Lessons from 15 years in clinical practice: 4 Key Things That Cause Migraines

October 16, 2024

Headaches are almost as commonly accepted as the flu these days. And while there are many reasons why we suffer from headaches in our modern sedentary lifestyle, it is not something we should accept - it is a sign the something is off and painkillers alone is not going to bring our body back in balance even if they temporarily can help calm the pain.

Many of the same triggers that causes a simple headache are involved in the more severe migraine attacks. Migraines are not the same as regular headaches that most people experience occasionally. During a migraine attack, you may feel sharp, stabbing pain, typically on one side of the head. Migraines are much more intense than regular headaches and often come with other symptoms like visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting.

Headaches, especially migraines, can greatly affect your quality of life.

Prolonged migraines may result in a combination of chronic migraines and tension headaches.

While every body and biochemistry is unique, I have found some or all of factors to be the root causes of migraines in most cases:

How cold therapy is RUINING your nervous system!

April 10, 2024

Now admittedly I’ve been winter swimming in icy waters in Scandinavia since I was 3 years old (voluntarily following my mom in the ocean, mind you). I’ve always been keen on the benefits of cold-and-heat alternating therapies and how it can tone our vagus nerve and thereby help alleviate stress and build resilience.

However, right now this cold therapy trend is getting out of control.

This trend is being pushed by influencers with no health education or people without an understanding of the nervous system - yes, even researches focusing on one aspect only i.e. how cold therapy can change our fat tissue. However, this is ONLY one aspect of how cold therapy is affecting us. We need to understand the bigger picture of how something is affecting us LONG-TERM and our body as a whole, before we dive in. Most importantly we need to understand how our own nervous system is wired and what therapies is best matched to that. Too many lack the understanding of doing things in short bursts or in moderation to stress the body short-term in order to build resilience long-term - instead they are pushing the body beyond capacity, staying in ice water for 5-20 minutes with the mantra “more is better” or just being solely focused on changing fat tissue without understanding what large doses of adrenaline release does to the nervous system.

Best sleeping position to detox your brain

December 19, 2023

The majority of the clients I see, who suffer from headaches/ migraine attacks, describe that their pain tend to start at the left side of the brain. And there is a good reason for that: the lymphatic system of the brain, which is meant to clear waste away from the brain - so-called glymphatic transport system - is situated at the left side of the brain! Furthermore, sleeping on your left side has shown to increase circulation and is often recommended for those with heart disease or high blood pressure. This position allows for better oxygenation of the entire body.

Remember you are only as healthy as your symptoms and/or lab work!

You can be asymptomatic and have “hidden disease” bad biomarkers - why testing is imperative if we want to prevent disease.
You can have symptoms and your blood labs come back within range - why you want to work with a qualified health practitioner who understand different ways of testing and their relevance for your symptoms to get answers to your suffering. Remember: blood work is THE LAST place imbalances show up.

There is no such thing as a symptom “just being a symptom”.

A symptom is the body’s way of telling you something is wrong, why we should be on a investigative journey to find out why we are suffering with certains symptoms and what might be the cause of them.

When dealing with headaches and migraines, a key factor is to test for toxic waste that tends to accumulate over time in the brain.

Especially mycotoxins from mold exposure is known to be a major contributing factor. When our brain is full of toxic waste, the drainage pathways are often blocked and we become overly sensitive to “everyday” toxins like alcohol, histamines, sulfur etc.

Apart from treating the core reasons why we have pain in the brain, research suggests we will benefits from sleeping on our left side to help utilize gravity with clearing out toxic waste from our brain while we sleep:

“Gravity affects the movement of blood and CSF through the brain, and therefore sleep position will likely play a role in the clearance of waste products from the brain. Both intracranial pressure and cerebral hemodynamics are influenced by body posture, and patients with dementia were found to spend a much larger percentage of time in the supine position compared to controls, establishing an association between time in supine position and dementia. An important factor in this clearance pathway is the stretch of nerves and veins in each position. Glymphatic transport is most efficient in the right lateral sleeping position, with more CSF clearance occurring compared to supine and prone”

Read the full study on how to harness lifestyle choices to improve brain health: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/11/868 Feel free to share.

