Calcium/magnesium balance

I was going to add this to the previous magnesium thread, but I've decided to start a new thread, as it doesn't just relate to magnesium.

I have been baffled by minerals for some time now, but done a lot of reading about them, and tried a few things out! Basically, I've had a theory for a long time now that my menstrual migraines that occur towards the end of my period (eg. days 3-6) are mineral-related. The main reason for thinking this is that they are not classed as hormonal menstrual migraines in the true sense, and don't coincide with other hormonal symptoms, eg. PMS etc.

The obvious first suspect was iron-loss, ie in the form of the blood loss of the period. I took Spatone iron for quite some time, which did sometimes seem to help, but not always, and it started to hurt my stomach.

Another suspect was magnesium. Everything I'd read kept talking about magnesium deficiency being a major cause of migraines, particularly menstrual ones. In addition, quite a few years ago I had a blood test that showed a fairly severe magnesium deficiency, and my calcium level was fairly high.

In terms of the calcium and magnesium balance, everything I have read seems to suggest that the average Western diet is high in calcium (eg from dairy products) and low in magnesium (eg from leafy greens and nuts/seeds etc). Also, that the body needs adequate magnesium in order to absorb calcium. This information, along with my previous blood test results, meant I didn't ever really seriously consider supplementing calcium.

But, for the last two months, during my period only, I have taken a calcium supplement, at a different time of day to my magnesium tablets. The results are that my migraines have been less severe. They have been there, and I haven't wanted to go out and about having fun etc, but I've had a definite reduction in the triptans that I would normally be taking.

So, I'm baffled. Since I've had some good results, I've decided to carry the calcium on for a little longer to see what happens now my period has ended. The down side I've found so far is that my TMJ issue (jaw) has been noticeably worse, and I don't know if this is because of the calcium or not.

Anyway, just thought I'd start this in case anyone else has had any experiences, or any thoughts on the subject. I will update on this thread as to how things go.

Interesting..............Have you ever seen Dr McGregor at the London Pain Clinic???? I have heard she is pretty good with hormone based migs............. but this does sound hopeful.....

Good luck x

Everything I've read that has mentioned Dr McGregor and menstrual migraines doesn't ring true to my own experience, so no, I haven't bothered seeing her! I could be wrong, but my understanding is that she treats hormonal migraines (ie the ones just before or within the first couple of days of the period) with oestrogen. My worst migraines are later in my period, so aren't usually classed as hormonal.

My problem is highly unlikely to be helped by oestrogen, and I really wouldn't want to go down that road, because I have lots of signs of oestrogen dominance - eg. endometriosis and fibroids.