Migraine Headaches and Patent Foramen Ovale

Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): Can a hole in the heart affect migraine headaches? How? Why? Is it true or just a fabrication of some lunatic trying to make a buck?

First of all, we need to understand what the PFO is. Next, we need to know if there is a correlation between PFO and migraine headaches? Have any studies have been completed on the subject? Were the studies legitimate? What conclusions, if any were made? These are the questions we will be delving into in our next few blogs.

PFO, What Is It?
PFO stands for patent foramen ovale, a hole in the wall that divides the right and left chambers of the heart. Everyone has a PFO before birth. Normally, this hole closes shortly before delivery.

The right side of the heart receives blood and pumps it to the lungs for oxygenation. The blood then goes through the left side of the heart to be pumped to the brain and other organs. When in the womb, a baby does not use it's own lungs for oxygen-rich blood, it relies on the mother to provide oxygen-rich blood from the placenta through the umbilical cord to the fetus. Therefore blood can travel from the veins to the right side of the baby's heart and cross to the left side of the heart through the foramen ovale and skip the baby's lungs.

In adults, a PFO can allow blood that hasn't been oxygenated to get into the left side of the heart and be pumped to the brain and other organs. If this happens, the body doesn't get enough oxygen. It's also possible that blood clots can pass through the PFO and cause a stroke.

I know of a gentleman who gets dizzy after lifting weights and this is often followed up by a headache. This makes you wonder if he is a possible PFO case.

In tomorrow's blog we will start to look into research about whether there is a correlation between PFO and migraines.

As always, hoping you are in good health and that you are winning the battle against headaches.

Included here are a couple of links with additional information on what a PFO is.

I also found a real good set of blogs on fitness. Check it out!

Migraine Headache Relief Part II - The Natural Headache Relief that I Received

To continue my journal of the last nine months:

04/30/08: The last bit of alcohol that I have consumed to this point was in April when I drank a beer and suffered for about two days after.

05/30/08: No significant changes during May. The daily headaches are pretty much gone, still getting about 1 migraine per week, almost always on weekends.

06/30/08: I had a tough decision to make this month. Was I going to continue drinking coffee or not? I knew deep down inside my heart that the cup I drank on Thursday and Friday were exacerbating the weekend headaches. I drank my last cup the last Friday of June. And of course, paid for it over the weekend. This was the toughest of all habits/addictions to overcome for me. Fortunately I have never been a smoker, that was one thing I didn't have to fight with.

07/07/08: In an attempt to completely root out headaches I started taking the Native Remedies Migone Plus product. Migone Plus is a combination of Feverfew, Milk Thistle and Passiflora.

07/30/08: Today is July 30. Since I have started taking MiGone Plus I have only had one serious migraine. I feel that Migone is helping and I will continue with Migone.

That is my story. I went from having headaches almost every day, 1-2 migraines almost every week and taking 60-75 headache medications of one type or another per month to the point where I have not taken a single OTC headache relief medication in over 4 months. The daily headaches are gone and the migraines are down to 2-3 week intervals. I am quite happy with the results. I can credit several items: prayer, the VEMMA nutritional supplement, eyeglass, good advice from my favorite naturopath, cutting out certain food items such as coffee, alcohol and foods with MSG and the Native Remedies MiGone Plus nutritional aid.

I hope this series of blogs has provided some ideas on how to fight recurring headaches. In my next series I am going to delve into much less known potential causes of headaches, that being the patent foramen ovale and mitra valve prolapse. I hope this will be of a benefit to some as well.

Here's to life and Feeling Outstandng!

Migraine Headaches - Part I - The Natural Headache Relief that I Received

So, what was the magic bullet? What was the biggest factor that led to the dramatic improvement that I have experienced?

I am afraid that there was not a single magic bullet. My natural headache relief came as a result of several different things that I did and all were necessary. Prayer, change in diet, change in vitamin supplements and change in habits. In my blog tonight I would like to summarize the steps I have taken.

Prior to 11/07: Was taking 60-75 B.C. powders, Goodies Powders or Immatrex per month Had headaches nearly every day. Average of 1-3 migraine headaches per week.

