Selenium and headaches

A study released last week suggests that the mineral selenium can help with headache pain (both frequency and severity). Selenium is found in many meats as well as nuts, and is available in many supplement forms as well.

While on the subject, here are some other interesting clinical study results about headaches (according to Examine.com).

Watermelon can trigger migraines. (Don’t hate on me for telling you.)
Natural health remedies with at least some evidence of effectiveness for helping with headaches include peppermint, creatine, fish oil, kefir, and umckaloabo.

Many people (including my own mother) believe that using white willow bark can alleviate headache pain. However, at present, there are no studies that either support or undermine that belief.

This, by the way, highlights probably the biggest weakness of using clinical studies for supplement efficacy: there are simply too many things to test and many, many tests have never been done. I was speaking to our ND on staff (Dr. Shannyn) this week and she brought up that point. Sometimes, though imperfect, the only clinical data we have is real life.

Photo by Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash