Migraine

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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

Comment by Carol on November 13, 2008 at 1:51pm

I posted my loooong story about dystonia/tardive dyskinesia possibly caused by compazine on the dystonia forum. The best way I can describe the reaction I had is muscle spasms and jerking of limbs, spasms in my back and neck, and my teeth chattering like I was hypothermic. Originally, this was blamed on imitrex, but the third time there was NO imitrex. My last ER visit, I refused compazine and was given toradol and zofran with no major problem. My advice to anyone who visits the ER is to have someone with you the whole time to observe your reaction to meds, and to tell them to take notes of any bizarre behavior! I lterally had a catheter inside my neck, on its way to my brain, during the third episode. My neck spasmed so badly that I thought my head would push through the gurney!

Comment by regina on October 11, 2008 at 9:25am

Please check LIFEWAVE patches http://www.lifewave.com/OnTheWave
make sure to click on PRODUCTS and then TESTIMONIALS
these patches are too good to be true - they remove pain in minutes, sometimes seconds...completely natural!

I helped my friend to relieve migraine following instructions supplied with patches
There is a set of two patches
We had to apply patches on the major acupuncture points on the arms
Applying to the 1st point reduced the pain immediately (in seconds) in half
Then we moved patches up the arm to the next point
Then to the shoulders, cheeks
After we applied patches to the both sides of the forehead the pain was completely gone!

The patches were left on the forehead for 12 hours. The migraine was gone for two weeks!

Comment by Jan williamson on September 17, 2008 at 2:06pm

hello I was curious if anyone has heard of the squeezing the skin between your thumb and hand technique to make your brain release endorphines, have you tried this and does it work I would prefer a natural approach to migraine relief.

Comment by misty2 on September 16, 2008 at 11:14pm

Hi, I have sufferd from migraines for the past 4 years. I currently take oral imitrex, I did not even know you can get it in injectable form. I already learned something new and I just joined.

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