Migraine Headaches
Come Join Us!
Check other hubs in our Health category!
- Just Irregular Breathing and Snoring Or Something More?
When we live with our partner (whether husband/ wife/ significant other, etc.), we are going to observe that person sleeping at some point. If you notice irregular breathing and snoring, it might mean... - Constant Nausea: What Could It Be?
Today, I'd like to share a personal medical journey. My hope is that it will help others find a correct diagnosis and treatment as my story begins and ends in two very different places. How it Started My... - Cholesterol is not the enemy
We are all usually provided with the same information about how cholesterol is harmful to us. But is it, really? - Is What's in Your Record A Minor Mistake Or Harmful?
Did you know what is in your medical record may be inaccurate and can actually do you more harm than good? - Sneaky Ways to Get Exercise
We all know how important it is to exercise, yet there are still so many of us who just don't do it. We don't do it because we are too busy, too tired, or other reasons/ excuses. I know that I spent too many... - Potty Training Troubles - Is it stubbornness, or something more?
Are you and your child struggling with potty training? Are you getting really frustrated over the delay? It may not be just simple stubbornness.
Symptoms
For those of us who get them, we know. It can bring much anticipated plans of spending time with friends and family to a grinding halt. It can feel like a knife stabbing in the head or unbearable pressure. It mostly affects a limited area such as the right temple or around an eye. Some of us get warning signs. Fatigue, depression or euphoria, and food cravings are all possible. We might even see the lights known as the aura. For me, I become disoriented and forgetful. I don’t always realize it is happening because it can start so gradually. At other times, it hits me like a wall of bricks fell on me. It feels like somebody tried to slam his fist through my eye. Some are mercifully gone within a few hours or less. Others have lasted for days. However it happens, it is a migraine headache.
Seek the professional help you need
Most milder headaches go away on their own. For headaches this severe, I would encourage everyone to seek professional help. What I am presenting is additional information I hope is informative and helpful to consider.
Keeping it away as much as possible
I firmly believe in preventing the pain to begin with when that can be done. This is extra work that would be worth the effort. Keep a paper notebook or computer file. On the days when you are free of pain, write that down. What did you eat safely? Where did you go and what did you do? What else happened, ordinary or different? On days the pain hits, write down the same information. I discovered that certain chemicals cause my headaches such as fertilizers and pesticides. And of course, consider emotional stress. Was there any?
What to do
Some of mine have been so severe I ended up in the hospital with an IV full of drugs. That is pain I would never wish on a living soul. If professional help is needed, don’t hesitate. If it is less severe, a quiet rest in a dark room can work wonders. Also in the what to do category, we have all heard avoid things like chocolate and cheese. For those of us that helps, wonderful. I have learned that chocolate and cheese helps me relieve headaches. In other words, keeping a notebook of what works or hurts can really pay off.
I made another discovery. Having a glass of wine with dinner relieves the pain of some of the headaches. For me white wine works. Red wine seems to upset my stomach. My doctor knows this works for me. And he has my word I will not take drugs on top of alcohol.
Another point to consider is nutrition. If we don’t eat well, we are asking for trouble. Also worth considering, there are more artificial ingredients in our food than ever before. If you document that eating something causes the headaches, ask this question: Was it organic? If not, letting some time go by and then trying an organic version of what you ate might make a difference. If not, you know the food itself is to be avoided.
Additional considerations
Don’t suffer in silence. If something hurts there’s a reason for it. Speak up. Some of my worst headaches have shown little or no outward sign of the pain. Seek out professional help as needed. And let friends and family know about the pain.
Please add your comments for what works and what doesn't for your headaches.
Links to More Migraine Info Hubs
Please note that this author is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We may also receive monetary compensation from other ads or links as well. It is up to you to do your own due diligence before making any purchases and the author makes no guarantees as to the fitness of these products for your use. Please also note that link results may not work properly if you disable your browser's cookies so please enable them for proper results. The opinions expressed within this article are the author's and is not meant to replace professional healthcare provider advice. The written material and any associated article pictures within the article are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. There is also more than one person that contributes to this "author's" articles. You will see a wide range of topics and different writing styles being used.
Comments
AUTHORJerry,
Thank you much for your comment. My delay in answering is due to, you guessed it, a migraine headache. Sorry for the delay. But as I wrote, it is pain I would not wish on a living soul.
I made another discovery about my headaches. Since I had surgery to remove cataracts and had artificial lenses implanted in my eyes, I need to seek out as much sunshine as I can get to stay healthy. That includes reading in the sun if I can as doing so can help reduce my symptoms. I do a lot of reading indoors where I work which makes my headaches worse. My vision gets worse and my headaches increase the more I am away from sunshine. Thanks for sharing your info on cheese.
Be well.
I completely cut cheese out of my diet and I stopped getting migraines - after a few years I tried cheese products again and I haven't had the migraines return. Migraines are interesting beasts... great hub thanks for sharing! :)
- AUTHOR
Dennis Pace,
You are very welcome. With the food many of us eat now we could easily be eating several pounds of artificial ingredients every year. But with me what causes the headaches seems to change. So it's a constant guessing game with me.
What works for me is to eat chocolate. That's the opposite of the advice most headache sufferers hear. And a doctor got me started on high dose niacin which is a vasodilator. It does not cause me headaches and sometimes can relieve them.
The best of luck to you.
thank you I am interested in curing pains with natural methods. One person with constant migraines was cured by eliminating artificial additives in food.
4