What a pain

Today marks the first day since Thursday that I have no hint of a headache. When you are prone to migraines this tends to be a small accomplishment. Fortunately things are not usually that bad, but it doesn't help when you are trying to teach youth about things that matter.

I'm writing this entry because I feel that it is important to share the wealth of knowledge that I got from a friend. She owns a book called Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis Balch. It is a book which gives very detailed information on certain ailments, what causes them, and what you can do to naturally ease them. My friend photocopied the pages of the book that pertained to migraines and I feel like my life is somewhat different after having read it.

There were things that I already knew, such as some triggers for migraines. Some of these that I knew about were stress, too much sleep, too little sleep, emotional changes, hormonal changes, sun glare, flashing lights, barometric pressure and genetic factors. There were also those that I did not know about: constipation, allergies and liver malfunction. Who knew.

One thing that struck me was low blood sugar levels can affect migraines. I have always noticed that if I am having an attack that it will get better most of the time if I eat something. This I learned through experience, but was not aware of the medical connection. I am also always craving sugar over salt, which makes sense considering that salty and greasy foods can also lead to a migraine. So what are you to do about preventing migraines altogether? I am now armed with some information, and anxious to share with anyone who might also have this problem.

A diet that is low carb, high protein is best. Foods to eat are almonds, watercress, parsley, fennel, garlic, cherries and fresh pineapple. I have a tendency to crave these things often, and wonder if it's my body taking care of itself.

Foods to avoid are ones with amino acid tyramine...aged meats, avocados, bananas, beer, cabbage, canned fish, dairy products, eggplant, hard cheeses, potatoes, raspberries, red plums, tomatoes, wine and yeast. Also, alcoholic beverages, aspirin, chocolate, MSG, hot dogs, and lunch meats.

I hope someone reads this and is helped. There are some things here that I did not know, especially the foods to avoid. I hate to completely alter my diet, but wonder if it will help. Five days is just too long to feel so lethargic.