Grand Master P (as in Puncture......as in acu..)

I have baffled my acupuncturist!  (I call him Dr. Needles.)  I was doing really well and had not had a migraine in over 3 weeks and was feeling really good and almost cocky that I had gotten rid of them.  Then, came the smack down!  Almost every day this week, I have had a headache.  Some were full-blown migraines, others were just bad enough to make my day miserable.  There doesn't seem to be any reason for it.  No major changes or anything.

SO - since Dr. Needles couldn't figure out my deal, he set up a free session with his teacher and mentor who I will call "Grand Master P".  This guy is like the triple black belt mac daddy of acupuncture.  He is a sweet, tiny, Chinese man who drives in from Texas about once a  month or so to consult with and provide guidance to his student, Dr. Needles.  (Apparently, like music, acupuncture is an ongoing learning process.) 

Grand Master P was very helpful.  He asked loads of questions before diagnosing me with "Qi stagnation".  According to him, Qi is life energy and it flows throughout the body.  Sometimes, it flows into a part of your body but doesn't flow back out for some reason.  This is Qi (pronounce "Chee") stagnation.  In my case the Qi is flowing to my head and is getting blocked up there.  The energy has to go somewhere so it comes out as pain.  He said that the remedy for me is to pull the energy back down from my head.  (I don't know how much of this I subscribe to.  I'm just saying what he said.)

He put a lot more needles in than usual and I have to say they stung a bit.   He said that if it stings a little, that means it's working.  If it burns, then that's not good.  Two of them burned like hell so he had to adjust them.  I think he put them in deeper than usual.  As he did this, we had a very nice chat about life, music, and everything.  He plays the western as well as the Chinese flute and was very interested to hear about my oboe playing.  We agreed to play some duets and swap CD's next time he comes into town.  Very cool guy.   

As Grand Master P was leaving the room to let me rest with the needles in for 20 minutes, one of them fell out.  It happened to be the one near where my head had been hurting that morning.  When I told him this, he said "That's good!  When that happens, we don't put it back in. When the body redirects energy, sometimes it rejects a needle and pushes it back out.  When it does this, it means it doesn't need that needle any more."  Isn't that crazy?  If it hadn't had this happen to me, I don't think I would've believed it.  I have never had a needle come out before.  I don't know what it means, but there it is.

I have to say, I felt tons better and way more relaxed after my visit with Grand Master P.  This is good because I have friends staying at my house with 2 little boys aged 5 and 3.  I totally need my energy this weekend!  :-)

Possible Help for Women Migraine Sufferers

I am so excited because I found this book that has some ideas for naturally healing migraines.  I don't know if it will work, and I'm certainly not recommending that you do these things.  However, you may want to discuss these things with your doctor and perhaps get your hormones tested.

In the book, it says that 10 times more women have migraines than men and 80% of these are due to a lack of progesterone.  Apparently, during days 14-28 of your cycle, progesterone levels drop off which can cause migraines along with PMS symptoms.  (In fact, most women who have PMS also have migraines.  Hmmm.)
Anyway, the book suggests that taking 50 mg progesterone supplements during days 14 - 28 of your cycle may help stop migraines.  (Note:  Only bio-identlical progesterone.  Synthetic progesterone doesn't work the same way and can have side effects.)  Also, it advises other various supplements.  I had heard that some migraines could be from a lack of Magnesium.  (Dr. Hyman covers this in his books.)

Here's what the book advises:
1.  50mg progesterone 2x per day.
2.  100mg of Magnesium 3x per day.
3.  Essential Fatty Acids:  Omega 3 + GLA + Oleic Acid
4.  Iodine - 12.5 mg per day.
5.  Vitamin D - 5000 IU per day.

Again, I am NOT saying you should just start taking these.  If you have migraines however, and you are a menstruating woman, you may want to show this to your doctor and ask what they think.  I know I'm going to!  Actually, my Functional Medicine Practitioner had already recommended most of these things to me so I'm already doing everything except the progesterone.  I'm going to get my levels tested and I'll be curious to see the result.  Wouldn't it be awesome if I could prevent any more migraines from happening by taking progesterone pills? 

Has anyone out there had any luck with taking progesterone to heal migraines?

Needles and Chips

Needles:
Well, today was my 3rd session at the acupuncturist's.  I'm used to the drill now.  This time, he put extra needles in my neck because I told him I'm having tightness in my shoulders.  (I ALWAYS have tightness in my shoulders.  I hold a lot of tension there and they seem to be up in my ears most of the time.)  Also, he gave me some therapeutic cream to put on my neck to loosen the muscles.  (Kinda like a natural Icy-Hot.)

