Migraines, Part Two

So, I've given the background info on my own personal migraines, and the stages of a migraine or "how to spot" one. Here's the part that I find interesting: how to prevent them, and how to get rid of one once you have it.

The first thing that I've learned: acetaminophen (Tylenol) does NOT help. In fact, most OTC drugs do not help. Naproxen sometimes can lessen the pain if, in fact, the migraine is partially a tension headache. Excedrin can also do some good, however, only if you're in need of caffeine. In the long run, taking these kids of drugs will cause more frequent migraines and headaches, and trying some of the natural remedies will not work as well until your body is un-trained from having these drugs at the first sign of pain. Acetaminophen is actually poisonous to your nervous and immune systems, so unless it is necessary, my opinion is, do not give into temptation to take it. It will cause you more pain in the long run.

The second thing I've learned: In this case, the old adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is Gospel truth. I can't stress this enough with health in general, but especially for me in the case of migraines.

Honestly, my main level of protection against getting migraines is eating well and regular exercise. This is all about avoiding "triggers" and keeping the blood vessels open and clear. So, "eating well," in my case means eating something every couple of hours; eating as much fresh, raw food as possible (CSA helps); eat hormone-free meats as often as possible; use minimally-processed foods including fats; avoid sodas and other "empty foods"; avoid any processed foods with artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup (or any corn syrup if I can help it), large amounts of plain sugar (if I can help it, though this is least of the "evils" in this way), sodium benzoate, citric acid, mono-sodium glycol or MSG, and other processing products.
Not all the time, not in every case, but... certainly maintaining good overall health is the main thing that has worked for me in prevention of many issues, migraine being at the front.

Finally: Chiropractic care. This is so important for so many things, not just for migraines. But I know that if I don't go when I need to, I will get a migraine. Or, when I do finally go, if I don't ice my neck afterward (because I went too long and the adjustment causes a little bit of swelling in this case), then I might get a migraine. Apparently, the vertebrate of my neck that is constantly pushing itself out of place also causes some of the constriction and spasm of the blood vessels in my head/brain that cause my migraines. This makes sense, of course, because chiropractic is all about having a healthy nervous system, of which the brain is, of course, a major part.


Once I do get a migraine, I personally will try all of these things (though, again, each person and migraine is different):

• eating a green apple or a teaspoon of raw (local) honey (I've heard tell of studies that say the smell of a green apple can for some reason give 30% of sufferers relief. Either way, migraines can be caused by low blood sugar, so if I have a green apple, I eat it and kill two birds with one stone. Honey is a great way to boost your blood sugar quickly, too, but I follow that up with something more substantial so I'm not right back where I was.)
• drinking a couple of glasses of cold water
• ice pack on my neck, base of skull, and/or temples
• between drinks of water, if I have not had any caffeine that day, I'll drink a small amount of coffee, tea, or soda (if my husband has an energy drink, when I'm not pregnant anyway, I'll drink some of one of those), just to get the caffeine into me
• taking my multi-vitamin multi-mineral (or one of each, if I don't have a combined one at the time), and DHA or Omega fatty acids/fish oil. I'm not sure why I do the fish oil, except it is supposed to help with brain function and it just seems like a smart thing to do if I'm already taking a vitamin. However, riboflavin (vitamin B-2) plays a critical role in the proper function of the mitochondria, and it has been shown in studies that a high does (400mg or more per day) can reduce the severity and frequency of migraines. Also (I learned from my neurologist and researched it myself), half of migraine sufferers were found to be deficient in magnesium while in the throws of an attack. Magnesium opens constricted blood vessels, slows inflammation and interrupts the action of neurotransmitters that can lead to migraine. All good reasons to take an extra vitamin if you're suffering, or to start taking one if you don't already.
  
• lay down and relax in a quiet, dark place. This one is dependent on my mommy duties for the moment. I used to ask for a break if I was at work to go lay in the break room with no lights on and relax, hoping that in 30 minutes or so, it would subside enough to finish the day.
• If all else fails... sleeping may be the only option. Or dealing with the pain and doing my best not to be the crankiest person in town.
  

