Migraine Headaches

I'm working on getting more informational website links about migraines, in the meantime check out what I've got below (mostly stuff off the top of my head) for some things to look into, and I've also added a little of my history with migraines.

the National Organization Mobilized to Stop Glutamate (NoMSG)
I recently wrote a speech about the harmful effects of MSG and found out it causes tons more problems than just migraines and neck pain! Every year its being used more and more, and hidden in other ingredients (in other words, you read labels and buy food that doesn't have MSG listed, but its still in the food). I'll get the speech posted soon (its on my old computer at the moment).

Non-Medicinal Treatments

Unfortunately I don't have info links for these at the moment. Try a search on IWon.com, they tend to get good results. In the meantime I'll work on getting more info/studies on these & migraines. Chiropractic
Accupuncture
Migraine Diet
NTI-tss dental device (FDA approved!!!)
St. John's Neuromuscular Therapy
Theraputic massage
Cranial Sacral therapy
Aromatherapy

Migraine Diet / Food Triggers

Avoid these at all costs if you suffer from migraines!

Aspertame ("Sweet'n'Low")
Monosodium Glutamate (also known as MSG, hydrolized vegetable protien, autolyzed yeast and "sea salt")
Chocolate
Caffienne
Canned soup or soup mixes
Deli, processed, canned and cured meats (they usually contain MSG, nitrates and nitrites)
Nitrates and Nitrites
Red Wine
Bananas, Avacados, figs, passion fruits
Soy sauce
Aged cheeses
Yellow #5

MSG is often found in soups, salad dressings, flavored chips (Doritos, Ranch or BBQ chips, Cheetos, etc), meat seasoning mixes (for tacos, etc), so read those labels!!

There are other food triggers, so search around on the web or ask a doctor for the list.

My Migraine Headaches

I've suffered from chronic migraines since I was 10 years old (the past 10 years). I found out early on that I'm allergic to the "triptan" type drugs, such as Imitrex, Amerge, Zomig, etc. During high school, they became very severe. I missed several semesters and was homebound because of the persistent pain. Chiropractic care worked for me for about a year and a half, and some medications have helped me be functional from time to time. At the end of my senior year, I had major problems with vomiting, up to 6 times a day, because my body couldn't metabolize the medication I was on - OxyContin. I had to come down off of the med slowly, so the I wouldn't have seizures and so on, and they didn't expect me to go into withdrawal, but it was horrible. I was in withdrawal for 3 months (even though I had never abused the drug and had no psychological need for it). Panic attacks, tremors, insomnia, chills, hot flashes, all that fun stuff. Not to mention I was still vomiting even at a relatively low dose. If your doctors want you on narcotics, please!, ask for something safer. Because I had to drop so many classes, I was unable to graduate on time and ended up getting a GED despite my high GPA. I went to Michigan Head-pain and Neurological Institute for 4 years, they weren't able to help very much, even after two hospitalizations, one for 13 days and the second for 21 days. They mostly stick to a medicinal approach and don't bother with any other methods, (besides their "counseling" which is a joke) which is unfortunate. I had to leave GVSU in January '02 to go home and get better treatment in hopes of reducing my ER visits (I was in almost twice a month since March of '01, due to hormonal migraines) and also to get my daily pain level down to a level where I would be able to function. In February 2002, I left MHNI and went to Henry Ford Hospital to start with a new doctor. One of the MHNI doctors had basically refused to treat me because I "did not look like (I) was in enough pain" and was not suicidal (After the thousands of dollars we had spent on my care there!). Henry Ford Hospital is also adding Integrative Therapy to its approach to treating chronic pain, and I think it's wonderful they're looking outside of medication for treatment. Unfortunately, after I left a message that the C-2 nerve blocks I had just had didn't work, my doctor wouldn't call me back and I suddenly couldn't get an appointment. In the past I've tried physical therapy, biofeedback, had Botox injections, C-2 and occipital nerve blocks (they work for some people with migraines), and been on birth control pills for the hormonal migraine but unfortunately none of these things worked for me. My doctors are all pretty suprised about the difficulty of my case...In July of 2002 I went to a dentist, Dr. Bonheim, and he fitted me with a NTI-tss device, which reduces the clenching of the teeth, and in turn relaxes muscles in the temples and jaw. Dr. Bonheim was actually one of the developers of the NTI, which is FDA-approved for the use of treatment of migraines. It's helped me out a little bit...whenever I get a bad headache I pop it in (I tend to clench my teeth when they're bad). For other migraine sufferers, you might want to try a special diet (I've been on it since I was 10, and have several food triggers). Also, I've started using Ginger tablets (found at any health food or vitamins store) for my nausea. I've found that Ginger works much better for me than any of the prescription medications ever did, and I'll avoid medicating myself whenever I can! I've now started with a new headache clinic at St. John Hospital in Madison Heights, MI. They don't treat with handfulls of pills like MHNI, rather, medication with counseling and integrated medicine. And I'm finally getting off of the narcotics! My doc says that people with chronic headache who have been on pain medication like that for such a long time won't get improvement, and the narcotics can actually make the pain more chronic. It can take 3 months to 1 year after I get off of the narcotics to see an improvement. So get me off this stuff ASAP!! (It'll be nice to be able to drive long distances too... ever since I've been on this I would get highway hypnotized and start to drift off at the wheel, so my parents have had to drive me to GVSU). I've also started with acupuncture and cranial-sacral therapy. I haven't had 100% relief from either of these yet, but I've only been in for a few visits each, and I find both therapies to be very relaxing. There are lots of different medications out there for migraines, and lots of research is being done- a new medication group is being developed and reasearched, and I just heard that some Italian scientists discovered the gene for migraines (which should help them figure out the true causes and some remedies for genetic migraines!) so I've got my hopes up that every day they're getting closer to a true prevention and/or cure.