Headaches and Migraines
Dr. Weyrich's Naturopathic Functional Medicine Notebook
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Etiology
Headaches and migraines have been associated with hypothyroid conditions [DeGroot1996; Starr2005, pg 126]. Also consider factors such as sinus infections, muscle tension, estrogen or progesterone deficiencies, adrenal dysfunction, yeast dysbiosis, and mercury or lead toxicity [Starr2005, pg 154, 156].The menstrual cycle often interacts with hypothyroidism to produce cyclical headaches. Most of these patients (95%) respond to treatment of hypothyroidism [Barnes1976; Starr2005, pg 156].
Differential Diagnosis
- Hypothyroid (Basal body temperature below 97.8 degrees F, elevated TSH, or depressed T3).
- Vitamin B12 deficiency [Stuart2006].
Hypotheses
Dr. Starr proposes that migraine headaches may be associated with myxedema and mucin accumulation in thetrigeminal nerve (CN V) that inervates the face and scalp, and states that increased swelling of the extremities appears to be part of the migraine prodrome in many patients [Starr2005, pg 155].ICD-9 Codes
| ICD9-Code | Description | Comments |
|---|---|---|
References
Unless specifically noted above, references used in the construction of this web page include the following:[FDM] Lecture notes from Functional Medicine University.
[SCNM] Lecture notes from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine.
[UT] Lecture notes from the University of Tennessee graduate programs in Chemistry and Biochemistry.
[Barnes1976] Barnes B & Galton L. Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness. New York: Harper & Row (1976). [Cited by Starr2005].
[DeGroot1996] L.J. DeGroot et al. The Thyroid and Its Diseases, Sixth Edition. New York: Churchill Livingston (1996). Cited by [Starr2005].
[Starr2005] Mark Starr. Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic. Columbia, MO: Mark Starr Trust (2005).
[Stuart2006] J.J. Stuart & S.M. Pacholok. Could it be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses. Sanger, CA: Quill Driver Books/Word Dancer Press (2006).
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