Migraine Step-by-Step

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Today we are talking about Dehydration, Migraines, and Headaches. There are many articles available clearly stating the symptoms of dehydration and advising us to drink more fluids.

But I wanted to why it triggers headaches and triggers our migraines and headache. What happens in our bodies? Knowing the what, why, and how helps us all to apply the advice in our lives. Doesn’t help you too, other than just reading or hearing a piece of advice?

What happens? Dehydration occurs when more water is leaving our bodies than going into them. Our bodies are compromised of 75% water. Mild dehydration. Occurs when we’ve lost as little as 1%. At that level, our thirst mechanism kicks in.

Let me interject right here that as we age our thirst mechanism weakens, meaning that we may get the warning.

At about 3-5% water loss, neurological problems begin,such as dizziness, confusion, headache, migraine, tremors, and more.

What’s happening is our blood and cells begin losing water. Our blood is 90% water. As it loses it’s water, there is less blood which then lowers our blood pressure. Why is this important? Because less blood volume and pressure means less oxygen being delivered to our cells, such as our brains.

Our cells are losing water and shrinking.

Our brain is very sensitive to any imbalance.

Why it triggers the headache or migraine? Researchers are still working on that; however, they believe it’s a combination of less oxygen and electrolyte imbalance triggering pain receptors.

Our Quick Tip Drink fluids throughout the day. Caffeine and alcohol dehydrate. Make sure you drink more fluids if are consuming either. Remember not to count on your body telling you it’s thirsty. Just keep the fluids flowing.

How Much Fluid Should You Drink Some say 6-8 glasses per day, but this varies by so many factors.

General rule of thumb: Drink to the point where your urine is light yellow. Then you know you’re right on target.

References 1Robert, Teri. “Migraine Triggers: Dehydration”. migraine.com Health Union, LLC. date retrieved 07/15/2013.

2“Headaches and Dehydration”. The Pain Center of Arizona The Pain Center of Arizona. date retrieved 07/15/2013.

3Wedro, Benjamin, MD, FACEP, FAAEM. “Dehydration”. MedicineNet.com Medicinenet, Inc. date retrieved 07/15/2013.

4“Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance”. midlandstech.edu Midlands Technical College. date retrieved 07/15/2013.

5Holm, Paige, R.D. “Water and Hydration”. www.health.arizona.edu/ The University of Arizona. date retrieved 07/15/2013.

6“Dehydration”. europeanhydrationinstitute.org The European Hydration Institute. date retrieved 07/15/2013.

7“Can Dehydration Cause Migraines”. cornerstone.com Cornerstone Spine & Rehabilitation Center. date retrieved 07/15/2013.

8Mack, Gary W, Ph.D. “Dehydration and Aging”. acsm.org American College of Sports Medicine. date retrieved 07/15/2013.

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In this episode, Tammy Rome, a Licensed Professional Counselor, joins me to discuss migraines and depression. We discuss what depression is, how it affects our bodies, and migraines, how to recognize it in others and ourselves, and then present a Step-By-Step Action Plan for you to take in your life.

How Does it Affect Our Bodies and Migraines This is an important episode as depression can accompany migraines and chronic pain. Tammy explains how it affects our bodies physically and psychologically. She also explains how it interacts with our migraines, as both involve serotonin.

How Can We Recognize it in Someone? We then discuss how to recognize depression in someone. Some of the warning signs she discusses are:

Trouble sleeping, either too much or too little
Changes in eating habits or sudden weight gain or loss
Significant changes in movement, either faster or slower than normal
Frequently sharing negative or depressing thoughts
Overly critical of self
Apologizing for no reason
Crying frequently or uncontrollably
Appearing “numb or “blank
Withdrawing from family, friends, work, and hobbies
Lack of interest in activities and things that they once enjoyed
Talking about dying, giving up, or “going away
Giving away prized possessions, saying “goodbye, or “putting affairs in order
Sudden cheerfulness or calm after a long period of these earlier symptoms

She notes that the above symptoms can mean many different things. Therefore, the person must be checked out by their doctor.

How Do We Recognize It in Ourselves? It can be very difficult to recognize these symptoms in ourselves. Tammy explains that we rationalize them.

