Hi,
I might try and keep a record in this thread of what I'm thinking and trying. Comments welcome.
I'm late 40s, female, a single parent, work part-time, lose several days a month to migraine.
Time is scarce. As with all parents, balancing my needs with kids needs is always an issue. .
My biggest health issue is migraine. More detail in this thread (not sure if I'm linking right):
viewtopic.php?f=52&t=3501
So, here are some of my current hypotheses on on why I get migraines - I'm guessing some or all of these contribute:
1. Brain short of fuel or conditions for effiently using it.
2. Lots of stress over a lifetime from undernourishment, blood sugar dips, cold, too little sleep, too much hiking, psycho- social stresses, etc -> chronically high adrenaline, estrogen
3. Blows to head -> Possible incompletely healed structural damage (no concussions, but banged hard a few times). Chronicly tight neck and shoulder muscles trying to protect head. Possibly contributing to chronic hyperventilation (hyperventilation is short-term protective in head injury).
4. Hyperventilation + low minerals -> nerve and vascular misfunction
5. Lots of PUFA -> swelling brain tissue and increased sensitivity to excitotoxic glutamate neurotransmitters, especially when more PUFA released during acute stress
6. Supersensitivity to serotonin and some other neurotransmitters (like in morphine withdrawal, possibly during endorphin withdrawal after acute stresses?)
7. Too much gluten -> damaged gut barrier -> endotoxin -> high estrogen -> not enough progesterone to protect nerves. Also inadequate nutrient absorption
8. Other hard to digest food -> high serotonin
9. Incompletely digested dairy proteins (opiod-like) entering bloodstream and crossing weakened blood-brain barrier -> intolerance, fuzzy headedness. The dairy protein issue is not an RP idea, but I think the gut and brain barriers are.
10. Intermittently, too little protein, calcium, and other micronutrients to support healthy metabolism and liver function -> unstable blood sugar, estrogen
11. Possibly an inherited predisposition to migraine - some family members have related issues.
Anything else?
So if these are causes, the following might help, right?:
1 - 2. Regular food. Eat lots morning-midday. I usually manage this now, except when sleeping. Salt food and drink generously according to taste.
2. Keep warm. Try to avoid pushing myself too hard physically. Get regular sleep. Most of the time I get 7-8 hrs sleep, but if I get a chance to go out socialising in the evening, I find it hard to get to sleep at a good hour.
3. Massage and yoga could help tight muscles. I only manage these occaisionally at the moment.
Magnesium - I drink OJ, eat some greens, and supplement mag glycinate, carbonate, and sometimes slop a bit of mag sulp or mag chlor on skin. But not sure if I'm absorbing enough. I gave up on mag sulph baths when I got too tired/relaxed to get out a few times.
4. Practicing breathing. This is much improved over last 1 1/2 years, but could probably get better. Breathing and sleep are much improved by keeping my mouth shut at night. I also strapped my chest a couple of times early on to help retrain abdominal breathing. Holding breath after coughing, sneezing, yawning etc. Occasinally practice 'steps' method - might be good to do more. And/or bag-breathing. I aim to try a dry CO2 bath, but a little nervous in case dilating blood vessels triggers a migraine. Higher CO2 should lead to improved oxygen supply throughout, calmer nerves, dilated blood vessels throughout (will this improve or worsen head?), improved digestion, improved calcium metabolism, ...
5. Aspirin, niacinamide to reduce FFA PUFA release. Currently doing niacinamide c. 100mg 2xday, aspirin 500mg a few times a week. I have been eating much reduced PUFA for the last year, but had a lot before then.
6. Try to reduce excess stress. Try cyproheptadine?
7-8-9: Go for easy to digest food. I seldom have obvious GI reaction to foods other than gas with onions and potatoes, and delayed symptoms can be hard to pin to a specific food. And eliminating too many foods makes it hard to keep well nourished. I feel good in other ways if I eat onions and potatoes, so reluctant to cut them further. This is tricky.
Carrot salad. I aim to do this every day, usu hit 5-6/week. Charcoal - I usu do this 1/1-2 wks
Progest-E
10. Might be good to check in nutrition calculator to get an idea of what I might still be short of, but so far not found time to measure and record this in detail.
Would probably be good to track temp and pulse for a while, but similarly hard to find time to do this regularly. Temp measured in car on way to or from work usu 36.3-36.7.
Thyroid supplement? Neither synthetic not NDT avail without script. Doctor not convinced. May try to find a another doctor eventually.
11. Can't change the past, butcurrent factors might yield to intervention.
Thoughts welcome.