11/07 - 01/08: Went to see Dr Teresa for the first time. She gave me several good ideas. A lot of prayer! No change in headache status yet.

01/06/08: Started taking the VEMMA nutritional supplement.
01/23/08: New progressive trifocal eyeglasses.

01/31/08 My energy level increased very much. Down to taking 12 of the headache medications in January. Still had migraines once per week. Daily headaches not as frequent or severe.

02/28/08 Eliminated MSG from my diet (as much as possible). Down to 6 headache medications in February.

03/26/08 Stopped taking the headache medications (Goodies, B.C., Immatrex) completely. Daily headaches less frequent. Down to 2 headache medications for March. Still had migraines once per week.

To rest of the story will come tomorrow. I am Feeling Outstanding right now. I still need to workout and eat tonight before I hit the sack. It's been a great pleasure sharing my story with you. If anyone has comments on other things that have worked for them, please share them with us. There are many people in this country who suffer and would appreciate Natural Headache Relief ideas that work.

Migraine Headaches - Where am I Now?

That's me. Smiling! Something I haven't done near enough of us over the past 40 years. Now, I definitely have something to smile about and I praise our God every day for it!

Where am I now? How am I doing now? Much, much better. Yesterday I had my first serious headache (and it wasn't as serious as they have been) in 20 days. For me, that is a huge step forward. I feel like I have control of my life for the first time. I feel like I can do things, plan activities and have fun without the constant fear of a headache. It's a great feeling.

Another thing that has started happening recently. If you look at my picture you can tell that I'm pretty slim. That's not because I don't eat enough. I am a hearty eater and I do enjoy my food. All of my life though I have not been able to gain weight. When I would use the Body Mass Index calculation I would show up an anorexic. Starting about three months ago I started to gain some weight. In fact, I have gained 9 pounds. That moves me to the underweight category. Better than anorexic!

I know that most people I talk to credit my weight gain to the Total Gym exercise program that I am on. After all, muscle weighs more than fat. In response, I say, partially partially. In the first place, I sure didn't have a lot of fat on me. The other fact is that before the year 2008, when I had headaches so often there would be periods of day or two nearly every week when I would just about not eat a thing. It's hard to gain any weight that way.

To summarize, at 48 years old I feel better than I ever have. I just do not agree with the nay-sayers who do not believe in the benefits of nutritional products. Realizing that of all the M.D.s and neurologists that I went to over the years it took a naturopathic physician who works out of a small office in Hickory, NC to point me in the right direction makes a person very inquisitive. Please don't get me wrong, there are many areas where physicians are extremely beneficial. But I think there are some areas where they put too much emphasis in the wrong areas and dismiss some of the simple facts. A balanced approach is needed.

To learn more about headaches, MSG, causes of headaches and ways to treat headaches visit the FeelingOutstanding.com webpage.

Our Eye and Neck Comfort Pillows page demonstrates the beautiful 'Comfort Pillows by Valerie' which are great for stress relief and great relaxation.

Tomorrow, I want to wrap this series up by summarizing the steps I took to gain natural headache relief.

Have a great day, here's hoping you are feeling outstanding.

Migraine Headaches and Herbal Remedies

Today I want to talk about some herbs that have been known to have good results at providing natural headache relief.

The butterbur herb, pictured on the left is a member of the Asteraceae family. Not only has it been helpful for headaches but also used t0 treat spasms in the respiratory and digestive tract. From the Mother Earth News website it is stated that "Three clinical trials (including one in children and teens) have shown that this herb, taken as a preventative measure, safely and effectively reduces the number of migraines Benefits become obvious at about 4 weeks. The following web site has more information about butterbur: http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?herbal-remedies-usa+cqup28+butterbur-information.html

Feverfew is a relative of the common daisy and since the time of 78 A.D. was been used for the treatment of headaches, menstrual irregularities, stomach aches, and fever. It was also used for melancholy and depression. Early European herbalists used Feverfew for reducing fevers, vertigo, and depression, but by the 18th century it was rejected as a medicinal herb and was not used again until the late 1970s. It was then that the wife of a chief medical officer of the National Coal Board in England suffered severe migraine headaches. A sympathetic miner suggested she try a folk treatment. She took his advice and chewed Feverfew leaves and her headaches disappeared almost completely. Feverfew has anti-inflammatory, stimulant, relaxant, decongestant and anti-coagulant properties. To get some more information regarding feverfew check out the following website: http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?herbal-remedies-usa+cqup28+feverfew-information.html