Low, sad mood most of the day, on most days for at least 2 weeks
Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
Moving unusually slow or fast
Feeling “on edge or irritable more than usual
Difficulty concentrating, thinking, problem-solving, or making decisions
Eating too much or not having an appetite
Significant rapid weight loss or gain
Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and/or despair
Thoughts of suicide, death, or self-harm

When Do We Need to Seek Help? Tammy provides a thorough walk-through of what to expect and what happens when you call 911 and/or go to the emergency room feeling suicidal.

First, you are checked out to ensure you are not in medical danger.
Then you will talk with a therapist, who helps you create a plan to stay safe until you can get long-term help.
She explains that it’s rare for people to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital, unless you are in danger.
Someone will call in the next day to make sure you are OK and if you need help getting to your therapist appointment.
She explains that you can access this service regardless of ability to pay.

We also discuss how migraineurs are typically resistant to go to the emergency room.

We discuss how this affects our loved ones, especially when they did not know we were suffering or in trouble.

Step-by-Step Action Plan Tammy provided a detailed action plan for all of us to follow for ourselves and others.

Step 1: Recognize the signs of depression
Step 2: Get help
- Tell someone you trust and ask for their help
- Call your doctor, insurance provider, or community mental health center
Step 3: Recognize the signs of a mental health emergency
- Making specific plans to kill yourself
- Having the means to carry it out (access to medications, weapons, etc.)
- Knowing when or under what circumstances you are willing to attempt suicide
- Actually trying to hurt or kill yourself
Step 4: Get Help
- Call 911
- Go to the nearest emergency room
- Call 800-273-8225 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org
- Call a trusted friend and ask them for help
- If a friend contacts you for help, use one of the first 3 options to get them help
- If you are not in the same city
  - Call 911 and tell them you have a medical emergency out of town. Ask to be transferred to emergency services in that city.
  - Be prepared to give them the person’s name, address, phone number, and a description of the problem.
  - Ask for a “welfare check. The police will go to your friend’s house and get them the appropriate help.
Step 5: Once you get help, you will learn strategies to manage your depression and prevent its damaging effects in the future

Tammy is Partnering with Migraine Step-By-Step Tammy is partnering with us and will be featured on a series of podcasts, where we will discuss many mental issues related to migraines not only for the migraineur, but also those around us.

Closing Migraines, chronic pain, and depression can go hand-in-hand. There is nothing to be ashamed of if you need help, whether to just talk, need coping skills, or are in a mental medical emergency. Seek help. There are various ways to find help from your friends and family, various support groups, calling your local help hotline, calling 800-273-8225 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org, or reaching out to Tammy as well.

Tammy Rome’s Contact Information To reach Tammy directly, please go to her website at Safe Harbour. There she has a call button right on her front page, where you can reach her directly.

Ask Questions, Leave Comments, or Share Your Feedback We need to hear from you. Let us know some of the following:

What other topics would you like for us to cover?
Is there a specific question you have?
Tell us what you think of this episode.

We want to hear from you. This is an interact show. We welcome your questions, comments, and feedback. You can leave a comment below or leave us a voicemail by clicking on the “Send a voice message” bar on the right side, or by going to our contact page.

Thank you for listening. Wishing you a pain-free, migraine-free, HM-free, joyous day.

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We received a question on our voicemail from a listener, Serena. She wants to know more about MSG and Migraines. In this episode, we will delve into a practical explanation of what is MSG is, what it does in our bodies, how it affects our migraines and headaches, and more. As always we’ll provide a step-by-step action plan for you.

MSG is a flavor enhancer. In 1908 a Japanese scientist, Ikeda, discovered it after extracting glutamic acid from seaweed. Monosodium glutamate or MSG is the salt of an amino acid, glutamatic acid (which is glutamate). Remember the word glutamate, as this is the primary component and core of the issue.

Why is MSG an issue? What does it do to our bodies? MSG is glutamate. In this segment, we explain in what glutamate is, what an excitatory neurotransmitter is, and more by providing a simple visual of an email message. We further explain what the excitatory portion of that big word is with more visual imagery we can all wrap our minds around.

We then discuss what glutamate does in the brain, what happens when there is too much and imbalance occurs, and introduce excitotoxins.

Is MSG safe for us? We discuss the various studies that refute MSG as causing problems, as well as the article from truthinlabeling.org that identifies the placebos contained other excitotoxins, including aspartame.