Tara
I might try and keep a record in this thread of what I'm thinking and trying. Comments welcome.
I'm late 40s, female, a single parent, work part-time, lose several days a month to migraine.
Time is scarce. As with all parents, balancing my needs with kids needs is always an issue. .
My biggest health issue is migraine. More detail in this thread (not sure if I'm linking right):
viewtopic.php?f=52&t=3501
So, here are some of my current hypotheses on on why I get migraines - I'm guessing some or all of these contribute:
1. Brain short of fuel or conditions for effiently using it.
2. Lots of stress over a lifetime from undernourishment, blood sugar dips, cold, too little sleep, too much hiking, psycho- social stresses, etc -> chronically high adrenaline, estrogen
3. Blows to head -> Possible incompletely healed structural damage (no concussions, but banged hard a few times). Chronicly tight neck and shoulder muscles trying to protect head. Possibly contributing to chronic hyperventilation (hyperventilation is short-term protective in head injury).
4. Hyperventilation + low minerals -> nerve and vascular misfunction
5. Lots of PUFA -> swelling brain tissue and increased sensitivity to excitotoxic glutamate neurotransmitters, especially when more PUFA released during acute stress
6. Supersensitivity to serotonin and some other neurotransmitters (like in morphine withdrawal, possibly during endorphin withdrawal after acute stresses?)
7. Too much gluten -> damaged gut barrier -> endotoxin -> high estrogen -> not enough progesterone to protect nerves. Also inadequate nutrient absorption
8. Other hard to digest food -> high serotonin
9. Incompletely digested dairy proteins (opiod-like) entering bloodstream and crossing weakened blood-brain barrier -> intolerance, fuzzy headedness. The dairy protein issue is not an RP idea, but I think the gut and brain barriers are.
10. Intermittently, too little protein, calcium, and other micronutrients to support healthy metabolism and liver function -> unstable blood sugar, estrogen
11. Possibly an inherited predisposition to migraine - some family members have related issues.
Anything else?
So if these are causes, the following might help, right?:
1 - 2. Regular food. Eat lots morning-midday. I usually manage this now, except when sleeping. Salt food and drink generously according to taste.
2. Keep warm. Try to avoid pushing myself too hard physically. Get regular sleep. Most of the time I get 7-8 hrs sleep, but if I get a chance to go out socialising in the evening, I find it hard to get to sleep at a good hour.
3. Massage and yoga could help tight muscles. I only manage these occaisionally at the moment.
Magnesium - I drink OJ, eat some greens, and supplement mag glycinate, carbonate, and sometimes slop a bit of mag sulp or mag chlor on skin. But not sure if I'm absorbing enough. I gave up on mag sulph baths when I got too tired/relaxed to get out a few times.
4. Practicing breathing. This is much improved over last 1 1/2 years, but could probably get better. Breathing and sleep are much improved by keeping my mouth shut at night. I also strapped my chest a couple of times early on to help retrain abdominal breathing. Holding breath after coughing, sneezing, yawning etc. Occasinally practice 'steps' method - might be good to do more. And/or bag-breathing. I aim to try a dry CO2 bath, but a little nervous in case dilating blood vessels triggers a migraine. Higher CO2 should lead to improved oxygen supply throughout, calmer nerves, dilated blood vessels throughout (will this improve or worsen head?), improved digestion, improved calcium metabolism, ...
5. Aspirin, niacinamide to reduce FFA PUFA release. Currently doing niacinamide c. 100mg 2xday, aspirin 500mg a few times a week. I have been eating much reduced PUFA for the last year, but had a lot before then.
6. Try to reduce excess stress. Try cyproheptadine?
7-8-9: Go for easy to digest food. I seldom have obvious GI reaction to foods other than gas with onions and potatoes, and delayed symptoms can be hard to pin to a specific food. And eliminating too many foods makes it hard to keep well nourished. I feel good in other ways if I eat onions and potatoes, so reluctant to cut them further. This is tricky.
Carrot salad. I aim to do this every day, usu hit 5-6/week. Charcoal - I usu do this 1/1-2 wks
Progest-E
10. Might be good to check in nutrition calculator to get an idea of what I might still be short of, but so far not found time to measure and record this in detail.
Would probably be good to track temp and pulse for a while, but similarly hard to find time to do this regularly. Temp measured in car on way to or from work usu 36.3-36.7.
Thyroid supplement? Neither synthetic not NDT avail without script. Doctor not convinced. May try to find a another doctor eventually.
11. Can't change the past, butcurrent factors might yield to intervention.
Thoughts welcome.
Tara