Major Migraine Triggers: Excitotoxins!

An excitotoxin is a substance that literally stimulates or excites a nerve cell (neuron) until it is damaged or dies. One of the biggest excitoxins is GLUTAMATE (one form of glutamate that is well known is MSG.)

Excitotoxins are usually amino acids -- the building blocks of proteins like eggs, meat, fish, and cheese. Glutamate is an amino acid found in many foods. It is also the primary messenger between neurons in the brain. It is necessary for thinking, memory, movement, and our senses (particularly taste, sight, and hearing.) Of all potential migraine triggers, this is one you cannot live without.

Two things: the TYPE of glutamate and the AMOUNT of glutamate.

TYPE: Not all glutamates are the same. All glutamate found in the human body, and in all unprocessed food (both before and after you digest it) is exclusively L-glutamate. This is the form that the body has developed enzymes for, in order to metabolize it.

However, when glutamate is produced by processing a protein source with heat, acid, etc., a mix is produced. This mix consists of L-glutamate, D-glutamate, and some other chemicals. This mix is typical of MSG and MSG-like additives.

Since D-glutamate is foreign to the body, it is not recognized by the enzymes that work on the L-glutamate. It may be largely ignored; even bypassing the liver after it is consumed and going straight into body tissues.

(Note: L-glutamate and D-glutamate molecules are mirror images of each other, like your two hands. The two forms are identical, except that they cannot be superimposed. However, inside a human body, their actions are very different.)

AMOUNT: Tiny amounts of L-glutamate help neurons communicate with each other; large amounts kill neurons. However, even tiny amounts of D-glutamate are migraine triggers.

Eating protein does not cause the death of neurons or adverse reactions in your body. However, ingesting the processed glutamate found in MSG-type substances can lead to nerve death and adverse reactions -- like migraines.

These additives are not just migraine triggers; they are powerful flavor enhancers. They stimulate the taste buds, so that the brain thinks your food tastes better than it actually does. They are also addictive, so that you want to eat more and more of the foods that contain them.

Excitotoxins hurt everyone. The damage done by them is not optional. Even if they aren't one of your migraine triggers, they hurt and kill neurons. They have also been linked to degenerative nerve diseases, like Alzheimer's. (A neurosurgeon, Dr. Russell Blaylock, wrote a book detailing how excitotoxins kill neurons and are linked to disease.)

Avoid processed foods that contain MSG and MSG-type additives. Do you know that there are well over five dozen ingredients that can hide MSG-like additives? Chances are, you are eating one or more of them every day. These substances are allowed to go by a number of benign-sounding names in the list of ingredients in your processed foods. These names include these words: 'flavorings,' 'spices,' 'broth,' 'hydrolyzed vegetable protein.' That is, if the ingredients say 'flavorings' and don't specifiy WHICH flavorings, or 'spices' and don't specify WHICH spices, there is probably an MSG type of additive in it.

A simple rule, if you cannot remember all of these names: If a manufacturer will not tell you specifically what an ingredient is, do not eat it. Just by eliminating these additives from your diet, you may eliminate migraine from your life.

You may be surprised at the range of things that can trigger migraines. But the encouraging news is that there is a lot that you can do.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MIGRAINE TRIGGERS AND HOW YOU CAN AVOID OR MINIMIZE THEM

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Best wishes for your comfort and health,
Sandra
http://www.avoidamigraine.com