Sweets or migraines?

[Halfhidden]

Migraines are the devil some have to live with day in and day out. Its more common in women and children than men (according to research) but none the less it plights our lives from time to time.
Now I'm not going to elaborate on my migraines because I want to talk about the trigger factor rather than the devil its self.

You'll note that I've placed this topic under "Sweets". Initially you would be forgiven for thinking that I've made a mistake, but wait. Did you know that some people crave sweets just before a migraine.
What I would like to talk about is what triggers your migraine (if you suffer from them) and what food or activities do you know of that would definitely start one.
I share a common problem with treeve, and a common solution. Although we suffer for different reasons we were both able to benefit from a book (he lent me and I have not yet given back almost 14 months now) (sorry treeve I'll pop it in your letter box).

 

[symons55]

As Treeve and I have discussed, I also suffered for many years with them, I never discovered what actually caused them, I could go to sleep as normal but wake up at three or four AM with what I would desrcibe as flashing lights and someone pushing a fork up under my eyelids. The cure for me was cold flannels and extra curtains at the window. Within a few hours they would subside. Only occasionaly would I have one in daylight hours. I tried leaving out dairy products, coffee and all the usual things associated with them. They eventually subsided and I never found the cause. I haven't suffered with one so painful and dramatic for many years, thankfully.
I can sympathise with anyone who has them, unless someone has had them they cannot appreciate the pain one can go thro.

 

[treeve]

A hairy one, as we have already discussed, there is a vast differnce between what some people understand to be severe headaches, cluster headaches, stabbing pains, stress headaches, et, etc AND the migraine. Migraines are a different animal altogether. It is present as one-hemisphere disturbance, it does not necessarily have pain, it does not necesarily have visual disturbance. It can (and does) move from side to side. But one side or the other, not general throughout the grey matter. It is vital to understand what is happening. Pains can be the result of all manner of medical and personal physical situations, everything from running too much, reading too much by poor light, to pressure from within or tumor etc; it is fool hardy to dismiss any such pain with an attempt to wash it away with a disprin. Many do go away, but keep a note, remember the rule; if it continues more than three days, see the doctor. [ have you seen the doctor? no, just black spots]. As to triggers, this is highly selective and individual. As to cures, this is also highly personal; the fact is not even the experts know for certain what it is or what starts it off and why. It is down to you. Myself, I know that tryptophans knock it out completely. Cottage Cheese is loaded with the stuff. So if I feel an attack coming on, carton of Cottage Cheese. Wollop. But, experiment with your own situation, and very important one thing at a time.

ps It is known the nature of migraines changes through life with the individual. A person with aura, may not get them after 60, or it may get worse.

My triggers? Seems to be too much television viewing (no longer a problem, this is a TV free zone), too much reading by poor light (make sure it is well lit) but the massive killer for me is 'energy saving bulbs' and some types of fluorescent light. I have not found a food trigger, but the foods I have mentioned in the threads on meals etc, good foods like at Waggamama all seem to help me avoid them.

 

[treeve]

There was a time when going through a migraine, whne I would go completely deaf for half an hour, and my vision was about 10% of what it should be. That has stopped, the worst of the attacks now consisting of a viual blockage, the aura spreads out over the field of view. Eventually all I can see clearly is a tiny window the rest is zig zag lines of flickering 'light'. I used to get the most horrendous pains on the right side, like a hot wire burning through the brain, but it is now a hot sensation more than pain. It used to be a three hour attack, but after reading that book, and realising that in general it is little more than a 'disturbance', I found that instead of lying quiet and being like a hospital patient, if I pushed myself through it, if I read on, with just that little patch of vision, if I tried to carry on a conversation, as difficult as that is, it rather brought my senses to accepting it rather than fighting it. One point I will make is that they are attacks on my well being, they are NOT my migraines, I do not own them, they happen to me. I have found it vital to keep tabs on how I feel, in that way, as I can get a day or two of notice 'it is on the way', The pressure starts, the vision gets too bright, the odd feeling starts, concentration goes ... out to the shops and get myself the cottage cheese. Just as well that I like the stuff.

 

[trepolpen]

I apologise for not having read these tales of woe before now. I have found that in my case, all migraines begin with a tiny blind spot which then grows and grows over about twenty minutes until it is flashing violently rather as Treeve says, like zigzags that are rainbow-edged. I take this to be what an 'aura' is. It is too distracting to talk to people and impossible to continue reading if that was what I was doing at its onset. The worst bit for me is not the aura but the certain knowledge that next will begin a dull, debilitating headache in my eye-balls and in each brow, as well as in the hollows where my neck joins my skull. This headache is not piercing but it makes me feel very tired and listless, and sensitive to bright light, for about four or five days by which time it generally subsides. I obviously cannot wait that long to continue with my day to day tasks.