I have not had a headache since my first acupuncture session on Tuesday.  It has almost been a week now and that's the longest I've gone without a headache in several months!  Is it wrong to be in love with your acupuncturist?  ;-)

Chips:
A friend of mine posted a recipe for kale chips on  her blog.  I made them tonight and they were fantastic!  I did not expect them to be so light and crispy.  I totally pigged out on them, but didn't feel too bad because it's kale!  The more kale you eat the better, right?  Seriously, try this.  It's an easy, painless way to get your veggies.

Second Visit to the Acupunturist

Today was my second acupuncture session.  As I was headed over there, I checked the mail and there was a hand-written card from Dr. Needle.  How nice is that?  It had a nice, peaceful picture of some green bamboo on the front and it said:
"Lyn- 
I'm glad you decided to try acupuncture and Chinese medicine, as I believe your condition will respond favorably to treatment.  As we discussed, if you can be consistent for a period of time I believe you'll see results.  See you next visit."
He's trying hard, isn't he?  His business is only about a year old so I'm sure he's still trying to grow his client base.  It was still nice to get the card though.


Last time, there were two needles that bothered me and he had to adjust them.  Today, nothing bothered me at all.  Either my body is getting used to it or Dr. Needle is adjusting to my particular body.  Anyway, it was fine.  He put the needles in the same places except instead of the neck ones, he put them on either side of my nose (to help open the sinuses).  I could see them sticking out like big 'ol walrus whiskers.  Crazy!  Again, I had to lay there for 20 minutes before he removed the needles.  After they were out he massaged my shoulders, temples, and ears.  I was calling this "shiatsu" but it's not.  It's called "Gwa Sha" (used to release tension in problem areas) and "Tui Na" (used to move Qi in various parts of the body).  

After an acupuncture session, they say not to do anything strenuous and to not take any drugs or drink alcohol for 6 hours.  I just felt extremely sleepy when I got home and took a nap.  I have to say, I have felt better for the past 3 days but I can't tell if it's from the acupuncture or from the fact that I have the week off for spring break.  The real test will be when school starts again!

I'll keep posting about my experiences with acupuncture for those that are curious.  (I have to go twice a week for the next couple of weeks.)  I'm not 100% sold on it but, like I said before, I'm willing to give it a try.  My friend's mother said that for her, it took about a month but now she doesn't have any migraines at all and she doesn't have to take her medicine.  I'm hopeful. 
 

Acupuncture 101

A friend of mine recently told me about her mother who has had some success with acupuncture for migraines, so I decided to try it.  It can't hurt, right?  (Well, at least not as much as my headaches do!)

I made an appointment for this morning at 10:30 am.  Coincidentally, I had a migraine on the left side of my head when I woke up this morning so I almost canceled.  Then I thought, "now's my chance to see if it actually makes me feel better."  So I dragged myself over there.

Pre-puncture:
The acupuncturist I saw (I'll call him Dr. Needle) seemed very professional and seemed like he knew what he was talking about.  He asked lots of questions before we began and he really listened to my answers.  Dr. Needle's questions helped me realize that I actually have had some improvement in my migraines since I started my crazy diet.  (no wheat, dairy, or sugar)  I was feeling frustrated because the frequency hasn't seemed to diminish at all.  BUT - the intensity isn't as bad and the duration isn't as long these days.  I used to spend the day crying and throwing up whenever I had a migraine.  I haven't had one like that in months.  Also, if I'm going to have a migraine, I'll always wake up with it.  It used to last until 6 or 7 at night but lately, it goes away around 3 or 4 in the afternoon.  That's improvement!  I hadn't really thought about it until Dr. Needle's questioning.  It confirmed in my mind that I'm on the right track.

Puncture:
I have to say, having needles stuck in you doesn't really hurt at all!  It just feels like someone is flicking you lightly with their fingers.  There were two places which burned slightly when Dr. Needle put the needles in, but I told him and he adjusted them.  I didn't really feel them after that.  He put 14 needles in total:  two in each foot, two in each shin, one in each knee, two in each hand, one on either side of my neck, one in the middle of my forehead, and one the top, left side of my head (exactly where it was hurting).  The idea is to disrupt and redirect the energy flow in the body.  It sounds a little hocus-pocus but a lot of people swear by it and it has been around a long time so there must be something in it.

