For the past week-and-a-half my hubby, Jeff, has suffered from crippling cluster migraines. The last time he went through an episode like this was 13 years ago, he had just started a new job, and he was under a tremendous amount of self-induced stress trying to make a good impression on his new co-workers. Needless to say, having to miss two days of work was a bit counterproductive to what he was trying to achieve. Back in 2000, he went to a neurologist who prescribed Imitrex and Prednisone to treat the migraine; both treatments worked really well, and he was back to work with a new-found appreciation for how the mind can wreak havoc on the body.
This migraine episode was different. He went to his Primary Care physician, an internal medicine specialist, and he wasn't under any more stress than he normally has been. The doctor took a sample of his blood to see if he had an inflammation - which would warrant Prednisone - but his sediment rate was low, indicating no inflammation. She prescribed a few Imitrex pills, and then explained to him about food allergies in relation to migraines. Jeff took all the Imitrex and was still in agony. We both tracked what he ate, how he felt afterwards, and tried to narrow down what was triggering the migraine. But he had lapses of judgment: the doctor told him that among other foods, sugar, red wine, and aged cheese were culprits, so on Friday night instead of having his nightly glass of sherry, Jeff bought some rum and ordered pizza for dinner (wait, what? I was stunned, but I thought he'd have to find out on his own that that was not a good idea; rum is loaded with sugar, and cheese comes with pizza - I'm pretty certain almost all cheeses are aged to some extent). Sure enough, the next morning his migraine was back in droves, and he told me he probably would have to go to the emergency room by that evening if he couldn't get relief.
I searched the internet to see what it is about the foods that could trigger a migraine, and found out that the body gets overloaded in histamine: the arteries dilate, become overloaded and inflamed, then contract, then dilate again releasing all that histamine. Now, I know that allergies are caused when too much histamine is produced by the body in response to the allergen, but I never equated a migraine with histamine. I don't know why, just never occurred to me, and all the websites, both medical and holistic, never once mentioned taking allergy medicine, like Benadryl or Clarinex, when suffering from a migraine. To me an allergy, even a food type allergy like with peanuts or shell-fish, triggers hives, swelling, shortness of breath, etc., but rarely a migraine. So I had an eureka moment when I figured maybe taking some Benadryl might help his migraine since migraines cause such a big buildup of histamine, and Benadryl is an anti-histamine. I keep a supply of Benadryl on hand since I'm so allergic to poison ivy and insect bites, and I gave him two pills and said, "Let's see if Benadryl works." Wonder of wonders, it did, thank goodness! By Saturday night his migraine was almost completely gone, and a few more doses of Benadryl on Sunday wiped it out totally. He's keeping a bottle of Benadryl at his office now in case he feels a migraine coming on, and he swore to me that he's cognizant of what all he eats (uh huh, sure he is - this is the same man who doesn't think twice about eating a hotdog or ham sandwich from a gas station's food section).
So for anyone out there who suffers from migraines that are most likely triggered by certain foods, try taking Benadryl (we use the Benadryl in the pink box). Just follow the package instructions, and see if it helps. If you suffer often from food migraines, you probably should keep a food diary to see what exactly is triggering them as well. As we age we become less and less tolerant of foods and environmental concerns than we used to be - I didn't become intolerant to poison ivy or bugs until just a few years ago! And if your migraines aren't helped by using an anti-histamine, by all means please go to a doctor; you never know what other conditions might be setting them off! NOTE/UPDATE: It's Monday evening and about an hour ago Jeff's migraine came back in full force. I asked him what he ate, he told me, and then added, "Oh, and some crab." I know that shellfish can trigger food allergies because they often contain preservatives and additives, and sure enough, I looked at the "fresh" crabmeat label and it's FULL of chemicals! GOOD GRIEF JEFF! Oy vey and pass the Benadryl, please. I'll send him an e-mail tomorrow (when he no longer has the migraine) and remind him to read the damn labels!
