OMG...was that Migraine Intense!

by Glen Depke

Last night I recognized that I had a headache as I went to bed but felt assured that I would go to bed and wake up just fine. Not so...

I woke up about 2 hours later with intense pain that was almost unbearable. Regardless of what I tried, the pain did not subside and seemed to even intensify. It was so bad that I got dressed and got in my car to drive to the our office to sit in the massage chair. My hope was that the massage chair would help work this out. I honestly was not expecting to recognize that it was also agonizing to drive. The lights, the movement and just dealing with the pain was so intense that it made a 7 minute ride seem like it took an hour.

FYI, this was also about 12:30AM at this point.

I made it to the office and my body needed to immediately evacuate the bowels which was very unusual for this time in the morning. I got in the massage chair, which I generally love the intensity but in this moment it felt like it was killing me. After just a few minutes in the chair, I was back in the restroom again to vomit. It was like my body was evacuating everything it could to use all the possible energy to deal with this migraine.

Well, to make my long story short, after 2 hours in the massage chair constantly adjusting the settings to find whatever comfort I could, I finally felt that I could make it back home. Fortunately by my being at the office, I was also able to take 4 teaspoons of a supplement called Nitric Balance that has an immediate impact on increasing blood flow to the brain.

Between the evacuation of waste by my body, 2 hours of massage and the Nitric Balance, I finally had to confidence to get back in my car and make it back to bed for some rest.

Wow, was that intense! I have another appreciation for my clients that share their migraine experiences.

So why did this happen?

As I always share with my clients, it is generally never one thing. Typically a combination of multiple challenges. With recent home and office moves, and maybe burning the candle at both ends and at the middle lately, I have put my body in a compromise position. I also ignored the feeling of a need to be adjusted by a chiropractor that I was feeling last week. I also have not been taking care of any build up of tension in my upper back and neck as I usually do with massage. Basically, I set myself up for the migraine and yes...I learned my lesson.

Thankfully I was able to get in with one of my friends today that is a Chiropractor to address what I knew I needed last week. Thank you Dr. Brad Miller!

I also cancelled all my appointments today to honor my body's need for rest and I will commit to maintaining regular massage to work out the tension in my upper back and neck. I would be very happy to never experience this again and will do everything within my power to take responsibility for this and make the changes I need to make.

So what can we learn about migraines?

First of all let's recognize that a migraine is a type of recurrent, throbbing, vascular headache. They are characterized by changes (constriction followed by dilation) in the cerebral blood vessels.

Migraines affect about 10% of the population - 17% of women and 5% of men. The largest suspect group are between the ages of 25 and 44. There is also a very strong genetic element in the likelihood of an individual experiencing migraines. I am not so sure how much of this is truly genetic vs. learned behaviors. This may be a subject of another day. Lastly the typical migraine attach, yes it feels like and attack, will last for anywhere from 1 to 72 hours and generally occurs approximately once per month.

I wanted to list some substances that may assist in alleviating or prevent migraines:

• 5-HTP
• SAM
• Tryptophan
• Melatonin
• Progesterone
• GLA
• Omega 3 fatty acids
• ALA
• EPA
• Calcium
• Lithium
• Magnesium
• Serotonin
• MSM
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin B3
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin D3
• Feverfew
• Ginger
• Ginkgo biloba
• Lavender oil
• Fish oil

 Here is a list of substances that can cause or exacerbate migraines:

• Caffeine
• Tyramine
• Tyrosine
• Arachidonic acid
• Copper
• Alcohol
• Coffee
• Cocoa
• Cheese
• Dairy products
• Gluten
• Aspartame
• MSG
• Sodium nitrate
• Citrus fruits
• Conventional bacon
• Chocolate
• Ham
• Onions

Other factors that can trigger migraines:

• Excessive consumption of fried foods
• Fasting
• Allergies
• Inflammation
• Fatigue
• Major Depression
• Stress
• Dehydration

With this information you can possibly address this with your health care practitioner. If you would like my assistance with migraines, feel free to call me directly at 949.954.6226.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave these below.