Native Remedies has produced a product called 'MiGone Plus' that combines Feverfew, Silybum Marianus (milk thistle) and Passiflora that has worked very well at reducing migraine headaches for many people. For more information on Migone Plus take a look at www.nativeremedies.com/migone_for_migraines_headaches.shtml?kbid=9838&img=migoneplus-120x90.gif

I highly recommend MiGone Plus.The benefits of trying one of the nutritional supplements or herbal products I have talked about in the last couple of days are two-fold. First, they are all natural products and are not going to cause violent side effects or addictions, and second, they are not going to cost an arm and a leg. When compared to prescriptions, even with health insurance coverage, they are very comparable, sometimes better. Without insurance, there is not even a comparison.

I hope you are all doing well. I can truly say that I am almost 49 right now and I don't know if I have ever felt as good as I do now. Many praises to our great creator.

Here's to your health, here's to Feeling Outstanding.

http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/

Migraine Headaches - Common Supplements

Before I wrap up my story (and it does have a happy ending) I want to list some of the more common nutritional supplements that are often used for headaches. This data is from the Mother Earth News website, Natural Headache Remedies.

• Magnesium. Research shows that intravenous magnesium helps break migraine and cluster headaches, particularly in those with low levels of this mineral. Other trials also have shown that oral magnesium may help prevent headaches.
• Riboflavin. In an open-label trial (no placebo control group), 400 milligrams a day for six months cut migraines headache frequency in half and decreased medication use.
• Coenyme Q10. This vitamin-like substance participates in mitochondrial energy production. When 42 migraine sufferers took either Coenzyme Q10 (100 milligrams three times a day) or a placebo, the supplement significantly reduced the frequency of attacks.

There is one person that I have mentioned frequently in my blogs, that is Dr. Teresa Latendress. Dr. Latendress is a kind person, a dear friend, and a very experienced naturopathic physician. You can get in touch with Dr. T. (as her patients call her) via her web site at http://www.drteresa.4t.com/. You can also read her monthly newsletter at www.FeelingOutstanding.com/Dr_T_newsletter.html.


The supplements mentioned above can be purchased at a very reasonable price through http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/Supplements.html

And to purchase the excellent MiGone Plus Native Remedies Natural Headache Relief product visit http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/Natural_Headache_Relief.html

Here's to life! Here's to Feeling Outstanding.

Migraine Hedaches and Coffee

There's something about running water. Beauty, excitement, freedom. I just completed my Total Gym exercise routine. 40 minutes of good exercise and no head pain after. I would have never been able to do that without a headache 7 months ago, or a year and 7 months ago, or 5 years and 7 months ago. Natural headache relief, what an outstanding feeling.

There have been some studies recently about the health benefits of coffee. In my blog tonight I do not mean to dispute these studies that I'm sure were done by a lot smarter people than me, but I do want to share my experience with coffee hoping that it may benefit some headache victims.

Coffee is an extremely addictive substance. I have strongly felt for quite a while that coffee has been a headache trigger. To this day, nearly every time I pass a pot of coffee, and especially when I smell the aroma, I yearn for a sip. Even after I started taking the VEMMA nutritional supplement, started wearing new eyeglasses, stopped eating foods with MSG and really started to feel a lot better I would still get a migraine every 1-2 weeks. Almost always it happened to be on a weekend, so my fun time was taken up by laying in bed with miserable pain.

After a weekend of headaches I would come into work on Monday with a brand new spirit. I was going to stop drinking coffee. Thursday would come around, the week was wearing on me by now. Generally on Thursday I would justify a third or a half a cup, which would usually turn into a whole cup. I do not know what I did to make it seem ok, but somehow I was always able to.

When Friday would come around I knew I was in trouble. I had to either drink another cup or two or have a migraine. So usually, I would drink that next cup (or two). By Friday night or Saturday morning I would be shot, the pain would be at about a level 6 out of 10 already. And it would continually get worse. There was nothing I could do at that point. I had made up my mind that the headache medication was out of the picture. I would live through the headache which would mean one or two days of absolute misery.

