Tension headaches are the most common form of headaches. Most people have experienced the characteristic muscle tightness or tenderness in the shoulders and neck, accompanied by a gradual onset of pain, often starting in the back of the head/neck and the forehead. These headaches can be continuous and sometimes last for weeks and months at a time.
The physiological and neurological causes of tension headaches are still debated, but research in the past few years has indicated that magnesium may play a large role. Magnesium is crucial in the body for over 300 different biochemical reactions, including glucose metabolism, muscle and nerve function, and immune regulation. Magnesium can be found in many foods, including almonds, spinach, bran, and soybeans. Magnesium deficiency plays a pivotal role in many medical disorders but can be easily overlooked. A deficiency can develop through numerous mechanisms, including excessive magnesium excretion due to stress, low nutritional intake, and an inability to absorb the mineral.
Low levels of magnesium levels in the blood and brain have been found in a larger number of tension headache and migraine sufferers. Magnesium supplementation has been shown to help significantly reduce and eliminate the occurrence of tension headaches by stabilizing the magnesium deficiency. In some cases, though, the deficiency is so large that supplements alone cannot bring levels back to normal.
The Guyer Institute regularly administers IV therapies to help correct vitamin deficiencies and other health problems. This method more efficiently brings nutrients into the body and is useful for people with magnesium deficiencies. Especially when combined with other therapies, increasing magnesium levels has been an extremely effective treatment for many headache sufferers.
This article was written by Taylor Lampe. Taylor is a junior at Purdue University. This summer she is completing an internship at The Guyer Institute. After graduation, Taylor plans to attend medical school.
