Meridian Magazine posted the most amazing article on migraines that I have ever seen. It was written by an MD who believes in and recommends chiropractic work, nutritional remedies, and other alternatives!
Having suffered from dreadful five-day, throw up sick headaches that have been out of control ever since September, I was interested to see that some of the directions that I have been impressed to take over the last 30 days (and I’ve been headache free for 24 days, now) are some of the actions HE recommends.
- I had stopped a juice supplement due to the expense; have restarted it (MonaVie).
- I started seeing a chiropractor and massage therapist to work *carefully* on my neck. (Can’t do traditional stuff because of dissected arteries).
- I am a vegetarian and do try to eat organic to get the nutrients, as I already know that traditional-grown fruits and vegetables are decreasing in nutrients.
- I take a good multivitamin (Life Force).
- Hypercoagulation is interesting. The dissected arteries throw off clots so I take fish oil but have noticed that when I skip, I get headaches. So for the last month I’ve been METICULOUS. By the way, I take fish oil rather than Plavix, with my doctor’s permission. As a vegetarian, I resisted until I discovered what it can do for you. You really MUST look into fish oil!
Here’s an excerpt of what he says can be done to prevent migraines:
What can I do to prevent more migraines?
I am currently using a unique format to help you in learning about healthy alternatives you have to drugs and surgery. I will share with you the traditional protocol for treatment that doctors use in the U.S. , as well as how I would work with the ailment using healthy alternatives. Now let’s talk about how you can prevent a migraine headache.
1. Obviously, the first treatment is avoiding the cause. If medications or fatigue are part of the cause, then it makes sense to change medications and choose not to be physically or mentally fatigued. Those two tactics may reduce the migraine triggers. Recognizing the trigger is the first step to eliminating it, or even recognizing that there are triggers may be the first step in the detective process of finding and eliminating the cause.
2. Stabilize the hormones.
3. Avoid inflammatory ingestions. At a minimum, these include caffeine, aspartame, sugar and trans fatty acids, all of which are pro-inflammatory triggers within the body.
4. Avoid the vasoactive foods already mentioned.
5. Treat allergies and chemical sensitivities. A safe way to do this is with NAET — Nambudripad allergy elimination technique (you can email me at stan@stangardnermd.com if you need additional information). Food sensitivities may also be treated through Ellen Cutler’s food desensitization program.
6. It is very important that appropriate nutrients are ingested and nutrient levels are maintained. Processed food does not have the nutrients that are necessary to maintain the health of the body or individual cells. Real food—or food that has not been processed—is very important. Supplements are also very important, especially the B vitamins and essential fatty acids that specifically contribute to neurological control. Magnesium is specifically important for migraine headaches, as many migraine sufferers have a magnesium deficiency.
7. Chiropractic, osteopathic, or massage therapy may be quite beneficial for temperomandibular joint dysfunction and cervical neck subluxation, which have associated muscle tightness.
8. The herb feverfew is a vasodilator and has been found to prevent many migraine headaches.
9. Nattokinase is an enzyme extracted from soy. It is capable of interfering with the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin, which is an important step at the very beginning of clot formation. Aspirin, 81 milligrams or the baby aspirin size, every other day, has the ability to reduce platelet aggregation. Both of these should be able to prevent the hypercoagulability that may be the trigger for some migraines.
10. Energy techniques, including Jin Shin Jyutsu, acupuncture, or craniosacral techniques may prove to be quite useful. If you have any pain or any dysfunction anywhere in the body, it means that energy flow pathways are blocked at that point. As those deep energy pathways are relieved, it often helps with the healing process at the physical level.
11. Biofeedback, relaxation therapy, and hypnosis have also been found to be quite useful in some patients with migraine headaches.
You can read his full article at Meridian Magazine and his website is http://www.stangardnermd.com/
Filed under: natural healing | Tagged: headache, migraine, natural remedies | 5 Comments »