We are into early to mid June 2008 on my journey now. About this time I had to do some real soul searching. What did I want out of life? What was really important to me? Was drinking coffee that powerful? Was it more powerful than me? Was I hopelessly addicted? Was I that weak that I couldn't stop? I had to fight it for several days, really fight. I struggled hard and I have been victorious so far. I haven't had a cup of coffee since the last week of June. I think it's more than coincidental that I haven't had a migraine headache since then. I still have had a couple of small headaches, but no migraines.

I still want to eliminate headaches completely. I don't even want minor headaches. Tomorrow I will describe the most recent attempt I have made and the results thus far.

Here's to good health. Here's to Feeling Outstanding.

For more information on headache relief take a look at: http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/Natural_Headache_Relief.html

Migraine Headaches and MSG

A fast running creek, with freedom flowing symbolizes our striving to overcome sickness, to be free from the agonizing pain of headaches and other illnesses that so often accompany our lives.

Our goal is to minimize these events, to root them out of our lives so that we can be happy, help others be happy and just feel outstanding.

As I closed yesterday, I said that I would point out some sources of MSG that may not be so obvious. These are pointed out from the book 'Excitotoxins - The Taste That Kills' by Dr. Russell Blaylock.

According to Dr. Blaylock there are "Food Additives that ALWAYS contain MSG", they include:

• Monosodium Glutamate
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• Hydrolyzed Protein
• Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
• Plant Protein Extract
• Sodium Caseinate
• Calcium Caseinate
• Yeast Extract
• Textured Protein (Including TVP)
• Autolyzed Yeast
• Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
• Corn Oil

There are also "Food Additives that FREQUENTLY Contain MSG"

• Malt Extract
• Malt Flavoring
• Bouillon
• Broth
• Stock
• Flavoring
• Natural Flavors/Flavoring
• Natural Beef or Chicken Flavoring
• Seasoning
• Spices

He also warns about Aspartame, "Aspartame is a sweetener made from two amino acids, phenylalanine and the excitotoxin aspartate. It should be avoided at all costs. Aspartame complaints account for approximately 70% of all complaints to the FDA. It is implicated in everything from blindness to headaches to convulsions. Sold under dozens of brand names such as NutraSweet and Equal, aspartame breaks down within 20 minutes at room temperature into several primary toxic and dangerous ingredients:
1. DKP (diketopiperazine)
2. Formic Acid (ant venom)
3. Formaldehyde (embalming fluid)
4. Methanol"

Now I am not a Medical Doctor and I cannot guarantee that this article is 100% accurate. But, with the experiences I have had with headaches and MSG this is something that I have tried to stay aware of and some substances that I have tried to avoid. I think anyone with persistent headaches of any type may benefit from this bit of advice.

We are coming close to the end of my story. Tomorrow I want to talk about my experience with coffee Have a great day tomorrow, be strong, be healthy. Remember, a whole lot of it is up to us.

For more news about headaches and natural tips for headache relief take a look at:
http://www.FeelingOutstanding.com/Natural_Headache_Relief.html

For a great selection of nutritional supplements:
http://www.FeelingOtstanding.com/Supplements.html

Migraine Headaches - Triggers and Addictions

We are at the early to mid June time frame in my journey right now. My headache experience has improved greatly. But I'm still having a serious headache every 1-2 weeks. I have come so far, I desperately want to go the rest of the way and eliminate them completely. Right now, I would like to talk about a few things I have learned along the way.

Certain foods can act as headache triggers to certain people, there is no question about it. From my experience, the most common headache triggers were:

• chocolate, sugar
• alcohol (of any type)
• MSG (often found in Chinese food)
• COFFEE

Ouch, that hurts doesn't it? These were four of my most beloved food groups. After all, who doesn't love a Hershey's bar, or ice cream, or blueberry pie, or a banana split loaded with whipped cream? How many pure tea-tottlers are there? A good Chinese meal every month or so was a staple. And coffee, oh boy, most of you realize the importance of coffee in a persons life.

