Nutrition for Chronic Daily Headache
Chronic Daily Headache
About this trial
This is an interventional prevention trial for Chronic Daily Headache focused on measuring chronic pain, headache, nutrition, inflammation, complementary medicine
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- 18 years of age and older
- either gender
- meeting the 2004 International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD - II) criteria for the following forms of CDH (15 or more headache days per month and a headache history of more than two years with chronic migraine, transformed episodic migraine into CDH, chronic tension-type headache and new persistent daily headache)
- under the care of a neurologist
- willing and able to document headache characteristics and use of medications, as well as complete the assessment instruments
- able to come in for 3 dietitian-administered dietary counseling sessions over 12 weeks
- able to speak and understand English
Exclusion Criteria:
- analgesic rebound headache
- hemicrania continua
- drug-induced headache
- post-traumatic headache
- significant, symptomatic uncontrolled psychosis
- undergoing current treatment for a major medical illness such as malignancy, autoimmune or immune deficiency disorder
- pregnancy
- clotting disorders
- history of cranial or neck surgery within two years
- vasculitis
- chronic subdural hematoma
- history of meningitis
- history of subarachnoid or intracerebral hemorrhage
- history of eating disorder
- regular use of supplemental omega-3 fatty acids or gamma-linolenic acid
Sites / Locations
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Experimental
Diet A
Diet B
This diet is high in omega-3 fatty acids, low in trans fatty acids, and low in omega-6 fatty acids. Subjects are encouraged to eat fatty fish daily (e.g., salmon), to limit vegetable oil intake, and to eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Specifically formulated and other provided foods for this group will include salmon-salad sandwiches, hummus with olive oil, other bean dips and bean dishes, frozen and canned fish, and blueberry-flax muffins.
This diet is low in trans fatty acids and low in omega-6 fatty acids. Subjects are encouraged to to limit vegetable oil intake, to replace meats and eggs with beans and lean fish/shellfish, and to eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Specifically formulated and other provided foods for this group will include hummus with olive oil, other bean dips and bean dishes, lean fish and shellfish,and blueberry muffins.