By Cynthia Sadurni
Living with chronic migraine can feel like having your wings clipped: Will I be able to travel without an attack? How do I care for myself and minimize stress? What should I eat while I am on the plane or at the airport? If I go overseas or take a red-eye flight, will that send me down the rabbit hole of migraine hell?
For people with migraines, so many things seem capable of derailing our daily routine and triggering an attack: sleeping poorly, working overtime, staying up late, even weather changes. These are very real concerns, and they can make you feel you have no control, no say in when and how a migraine episode will happen.
Feels familiar? The good news is there are things you can do to manage migraine headaches. We are lucky to live in a time when great things are happening in the research in this field. New insights are constantly coming to light. Maybe it is also comforting to know that you are not alone in this, because you aren’t!
Having been on the journey for quite some time to better control my migraines, I hope that sharing what I have learned will inspire and help you. Please note that I am not a doctor or health practitioner, and that, first and foremost, it is important to consult with a healthcare specialist. There are many wonderful neurologists, herbalists, naturopaths, and acupuncturists who can make a difference and guide you on the path to a better understanding and management of migraines. The same applies for supplements and preventive treatments.
That being said, let’s dive in!
Migraine prevention is a tricky beast. There are many things that trigger them: weather, barometric pressure changes, smells, lack of sleep, certain foods. Also, these triggers are cumulative. Maybe one day you can manage to indulge in sweets, but another time, the same sweets can cause a migraine. If on that day you also slept poorly, experienced intense stress and worked overtime, then that little something sweet can tip the scales and trigger an attack.
So where to start? Here are a few ideas that have worked for me:
Let go of the things that you can’t change and embrace the ones you can. The road to migraine control can feel challenging, but it is worth the effort! I found early on that the easiest (and sometimes hardest) thing to do is to start small. Lifestyle and diet changes are a good starting point. Of course, it is hard to give up things we love to eat, but eliminating known food triggers is something that, with a little conviction, we can achieve. Also, this will help reduce inflammation in our bodies, so win, win!
For example, I have found out that sugar is a major trigger for me. Anything sweet, even fruit, will trigger an episode. (Do not despair, some people find that if they plan and eat healthy proteins and leafy greens in abundance beforehand, this can greatly reduce the migraine threshold. However, if you are very sensitive to the spikes in blood glucose caused by sweets, even this approach carries risk.)
Aged foods are another big one. From what I have read, the culprit is tyramine, a substance found in aged and cured foods. Furthermore, some friends can’t tolerate red peppers, while others have issues with onions or gluten. Each body is different, but what is true is that what works in an anti-inflammatory diet applies for a migraine-safe one. But how to know where to start?
In my case, I went cold turkey with all the major food triggers. (I highly recommend going online and researching this. Lists of known triggers are easily available and can help guide you in making the choices that would work best for you.) After a period of time, when I felt well enough to try, I started adding things back in, little by little. It is hard otherwise to know what could be causing problems. I tried several approaches, and settled for a modified intermittent fasting of 12 hours between dinner and breakfast, as well as a low-carb, veggie and protein-rich diet.
Gentle exercise is also one of your best allies. Tai Chi, yoga, gentle stretching, and walking are all great options. A few days ago, I had one of those episodes when even the medication didn’t seem to act fast enough, so I went out for a long walk. Just the fact that I was out and about started to shift my mindset. Not only that, but the fresh air and the added light soon started to work its magic.
When we are in pain, it is instinctual to want to find a quiet place, a den, to rest and recover. However, if possible, moving will help loosen all the muscles that tense up during a migraine attack. By the end of the walk, I was feeling better. I do have to say that this works in the early stages of an episode, and what works for me may not necessarily work for others. There have are instances where moving is not an option due to nausea or vertigo. However, as soon as these symptoms subside enough, just sitting outside my door in the fresh air, even with sunglasses and a baseball cap, works wonders.
When exercising, hydration is your best friend. Plenty of water before and while you exercise is key to avoid a potential migraine.
A note of caution, though: strenuous activities can have the opposite effect, and intense heat or cold can exacerbate this. A good example, summer activities in the heat of the day are something to watch out for.
If the migraine attack is severe, some gentle stretching of the neck and shoulders is highly beneficial. Yoga really helps ease the tension in the body. There are some great poses I have tried and found work well. Clear lake pose (aka, “legs up the wall” pose) is one of them and my favorite. My advice is to research yoga poses for migraine online and find one that works well for you, or check with a qualified teacher.
Next month, I’ll offer some ideas that approach migraine prevention and management from a holistic standpoint. May these suggestions help you find a path to more migraine-free days!
