Even though migraine affects 1 out of 7 Americans annually and is a leading cause of outpatient and emergency department visits, many people still think of migraine as “just a headache.” [1] When people call migraine “a headache,” they minimize migraine and its symptoms. First, migraine is a genetic neurologic disease. Second, migraine has an array of disabling symptoms, with headache as just one of the symptoms. Finally, because migraine is a disease that we live with every day, it needs to be managed daily. This article will focus on natural migraine prevention method, such as S.E.E.D.S., to successfully manage migraine disease............
Prednisone for Migraine Explained – 5 Questions & Answers You Need to Know.
A steroid taper is commonly prescribed by headache specialists in certain circumstances to break a prolonged migraine cycle. Are you wondering if a course of prednisone for migraine is something you should ask your doctor about? This is written from the patient and patient-advocate perspective and is not medical advice. The goal is to help inform you so that you may work with your doctors. Specific questions about medications and whether they are right for you can only be addressed by your doctors. 1. What is Prednisone? Prednisone is a medication in a group of drugs called corticosteroids or steroids, for short. Prescribed steroids are man-made medications that are similar…
Allay Lamp – The Green Light For Migraine – Six Month Update
When Allay sent me their green light for migraine to review six months ago, I didn’t think it would become one of my favorite tools in my toolkit. In these past months, I have been successfully using it as a preventive and abortive treatment. When I first wrote about the Allay Lamp, I explained how the narrow band of green light in the lamp worked. It was a novel item I had added to my migraine toolkit. But it has been six months now and my love of the Allay Lamp is still going strong. I thought I would write an update on how the lamp and I have been doing.…
Dizziness Relief Tips: Advice from Vestibular Patients
Dizziness relief is something we all need because one of the hardest parts about living with a vestibular disorder is dealing with daily dizziness. For starters, it’s a terribly unpleasant and unsettling sensation. Feeling it daily is exhausting more than most people know. Because our brains use so much energy in attempting to compensate for dizziness. ‘Dizzy’ is also an all-encompassing word to describe the many types of symptoms we experience. Our dizziness can include general imbalance, rocking and swaying, dropping and bouncing sensations or full on whirling vertigo. With that line up of dizzy symptoms it’s important to have an arsenal of treatment options ready to bring you relief.…
Self-Care Sunday: 5 Ideas For People With Migraine
Self-Care Sunday is not just for Sundays. You can do it on a Thursday or any other day of the week. The most important thing is that you intentionally set the time for yourself to take care of your health. Research shows many people do not understand the true meaning of self-care. According to studies, 44% of people believe that self-care is only possible for people with enough time and 35% of people believe self-care is only possible for people with enough money. According to Healthline, self-care does not need to be expensive or time consuming. [1] Many people also believe that making time for self-care is selfish. [1] Those…
Heal Your Headache Diet: The Migraine Diet Beginner’s Guide This Dietitian Wishes You Knew
What is a migraine diet? While there is no one migraine diet, most dietitians, doctors and other health professionals in the know are talking about a low tyramine diet that is also low histamine, MSG (monosodium glutamate) and sulfites. Many years ago, when we started our very popular and peppy private Facebook group, the title of group specifically referred to the Heal Your Headache (HYH) diet by name. We have since changed the name to Migraine Strong, but diet continues to be a significant part of the focus for people helping themselves get migraine attacks under control, as well as lessen the intensity and duration of vestibular migraine (VM) flares.…
Migraine Preventive Medications: Comprehensive Guide
While over 1 billion people world wide have migraine, only a small percentage of them use migraine preventive medications to control their migraine attacks. A migraine preventive medication is considered and offered when people with migraine meet certain criteria: Four or more attacks per month or eight head pain days – Can include severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head. It is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks typically last for 4-72 hours, and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with daily activities. Vestibular migraine attacks might not have head pain, but will include…
Botox for Migraine: What To Expect
People generally get excited when they hear I get Botox for migraine and ask a lot of questions. After all, it does make my forehead look smooth. However, the excitement usually wears off after I explain that I first had to trial and fail a multitude of preventive medications, that I’ve had daily migraine attacks for years before I started the Botox treatment, and that despite my Botox treatment I still have migraine disease and experience attacks. Because sadly, there is no cure for migraine. However, for those of us living with migraine, Botox is something to be excited about. It is an approved and effective preventive treatment for migraine which…
My Migraine Story: Powering On Through Chronic Migraine
By Megan Donnelly I’m walking the hallway of my junior high gym, just after a volleyball game, rushing to find a trashcan to vomit in. I quickly clean myself up and head to my dance company rehearsal. The Beginning My whole life I have been a driven person, some may say an overachiever. I remember telling my Mom about the pain and then would have to stay home from both school and dance, so I often swallowed the pain in order to dance. This is something I wish I had never put myself through, and was completely my doing. Yet, I believe migraine started in early childhood, as my Aunt…
Come Find Community within the Migraine Healthline App
This article is sponsored by our partner, Healthline. Migraine Healthline, is a new app that connects people with migraine. Download your free Migraine Healthline App! We have been working with Healthline since February to build a strong community within the Migraine Healthline App. This Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, we continue to join forces with Healthline to raise awareness and provide support for the migraine community. We have enjoyed spending time in the app. It is amazing to watch the community take shape and evolve. We see friendships blossom and watch people suffering with migraine reach out to others to lend a steadying hand. What We Love About The Migraine…
