Internally Peer Reviewed Migraine, Old French for half the head, is more than a sick headache. Patients have to have their retinas checked for swelling of the optic nerve, indicative of increased pressure inside the skull from some other severe neurologic problem, not migraine. About a quarter of migraine patients believe their attacks are provoked by food.
Red wine contains a migraine-promoting agent that is neither alcohol nor tyramine.
Certain foods are thought to promote migraine such as buttermilk, Brie or Camembert cheeses, beans, avocados, figs, canned soups, mincemeat pies, pizza, nuts, seeds and any pickled, preserved, or marinated food. Sunlight, exercise, or tension are also thought to promote migraine. Initially serotonin, one of the brain's chemical messengers, floods the brain causing a sterile inflammation and blood vessel constriction. This leads to zigzag spectra or bright spots before the eyes. Next, the level of serotonin plummets causing the blood vessels to dilate and creating blinding, throbbing headaches.