iwert bernakiewicz wrote:
> Hello everybody,
>
> following the migraine lead I dug up some articles from the New Scientist
> archives. Hope it is usefull for some people...
Thanks, Iwert. I note that the 'articles' even contain the "Letter to
the editor" I mentioned. I think she missed the point a bit, but, saying
that, I can empathise with her defensiveness and wish to ensure that the
"reality" of the pain is clearly understood.
I had missed the November 2007 item, as I have stopped reading New
Scientist (it's my favourite magazine, but its weekly issue fills my
week, stopping me from reading anything else).
The other bit (June 2003) is that which I remember. I recall reading the
bit that goes
"Perhaps, he says, the pain is an illusion. That sounds crazy to
anyone who's ever had a migraine. But Goadsby is suggesting that
what feels like agony is really the brain responding abnormally
to non-painful stimuli".
It's very interesting (the whole article and its reasoning behind the
above statements), but I'll admit it sounds like a needlessly
provocative way of wording it, at least to a person who has suffered
migraine. :)
Thanks again for your efforts, Iwert. They're much appreciated.
Andrew Fildes wrote:
> ...
> I have a personal campaign related to overstatement, a policy which
> goes - 'A cold is not flu, a headache is not a migraine and ignorance
> is not compulsory.'
May because I do get migraine, and have seen my mother so much in pain
and debilitated by them so often, and people I know are quite aware of
this, but I have to say I've never had someone claim to me they're
suffering from a migraine when "headache" would more likely have
sufficed. Does this happen often?
I can't say the same about 'flu' though, nor even say that *I* have not
been guilty of its overstatement. ;-)
Jan Steinman wrote:
> Not to belittle those with other triggers, but anyone with migraines
> should have a food sensitivity test performed.
I know my Mum has had this done, though I never have. From memory, I
don't think she discovered any serious food triggers (more on this
further down). As for me, I'm the kind of stubborn and ignorant (and
'long-suffering' ;) ) person that has to be dragged to the doctor (or
hospital) in the back of an ambulance. Saying that, I have noted that as
I get older food triggers are becoming more evident. Chocolate now can
(and I note your comment about "alkali processed" - how does one find
this out?), as can too much 'diet' sugar in fizzy drinks. So can nuts
and too much sugar (Woe! I'don't have "sweet tooth" - I've a whole
bloody mouthful of sweet teeth). Previously, these "standard" triggers
didn't affect me, but no other trigger really seemed to be there. Even
with the above, half the time migraine seems to come straight out of the
blue. Perhaps I should keep that Migraine Diary. I should note that my
migraine isn't as severe as that of some sufferers (including Mum, to
whom it completely knocked for a six for at least a couple of days, not
including the "hangover").
Candace Lemarr wrote:
> ...
> Thing is, I don't have any trouble predicting my migraines....and am a
> darn sight more accurate with the weather forecast than any of the
> meteorologists around here. Funny/odd/interesting thing is I cannot
> recall my mother complaining of a migraine before 5 years ago....
My mum has, for as long as I can remember, been getting migraines,
though we've lived in a variety of regions and climates. She is 63 now.
I have been getting them all my life, possibly since a baby (I obviously
can't remember, though Mum suspects it might explain some earlier
incidents of unexplained misery on my part <g>). They are part of my
earliest memories, however.
In her case, she suffers them far less often than she use to. I've heard
of the connection with blood pressure, and in her case she started on
medication for her blood pressure, which a few years ago had gone from
significantly low to dangerously high. A side effect of it was that,
when she is on that medication (and when she "remembers" to restock her
supplies of it), she gets migraine more rarely, and usually of less
severity.
For me, if I remove caffeine from my diet then, apart from initial
"withdrawal-migraine", I suffer them similarly less often (though
severity doesn't diminish). One would think I'd be smart enough to
permanently give up caffeine, hey? ;-)
AG Schnozz wrote:
> ... Sometimes, the only thing that will touch my headaches is a
> tall glass of Gaterade. Othertimes, it's something really salty.
> Occasionally, it's a good movement...
I've never tried Gatorade. I'll have to put some in the cupboard to give
it a try next time. My non-drug attemps are a simple, Arnotts "milk
coffee" biscuit or two (but no more - if that doesn't work, it's not
going to work with more, and might make it worse with the sugar), or
some chilli in some for or another. Some kind of light-ish Thai, chilli
stir-fry can work well, but in the absence of the will to cook or go
find a takeaway, a tablespoon of hot, sweet chilli sauce has
occasionally had a remarkable affect.
The 'good movement' thing, yes, I have had that positive response too.
Interesting, mum also swears by some suppositories she gets (Cafergot),
though I've personally never gone down that particular "highway". :-)
Cheers,
Marc
Noosa Heads, Oz
==============================================
List usage info: http://www.zuikoholic.com
List nannies: olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
==============================================
|