Migraine headaches are more than a headache. The intense pain is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound and, for some, visual disturbances. They can seriously impact quality of life. A safe, natural treatment would be great.
Migraines affect a huge 14.7% of people world wide. They affect women three times as many women as men, and the intensity of pain is often higher in women than men. A little known fact about migraine is that 87.5% of people with migraines have abnormally low levels of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), according to one recent study (Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 25;11(1):4543).
Since migraines are more common among women, and since ALA deficiency is common among migraine sufferers, this double-blind study tried giving either a placebo or 300mg of ALA twice a day to 79 women with episodic migraines for 12 weeks. The women were all between 20 and 50. They took their treatments 15 minutes before lunch and dinner.
After 3 months of ALA, compared to placebo, there was significantly greater improvement in both the frequency and severity of headaches. There was significantly greater improvement in headache diary results, headache impact test and migraine headache index score.
So, though it is not as well known as other migraine treatments, this study suggests that alpha-lipoic acid might be valuable addition to your migraine treatment.
Sci Rep. 2022; 12: 271.