Be a Migraine Detective for Better Health

Oh migraines, those annoying leeches that make us surrender all plans we had for the day, or even for the next few days, giving us no other choice but to let them run their debilitating course.Like a bad houseguest, they never call ahead to let us know they're coming and when they arrive they are loud, obnoxious, domineering and controlling. Some of us may notice them coming when we can't quite make out all the words in a sentence we're trying to read, or images seem blurred. You blink but the clouded image is still present. That's when you realize, "great, I'm getting a migraine and I only have about 20-30 minutes before the lightning bolt in my head starts wailing away. I need to get to a dark, quiet room ASAP and load up on (insert migraine drug of choice here)."If you suffer from migraines, you're not alone. The following are a few facts from the National Headache Foundation's site:

• 29.5 million Americans suffer from migraines annually.

• Migraine sufferers lose more than 157 million workdays each year.

• In excess of 4 billion dollars are spent annually on over-the-counter pain relievers for headache. (Many of these are ineffective for the headache sufferer). 

Rather than remaining a passive victim to your migraines, take action by documenting your daily life with a migraine journal. Record every food, drink and snack you consume each day. Note any changes in your lifestyle including not sleeping well, stressful events or fights with your significant other or family member. When a migraine attacks, note the time of day and describe as thoroughly as you can what you were feeling as it evolved, how long it lasted and how it changed, the medications you used, their dosages and what relief - if any - they provided. Include post-attack symptoms such as lingering head pains and sensorial sensitivities that continued days after the migraine such as pain upon coughing or sneezing, increased pain while bending down to pick something up, etc.All of this diligence lets you become your own health detective, a crucial role where you assume  responsibility for your health. Be knowledgeable of migraine instigators such as caffeine, nitrites and nitrates in processed meats, sulfites in wines, molds in cheeses, monosodium glutamate (MSG) which is in almost all processed foods and Chinese food, and estrogen laden foods such as soy and flax seeds that can build up in the system creating neurotoxicity. Over the counter medications have been proven to cause rebound headaches which make you want to take more of that medication and hence, the downward spiral begins.Your journal serves as a holistic health audit, assisting you to find out what does and does not work for your body and where you need to make changes or adjustments. You will discover a lot about yourself. Depending on the frequency of your migraines, you may want to do a gentle cleanse of your system to get any lingering toxins out from your system. This is an important step to reboot the organ system and let it heal itself from the bombardment it's been under. There are also natural herbs, vitamins & minerals that may help relax the vessels in your head such as feverfew, B vitamins and magnesium. It's important to talk with a licensed and qualified Holistic Health Practitioner, Herbalist, Nutritionist or Naturopath regarding supplements and detox regimens.Lastly, receiving regular massage therapy may significantly reduce the frequency with which you experience migraines. Similar to taking a kink out of a hose, loosening tense and spastic muscle fibers in the head, neck and shoulders with integrated techniques of deep tissue, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching, and acupressure, increases oxygen-rich blood flow to chronically tense muscles. This will actively re-route any stagnant patterns that are being held in the body, thus curtailing the frequency of your attacks. Take a pro-active role in your health and make a statement to that nasty houseguest that it's no longer welcome to return to your home!