Migraine

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Comment by Ellen S on June 10, 2009 at 3:27pm

I see some FABULOUS conversations going on here at the Migraine Wall. I really hate that they may be missed!

To make it easier for others to find and follow these questions and answers, please remember to add them to the Discussion Forum so they will be searchable to others. You can do this by going to the Discussion Forum box located above my comment here on the Wall, or by going directly to this link to view active discussions or to post a new one.

To post a new discussion on this forum, go to the upper right hand corner inside the forum, to the button that says Add New Discussion. Simply click and begin!

If you would like to introduce yourself or place a general comment about the group, the Wall is the perfect place, or go to this thread within the Migraine Forum.

Thank you for being a part of WEGO Health and its Migraine Health Activists!

Comment by Natasha on June 9, 2009 at 9:40pm

I've been trying to figure out for a very long time whether I suffer for regular headaches or migranes? How would I find out t he difference? I've been to my general doctor and neurologist, who said everything in my brain seems fine.
But I want to know FOR SURE if it's headaches I suffer from or migranes...my grandma suffers from severe migranes and I'm wondering if I too have them.
I feel like sometimes I get these headaches/ migranes several times a day. How do you test for headaches, and especially, how do you test for migranes? Are there any specific tests to know if you suffer for them? And for people that have suffured from migranes on here...what are the best treatment options &/or prescriptions? I'd love to hear from all of you! Thanks!!!

Comment by Alex Tuggle L.Ac. on May 4, 2009 at 6:41pm

I'm sorry that you have had a difficult time and some of things I mentioned did not work for you.

I was merely recommending a need to assess dietary triggers such as food sensitivities, sugar, and alcohol because in my practice, many people who have suffered from migraines for years had no idea they had a gluten sensitivity or that the red wine they were drinking every night (which contains sulfites) could be contributing to their migraines.

You are right that not every person has the same exact food sensitivities (if any at all). However, you cannot really know if you have a sensitivity to something that you are eating until you remove it from your diet. This is referred to as an "Elimination Diet" and is the only way I know of, of actually figuring out what is causing you a problem if any. If you remove all of the foods I mentioned from your diet that I mentioned (gluten containing grains, dairy, sugar, alcohol, corn, soy, food preservatives) and nothing changes with your migraine, that still does not mean that you don't have a sensitivity to one of these food items. It just means that your migraines may due to something else.

But yes, you are correct. Everyone has different triggers (if any at all). I just mentioned the "Usual suspects" which are the most common food allergens. Same as with Birth Control pills. However, I will renounce my statement that Birth control pills raise Copper levels due to their effects on estrogen.

Copper Toxicity is much more widespread than allopathic medicine would have you believe, although not all Copper toxicity can be diagnosed as Wilson's disease. There is a lot of dysfunction that can be created by unbound Copper (Copper not bound by Ceruloplasmin and Metallothioneine) in the body.

What type of lab tests were done to diagnose Copper toxicity? Copper toxicity can be hard to diagnose because it gets stored away, first in the liver, then the brain, then the nerves, skin, muscles and the rest of the Soft tissues.

I recommend a Hair Analysis test to evaluate all of the minerals in the Soft tissues. Copper levels may not be raised, however because it does not come out into the hair so easily. However, by reading the levels of all of the minerals in your hair chart (Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Selenium, Chromium, Phosphorous) as well as the presence of "any" Heavy metals (Lead, Mercury, Copper, Cadmium, Aluminum, Nickel, Arsenic) we can check for ratio imbalances between the minerals and accurately assess metabolic trends and adrenal or thyroid dysfunctions that can pin point a Copper toxicity issue, if indeed there is one.

Any of these Heavy Metals may also be causing migraines and are therefore very important to remove from the body. However, chelation therapy alone is usually never enough, and can in fact be dangerous if using a very strong and non-discriminatory chelating agent.

Mercury and Cadmium displaces Zinc in the actual tissues of the body, such as in the artery walls. Lead displaces Calcium in the bones. Chelating agents are unable to remove heavy metals which are being used in the structure of the body.

