Well, I feel like I should warn people that kefir may not be a good thing for migraine sufferers to drink. I have been drinking a cup of the stuff a day because I've been reading about all the health benefits of it. Sadly, fermented dairy can be a migraine trigger in some people and I suspect I'm one of them. I can handle home-made yogurt, but kefir is much more fermented.
I had a "woolly-booger" of a migraine on Monday night. It was weird because I had just gone to the acupuncturist and felt slightly dizzy afterwards. By the time I got home, it was full-throttle headache and nausea which lasted all night. Yuck. I was thinking: did he put the needle in the "make headache worse" spot instead of the "make headache better" spot? I also had a migraine this afternoon on the other side.
Well, after reviewing my food diary I noticed that the one thing I've been consuming that is different is the kefir. I'm going to give it up and see if the headaches get better. Just thought I'd warn you about it. I guess I'll go back to my non-dairy probiotic pills instead. It's like ongoing detective work.
Has anyone else noticed a correlation between fermented dairy and migraines?
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With something that powerful (as with all naturally fermented foods) I have read that you have to begin with very small amounts. The thing is that it is killing off bad bacteria and trying to populate more good bacteria, but temporarily it feels worse, because it is cleaning you out, and these bad guys have to be expelled, and sometimes that leads to symptoms. For some it's a rash, or increased nasal drip. For you it's migraines. Go off the kefir for a while, til the headaches are completely gone with no residual effects. Then begin again with just 1/2 tsp. Stick with that for a week or two, and gradually increase the dosage by 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp if you don't notice any symptoms. When you notice symptoms again, it means you're going too fast. It sounds silly and perhaps painfully slow, but your body has to get used to all this good stuff. It's doing good work in your gut, it's just painful in the meantime. Using very small doses helps the body do it gradually without symptoms. At least that is what I've read. Hope it works for you!
ReplyDeleteWow, Kim! Thanks for the advice. That sounds right to me. Interestingly enough, I also had a weird rash on my arms last lasted for about a week or so. I never had that before, but it sounds like what you are describing. I'll have to lay off the kefir and see what happens this week.
ReplyDeleteIf fermented dairy is a migraine trigger, have you ever tried water kefir? I just started making it and I love it, however, I have a rash this week that I suspect is from the water kefir. I stumbled upon your post looking for an answer to my itchy bumps on my legs and arms. I think it just might have found the answer! If I can get past this rash, I would like to continue making the water kefir.
ReplyDeleteanother dairy free option is coconut water kefir. You make it the same way but with coconut water instead of milk. You can use the same kefir grains. I much prefer it to dairy kefir. Do some searches, utube has some videos how to make it. It tastes a bit like really good champagne and it makes me feel really good. I can't recommend it enough really.
ReplyDeleteI can drink a lot of it but I did a candida diet recently so my detox has been done. I too got one sided headaches while the yeasts died off. Good luck and please keep going.
i have also rash with watre kefir, in the beagignig it was great but after 2 months i began getting rashes on my face
ReplyDeleteWow! It has been a while since I've looked at this. Thanks for the great tips. Coconut water kefir sounds super yummy!
ReplyDeleteI started drinking kefir a couple months ago. First was milk kefir and I now drink milk and water on different days. No set schedule, just a few times a week. When I first started I did not realize you should ease into it so I went wide open at it drinking several ounces a day. About 3-4 days into it I started to have symptoms of being sick. First the gland on one side of my neck was sore, then the next day both glands and by the next day, my upper and lower teeth hurt really bad and I could tell my tongue was swollen. About 3 days after the symptoms started I could not chew anything and the roof of my mouth felt like I had eaten a box of dry Captain Crunch. I did a little research on my symptoms and wasn't thinking about the kefir and I stumbled upon a post where someone else had the symptoms and they had also started drinking kefir. More research revealed that the kefir was killing all the bad bacteria in my body and my body was detoxing. When it does so, it secretes this bad stuff from your glands. I was told by a friend that if you want to get over the symptoms in a day, drink a gallon of water and sit in a sauna and you will sweat it out. A couple days after I started the water kefir, I actually pooped what looked like cottage cheese. I had read about this, as well, and that my body was purging all the yeast from my digestive tract.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I had already decided I was going to keep drinking and eating kefir because of the nastiness I must have had in my body. Since this cleared up I have noticed SIGNIFICANT improvements with my sinuses. My sinuses have NEVER been this clear and wife says I have all by entirely stopped snoring and that was a huge issue before. I did get acne for a couple weeks and I've never had more than one pimple on my face at a time, not even as a teenager. Once that cleared up, I have not had it again. Constipation was an issue due to pain meds I'm on for an injured shoulder--no longer a problem. I also had what I thought was a mole on my shoulder that had been there for years. It soon started to become irritated and turned out it was a wart!! It died off after a couple weeks. I'm not sure it was the kefir or not, but I don't know what else could have caused it to go away like that after being there for years. I had been having problems with gout for the past several months for some reason. Yup, gout it totally gone and I eat anything I want with no issues, now.
I have become a true believer in what kefir does for your body. The biggest things for me are my sinuses and the gout clearing up. I live in Louisville which is always ranked in the top 10 of worst air quality cities so for my sinuses to be clear is amazing.
I am really glad I read this blog on Kefir. I have been making and drinking Kefir for a few weeks now - and loving it....however I have had a couple of HUGE migraines....I have always kept a food diary to suss out what is triggering my migraines and the only thing I can narrow it down to is where I have drunk quite strongly fermented Kefir, like a half a cup at a time. I notice someone mentions only drinking a 1/2 teaspoon at a time and I wonder if I process for only 8 hours instead of 12 - 18 hours. That means it would be less fermented right? how much do people recommend drinking per day?
ReplyDeleteI started drinking Kefir and love it, but was wondering if some of these rashes I am getting...on my arms and legs and trunk....had something to do with this. I think I will try the advice here and back off to see if it helps. I wonder what happened to those that had the same symptoms and backed off....did it help and did you get back to drinking kefir like before?
ReplyDeleteWater kefir can also be a trigger because of the sugar that's required in fermentation. I'm a migraine sufferer and just starting kefir (milk) - a lot of the advice I've been getting is with whatever type of kefir you choose, do a long ferment (take the grains out, but leave the jar to continue fermenting before drinking). That way the sugar content is at its lowest possible point - lactose or actual sugar. However if you're casein sensitive you might need to re-evaluate.
ReplyDeleteSomeone else mentioned the easing-in -- lots of people refer to a "die-off" as your intestine gets repopulated with the good guys. Could be that too much too soon plays a part.
I am trying to cure myself of Candida and have begun the whole diet thing. Simultaneously I began drinking milk kefir. I started with a teaspoon here and there. Then I stopped for a few weeks and then began again, quickly got to drinking a glass a day. At the same time I began getting awful headaches and nausea. After reading these comments, I think I'm going to stop the kefir for a week and see what happens. And then I'll reintroduce it very slowly because I really believe it's hugely beneficial to the modern diet.
ReplyDelete