get my migraine headaches under control

I thought the combination of -

1. a much healthier diet, ZERO caffeine, Zero junk-food, weekday vegan (only one peice of meat and one piece of fish each weekend), ALMOST ZERO added sugar; and -

2. weekley Yoga class; and -

3. more regular sleep habits;

would greatly reduce the migraines.

No such luck (yet)...

Since finals week, I’ve had persistent headaches. I know they aren’t migraines because the pain is bilateral. When I have migraines, the pain is only on the left side of my head.

I think a lot of it has to do with neck tension and, since I grind my teeth in my sleep, tension in my jaw.

Completing final papers was quite a stressful situation, which was followed by a lot of car trips, a move, and now a job hunt. I need to find a way to deal with stress more effectively.

I have recently reduced my headaches by getting adequate nutrition. I used a software program to record what I eat, and tell me if I was getting enough of all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Too much Vitamin A was triggering headaches, as was too little potassium, water, and folate. Balancing my omega 3’s helped too.

After removing preservatives and artificial sweeteners from my diet, I’ve narrowed down my triggers to a few possibilities:

• Grinding my teeth in my sleep
• Tension in my neck muscles
• Skipping meals
• An allergy to pollen
• Chocolate or soy

I’ve also noticed that caffeine can really help me, so I usually take my Maxalt with a can of soda now.

I’m currently taking Maxalt, which is great, but makes me unbelievably drowsy. The side effects are just about as debilitating as having an actual migraine, so due to the frequency with which I’m getting headaches, it isn’t enough.

I’ve been doing research on so-called migraine diets, and have decided to change how I eat. First of all, I finally got off my school’s meal plan, which means I can start cooking for myself.

I’m cutting out trigger foods that I consume the most frequently. These include (unfortunately!):

• Alcohol
• Chocolate
• Caffeine
• Bacon
• Soy beans
• Sourdough bread
• Soy sauce/miso/teriyaki sauce

In addition, I’m being very picky about what I cook with. Today while buying spices, I noticed that McCormick’s includes a preservative with their ginger. While it may not be a trigger, I’m not going to spend the rest of my life Googling every obscure chemical name to find out if it’s okay to consume. I’m just going to get something without preservatives.

The good news is that there are several foods thought to help with migraines, which I’m going to up my consumption of:

• Cream cheese
• Peppermint
• Fish
• Turkey
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Black-eyed peas
• Calcium-rich foods (dairy, spinach, broccoli)

I’m really hoping that making positive changes to my diet will be more helpful than just drugging myself to sleep.

• Cheese
• Chocolate
• Citrus fruits
• Hot dogs
• MSG
• Aspartame
• Fatty foods
• Ice cream
• Caffeine withdrawal
• Alcoholic drinks, especially red wine and beer

More info.

Migraines are genetic, my mother gets them as well. To treat them I take two or three paracetamol, or two or three ibuprofen, and the drug sumatriptan. Sometimes it doesn’t work, case in point: have had current migraine for four days now.

I don’t have much to get stressed about, having a crappy one-day-a-week job and a non-existant social life due to depression. Maybe that is the cause of my stress, though. I mostly get muscular migraines, seeing as I have back problems and ever-present knots in my neck and shoulder muscles. I eat junk food on an almost daily basis, which can’t help, either.

I was orignally controlling my migraines with a diet the cut refined foods out.

I have also found raw broccoli to be pretty effective at easing the pain of a migraine when eaten during a migraine.

This prompted more research. Then, I found that if I take magnesium supplement, there is a decrease in the frequency of Migraines. I believe this to be due the effect of magnesium regulating serotonin. My family doctor said that there has not been enough research in this area for him to comment.

I later found Chromium to be helpful also. Chromium helps my body process sugars. This in turn contributes to a lower frequency of migraines also.

So, I have been eating more foods that I shouldn’t eat and still having few migraines. However, weight gain is very possible with these migraine control measures.

whoppers!!

I’m just under toooooooo much pressure, and I’m not treating my body right (or my soul, for that matter)...

-chocolate
-cheese
-meat
-dairy products
-spicy stuff
-too much tv/computer
-too much loud music in my ears
-chemicals from AP chemistry (i dropped out of that class)
-dust, particles in the air…
-STRESS (HUGE factor…)
-my mother’s yelling