"Green Pharmacy" or "Natural Cures" for Migraines: Dr. James A. Duke is known as the "Green Pharmacist" and has written a few books about herbal remedies. He is supposedly the "world's foremost authority on healing herbs," but he also talks about OTC drugs and remedies that are more commonplace in the US (which is weird to me, because they've been around shorter periods of time and have not been proven to work as effectively, and they're more expensive most of the time; but that is another post for another time). I learned this statistic about migraines from his book, The Green Pharmacy: "For unknown reasons, about three times as many women as men experience this painful condition [migraines]. Women often develop migraines just prior to menstrual periods or during pregnancy, and migraines disappear after menopause in about three-quarters of women." Whew, that's a relief. He also reminds us that no single therapy works for every type of headache or for every person. Any kind of herb that contains "parthenolides" are extremely useful in preventing migraine. Dr. Duke's suggestion is to make a tea/tincture of Bay leaves, which are high in parthenolides, and feverfew. Feverfew is a flower in the family of dandelion and marigold, and is famous in the green community for preventing and curing migraines and other headaches. Steeping 2-8 fresh leaves of feverfew (with the bay, if you desire) leaves in boiling water (but do not boil them, as the parthenolides and anti-inflamatory effects can break down) can create what is called a "tincture" that you can ingest just like a tea. This was Dr. Duke's suggestion and what he would try himself if he suffered migraines.

Other beneficial herbs include willow (the OTC derivative for willow bark is aspirin, and is useful because it contains salicin, a pain-relieving chemical similar to what is in modern aspirin), evening primrose, garlic and onion (blood-thinning herbs etc, also great for preventing heart attack and hardening of arteries), ginger (large quantities, usually combined with other herbs such as turmeric), ginko (improves blood flow to brain), hot peppers/red peppers (capsaicin is what makes things "hot" and spicy, and can also relieve pain; you can snort it, which I've seen done and though effective, is not recommended; you can also use it as a topical treatment, which works kinda like "IcyHot" or other products such), lemon balm/melissa (can be added to the above tea, if anything it improves the flavor), peppermint (mix w/ alcohol or carrier oil and rub on temples a/o pressure points; can be used with rosemary a/o eucalyptus, but be warned that eucalyptus in high doses can cause contractions in pregnant women), and again, turmeric (anti-inflammatory).

Rubbing the rind of a lemon on your temples has been said to work. I've never received much relief from this. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Caffeine can either help or hurt migraines. If you drink a lot of caffeine and get frequent migraines, cut your caffeine intake to one or two caffeinated beverages a day, and wait a week or two for the withdrawal to wear off. If you don't intake ANY caffeine, try some at the first sign of a migraine, or drink one lightly caffeinated drink a day for a couple of weeks, and see what happens.

Something that may sound "kooky" or crazy: one of the so-called "super juices", Noni juice, prevents migraines better than any medication I've been given. Two ounces or so every day seems to prevent the spasm or constriction of the blood vessels. I heard this after I had already bought a mixture of four juices, mangosteen, noni, gogi, and acai. However, I did not want to drink 8 ounces of this a day to get the amount recommended for migraine prevention, as it is nasty-tasting and expensive, so I bought some noni separately. It does seem to work to prevent about 80-90% of my migraines. But it tastes TERRIBLE! So, I often don't take it. I know, I know...

I think, in this vein, my next post will be about my chiropractor and chiropractic care as a whole. I feel like, just like with modern medicine and doctors, I only know the "tip of the iceberg" as far as what there is to know about chiropractic. But... it's important, and a fairly regular part of my life, my husband's life, and my daughter's life. And it is directly related to health and wellness, and, obviously, to this post on migraines!

So, migraine sufferers, I hope this was of some help, and if you have any remedies to comment/add, feel free! I love to find out what works for different people.

Migraines, Part One

So, a few thoughts occurred to me this week, as I suffered 2 migraines a few days apart. Now, this is not unusual for me. I typically suffer 1 or 2 migraines a week. And when I say "migraines," I don't mean headaches that I can just work through, I mean real migraines. Let me describe them to you. Then I'll post another about how to prevent migraines, and some other "natural cures" for when you are in the throws of an attack.