Along this marathon journey to headache freedom I had to eliminate all of these delectable foods (well, I don't know if delectable is an adequate adjective for beer, but you understand). It was amazing how easy it was for me to give up chocolate and sugar. When I determined that these were definite headache triggers I quit cold turkey. That was the easiest one of them all.

I never was a big drinker but I did enjoy a nice glass of wine at dinner or a cold beer or two, especially on a hot day. Now this one was not easy to give up. I made many excuses for just drinking one more. There was always the "I just need to make sure" excuse. And nearly every time I drank another glass I was sure all over again. All of the advertising and social pressure make this very hard to give up. The most potent of all drinks was red wine. One or two sips would lead to an immediate headache. It would usually take 30-90 minutes for beer or other alcohol to take affect, but it nearly always happened.

MSG was not an easy one either, mainly because I was not aware of the connection between it and headaches until recently. Often when I would go to a Chinese restaurant I would have a drink along with the meal and then blame the post meal headache on the drink. It was my good friend Dr. Teresa Latendress who informed me that MSG definitely leads to headaches for many people. You guessed it, I had to try it for myself to make sure. I have probably had 4-5 meals with food that has had MSG and no alcohol since Dr. T. provided that bit of information to me. And once again, you are right, 4-5 serious headaches. MSG is out of my diet now as much as possible (unless I am not aware of it).

Some people do not know the foods that contain MSG. In tomorrow's post I want to list some foods that are labeled as "Hidden Sources of MSG in Foods" from the book "Excitotoxins - The Taste That Kills' by Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD. And then I also want to talk about coffee.

I hope this information can help some people. It has been a large help to me. Here's to living healthy, here's to Feeling Outstanding!

For additional information on headaches and herbal/homeopathic headache remedies check out: http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/Headache_Relief.html
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Migraine Headaches and Exercise - My experience

Hiking in Alaska. Now that's exercise. Take a look at this dude. He has a short sleeve shirt on. Either it is warmer than the slow covered mountains would indicate or he is cold blooded.

At this point in our journey toward my freedom from migraine headaches I need to talk about exercise. I have always believed in exercise. I look at my father who will be 83 in 2 days. He is one of the best conditioned people of his age that I have ever seen. Why? Because throughout his life he watched his diet and participated in a regular exercise program. When compared with his father, there is no comparison. What I am saying is that it is not all genetic.

The benefits of exercise are well established. I like to exercise. My philospophy has been that when I turn 50 (which will be very soon now), or 60 or 70 I don't want my children and to spend their time waiting on me because I am too decrepit to help myself. I want to be able to play with them, have fun and see them having fun.

By the time I turned 45 (I am 48 now) I realized that things were not turning out as hoped for. As long as I had these daily headaches I was not fulfilling my dream. I was not able to play with my kids. And on top of that, I was a grouch most of the time.

The big problem was that whenever I exercised even lightly, or played sports with the kids, or participated in almost any kind of physical activity I would end up with a headache. The harder I worked out, the worse the headache. It was a sad state of affairs. Doing something good for my body (exercising) made me feel very bad. What was I supposed to do? Even though I knew full well I would develop a headache afterwards I kept exercising pretty regularly all throughout my life up until I turned 45. It was crystal clear that there was a strong and definite correlation between exercise and headaches. My amount and intensity of exercise dropped, and I started feeling worse if other ways (more colds and other routine ailments).

After I started taking the VEMMA product, donned new eyeglasses and started feeling somewhat better I took another bold move. During the beginning of April I went ahead and purchased the Chuck Norris Total Gym. I did not know if I would be able to exercise now without headaches or not but I made the investment anyway.

I am very happy to say that exercise now has proven to be another benefit. I can exercise strenuously without getting a headache. Believe me, 30-40 minutes on the Total Gym is strenuous. I have also found that 5 or 6 times since I have been working out with the Total Gym I have started an exercise session with a slight to moderate headache and by the time I was finished the headache was gone. Now, I feel great after I work out. Exercising is finally dong what it is supposed to. It's a great feeling! I do not know if it is only because of the Total Gym, I am not denying that these improvements may have occured with other exercise programs as well. I am just mentioning the Total Gym here because it is what I use.