By addressing nutritional deficiencies and balancing your metabolic rate, you can improve Adrenal function which are the true causes of most any Heavy Metal toxicity condition. If the Adrenal glands were strong enough, and there was an adequate supply of nutrients, and the nervous system was not revved up all the time by a "fight or flight" stress reaction, than the body could be able to remove the Heavy metals from the body all by itself. Without the need for chelating agents, which only remove toxins and metals from the bloodstream and interstitial spaces. It cannot go and get the metals out of the cell structures.

Copper toxicity is usually hidden because it is one of the last Heavy Metals to come out of the tissues where it is being stored. It may take up to 3 years of a Nutritional Balancing program before any Copper is revealed on a Hair analysis test. But once the excess Copper is eliminated from the body, Migraines do go away.

Please visit this article by Larry Wilson who is an expert in this field, who has studied and worked with Dr. Paul Eck, who single handedly pioneered the use of Hair analysis to create Nutritional Balancing Supplement programs to balance body chemistry and eliminate Heavy Metals such as Copper from the body.

http://drlwilson.com/Articles/copper%20history.htm

Comment by cherishdestiny on May 4, 2009 at 12:50am

Foods only need to be avoided if you're sensitive or if anything is an actual trigger. Not everyone has any food/beverage sensitivities or triggers. The same can be said about hormones and birth control pills - not every woman finds either to be a trigger and just to make it even more confusing not every woman who reacts to birth control pills reacts the same way to the same list of birth control pills. Sorry, I've just been through a long list of neurologists who've been quite insistent that EVERYONE had the same list of food, drink and hormonal triggers and nothing I could do would convince them otherwise...

The only reason for a toxic level of copper that I'm aware of is Wilson's Disease. That's not diet caused, it's a genetic thing that can in part be diet controlled once discovered and there are a LOT more foods that contain copper. Also, many the conditions you listed as "caused" by copper toxicity are ones that may be mistaken for Wilson's Disease when Wilson's Disease has reached the point of causing neurological damage and/or symptoms of psychosis but they're not directly caused by copper toxicity. Though you are right, many minerals - including copper - are best consumed in careful balances with other minerals. The copper thing is kind of a sore point too. I have seizures, migraines and a mood disorder and I had one neurologist test me for Wilson's Disease FOUR times because he was so sure I had it because of the trio of conditions and as a result the repeated negative results had to be because the lab got it wrong every time...

Comment by Alex Tuggle L.Ac. on May 3, 2009 at 11:10pm

I am a licensed acupuncturist and I have some tips for dealing with migraines:

1.Give yourself a foot massage (or better yet get your partner to do it for you).
The feet are powerful and can help descend the energy out of the head (in Chinese medicine, migraines are due to "Yang rising") We need to get the energy back into the feet. This should be done every morning upon waking and every evening before going to bed.

2. Avoid Alcohol, sugar, wheat, dairy, corn, soy, and processed foods that contain preservatives such as sodium nitrites (sandwich meat).

Many migraines are due to food sensitivities to one of the above food groups. By eliminating these from our diet, we can stop the toxic reactions in our intestines which can lead to "Leaky Gut syndrome" which is where toxins enter the bloodstream through the intestinal wall lining.

3. Stop taking Birth control Pills

Birth control pills disrupt the natural rhythm of women's hormone cycles involved with menstruation. Birth control pills generally raise the levels of estrogen in order to counteract the effects of progesterone. This excessive amount of estrogen can lead to cysts and other benign growths in the body.

Estrogen also causes a greater retention of Copper in the body. Copper toxicity has been linked with numerous neurological disorders such as:
Migraines
Moodiness
Bipolar
Schizophrenia
Nerve pain
Acne
Candida overgrowth
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
Liver dysfunction
and more....

Copper, when not properly bound to Ceruloplasmin or Metallothionein is a toxic substance which causes many free radical reactions and is generally agitating to all of the tissues, especially the nerves. Unbound Copper is first stored in the Liver, than the brain, than the nerves, skin and muscles.