In addition to a list of foods given to Jeff by the doctor, she also told him to avoid salt and sugar. Jeff told her that we haven't used regular table salt in years, that we use Celtic Grey Sea Salt. She replied, "salt is salt." While this is certainly true, regular table salt - the white, finely ground stuff - is mined from salt pits in the earth, stripped of any and all minerals it may have once contained, preservatives and unnecessary fillers/additives are mixed into it, and refined to what you see in those shakers. Celtic Grey Sea Salt is unrefined with no chemicals, preservatives or any other additives. Here is a list of its benefits: http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/celtic-sea-salt.html. So, while the doctor is partly correct, there are a lot of health benefits from using Celtic Grey (even above other sea salts). I'm sure regular, refined table salt not only is a factor in migraines but also high blood pressure; anything that's refined should be eaten with an abundance of caution! But since we only use the Celtic Grey, we knew that wasn't causing his migraines, and indeed, he's had several meals using the Celtic Grey since the migraine stopped, and he hasn't had a recurrence. I order all of our salts (I use an Hawaiian Red for skincare preparations) through Salt Works, based in Seattle: http://www.saltworks.us/shop/product.asp?idProduct=348. This salt comes in several different grinds: fine to coarse. Note: I'm not paid to endorse Salt Works; I just thought some of y'all might wonder where I get my own supply!
Another thing the doctor told Jeff when he told her we usually used raw honey as a sweetner: "sugar is sugar." Again, true enough; honey definitely is a sugar. But raw, unfiltered, unprocessed honey is an anti-inflammatory, probiotic, anti-microbial powerhouse. With an upset stomach, cold, or just about anything that's ailing you, take a spoonful of raw, unfiltered honey and that "bug" that's causing so much havoc will be vanquished! Diabetics should use caution when using honey because it is, after all, a sugar, and infants less than a year old should not be given honey. But it's a true miracle food for just about everyone else, and I cannot recommend it enough. It's also one of the best topical wound-healers available since it kills germs on contact, seals the wound from any more bacteria entering, and keeps the wound moisturized (vital for no scarring!) while the skin is recovering. The best type of raw honey for skin care/wound care is the dark buckwheat honey. It's also an excellent remedy when ingested but many people don't like the strong flavor (I LOVE it!), so any type of raw honey is good. Just make sure you get your honey from a reputable beekeeper; many U.S. honey companies use a mixture of U.S. and China (yep, China) produced honey, and China has a tendency to add all sorts of awful additives to its products. I personally get all of our raw honey from The Mohawk Valley Trading Company, located in New York; it's simply the best honey I've ever tasted. You order through company e-mail (instructions are on their website), and they ship the same day payment is received - can't beat that for customer service! Here's their website, and you're more than welcome to tell them that Kerry Murphy referred you (again, I don't make a penny for referrals, but it might please them to no end that a happy, happy customer is recommending them!): http://www.tenonanatche.com/raw-buckwheat-honey.htm
This migraine episode was different. He went to his Primary Care physician, an internal medicine specialist, and he wasn't under any more stress than he normally has been. The doctor took a sample of his blood to see if he had an inflammation - which would warrant Prednisone - but his sediment rate was low, indicating no inflammation. She prescribed a few Imitrex pills, and then explained to him about food allergies in relation to migraines. Jeff took all the Imitrex and was still in agony. We both tracked what he ate, how he felt afterwards, and tried to narrow down what was triggering the migraine. But he had lapses of judgment: the doctor told him that among other foods, sugar, red wine, and aged cheese were culprits, so on Friday night instead of having his nightly glass of sherry, Jeff bought some rum and ordered pizza for dinner (wait, what? I was stunned, but I thought he'd have to find out on his own that that was not a good idea; rum is loaded with sugar, and cheese comes with pizza - I'm pretty certain almost all cheeses are aged to some extent). Sure enough, the next morning his migraine was back in droves, and he told me he probably would have to go to the emergency room by that evening if he couldn't get relief.
I searched the internet to see what it is about the foods that could trigger a migraine, and found out that the body gets overloaded in histamine: the arteries dilate, become overloaded and inflamed, then contract, then dilate again releasing all that histamine. Now, I know that allergies are caused when too much histamine is produced by the body in response to the allergen, but I never equated a migraine with histamine. I don't know why, just never occurred to me, and all the websites, both medical and holistic, never once mentioned taking allergy medicine, like Benadryl or Clarinex, when suffering from a migraine. To me an allergy, even a food type allergy like with peanuts or shell-fish, triggers hives, swelling, shortness of breath, etc., but rarely a migraine. So I had an eureka moment when I figured maybe taking some Benadryl might help his migraine since migraines cause such a big buildup of histamine, and Benadryl is an anti-histamine. I keep a supply of Benadryl on hand since I'm so allergic to poison ivy and insect bites, and I gave him two pills and said, "Let's see if Benadryl works." Wonder of wonders, it did, thank goodness! By Saturday night his migraine was almost completely gone, and a few more doses of Benadryl on Sunday wiped it out totally. He's keeping a bottle of Benadryl at his office now in case he feels a migraine coming on, and he swore to me that he's cognizant of what all he eats (uh huh, sure he is - this is the same man who doesn't think twice about eating a hotdog or ham sandwich from a gas station's food section).