My migraines, the day of the migraine, usually begin with what are called "halos": things that I see, which are not really there. No, I don't see people or phantasms or anything like that. I see basically what looks like the metallic swirls on the surface of gasoline... except they are geometric in organization and typically consist of a pattern made with a bunch of triangles. Sometimes, it just begins with my inability to read, missing words, etc. I almost always try for a few minutes to shake it off before I realize that, yes, this is going to be a migraine. You'd think, with the warning signs of the previous day or two, I would be prepared, but I usually am not. Here is what I describe as a typical 'migraine timeline':

1. "The Wind-up." The day before, I am exceptionally cranky and my muscles feel fatigued. I am tired, and caffeine doesn't do anything for it, nor do B vitamins, drinking extra water or yerba mate, or anything else that usually helps. Sometimes, going for a walk can help, but other times, it makes my sore muscles cramp.
2. "The Warning." The day of, I usually have muscle stiffness in my neck. Then I see the halos or auras. Usually this lasts about 20-30 minutes before I actually get a full-blown migraine, and before the pain settles in. RARELY have I had what could be called a tactile hallucination. I'll explain this in the ER story further down.
3. "The Migraine." Pain. Throbbing, pounding, pulsing pain. Not searing pain, not dull pain, but very localized and sharp. Sometimes, moving around helps. Sometimes an ice pack on my neck or temples helps. Sometimes, taking an extra multi-vitamin and multi-mineral helps. Sometimes... only sleeping in a dark, cold, quiet room will get rid of the pain.
4. "Headache Hangover." Later that day, or the next day, or both, I have what my mom and I have called "headache hangover." My neurologist loves this term. Basically, it's the time after the headache in which you're unsure if the headache will come back. The back of my eyes will hurt if I move my eyes too quickly, my muscles are still sore, though not fatigued, and my eyes are still sensitive to light. My head might throb a bit if there are loud or screechy noises.

Different people have different experiences with migraines. Some are sensitive to smells, some have nausea, and some are worse than others. My neurologist describes my typical headache as a moderate migraine, and the kind I described to her as being about once a month or every other month as a severe migraine. The kind I had early last week was probably mild; it went away with little intervention. The kind I had a couple of nights ago was... well, one of the most severe I've had.

Anecdote time: The aforementioned "ER" example from 3 months ago.
I was 20-some weeks pregnant at the time, right around 5 months. I had a headache that was more like a tension or stress headache all day, from about 10am, which sometimes would happen when I was working at the preschool. (I mean, I loved that job, but 15+ four-year-olds all day long can be quite taxing). I finished my day and went to my in-laws' house because they had picked my daughter up early and were going to have dinner at their house. As we were eating dinner, my right arm started doing things, completely out of my control. It was nuts! If I thought about it a certain way, I could concentrate and get it to stop, which was good, because I wasn't sure what was happening and I was too embarrassed to say anything to my in-laws.

After dinner, I reclined on the loveseat and my daughter laid with me for a little bit. Something about that, maybe the position, maybe just relaxing, made my head feel marginally better, so we went home and I put her to bed with no problems. I took 2 extra strength Tylenol, my prenatal vitamin, reheated some coffee, drank some water, and did everything I could to ensure that it didn't get any worse. My husband came home, and he immediately asked what was wrong. I told him, and he suggested I go to bed with my "neck pillow" on; this pillow is "u"-shaped and you can heat it in the microwave and set it around your neck. I did this (probably about 9:30 at night), and fell asleep pretty well.

At 2 a.m., my husband had just laid down to bed when he awoke to the sound of me groaning in my sleep. My right hand and foot were numb, and my right arm from the shoulder down was tingling and hurt terribly. My husband looked some things up on the internet; most of them said that these symptoms during pregnancy were enough for an immediate trip to the doctor or the ER. Being two o'clock Friday morning, he told me he wanted to take me to the ER. I objected, and finally we compromised: he would call my obstetrician, and if she told us to, we'd head to the ER. She did, and we did, after calling my father-in-law to have him come over and basically sleep in our recliner so that Jocelyn wasn't alone and didn't have to be woken up to be taken with mommy and daddy to the ER.

Long story short, we were there for 7 or 8 hours. I got multiple blood tests and an MRI. Nothing. (This is the reason I objected initially... I figured that would be the case.) Eventually, my symptoms subsided considerably. The ER doc called a neurologist for a consult. This part of the experience was so "cool" in a way. It was the first time I'd ever felt validated about my migraines. I described my migraines to her, as I did above. She said that was a great basic description of the stages of migraines. I also told her that stage 4 sometimes collided with stage 1 for another migraine. The look on the good Dr.'s face was... well, to me, hilarious. She informed me that was too many, and put her name and number on my discharge papers so I could contact her at another time. She basically told me there was nothing much she could do for me while I was pregnant, and gave me some guidelines, which will be in the next post. After another hour waiting for the attending, I was discharged. Diagnosis? Severe migraine with halos. Like I didn't already know that. Look for Part Two... will have some great migraine relief, naturally.