Dealing With Headaches

Yes, I am aware that the title of this blog is Dealing With Headaches, but fear of geting Alzheimer’s is a very real fear for many people with migraines and chronic headaches. One head problem can so easily lead to another head problem. According to a new study from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, the culprit for Alzheimer’s may also be the culprit for some headaches: low blood sugar.

Brain Makes Glucose

For the last few years, scientists have wondered if Alzheimer’s is really Diabetes Type III, because the brain makes glucose and not just the pancreas. Sugar is good for your head, in a way (as long as it’s blood sugar). The new study theorizes that when the brain is depreived or starved of glucose, then this triggers the beginning of Alzheimer’s.

How do they know that? Alzheimer’s patients have “sticky clumps of protein” (amyloid plagues) inside of the arteries in the brain. It’s thought that those clumps are produced by an enzyme (BACE1)which is caused by a protein known as “elF2alpha” (which I swear was on a vanity license plate I saw last week). But what causes the proteiun — well, that’s kinda the mystery. But it’s now thought the process starts by the brain not getting enough oxygen and glucose.

The study worked on the brains of mice and humans in order to come to its conclusions.

Preventing Alzheimer’s

The study gave some recommendations for preventing brain malnourishment — and they are very close to recommendations for depressives, diabetics, migraineurs or those with chronic headaches. These tips include:

• Regular exercise. This helps keep the arteries in all your body parts working, not just your brain. This can slso help with stress, which can contibute to the next tip.
• Manage hyptertension (high blood pressure) and do whatever you can to avoid high blood pressure. This includes regular exercise, eating a low-fat diet, not smoking and not abusing alcohol (which is all calories and no nutrition). Of course, you still need to see your doctor for help in this area, too.
• Manage your stress, preferably through non-chemical ways. Stress can make you make very unhealthy food choices or make you want to smoke and drink in the first place. The study didn’t recommend any particular type of stress management technique.

Hope this helps.