WASHINGTON — Can mint make migraines less of a pain?
The manufacturers of several new over-the-counter products think so, and they have funded recent studies to back up their claims.
But these studies are scientifically flawed. And the only hint that mint might work in some cases came in a 1996 German study on the impact of peppermint oil on tension headaches.
“It is probably in need of a large controlled study to ascertain the effectiveness,” says Dr. Raul Mandler, a neurologist in North Bethesda, Maryland.
All the same, he says any natural alternative to potentially addictive painkillers is worth a look, and that his patients have benefited from taking certain vitamins and minerals.
Mandler says the people he sees in his clinics already know that a little over-the-counter magnesium might help their headaches. Zinc has also been show to improve symptoms in some, especially in patients prone to migraine auras.
Mandler also notes an increase in people complaining of headaches in the dead of winter, when they are most likely have low levels of vitamin D.
He says trying the mint products, while not proven, probably won’t do much harm except for those migraine sufferers whose sense of smell goes into overdrive during an attack. Their symptoms may actually be made worse by the odor.