Let me leave you today with another view of Alaska.

I hope all is well, you're feeling great and enjoying life. If anyone has any remedies that have worked for to relive headache pain, please share them. This is my story. People who experience the pain caused by headaches are searching for answers. Any input is appreciated.


To learn more about the exciting VEMMA product visit: http://www.FeelingOutstanding.com/vemma_nutrition.html

If you are an exercise enthusiast like me you'll want to check out the Total Gym:
http://www.FeelingOutstanding..com/Chuck_Norris_Home_Gym.html

Migraine Headache Relief - Finally (Part 2)

Glacier National Park. Beautiful.

A drop in headache medications fron 60-75 per month through 2005-2007 to 12 in January 2008. Two items that have helped so far. A new nutritional supplement called VEMMA and eyeglasses. But I wasn't through yet. I now had some ambition again, drive to get better. Unlike before, I now knew it was possible. February, the short month, I took a total of 8 headache pills (I'm going to generically call the headache medication "pills" from now on). The number of headaches I was getting was continually dropping. March was down to 5.

It was about this time I felt I had reached somewhat of a standstill. It wasn't that all of my headaches completly disappeared. The level of pain had dropped, so that I was able to live through more without taking anything. There was still a dreadful fear of a migraine though. And I still got them. They were down from 2-3 per week to one every 1-2 weeks. Toward the end of March I made a big decision. I was through taking any of the pills. I haven't taken one since March 26.

That is the fourth point that I want to emphasize (#1-new nutritional supplement, #2-eyeglasses, #3-exercise, #4-no more B.C.'s or Immatrex). I rounded up a tremendous amount of courage one day when I had a migraine and decided I was through with the pills. I lived through the pain, but I survived. Now I know that has been a significant change also.

The few times that I did take pills there toward the end, they still led to the same issue. Rebound headaches which would evenutally turn into migraines. That would make a 1-2 day headache turn into 4-5-6 days, with the first 2-3 not so bad and then the last 1-3 just awful. But as I said, I still would get headaches every 1-2 weeks. When I would get a headache it would turn into a migraine. But now I was not taking the pills that did sometimes provided immediate relief. But remember, the pain generally came back worse within 24-48 hours.

I went from a situation where I had headaches nearly every day with an average of 2 migraines per week to having no headaches on most days and a migraine every 1-2 weeks. That is a tremendous amount of improvement.

Nex week I would like to talk about exercise and share some things that I have learned over these 40 years that might help. I would also like to continue the story with the attempts I am making now to rid myself of migraines completely. I am not going to stop, I'm ever so close.

Enjoy life and do your best to stay healthy. Everybody benefits.

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Migraine Headache Relief - Finally

I am so much happier and at peace now that I have re-gained my life! You would have rarely seen me smile like this for as long as I can remember up until January, 2008.

In the last few days of 2007 I was laying awake at 2:00 a.m. one morning with a blasted migraine headache. My head was pounding. The pain was so intense I could not get to sleep. I turned on the TV hoping that the noise would cause a little distraction at least. On the TV was a "prosperity" preacher. He said that if any of us are having pain or suffering to write him and he would pray for us. I did so. Whether you call it coincidence or not doesn't really matter but it was right after that letter I sent that things really started to happen.

It was Jan 1, 2008 when I received an email from VEMMA nutrtional supplements stating that it was great, fantastic, and everything else. I get emails like this often and I nearly always don't even give them a second look. For some reason I read this one through and sent for it without wasting any time. It was on or around Jan 6 when I received the product in the mail. From the second day after using VEMMA I literally felt a difference. I went 3 days in a row without a headache and I felt a noticeable increase in my energy level.

It was incredible, 3 days in a row, almost unheard of. It was at the same time that I decided to go ahead with Dr. T.'s advice and made an appointment for an eye exam. By the time that I went to the eye doctor I knew that I was feeling some relief from headaches, but I honestly did not feel like they were more than 75% - 80% better. The optomistist did a thorough job as well as the Opti-Mop procedure spoken about yesterday. The doctor who was a kind, middle aged female told me that my left eye was far stronger than my right eye. This was causing my right eye to strain all of the time trying to keep up with my left eye. She felt strongly this could lead to headaches also.