Copper toxicity increases due to pregnancy as well because of the increase in Estrogen.

Foods high in Copper are:

Soy, chocolate, coffee, shellfish, legumes, pecans...it is present in most all foods except for pumpkin seeds and animal protein (excluding shellfish). Vegetarian diets tend to cause Copper toxicity due to the high amounts of Soy in their diet and the absence of meat. Meat is high in Zinc and B vitamins.

Zinc is necessary to counterbalance Copper. ZInc is necessary to produce every protein in your body which includes the Ceruloplasmin and Metallothioneine binding proteins which enables Copper to get into the cell where it is used for ATP production. Most people have both Copper toxicity and signs of deficiency since the Copper is stuck in the liver, brain and nerves causing problems, without being able to get into the cell and the mitochondria where it's supposed to be.

4. Zinc and Magnesium supplements can help migraines because they both calm the nervous system (a lot like a foot massage).

Zinc supplementation can cause a Heavy metal detoxification (such as Copper) and this is why most vegetarians seem to feel sick when they try to eat meat. They are simply having a little detox because of the high levels of Zinc in animal protein.

5. Drink lots and lots of water all day long
6. Rest as much as possible.

This means lying down horizontally, closing your eyes, and meditating. Focus on the soles of your feet. This will ground the energy out of the head as well as nourish the "Kidney Acupuncture Meridian" . Liver yang rising is due to a weakness in the Kidneys, which fails to anchor the Liver Yang energy.

7. If none of these suggestions help I recommend getting an MRI to rule out anything that could be life threatening.

Comment by Laura on January 29, 2009 at 8:47am

Hope keep looking for a Doctor who can care! I too know that drill.... isn't is a (no pun intended) PAIN! Please know you are not alone, you are NOT crazy!!! The pain is real and I know exactly how you feel,especially when you talk about your kids!!! It is a SIN that the medical field treats migraines the way they do... but that said.. I guess we have to keep on moving when we meet DOctors like that to find someone who can understand the "disease" and it's process and treat us correctly!!!! Be well..and I hope you have a good day!!! Laura

Comment by HOPE on January 17, 2009 at 8:27pm

Its nice to be able to get and give support to and from other people. I have aura migraines,they have taken over my life. I am horrified every day not knowing if it will come again.When they do come I am not the same as they take a piece of me away from myself and my kids as well. I would love to get some real help as these doctors do not understand enough to care.Please,I need help!!

Comment by Mamta Singh on December 18, 2008 at 1:39am

Hi everyone. I have joined this great group only a couple of days back. I thank Ellen for it, who invited me over after she read my blog on migraines in women (www.migrainingjenny.wordpress.com). I have been suffering monthly migraine attacks for over 10 years myself ever since the delivery of my twin daughters. the first few years had me migraining a couple of times in a week though that frequency is now down to once a month. But the episodes are blotched with vomitting, visual distortions etc. However the intensity and overall texture of the migraine episodes are much better than what they were a couple of years back.

Some things have worked wonders for me. Some things haven't. I have researched scientific material for half a decade and have come across some startling revelations not so well known in the migraining community. These tips have helped me improve my life a bit. In my book, Migraines For The Informed Woman, I have detailed some approaches that must be taken to help manage the migraine beast. The book may be previewed at www.lulu.com/content/5121820.

On a different note, I think all the courageous people out there waging their war against migraines are mighty generous to share their experiences and let other migraineurs know what more can be done towards keeping the migraines at a minimum and at manageable levels.

Peace and Love
Mamta

Comment by judithra on December 9, 2008 at 5:55pm

Hello everyone, It sure makes me feel so much better to know that I am not alone with the debilitating migraines. and to belong to a group where you can actually discuss (whine a little also lol) them with people that totally understand and can relate to. Hear their stories, what helps them, etc..

Comment by Ellen S on November 13, 2008 at 2:05pm

Hey Carol, Welcome to the Migraine group! Try this link to start your discussion.

Ellen

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