RandomBliss: Getting Rid of My Migraines

A relaxing, small lake in New York State.

Listening to: A relaxing combination of instruments.

Today's Bliss Formula: Another bike ride day to the library -- which means views of the water. A new book to read (by an author I'll interview on here). A coffee treat on the way to work.

In a recent post, I mentioned the fact that I had gotten rid of my migraines -- along with a number of other health issues that mainstream medicine told me I could never get rid of.

The migraine story was briefly mentioned as an aside and a reader asked if I could go into more detail. So here we are...

I can remember the exact moment I got my first migraine. I was in 9th grade science class and we were watching a film about frogs. It was typical for the films to look grainy, even have light-filled holes here and there. But this particular "hole" wouldn't go away. Then I noticed that no matter where I looked, there was a hole. And I was getting sicker and sicker to my stomach.

When the film ended and the lights turned on, my friends looked at me and asked what was the matter. The teacher could tell. I was white as a ghost. Before long, I was in the nurse's office throwing up and in severe pain.

I had "classic migraines." You know, light auras beforehand that politely warned me that my day or my evening or my fun time was about to come to an end. As soon as the light auras ended, the vomiting would commence. There were times when I would throw up every 20 minutes for hours on end. Yes, this was debilitating, to say the least.

I was getting between 4 to 8 migraines a month. By the time I got to college, I had to carry around a letter explaining why it was that I could miss classes very, very often.

There is no getting used to this kind of pain. It is not just a bad headache. I would punch my head sometimes and pull my hair -- trying anything to make it go away. I would lie in a dark room and literally moan away the hours. And for days afterward, the pain lingered like numbness and my eyes didn't work quite right.

My senior year of college, I got an aura that would not go away. It turned out to be an occlusion and I lost a small part of the vision in my left eye.

My parents are in medicine, so this whole time, I am seeing doctors and having tests run and trying each new drug as it came out. Nothing ever worked. And sometimes the drugs had side effects and I would choose the pain over those.

I was 25 years old when I met my partner, Marcy, otherwise known as Frog. She was the first person in my life who didn't treat my migraines like they were inconveniencing her or like I was bringing them on myself or they were my way out of something I didn't want to do.

She simply did not want me to live a life that could so instantly be stalled by such amazing and agonizing pain.

We did a lot of reading so we would understand how migraines work. And we discovered that it takes three triggers to make a migraine happen. Sometimes one of those triggers can be out of your control -- like weather, a severe drop in barometric pressure.

But the other two are in your control. Whatever they are.

So I started a regimen to decrease stress; I kept a food diary; I tried some herbal remedies; and here's what worked for me.

1. Even people who suffer from classic migraines as opposed to tension migraines can help themselves a lot in terms of stress and anxiety. Staying calm and relaxed is important. Yoga, massage, therapy, meditation...it all helps.

2. My food diary revealed that I was basically overdosing on dairy the day before I would have a migraine. And I am a dairy girl through and through. So for three years, I simply did not let a single ounce of dairy pass my lips. No pizza, no ice cream...not a single ounce for three years. I emphasize that because, yes, it was very difficult. When I did return to dairy, it was organic and it has been ever since. The growth hormone they give to cows is connected to a lot of illness out there. We just never want to admit that something we eat might be causing us distress. This seems to me a very American thing -- and a very mainstream medicine thing. Remember, most M.D.'s do not take nutrition classes, and to this day, they are hard pressed, for the most part, to admit that food has anything to do with health or disease.

3. During my three year dairy cleanse, I also went through a bunch of cycles of Feverfew and gingko biloba. There were some studies in England that showed Feverfew decreased the intensity of migraines and the frequency. (This is not medical advice, of course. I am just telling you what worked for me.)

Note: A crucial point is that I did not do one thing; I did many things and worked hard at getting rid of my migraines. There is no magic pill -- homeopathic or pharmaceutical.

4. We eventually switched over all our foods to organic. I think this is really important for any level of health: clean foods eaten as closely as possible to their original form. Enough already with the processed crap and the wondering about disease and obesity!

5. I journaled like crazy for years (and still do). The dairy cleanse and the organic food cleans out my body and the journaling cleans out my mind.

6. Yoga. I want to mention yoga specifically. I write about yoga a lot. There's good reason. The efficacy of yoga in regards to many ailments, I think, is only beginning to be understood. Keeping yourself limber and flexible also keeps the blood flowing. After sitting at desks all day, our bodies are in desperate need of some oxygen! The effects of yoga on the mind are profound. No matter at what "level" you are practicing. It creates a balance whether you want it to or not.

7. Living happy. This is also important. The happier you are, the healthier you will be. The more you live your bliss, the stronger your immune system will be.

So I haven't had a migraine in 8 years, and before that, I hadn't had one in five years. And the last migraine I had, I can tell you, was most definitely related to some seriously intense stress in my life and my not taking care of myself.

Life without migraines is certainly more bliss-filled. I can even do radical things like have a glass of red wine or sit by candlelight or plan for something and not worry that it will have to be canceled at the last minute. Imagine that!

Do any of you have suggestions for other readers about getting rid of migraines?