Magnesium is the no. 1 most commonly found deficiency today

September 6, 2023

It would be optimal if we could eat enough of all the vitamins and minerals, because food is more recognizable to the body and it is easier to absorb. The sources of magnesium in our food products include whole grains, nuts, sprouts, legumes, cocoa, meat and vegetables. However, what I see when I test, is that many lack it - in 9 out of 10 cases, we see a deficit of magnesium. Magnesium is, together with zinc and silica, among the minerals we commonly find is difficult to obtain an optimal level of through our food because the soil is so depleted and our demands for these minerals have increased due to various stressors in modern life.

Scientific American: "We have no reason to believe 5g is safe"

August 23, 2023

“Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines. Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life.”

Read the rest of the article here: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/we-have-no-reason-to-believe-5g-is-safe/ Remember I am doing a live webinar on where the science stands on EMF (in Danish only) sign up here: https://christinasantini.com/events/2023/5/4/evidence-for-the-tinfoil-hat-why-we-have-to-deal-with-the-radiation-problem and feel free to share.

NEW TALK (ZOOM WEBINAR DANISH ONLY) 7th of September: Health dangers of EMF and how to navigate

August 2, 2023

Did you know that the Health Authorities actually recommend reducing our use of mobile phones? Smartphones, wi-fi, etc. have become important components of daily life. Their harmful effects on the body, especially on the nervous system, have gradually become quite well studied. According to a lot of research, unnatural EMF can affect our body's nervous system and cause damage to cells. Cancer and unusual growths can be a symptom of very high EMF exposure. Several studies have reported that exposure to EMF results in oxidative stress in many tissues of the body. Exposure to EMF is known to increase concentrations of free radicals. This results in increased oxidative stress and chronic inflammation as the antioxidant defense system is unable to prevent the damaging effects of free radicals. The World Health Organization initially considered these sources of non-ionizing EMF radiation to be safe because they were only assessed based on their thermal effects - and that, quite correctly, is not harmful to health. However, it turns out that cell damage has not been taken into account in these conclusions. To participate go here: https://tidslerne.nemtilmeld.dk/296/ Please share

ARTICLE: Recovering from mold illness

April 14, 2023

I’ve written an article based on my 10 years experience working with mold illness cases - part two of the series is out now (Danish only): Click here to read it on p 20. This article is written for the non-profit organization LNS for clients and therapists wishing to integrate conventional and holistic medicine and better transparency in health care. I recommend joining the benefits of this organization by becoming a member. You can read more about it here (Danish only): https://lns.dk/ and feel free to share.

Mold - when your home is making you sick! NEW TALK (Zoom webinar - Danish only) 13th of April

March 15, 2023

Christina Santini has been the first therapist in Europe to treat mold exposure since 2013. Did you know that 25% af astma is linked to mold exposure? How about we treated the cause instead of the symptom! It is important to get a handle on our basic needs for healthy air and clean water before we embark on more advanced dietary trends - especially since diet does not help much if our water and air are highly polluted. Gain insight into whether this is a problem for you and possibly related to your symptoms and get help to find out how it can be best managed.

To sign up for webinar click here: https://tidslerne.nemtilmeld.dk/295/

Please share.

Essential minerals in today’s world - NEW TALK (Zoom webinar - Danish only) 2nd of March

February 8, 2023

Minerals are one the single most important factors in overall health status. We will go over the most important minerals to support gut health, immune health, mental health, skin and bones. To sign up for webinar go here: https://tidslerne.nemtilmeld.dk/294/ Please share.

Migraines are a risk-indicator for cardiovascular health issues!

May 17, 2022

A painkiller is not addressing the underlying issue of what is wrong in our body. Serious headaches like migraines are not “just a headache” but a symptom that should be taken seriously in our investigation to figure out why our body is in pain. And did you know that migraines are actually linked to higher incidence of cardiovascular health issues? Making it even more relevant for us to take action and understand the cause of our migraine episodes! For most of us, the cause of a migraine episode is a combination of several triggers - all affecting arterial stiffness and causing those almost suicidal painful episodes of headaches followed with nausea, throwing up and light sensitivity. During my time dealing with clients, who have sometimes suffered with almost daily episodes of migraines, I’ve found following factors to be the most likely imbalances that needs tested and addressed, if we are to reverse head ache symptoms instead of masking them:

ARTICLE feature in NATURHELSE (Danish only)

December 1, 2021

Did you know that EMF from wifi and our cell phones has been linked to everything from brain and heart tumours in rats to chronic fatigue, migraines, insomnia and stress in humans?

