Volume 29, Issue 155, January 2025

Physical and dietary interventions in managing migraine. A review of the literature

Gabriela Skurzyńska^1♦, Aleksandra Krzowska², Zuzanna Bałoniak³, Agnieszka Leszyńska⁴, Julia Bałoniak⁴, Michalina Doligalska⁵, Aleksandra Stremel⁶, Aleksandra Jonkisz⁴

¹District Health Center in Otwock, Batorego 44, 05-400 Otwock, Poland
²Independent Public Multi-specialized Health Care Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration in Bydgoszcz, Księdza Ryszarda Markwarta 4/6, 85-015 Bydgoszcz, Poland
³Warsaw Southern Hospital, Rotmistrza Witolda Pileckiego 99, 02-781 Warszawa, Poland
⁴University Hospital in Poznań, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-355 Poznań, Poland
⁵Medical Hospital in Garwolin, Lubelska 50, 08-400 Garwolin, Poland
⁶Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Orłowski Hospital, Czerniakowska 231, 00-416, Warsaw, Poland

^♦Corresponding Author
District Health Center in Otwock, Batorego 44, 05-400 Otwock, Poland

ABSTRACT

Migraine is a prevalent, burdensome, debilitating neurological disorder that poses a socioeconomic burden, significantly impacting the quality of life. The recommended migraine management is pharmacological treatment. However, because of its constraints like side effects and the risk of drug overuse, the need for alternative approaches has emerged. This review explores nonpharmacological approaches to migraine management, focusing on dietary and physical interventions based on existing literature found in databases. The role of nutritional strategies such as ketogenic, low-glycemic, and low-fat diets, as well as elimination diets and supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and probiotics, is discussed regarding their effects on migraine pathophysiology. Physical interventions, which include exercise, yoga, and manipulative therapies, also show promise in relieving symptoms by affecting migraine pathophysiology. These interventions can reduce migraine frequency, severity, and duration. However, the evidence varies in quality, hence further high-quality research is required to establish long-term efficacy and safety of these measures. Personalized approaches show promise for optimizing non-pharmacological migraine management. This review highlights the growing role of dietary and physical strategies as complementary options for improving the quality of life of individuals with migraines.

Keywords: Migraine management, Headache, Non-pharmacological treatments, Dietary interventions, Physical interventions

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e7ms3508

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v29i155.e7ms3508

Published: 09 January 2025