vacuum headache - Coping with Migraine: Claims of a "Cure"
Coping with Migraine: Claims of a "Cure"
I was recently presented with a dilemma here on Free my Brain. I want to encourage dialog and exchange of ideas, but I don't intend to provide an open marketplace for sale of migraine "cures." (Though I will gladly support and even promote helpful products and services.) Migraine is a complex, genetically based, neurological disease. The frequency and severity of migraines vary enormously from person to person; so do the number and complexity of triggers and other contributing factors. What we know now is that this is a neurological disorder, a differently ordered nervous system, if you will, which has existed throughout human history. Like many congenital conditions, there may have been a valid evolutionary reason for this mutation at one point. Maybe migraineurs were the human barometers, predicting disastrous weather changes for primitive societies. I had fun speculating on the evolutionary basis of migraine in the post Our Ancestress: A Fable.
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But there is another view of retraining which comes from an idea that Migraine disease is psychologically generated. It is not. It is a real, physical condition. It is no more psychological than epilepsy or scoliosis. I view with rage books like Louise Hay's "You Can Heal Your Life" which suggest that right thinking can solve all our medical problems. She suggests that "Migraine headaches are created by people who want to be perfect and who create a lot of pressure on themselves. A lot of suppressed anger is involved..." You actually learn more about vacuum headache only with more reading on matters pertaining to it. So the more articles you read like this, the more you learn about vacuum headache.
Someone submitted a comment to one of my posts stating that Migraine isn't a disease; there is a cure for Migraine "within us;" he had over 20 years of migraines which are now gone; and you can "retrain" yourself so you have no more migraines; he then went on to promote his methods. I am genuinely happy for the commenter that his migraines are gone. I am certainly curious about his methods, and glad that he wants to help others. I don't mean to suggest he had any but the best motives. But I am wary of anyone's claim to have a cure. After some deliberation, I decided not to publish the comment and link.
I have been told that if I only distinguished the beliefs from my past that were making me have Migraines, they would disappear. I will admit I tried to do that. Like anyone else, I have a past and beliefs were formed in it! Some of those beliefs are limiting to me. In a life of nearly half a century, with plenty of self-help, support groups, personal development courses, and therapy, I think I've managed to identify most of those beliefs. So why am I not cured of Migraines? Is it my fault? Or, wait, could it be that I have a genetically based, incurable neurological condition? Hmmm... Which is the more logical conclusion? And which is more empowering?
For me, the answer is clear. I am 49, a woman, 5'2?, a redhead, a migraineur. These are facts. I get choices about what I do with those facts. I am choosing to vigorously pursue better and better Migraine management. I am not wasting my mental or emotional energy on "cures." Or at least I won't, once I'm done with this rant!
A great place for some very basic facts and information about Migraine is the recent quiz at My Migraine Connection: Dispelling Migraine Myths. The two books on migraine featured in the left side-bar on this page are both great resources for learning about migraine and how to manage it. There is much we can do. For most of us, we can reduce our migraines significantly. You have probably heard me say before that I have reduced my own migraine frequency by about 50% through use of abortive medications, supplements, trigger avoidance, relaxation and meditation, and lifestyle changes.
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Scientifically Formulated Based on Clinical Research to:
Prevent migraine attacks
Stop Migraine!
Feel great all day every day
Naturally stop migraines
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Relieve Headache and Migraine
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I wish we could do a scientific study of people who want to be perfect and who put pressure on themselves. In the first place I bet you that's at least 75% of the population. And I bet you dollars to donuts that 12% of all the perfectionists would turn out to have Migraine disease. And I bet that 12% of all the non-perfectionists would have Migraine disease too. What's the incidence of Migraine disease in the general population? 12%! I think you get my point. You must have searched high and low for some matter for vacuum headache, isn't it? That is the main reason we compiled this article for you to get that required matter!
And so, if we work like crazy in therapy, meditate, recite mantras and do whatever highly subjective steps Hay seems to think will enable us to let go of the anger and pressure, if we do all that and we still have Migraines, then what? We failed? It's like telling someone the devil is causing their Migraines and they just have to really believe in God. "I do believe!" "If you really believed the devil would leave you and your Migraines would be gone!" "But I really do believe..." It's just a very sneaky way of blaming the victim! It is not always that we just turn on the computer, and there is a page about vacuum headache. We have written this article to let others know more about vacuum headache through our resources.
There are two ways to look at "retraining." A nervous system which can be easily triggered into a Migraine attack can be viewed as an over-excitable or hyper-reactive nervous system. Regular practice of meditation and relaxation can help us reduce the excitability of our nervous systems. Note that this is not a "cure;" it is a supportive exercise or practice which can strengthen our system's ability to resist triggers. You could call this "retraining."
Curing is good for meats, cheeses, wines, paints... Maybe our heads don't need it?
Megan Oltman is a migraineur, an entrepreneur, and a Migraine Management Coach, helping migraineurs and people with chronic illness manage their lives, keep working, start and maintain businesses, and live purposeful lives. She also practices as a professional divorce mediator. Over the years, she's been a practicing attorney, a free-lance writer, and a business coach and advisor. Megan has a free Migraine management course, The Six Keys to Manage your Migraines and Take Back your Life, available at http://www.takebackyourlifefrommigraine.com Her writings on Migraine and more tools for managing life with Migraine can be found at http://www.freemybrain.com.
Our Readers' Questions and Answers:
migraine relief?
Sparrow asked on Thu, 31 May, 2007
hi. i have a really bad migraine, and nothing is helping. i've tried caffine, so please don't suggest that. any suggestions?
thanks.
please hurry!!
ChapelHillNc replied on Thu, 31 May, 2007
I get them faithfully. I have been to emergencee rooms and the only thing that seem to help was oxycontin. My doctor stopped giving them to me. The only thing that's over the counter that helped me was execedrin migrain--not tylenol, advil motrin, but execedrin migrain. It doesn't knock me out like oxycontin, but it's really good considering it's over the counter and cost about 5.99 or less. Good luck with your migrain--yuck! I know how you feel.
BettyBoop replied on Thu, 31 May, 2007
It usually helps me to lie down in a dark room with either a warm or cool wash cloth across my eyes (sometimes I alternate). Then it's just a matter of time - if I do this soon enough after the migraine starts I can sometimes get them to go away or at least really mute down in about an hour.
time will tell replied on Thu, 31 May, 2007
My great grandmother used to take a cold potato and slice thin strips and lay with them on across her for head. I never tried it but I guess you have nothing to lose
sweetienat123 replied on Sun, 03 Jun, 2007
Take Excedrine Migraine or the generic version. Make sure it includes acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine in the active ingredient list. It will work, always does for me, even with the really bad migraines. Make sure you take it with plenty of water.
Hope this helps for the next time!
Danielle replied on Thu, 31 May, 2007
I take Excedrin migraine. It usually helps me. You can also try putting a cold damp wash cloth on your head while you lay down in a quiet, dark room. Try not to stress about it too much. The more I think about how badly it hurts, the worse it gets. If you're having double or blurry vision, vomiting, or if it lasts more than a few hours, call a friend to take you to the ER. You can never be too careful. Good luck!
BaFfler replied on Thu, 31 May, 2007
There is a new development in migraine therapy:
http://www.neurologyreviews.com/feb04/nr_feb04_foramen.html
Jenn replied on Thu, 31 May, 2007
Hello, I know how rough migraines can be. The worst thing you can do is to drink or take caffeine pills. I would suggest Excedrin Migraine pills that are sold in your local grocery store. Good luck!
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