For me, it is usually one of several things. If I have gone to bed much too late, or drunk sufficiently to give myself a slight hangover the next day, or am feeling anxious or tense, I am not surprised when it happens. However, I also tend to have an aura when exposed to a contrast in light, say from relative darkness to sudden dazzling brightness. I sometimes wonder also if a large 'floater' in my right eye is a factor as the blurred effect coupled with changes in light is confusing and can spark off the warning sign. Another strong possibility is that, doing a lot of close work involving intense concentration, even when I inwardly feel reluctant, seems to bring on migraine attacks. When working in a dark interior but looking out of a door on a bright day outside to greet customers I find the balance of my eyes disturbed and then an aura may begin.

I remember having occasional very painful headaches when I was in early adolescence but these ceased until I had reached my late forties when I found my job very stressful and would suffer an attack after playing vigorous games of Badminton on a Sunday night with the working week looming. Nowadays, I find that I only have to suffer slight stress, such as running out of time, for one to begin so that in a year I might suffer about four attacks, sometimes without an aura. However, on other occasions, I find one may begin when it is least expected. Whereas there were times when I would have an aura in one eye only, I invariably have one in both eyes nowadays. I find the ensuing headches usually spread from the stalk of my neck into my muscles in the shoulders also which is wearing.

I don't find cheese, chocolate or red wine particularly inducive to migraines thank goodness!

 

[ibrowze]

Dr Max Gerson an Gerson Therapy

Well of course the NHS aren't going to enlighten you about Gerson therapy because it doesn't involve using you as lab rats while they test their latest drugs. The following is from Wikipedia:

Gerson was born in 1881 to a Jewish family in Wongrowitz, in the German province of Posen. According to Gerson's grandson and biographer, his choice of career in medicine was influenced by the prevailing climate of anti-Semitism, as science was closed to Jews, but medicine was open.
Gerson's biographer states that Gerson, as a resident physician, suffered from migraine headaches. Gerson altered his diet, eliminating many staples of German cuisine, and noted that his headaches resolved. Entering private practice in Bielefeld, Germany, Gerson prescribed his migraine diet to patients.
When a migraine patient reported that his lupus vulgaris (skin lesions related to tuberculosis) had cleared up on Gerson's diet, Gerson treated other patients and claimed success. Pulmonary surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch heard about Gerson's success with tuberculosis and invited him to conduct a clinical trial of his therapy at Sauerbruch's tuberculosis ward in Munich. Four hundred fifty tuberculosis patients were placed on Gerson's diet, and Gerson claimed that 446 of the patients completely recovered.

There are plenty of sites that will tell you that this is a load of tosh, but if you believe what a bloke said down the pub , that's up to you. There's a really good film called 'The Beautiful Truth' which I'd recommend as a starting point.
Gerson Support Group UK

http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/britmantalab.html
http://www.healthandgoodness.com/article/gerson-therapy-information.html
http://www.free-events.co.uk/cancermagic/cancermagic.html
http://www.juiceproducer.com/infojuicersandcancer.php​

 

[treeve]

I have known about Gerson Therapy for years. The three books that I had on the subject have been handed on to those who clearly needed them, as there were indications of the onset of cancer. To me the figures compute. One factor that distorts the opposing claims from NHS is the fact that ongoing policy catches the diease (cancer) ealier than in previous times; again no rationality. From what I have seen, the therapy works. As to its efficacy in terms of migraines, that I could not say.
Over the years, I have been looking for 'answers', but nothing other than the realisation that there, as yet, is none, and the realisation that a lot of people suffer from it, in one form or another. However, the book No More Headaches No More Migraines Zuzana Bic gavre me the advice that stopped my 50 year partnership with the beast.

The Migraine Trust
Migraine Research Foundation -- Home
Welcome to Migraine Action

'This husband-and-wife team (Zuzana, a California-based doctor; Francis, a professor at UC-Irvine) believe that all headaches, even migraines, can be prevented or diminished in frequency and severity by changes in lifestyle. The authors outline the different types of headaches, as well as the underlying diseases of which headaches are often symptoms, and the physiological processes that occur during a headache. Based on Zuzana's studies at Loma Linda University's School of Public Health in California, the authors contend that high levels of fat or sugar in the blood, as well as physical inactivity and stress, create a biochemical imbalance that triggers headaches. Rather than focusing on removing headache triggers, the Bics emphasize the positive in their headache prevention program: eat a diet low in fat and sugar, with an emphasis on natural foods; exercise regularly; and manage your stress. With the use of charts the authors condense their argument to its basics, showing how diet, stress and a sedentary lifestyle cause biochemical changes. Simply written, the book is a useful introduction to how headaches work and how they might be managed. Their program, however, may seem too simplified and too general for longtime headache sufferers.'


Those who know me, know that I do not take or rely upon painkilling drugs. They carry with them a straightjacket and untold side effects.

 

[ibrowze]

For some people, Aspartame triggers migraine attacks

But don't take my word for it, anyone can make up their own mind after reading from this following link:
http://themigrainegirl.blogspot.com/2008/09/migraines-aspartame.html