So for anyone out there who suffers from migraines that are most likely triggered by certain foods, try taking Benadryl (we use the Benadryl in the pink box). Just follow the package instructions, and see if it helps. If you suffer often from food migraines, you probably should keep a food diary to see what exactly is triggering them as well. As we age we become less and less tolerant of foods and environmental concerns than we used to be - I didn't become intolerant to poison ivy or bugs until just a few years ago! And if your migraines aren't helped by using an anti-histamine, by all means please go to a doctor; you never know what other conditions might be setting them off! NOTE/UPDATE: It's Monday evening and about an hour ago Jeff's migraine came back in full force. I asked him what he ate, he told me, and then added, "Oh, and some crab." I know that shellfish can trigger food allergies because they often contain preservatives and additives, and sure enough, I looked at the "fresh" crabmeat label and it's FULL of chemicals! GOOD GRIEF JEFF! Oy vey and pass the Benadryl, please. I'll send him an e-mail tomorrow (when he no longer has the migraine) and remind him to read the damn labels!
In addition to a list of foods given to Jeff by the doctor, she also told him to avoid salt and sugar. Jeff told her that we haven't used regular table salt in years, that we use Celtic Grey Sea Salt. She replied, "salt is salt." While this is certainly true, regular table salt - the white, finely ground stuff - is mined from salt pits in the earth, stripped of any and all minerals it may have once contained, preservatives and unnecessary fillers/additives are mixed into it, and refined to what you see in those shakers. Celtic Grey Sea Salt is unrefined with no chemicals, preservatives or any other additives. Here is a list of its benefits: http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/celtic-sea-salt.html. So, while the doctor is partly correct, there are a lot of health benefits from using Celtic Grey (even above other sea salts). I'm sure regular, refined table salt not only is a factor in migraines but also high blood pressure; anything that's refined should be eaten with an abundance of caution! But since we only use the Celtic Grey, we knew that wasn't causing his migraines, and indeed, he's had several meals using the Celtic Grey since the migraine stopped, and he hasn't had a recurrence. I order all of our salts (I use an Hawaiian Red for skincare preparations) through Salt Works, based in Seattle: http://www.saltworks.us/shop/product.asp?idProduct=348. This salt comes in several different grinds: fine to coarse. Note: I'm not paid to endorse Salt Works; I just thought some of y'all might wonder where I get my own supply!
Another thing the doctor told Jeff when he told her we usually used raw honey as a sweetner: "sugar is sugar." Again, true enough; honey definitely is a sugar. But raw, unfiltered, unprocessed honey is an anti-inflammatory, probiotic, anti-microbial powerhouse. With an upset stomach, cold, or just about anything that's ailing you, take a spoonful of raw, unfiltered honey and that "bug" that's causing so much havoc will be vanquished! Diabetics should use caution when using honey because it is, after all, a sugar, and infants less than a year old should not be given honey. But it's a true miracle food for just about everyone else, and I cannot recommend it enough. It's also one of the best topical wound-healers available since it kills germs on contact, seals the wound from any more bacteria entering, and keeps the wound moisturized (vital for no scarring!) while the skin is recovering. The best type of raw honey for skin care/wound care is the dark buckwheat honey. It's also an excellent remedy when ingested but many people don't like the strong flavor (I LOVE it!), so any type of raw honey is good. Just make sure you get your honey from a reputable beekeeper; many U.S. honey companies use a mixture of U.S. and China (yep, China) produced honey, and China has a tendency to add all sorts of awful additives to its products. I personally get all of our raw honey from The Mohawk Valley Trading Company, located in New York; it's simply the best honey I've ever tasted. You order through company e-mail (instructions are on their website), and they ship the same day payment is received - can't beat that for customer service! Here's their website, and you're more than welcome to tell them that Kerry Murphy referred you (again, I don't make a penny for referrals, but it might please them to no end that a happy, happy customer is recommending them!): http://www.tenonanatche.com/raw-buckwheat-honey.htm