After the needles were in, the doctor left the room for 20 minutes.  I laid there on the table with all the needles in, with pillows under my head, legs, and each arm.  It kind of felt like I was floating on a cloud.  After 20 minutes, Dr. Needle came and removed the needles and I barely felt it at all.  He then did some shiatsu massage on my neck, shoulders, and ears - reaching the pressure points there.

Post-Puncture:
 I would like to say that my headache immediately went away and I felt great, but that's not how it works.  For chronic conditions you have to go back a few times, and there is a cumulative effect.  Dr. Needle gave me some Chinese herbs to take twice a day for a month or so.  He says we're correcting an imbalance in the body so this isn't something I have to take forever. 

The pain was still there when I left, but I did notice my nausea (and other stomach issues which accompany the migraine which I won't go into) had subsided.  Also, I usually see auras and/or trailers and that had gone away too.  So there was  improvement even though the pain was still there.  The pain didn't go away until 5:00 pm, but that's about when it usually stops. 


The verdict:
I think there is something in this and I am hopeful that it will work.  My shoulders feel less tense than they did this morning.  I have another appointment for Friday and I will keep you posted.  Has anyone else had experiences (good or bad) with acupuncture?

Migraines Just Suck!

I have not been as diligent about posting lately because I have been having an increase in migraines these past two weeks and I can't figure out why.  The main thing that motivated me to start this quest for health is the fact that I have these terrible migraine headaches.  Those of you who have them know how all about the intense pain as well as the nausea and depression that accompany them.  Also, you know how frustrating it is when people who don't have migraines think you're just being lazy.  They have no idea!

I have woken up with a headache every day for almost two weeks now.  This is upsetting because I have been REALLY careful about what I've been eating.  Some days, I can still go to work and function with the pain (after taking Maxalt), but some days (like today) I just can't get out of bed.  The pain is what I call "active" pain.  If someone hits you in the head with a baseball bat once, the pain will throb for a while and will be kind of dull.  BUT - if someone hits  you over and over again with a baseball bat, you just cannot ignore it!  The pain renews itself.  This is what a migraine is like.   The worst part is that in addition to the pain, I always lie in agony and feel supremely guilty.  I think about all the things I should be doing and all the people I'm letting down.  It's hell.

I have been working with a Functional Medical Practitioner in order to stop them.  My goal is to figure out how to NEVER have a migraine again!  The diet and supplements she has put me on have helped me lose almost 30 pounds.  This is an awesome side-effect, but that's not why I'm doing this.  Here are some things I have tried.  Some of these have kind of worked (in that they reduced the frequency of the migraines), but some of them really have not.  If you are a migraine sufferer, some of these might work for you.


Remedies I have tried:
1.  Avoiding common migraine triggers - coffee, wine (esp red), avocados, tomatoes, vinegar, chocolate, bananas.  (This did reduce the frequency of my migraines.)
2.  Seeing a Chiropractor - they can help if the migraines are due to a structural problem.  If not, then they can't.
3.  Massage - didn't seem to do anything.
4.  Aroma Therapy - also didn't seem to do anything.
5.  Giving up wheat, dairy, and sugar - seemed to  help at first, but these past two weeks have been confusing.
6.  Putting my feet in hot water - an old wives' tale someone told me about.  Didn't seem to do anything.
7.  Medication from my neurologist - the first thing he prescribed made me really depressed.  Now, he prescribes Maxalt.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  Also, he says to take Advil as soon as I feel the pain start.  If you take it before the headache "grabs hold",  sometimes  you can prevent it.  (Sometimes.)
8.  Yoga and exercise - although is makes me feel better in general, it doesn't seem to affect the migraines.
9.  Hypnotherapy - it was worth a shot!
10.  Getting glasses - they say sometimes your eyes could be the problem.  (It wasn't with me.)
11.  Getting a special TMJ mouth splint that I wear at night - this helped reduce the frequency.  (I can tell a difference if I forget to wear it.)
12.  Ultrabath - this does seem to reduce the frequency and can ease symptoms sometimes.

As you can see, I have tried several things.  I'm not just sitting around being a victim here!
Here are some things I'm going to try this week:

1.  Acupuncture - a friend told me her mom is having some success with this for migraines.
2.  Get hormones tested - apparently, migraines can be hormonal.  Maybe mine are out of whack.
3.  See my Functional Medical Practitioner again.

If I figure out a cure, I will definitely let  you know.  I would love to hear from other migraine sufferers.  Are there any remedies, which you have tried, that work?