We discuss the FDA and European Union classifications of MSG.

One of my favorite articles on the whole MSG controversary is from Alex Renton.

We then talk about MSG and glutamate as an excitotoxin, explaining what that means, as well as referencing the video that is provided below.

Remember as migraineurs, our neurons are already over-stimulated. When we have an imbalance of neurotransmitters, we are ready for an attack to occur.

Did you know? 1. Fact 1: MSG and/or glutamate is in most fast foods and a significant amount of processed foods, including baby food and formula. 2. Fact 2: MSG goes by many, many names including “natural flavors 3. Fact 3: Glutamate that is released during processing does not even have to put on the label 4. Fact 4: Even when it says “No MSG, that does not mean there is no glutamate in that product. 5. Fact 5: According another article that Ellen wrote, called “Migraine Triggers: MSG- Untangling this Hidden Migraine Trigger, MSG is also sprayed on our food in the field as a growth enhancer and fertilizer. And of course, that doesn’t have to be listed on the label either. 6. Fact 6: Did you know that glutamate actually makes you crave food?

Step-By-Step Action Plan It’s time for your step-by-step action plan. Here we’ll walk you through each step you can implement in your life.

Step 1: Learn what the other names of MSG are There is a long list of other names for MSG. All of these contain glutamate. See this article on migraine.com for a complete list1.

Anything with the word “hydrolyzed’
Anything with the phrase {something} protein
Anything with the word glutamate in it.
Anything with the phrase ‘enzyme modified’
Anything with the word “flavoring” in it
Anything fermented
Anything with the phrase ‘ultra pasteurized’
Gelatin
Natural flavors
Autolyzed Yeast
Yeast extract
Yeast food
Yeast nutrient
and so many more.

Step 2: Learn what products contain glutamate Many natural foods also contain glutamate including:

Sea Salt
Parmesan Cheese
Walnuts
Tomatoes
Peas
Mushrooms
Barley malt
Guar Gum
Xanthan Gum
Corn starch

Typically anything that is in a can or frozen also contains it. Also anything that is no-fat, low-fat, low-sodium or diet food is also suspect, as the glutamate enhances the flavor lost from removing sodium and/or fat.

It is also in many packaged spices, gravies, and sauces.

Step 3: Read Labels Step 4: Elimination Diet To determine if you are reacting to glutamate, you’ll need to eliminate all sources of it from your diet, wait a period of time, and add one item back into your diet each week. For me, I waited 2 months, as it took that long for my body to purge and heal. Most experts say wait a week or two.

References The following is an interesting lecture from Dr. Russell Blaylock, a retired board-certified neurosurgeon, discussing his book

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As this is Migraine Awareness Month, this episode introduces you to what it is like to live with Hemiplegic Migraine (HM). We compare a typical migraine attack to a HM attack. We then present some basic facts about HM, symptoms, answer frequently asked questions, and follow-up with a step-by-step action plan.

HM is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I’ve had migraine with aura for years. But my HM does not compare. It is tremendously worse and life altering. That statement is not meant to minimize the pain migraineurs feels, especially the chronic migraineurs. But what we as HMers experience involves the same migraine pain coupled with so much more, which we’ll discuss in a moment.

Picture This Visualization helps. So picture this in your mind.

You’re in a department store one of the big ones. It’s busy, the lights are flickering and blinding, and it’s too loud. The sounds of the store are a mixture of the piped in music, people talking, an the blasted beeping of the check-out scanners.

Then someone passes you showered in perfume. What happens? You start to feel a migraine coming on, right? You may see zig zag lines, get nauseous, maybe have an odd smell or taste in your mouth, and then the pounding. You reach for your abortive medicine hoping you caught it in time. If no, stabbing starts. We all know what that feels like, right? So you try to finish your shopping and get out of there as quickly as you can to get home and crash.

Now you’re a HMer. You’re in the same store. What happens? First of all, we usually don’t have an abortive, as the general accepted rule of thumb (at least for now) is no triptans for HMers. The world around us starts to gray out as we slip into this hole. We can hear sounds around us but they are muttled. Then if we didn’t react fast enough and sit down, boom. We’re down on the floor either because we passed out or our affected side is too weak to hold us up.

We can’t communicate and may not understand what you’re saying.

