Keto Diet - a cure for migraine?
Can salt be the cause of your migraine? Millions of people all over the world suffer from migraines. I used to think I was one of them, but a doctor discovered that it was actually dehydration.
An aura, vomiting, and light sensitivity are symptoms associated with a migraine. You typically get a headache on one side.
The origin of migraines has been a topic of intense debate. Salt, or more specifically, sodium, is one possible cause. For me to explain this, I need to take a quick detour.
Your body uses sodium to transmit electricity. It does this by creating a difference in the voltage outside your cell and inside, allowing electricity to "flow."
This ability to make electricity flow is known as "action potential," which is critical to the way your body functions.
Therefore, if there is a change in sodium availability, your brain cannot transmit electricity efficiently. I'm simplifying, but the end result is a change in the pressure inside your brain, resulting in a migraine.
The common causes of low sodium include dehydration and diarrhea. Surprisingly, kidney dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, and malabsorption of food can also cause low sodium.
So what can you do?
One intriguing possibility is a low-carbohydrate, high-sodium diet. Effectively, you would be eating a non-vegetarian (carnivore) diet, also known as a keto diet. While not impossible, it is hard for a vegetarian like me to follow a low-carb or keto diet.
Generally speaking, I do not favour extreme diets. But a keto diet is very effective in certain circumstances.
When you follow a keto diet, your body mimics a fast. When this happens, your body releases sugar (glucagon) into the bloodstream.
The release of sugar reduces both sodium and water, allowing you to be on a high-salt diet without the side effects normally associated with high sodium.
Potentially, you can lessen the frequency and intensity of your migraines.
Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain
