do not provide a real benefit to the patient, but only an intense placebo effect greater than 30 percent for a minimum of three months. This is stated by the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN) in a statement that warns that the relief linked to these therapies is actually due to the therapeutic effect of the consultations themselves, to exercise, to relaxation techniques, to the effect of Simultaneous conventional treatments and the body’s ability to recover.
According to the researchers, the results obtained by homeopathic therapies are in no way superior to placebo . Likewise, in Spain, there are no reliable herbal preparations for the treatment of migraine, except for two active principles: petasin (from the petasites hybridus plant) and parthenoid (from the tanacetum parthenium plant). In the case of butterbur, this is because it is extracted from a plant whose extracts also contain pyrrolizidine, a substance that is hepatotoxic and carcinogenic.
Although previous research has determined that foods high in histamine increase the risk of suffering attacks, the authors of the present study state that the relationship between migraine and diet is overestimated , since it only occurs in approximately ten percent of patients. cases. “Neurologists do not advise special or restrictive diets to patients with migraine since, to date, no food intolerance or its dietary correlate has rigorously demonstrated its efficacy,” concluded Dr. David Ezpeleta. Regarding effective nutritional supplements in the prevention of migraine, there is scientific evidence for vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and magnesium , although their effect is limited and less than that of the usual antimigraine drugs.
The review carried out by the SEN also considers therapies related to the work of the body, oriental medicine and mental therapies . Acupuncture and hypnosis, among other treatments, have been helpful in relieving migraine headaches and tension-type headaches when the trigger is stress. However, according to the report, there is no evidence to certify their efficacy due to the difficulty of evaluating them in clinical trials and their effects may be due to this placebo effect.
