Decrease the Frequency and Severity of Migraines and Headaches with Glutathione

You can blame your occasional headaches on stress, tension, allergies, poor diet, or lousy sleep, and a couple of OTC pain relievers or a little rest usually have you feeling better soon.

But when headaches become regular occurrences — we’re talking two or more per week — you may be dealing with something more complicated. Some chronic headaches and migraine attacks have serious underlying conditions and stem from nerve problems in your head, neck, or face or pressure that inexplicably builds up in your head. 

When chronic head pain has you stumped, our team of experienced neurologists at Advanced Medical Care can get to the bottom of it and start you on a treatment to manage or eliminate your symptoms. In many cases, we’ve found a link between oxidative stress and headaches, and the answer is glutathione. 

What is oxidative stress?

To understand oxidative stress and its effects, we need to dive into the science. Oxidative stress occurs when you have too many reactive oxygen species (ROS) and not enough antioxidants to neutralize them. 

These ROS, often called free radicals, are highly unstable molecules that recklessly react with other molecules, which can damage your DNA, cells, and RNA, leading to inflammation and chronic health conditions, including headaches and migraine attacks.

Unfortunately, oxidative stress may be what causes you to develop migraine disease because the buildup of ROS tips the balance of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes in favor of inflammation, triggering inflammatory cascades that lead to migraine attacks.

The link between oxidative stress and glutathione

Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant and your body’s best defense in combating oxidative stress. It works by neutralizing ROS and breaking them down into harmless components, like water. 

So, if you’re running low on glutathione, you’re vulnerable to migraine attacks and headaches. In fact, researchers found that many people with chronic migraines have lower levels of glutathione than those without the condition. The bad news is that that affirms the link between oxidative stress and migraines. The good news is that increasing your glutathione levels may reduce your headaches and chronic migraine attacks.

How glutathione restores balance and reduces headaches

Getting more glutathione can restore the balance between the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes in your body and decrease the frequency and severity of your head pain, but how do you get more glutathione?

We’re glad you asked. At Advanced Medical Care, we always emphasize that the key to good health is a good diet, and this is especially true when oxidative stress is the culprit behind your headaches and migraine attacks.

To naturally increase your glutathione intake, eat more:

• Glutathione: spinach, avocados, asparagus, and okra
• Vitamin C: helps increase glutathione
• Sulfur-rich foods (onions, garlic, beef, and poultry): synthesize glutathione
• Selenium-rich foods (brown rice, Brazil nuts, beef): a glutathione cofactor
• Glutathione-boosting supplements: milk thistle, turmeric, whey protein

It’s also important to avoid glutathione-depleting factors, such as poor sleep, inactivity, and alcohol consumption.

Our Advanced Medical Care team can also administer glutathione directly into your bloodstream with a simple injection or IV drip. 

If you suffer from frequent headaches or migraine attacks, come see our specialists. We can diagnose and treat the root cause of your pain, and if we find that oxidative stress is the culprit, we can rebalance your system with glutathione, the powerful antioxidant that will kick your headaches to the curb. 

We’re in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, and Forest Hills, Queens, New York, and we’re here to help. Call us or book online to schedule your appointment.