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Your independent, respected source for information about medications and natural therapies.

Medication side effects are the #4 leading cause of death in the U.S. annually (JAMA 1998). Yet, few people receive adequate information when medication is prescribed. This website is dedicated to providing information to help you and your doctor make informed, intelligent choices about medications and natural alternatives to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of treatment. Note: This website is free of drug company or government influence. Jay S. Cohen M.D.

Dr. Jay S. Cohen, M.D.

Highly Effective Natural Therapies for Migraine Headaches

If you go to your doctor for your migraine headaches, she will most likely prescribe a prescription drug. Anti-migraine drugs such as Topamax, Depakote or Inderal can lower migraine frequency by about 50 percent in about 50 percent of migraine sufferers. Yet, so can a dozen natural therapies. So, which would you choose: a prescription or natural therapy?

Anti-migraine drugs cause side effects, some unpleasant, some serious, in 30-40 percent of users. Natural therapies rarely cause side effects. If a side effect occurs, it usually is mild and often disappears with an adjustment in dosage.

Mainstream doctors and their institutions like to claim that they use drugs for migraines based on the principle of evidence-based medicine. They claim that their drugs are proven in big studies, while natural therapies are not. They are wrong.

Many natural therapies have been proven effective in studies. Some of these studies are double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled, which is exactly what mainstream doctors say they want. Yet, as you may have already experienced, most mainstream doctors are not really interested in learning about natural therapies. They are content to rely their drugs despite the high incidence of side effects.

Dr. Cohen is an integrative physician, meaning that for 40 years he has used the best of alternative and mainstream methods. His research in magnesium for migraines led to his The Magnesium Solution for Migraine Headaches, published in 2004.

Since then, he has examined the evidence on dozens of other natural anti-migraine therapies, and many rival the effectiveness of the prescription drugs yet without the risks. Dr. Cohen asks, “Why start with side effect-prone drugs? Why not try natural therapies first?” If the natural therapies work, the problem is solved. If the natural therapies do not work, then of course consider prescription methods.

Dr. Cohen says, “It is not a question of either prescription drugs or natural therapies. It is a question of which should be tried first.”

If your migraines are horrible and disabling, you may need acute prescription intervention. But if you are like most migraine sufferers, you have time to consider natural therapies that are safer, natural to your body, and less expensive.

Dr. Cohen is available for consultations with people interested in learning more about natural therapies for migraine headaches. Dr. Cohen is not a neurologist or an expert on the medical approach to migraine headaches. Instead, his expertise is specific and focused on the many natural therapies that are as good as prescription drugs in terms of effectiveness, and better in terms of safety.

Considering that many natural therapies reduce migraine frequency and severity in 50 percent or more of migraine sufferers, just like some drugs do, a natural therapy may be all that you need.

You can contact Dr. Cohen’s office at 858-345-1760 to schedule an appointment.

View all of Dr. Cohen’s medical articles, consumer publications, and presentations.

 

NOTE TO READERS: The purpose of this E-Letter is solely informational and educational. The information herein should not be considered to be a substitute for the direct medical advice of your doctor, nor is it meant to encourage the diagnosis or treatment of any illness, disease, or other medical problem by laypersons. If you are under a physician’s care for any condition, he or she can advise you whether the information in this E-Letter is suitable for you. Readers should not make any changes in drugs, doses, or any other aspects of their medical treatment unless specifically directed to do so by their own doctors.

If you have questions about your medications or medical care, Dr. Cohen is available for consultation at his office or by telephone.
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Category: Articles and Reports