I’ve written an extensive article with 100+ scientific references on EMF and where the science stands regarding its health implications. This article is part of a series of 3 which will be released in upcoming issues. Read it by clicking here. Feel free to share.

I'm LIVE: talking with personal trainer Rocky Snyder

October 19, 2021

I'm talking to personal trainer Rocky Snyder about how mental health, hormone imbalance and men's health issues more than ever is tied to toxicity issues (also lots of crazy facial expressions going on here, but hey, I just had a double-dipped chocolate croissant, so probably a sugar-high, what can I say).

Article feature: We are living in a toxicological experiment

August 15, 2021

I’ve written an article (Danish only) in Natur Helse about the rise in chronic illness. Did you know that in many cases, there has been a >1000% increase in chronic illnesses since the 90ies? What do we know today is contributing to this development - read article here. And feel free to share.

Study shows: Your microwave may be the biggest EMF contributor in your home

April 11, 2021

“Microwaves are electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from 300 MHz to 300 GHz. Microwaves are widely used in households, industry, communications, and medical and military buildings, and they provide substantial contributions to the development of human society. However, with its popularization, increasing attention has been paid to its influence on humans. Electromagnetic radiation can be absorbed by organisms, in which it causes a series of physiological and functional changes. Many intricate electrical activities occur in the central nervous system, including learning and memory, which are therefore vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation. Moreover, the popularization of mobile phones has made them the main source of brain exposure to radiation. Therefore, the central nervous system is considered one of the most sensitive organs that is targeted by microwave radiation. A large number of studies have shown that microwave radiation can cause a series of adverse reactions in the central nervous system, including sleep disorders in addition to learning and memory impairments.” Click on to read the full study.

Living close to cell-tower increases cancer risk x 3

February 24, 2021

n a German study, doctors examined close to 1,000 patients to see if those who lived close to a cell-tower for 10 years had an increased risk of cancer. The social and age differences within the study group were insignificant. They found that the proportion of newly developed cancer cases was three times higher for those living within 400 meters (approx 1300feet) of a cell-tower compared to those living further away. In addition, they found that patients on average became ill with cancer 8 years earlier. To live more than 400 meters away from a cell-tower is particularly important. This is because computer simulation and measurements used in the study showed that the radiation at that distance or less (the "inner region") is 100 times greater than the emissions beyond this distance ("the outer region"). Another important observation from the research is that the first 5 years one lived near a cell-tower, the risk was no different than one living far away from one. However, after 6-10 years the cancer risk jumped threefold for those who lived less than 400 meters from a cell-tower. Even more worrying: the average age of diagnosis was much younger. The risk of breast, prostate, pancreatic, intestinal, melanoma, lung and blood cancer increases significantly.

Skærmbillede 2020-12-10 kl. 11.15.58.png

"Root cause in the dramatic rise of chronic disease"

December 27, 2020

EMF exposure increases levels of peroxynitrite. Peroxynitrite is a powerful oxidant exhibiting a wide array of tissue damaging effects, including lipid peroxidation, inactivation of enzymes and ion channels via protein oxidation and nitration, and inhibition of mitochondrial respiration (Virag et al., 2003). In a single generation, there has been a dramatic acceleration in the prevalence of diseases and disorders like autism (2094%), Alzheimer’s (299%), COPD (148%), diabetes (305%), sleep apnea (430%), celiac disease (1111%), ADHD (819%), asthma (142%), depression (280%), bipolar disease in youth (10833%), osteoarthritis (449%), lupus (787%), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD –120%), chronic fatigue syndrome (11027%), fibromyalgia (7727%), multiple sclerosis (117%) and hypothyroidism (702%). Click on to read the full study.

How EMF from your smartphone is causing migraines - connecting the research.

November 8, 2020

Research has shown that one of the parameters linked to migraines involves stuff that affect the voltage gated calcium channels (VGCC) (1).

Extensive evidence has been published clearly showing that the EMF exposure we get from our smartphones, ipads, wifi etc. can act to produce excessive activity of the VGCCs in many cell types, suggesting that these may be direct targets of EMF exposure. (2)

Conclusion: turn off wifi when not using it and turn off data, wifi and bluetooth on your phone when not using it to minimize unnecessary exposure. Download your music, podcats etc. that you want to listen to - and listen to it with mentioned settings turned off to avoid frying your brain up slowly everytime you want to rap along to 50 cent or whatever.