“Everytime I follow a naturopathy diet plan I end up with a headache. Is it normal?”

I am a Naturopath too.

I found that if your diet is giving you headaches, you are lacking certain nutrients of both vitamins and minerals.

The problem is that when you go on a diet the nutrients you need, are not being absorbed and your body is taking the nutrients from other parts of your body and this results in a sign from your body.

Better nutrients in your body fixes the problem

There are a lot of different naturopathic diets, so what I’m thinking you’re saying is you’re eating a cleaner diet than before. When we cleanse, we detox and we can have detox reactions like headaches, skin, rashes, insomnia, etc.. it’s suggest that when you eat cleaner, diets, you should take some sort of a binder in between meals and away from supplements and medication’s to capture the endotoxins that are causing the symptoms. They will pass in time and it’s a sign that you have toxins stored in your cells. Anything you can do to help your lymphatic system will help as well as lots of water.

Goodness! Great question! First of all... a headache, even a very slight one is your body trying to get your attention! In this sense "pain" is an ally... a communication mechanism to signal that something is off. It can be a "healing" response, especially if you are ceasing caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, etc. (see below). But, a bit of important info before we get to that... So, it first really depends on what you mean by a "naturopathic" diet. There are literally hundreds of "diets" that people have come up with, naturopathic, or otherwise. What many of us have found in the alternative/natural/holistic ( "ANH" i.e. Naturopathic) world is that most people who are suffering from aches, pains, fatigue, a lack of thriving, etc., are often experiencing the result of years of a lifestyle, environment, and/or diet (LED!!!) that is not compatible with health. Unfortunately, there has (and still is...) been so much misinformation and even mythology surrounding what creates health and therefore combats disease. Over the last four decades or so there have been fads that have demonized cholesterol, fat, salt, butter, meat, etc. The truth is that we all have a degree of bio-individuality. This means that a diet that works for me might not work for you. A great place to start is to begin an aggressive elimination diet. Many of us in the ANH world have found the following 9 items to be common culprits in contributing to dis-ease and therefore disease: corn, peanuts, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant), dairy, soy, sugar, gluten (barley, rye, oats, wheat), artificial sweeteners, eggs, and lectins (see book by Dr. Gundry: The Plant Paradox - IMHO this is a "MUST" have in health library!!!). If you have more than just a headache, greatly consider following Dr. Gundry's "Chapter 10 Keto" plan... Very comprehensive... I have seen near miracles with folks that follow this plan... This does not mean you have to forever, necessarily stop eating all the above. Simply eliminate them and slowly re-introduce them one at a time. Some have called a carnivore diet (only meat!) the ultimate elimination diet! So, it really depends on whose "naturopathic" diet you have been following. For a great long term plan to rebuild and maintain health check out www.rcp123.org... Morley Robbins is one of the greatest unsung heroes in the world of health! Also, you need to consider your sleep... if you are not getting an average of 7 hours of great sleep... your body will not be able to heal, correct underlying issues that manifest, like headache pain. Dr. Stasha Gominak, one of my mentors, has contributed greatly to the science of sleep. Watch a couple of her Youtube videos! And, my two personal favorite health hacks to help combat all the enemies of pain and bad sleep: mouth taping during sleep and earth grounding (http://earthinginstitute.com/ ). Personally, these 2 things, taping my mouth securely shut (I know... crazy weird sounding, but mind-blowing in effect and the underlying physiological mechanisms!!!), and sleeping on an electrically grounded sheet in our bed... These two "hacks," along with identifying offending foods, have been game changing for me and many of my patients! Last, but not least, sometimes, if you are sure that the headaches are not due to any of the above... Sometimes, when our body is experiencing a shift in healing, it can cause what is known as a healing "crisis." This can almost be like symptoms of drug withdrawls! If your "naturopathic" diet is really and actually healthy for you... as your body is transitioning to this new-and-improved diet, you can experience what is called a Herxheimer Reaction (your homework assignment! LOL Look it up!). And one last thing... the 44 pounds of famine insurance you are carrying (LOL)! Often, your body packs on weight more as a response to dealing with an onslaught of negative LED things... Consider reading an awesome book by a wonderful health pioneer named JJ Virgin... her first book outlines many cases of overweight that literally fell off people as they eliminated the list of suspect foods I listed above.... She says, Eliminate 7 things for 7 days and lose 7 pounds... a cute summary, but actually a very, very powerful principle... weight is not merely about calories but often about our body's response to negative LED elements.

A Naturopathic plan would likely result in a reduction of sugar. When people drastically reduce their sugar intake, they may experience withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, cravings, and mood changes, so it could very well be a normal part of the process.

If by "naturopathic diet plan" you mean less sugar and simple carbs, then yes, that's totally normal and will not last long. It's like a mini detox from all of that addictive sugar. Give your body time to acclimate and you'll see dramatic shifts in mood and energy along with weight loss.

If you are working with a Naturopathic doctor from an accredited school, and you have reported those symptoms to them, they can help you resolve them. Headaches can happen depending on what changes are made and usually will resolve within 72hours.

No, it is not normal. A good diet plan should provide you with an overall well-being.

No it isn't. It depends what you call 'naturopathic' if you are eating a lot more greens that you normally do and you end up with a headache then I'd say your methylation pathway is disturbed. see mthfrsupport.com.au as you may have an issue with your MTHFR gene.

Depending on how bad your diet was before you may be experiencing detox symptoms or the particular diet is not for you. There is no such thing as a naturopathy diet, Naturopathic physicians utilize many different types of diets based on the individual. For example one of my patients may be put on a blood type diet, while another may be put on a ketogenic diet and so on. I recommend sharing this information with your Naturopath and have him/her re-evaluate things.

Not knowing any of your history, it’s difficult to speculate, but weight loss is not simple and several issues may be causing that symptom. Always speak with a doctor to help understand your unique case. Could be as straight forward as getting off of coffee or caffeine too quickly. There may be vasoactive chemicals in products you are taking. Share this with the doc.

Hi,

I wish I knew what is in your naturopathy diet, because lots of the "stimulants" like nicotine and similar substances can give you headaches. Try fasting. Start slowly. Miss one meal a day. Go on chicken organic broth (chicken backs, wings, neck, legs boil for 6 hours in slow cooker topping with good water to end up in same amount) if you wish, put lemongrass, ginger lots of other herbs like clover, cinnamon, star anise. Add Himalayan salt to taste and 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar from the start of slow cook FASTING: Increase fasting from one meal to one day, 2, 3, and 4 days/month until you achieve your "ideal" weight. Drink your broth when hungry during fasting because a little bit of sugar even from vegetable, you get sugar and the body will not use up the fat that we have lots of. This advice, of course, I give as long as you are not frail with some other health issues.

It depends what the diet strategy is. Not uncommon to see people feel worse initially when they change diets as there is upregulation of necessary vitamins for detoxification and/or passage of more toxic metabolites. This is a simple answer since I don't know the exact diet you are on.