What others see is this person who’s on the floor with our face drooping on one side, drooling on ourself, and confused (if you’re conscious). It looks like we’ve had a stroke.

Some of us, like me, might even convulse or have a tremor.

Can you picture it in your mind?

With a migraine, even though the pain is overwhelming and you may even throw-up, you can still walk out that door and get into your car.

An HMer can’t walk. Once we come back to conscious level, we are paralyzed or so weak that we can’t walk. It takes our bodies time to recover and build strength. For me, back when I used to go in stores (which was years ago as I don’t anymore), we took my wheelchair with us. As soon as I felt that “funny feeling starting, I sat in that wheelchair or people helped get me into it. At least then my partner could wheel me out of there or to a dark room in the building.

This is the life of a HMer. It’s not a matter of just dealing with the pain and nausea. It’s a matter of safety for us and those around us, especially if we are driving (which I’ll talk about in a bit) or carrying a child.

Symptoms We discuss what the various symptoms are as well as what my symptoms are. We go through the phases of the attack as well.

FAQ * What are the types * What is the prevalence of HM? * Is this a childhood disease? * Will it go into remission? * How Do I know if it’s a stroke or HM?

Step-By-Step Action * Step 1: Go back and listen to podcast 001 * Step 2: Protect Yourself

    - Sit Down Immediately
    - Get a Medical ID bracelet or Necklace
    - Carry a Health Card in Your Wallet
    - Don’t Drive

Step 4: Get Up As Soon As You Can
Step 5: Get Durable Products
Step 6: Make An Emergency Plan
Step 7: Hand Signals
Step 8: Sit Your Family and Friends Down and Explain

Closing Remember, none of us are cookie-cutter versions of the other. Your pain, your attacks are yours and are different than mine and everyone else. We have commons threads between us. But our bodies and chemistry are different. Never, ever compare yourself to someone else, especially to say, well “I shouldn’t complain as mine aren’t as bad as so-in-so.” Your pain is just as real.

Ask Questions, Leave Comments, or Share Your Feedback We want to hear from you. This is an interact show. We welcome your questions, comments, and feedback. You can leave a comment below or leave us a voicemail by clicking on the “Send a voice message” bar on the right side, or by going to our contact page.

Thank you for listening. Wishing you a pain-free, migraine-free, HM-free, joyous day.

References 1Robert, Teri. “Hemiplegic Migraine – The Basics”. HealthCentral. Remedy Health Media, LLC. date retrieved 20 June 2013.

2Lykke Thomsen L, Kirchmann Eriksen M, Faerch Romer S, Andersen I, Ostergaard E, Keiding N, Olesen J, Russell MB. “An epidemiological survey of hemiplegic migraine”. Cephalalgia PubMed.gov. 22 June 2002; 22(5):361-75.

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In this episode, we present a simple foundation premise: You are the magic pill. We talk about how our our expectations are wrong, present 5 facts to help us understand that statement, and then a step-by-step plan to action in our lives.

As this is the first episode, we open with presenting an introduction to the show and your host.

The main topic begins at 09:59, if you want to skip ahead and get right to it.

The Problem Over the years of talking with those affected by migraine and/or hemiplegic migraine (HM), the story sounds like mine did in the beginning. People are in pain, want relief, and expect their doctors to help them. We then look at our doctors in bewilderment and utter disappointment when they are not “fixing this problem and making us better. We are searching for the magic pill.

Facts Here are the simple facts:

Fact 1: Your Doctor is Not Going to Analyze Your Life
Fact 2: There currently is no cure
Fact 3: Too much or many medications can do more harm than good
Fact 4: Medicine is only part of the recipe
Fact 5: You have to do the work

Time to Change Our Expectations We discuss that it is time to change our expectations.

Step-By-Step Action Plan We then present a 5 step action plan for you to enrich your life. Enrichment means to gain more good days than bad days, which can mean more days (1) without attacks or pain or (2) reduced pain.

Step 1: Acceptance
Step 2: Start your migraine diary
Step 3: Learn and keep learning
Step 4: Detective Time
Step 5: Be a Team Member With Your Doctor

Thank you for listening. Wishing you a pain-free, migraine-free, HM-free, joyous day.

Migraine Step-by-Step: Recent Episodes

Tonya Mork