Nutrition therapy for Trigeminal Neuralgia has created a lot of interest in the last few decades. It began with a question- ” Is Trigeminal neuralgia caused by a dietary deficiency or by specific foods?”
Unfortunately very little is known about how foods factor in either as causes or as remedies for Trigeminal Neuralgia. There is no evidence to support the lack of or excess of one nutrient or the other in causing TN. Like many non-medical therapies for treating Trigeminal Neuralgia, nutrition therapy is also one more.
Pain-triggering foods for Trigeminal neuralgia
One of the often discussed topics in nutrition therapy for Trigeminal neuralgia are pain-triggering foods. Many patients have noticed that there are pain-triggering and pain-safe foods.
The Trigeminal nerve is a nerve that carries sensations from the face to the brain. So it is logical to conclude that any food that has a
- sharp taste (chili, mint, sweet, salty)
- hot and spicy taste (pepper, cinnamon, ginger etc)
- tough exterior or needs force to break and chew like dried fruits and nuts
is likely to trigger a Trigeminal neuralgia attack .
A note has to be made about the kind of foods that are likely to trigger an attack (if any). It is not necessary that they are the same for all. You can maintain a diary of your food intake and pain attacks and try to co-relate.
Pain-safe foods for Trigeminal Neuralgia
Though these may not be the same for every patient , it is possible that certain foods are highly unlikely to set off a TN attack. In nutrition thereapy, these are called pain-safe foods. They could be
- cooked rice,
- Khichdi (indian lentil-rice combination that is cooked very soft),
- soft fruits like mango, ripe bananas or chikoo,
- cooked green leafy vegetables etc
Low caffeine diets, avoiding artificial sweeteners, avoiding spicy foods, avoiding cold foods, avoiding hot foods have all been tried to remain pain-safe.
It makes sense to eat a well-balanced diet. But the problem with most patients is that they are unable to eat or chew. Typically they prefer to eat soft or semi-solid foods, and chew on the opposite side of the painful half to prevent triggering an attack.
Does Nutrition therapy for Trigeminal neuralgia also include supplements? Which vitamins are good?
Vitamin and mineral supplements are useful to maintain a healthy body, especially because most patients have dietary restrictions. In general, supplements including Vitaminc B12, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and minerals like Zinc, Chromium, and Selenium are likely to help in the nerve repair process.
Can nutrition therapy alone cure my Trigeminal neuralgia?
Is there any food that cures trigeminal neuralgia?
What is the best treatment?
Dietary changes alone cannot cure a patient of his/ her pain. These can at best avoid TN attacks. Microvascular decompression surgery offers the best chance at a permanent cure, with minimal recurrences. Dr Jaydev Panchwagh has operated on more than 1000 patients in the last twenty years and has a success rate of nearly 98%.