Migraine / Vascular / Hormonal Headaches:
In contrast to other types of headaches, classic migraines [45] or vascular headaches have the best potential
for an actual cure, since they are always related to abnormal liver functions (particularly abnormal iron and
manganese levels or ratios), which when rectified, will permanently resolve the disorder. I have many
patients who have been completely migraine-free for over twenty years following corrective measures to
normalize liver functions through nutritional means or remedies.
Iron and manganese comprise an interdependent mineral pair which affects various liver functions (and vice
versa), including hormonal balance, glycogen metabolism, red blood cell / hemoglobin production, and others.
In contrast to below-normal levels of iron or manganese, which can provoke Vascular Headaches, elevated
levels can trigger classic migraine symptoms, with the Iron / Manganese Ratio determining the left or right-
sidedness of a headache.
In the event of elevated iron, any iron antagonist such as zinc, magnesium, Vitamin B2 or E - whichever
is the most compatible, will effectively relieve the side-specific migraine headaches associated with iron.
Donating blood is another option, which will also lower Blood Pressure in those where BP is related to high
iron levels.
The opposite headache side responds to reducing manganese, whose level can be lowered through calcium,
potassium, Vitamin B6 (with caution), or Vitamin C - whichever ones match a patient. Lowering manganese
will also improve the liver's ability to regulate estrogen, where a higher mean average is a common trigger for
migraines that are associated with the menstrual cycle, including high estrogenic-types of PMS. Most properly
diagnosed migraine cases involve congestive liver disease of one or both large central liver lobes (implicating
elevated iron and/or manganese), making the herb Milk Thistle an ideal addition to any other remedy chosen.
In contrast to migraines, Vascular Headaches require the opposite treatment approach, where low levels of
iron or manganese require their supplementation. This is usually done by taking the chelated version of the
mineral in the 15 - 50 mg range/day, until corrected. Headaches developing as a result of low or diminishing
estrogen levels, i.e. menopausal, or low estrogenic-types of PMS, amenorrhea (failure to menstruate), or iron-
deficiency anemia, fall into this same category. In addition to raising their levels, it is equally important to
normalize the iron / manganese ratio to subsequently prevent any one-sided headaches (or migraines) from
developing in the first place.