Throughout 2007 I had been taking an average of 60-75 headache "junk" (either B.C. powders, Goodies powders or immatrex pills) per month. I started taking VEMMA on Jan 6 or 7 and I got my new eyeglasses on Jan 23. During the month of Januaty I took a total of 12 doses of headache "junk." That's down from an average of 60-75. That is significant. You don't need to do a t-test on that!

That's not where it stops, but that is where it has got to stop for me tonight. It's 9:29 p.m. and I haven't eaten yet. I'm hungry.

Keep up the good spirits, keep thinking positive, enjoy yourself and have fun.

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Migraine Headache Relief - The Winds of Change

November, 2007 was a pivotal month. I was at a point where I did not even want to live. I was through with neurologists (I had been to at least 3) and their pills that kept draining me of my energy. I went back to my M.D. once again who told me straight, there was nothing else she could do. She recommended that I go see a naturopathic physician, Dr. Teresa Latendress. Shocked that an M.D. would make that recommendation I didn't waste a lot of time. I made an appointment and went to see Dr. T. right away.

Dr. T. immediately encouraged me with her positive outlook. I told her all that I had done for the headaches and that nothing had produced lasting results. The first appointment I had with her took quite a while! She asked me several question and we had quite a dialog. The amazing thing was that I came away from my first visit with her with a renewed enthusiasm that there was something that could be done.

During that time frame my wife Amy pointed out to me something she saw on the internet. Something that I had never heard of before, the patent foramen ovale. She read in an internet article that this can lead to frequent headaches. Let me quote the ClevelandClinic.org web site a little on this subject. They can describe the condition better than I.

"The foramen ovale is a small hole located in the atrial septum that is used during fetal circulation to speed up the travel of blood through the heart. When in the womb,a baby does not use it's own lungs for oxygen-rich blood, it relies on the mother to provide oxygen rich blood from the placenta through the umbilical cord to the fetus. Therefore, blood can travel from the veins to the right side of the baby's heart and cross to the left side of the heart through the foramen ovale and skip the trip to the baby's lungs.

Normally the foramen ovale closes at birth when increased blood pressure on the left side of the heart forces the opening to close. If the atrial septum does not close properly, it is called a patent foramen ovale. This type of defect generally works like a flap valve, only opening during certain conditions when there is more pressure inside the chest. This increased pressure occurs when people strain while having a bowel movement, cough, or sneeze.

If the pressure is great enough, blood may travel from the right atrium to the left atrium. If there is a clot or particles in the blood traveling in the right side of the heart, it can cross the PFO, enter the left atrium, and travel out of the heart and to the brain (causing a stroke) or into
a coronary artery causing a heart attack.

Migraine headache and PFO: Migraine headaches are more common in patients with PFO. While it seems as though closure of PFO results in improvement of migraine symptoms, larger studies are needed to confirm this finding. "
(my.Clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/congenital/pfo.aspx)

The next time I went to Dr. T., very coincidentally, she brought up this very same subject to me. Wow, I thought. This is wierd. Having my wife and Dr. T. bring up this same thing within a couple of days. This has got to be the problem.

One other thing Dr. T. suggested to me at the beginning of our sessions was that I have my eyes checked. I told her that I had already done so twice and that I was given three different pairs of eyeglasses, none of which helped. She insisted that I have my eyes checked though. She told me about a relatively new procedure that some eye doctors did not use called "Opti-mop". It sounded kind of fishy to me so I just sat on that recommendation for several weeks.

It was shortly after this session with Dr. T. that I made an appointment with a cardiologist to have an echocardiogram and a stress test done. I told the cardiologist the reason that I wanted to be checked for a patent foramen ovale. She looked me over, checked me out and said my heart seemed fine, there was no reason for it. I told her about what I had read on the internet and that I was willing to pay the money for it, and to please do it. She did not want to. After a lenghty discussion she admitted to me that cardiologists had suspected that the patent foramen ovale led to migraine headaches but they did not have the proof. She finally relented and agreed to do the test.

I spent the next two weeks waiting for my appointment with a constant headache, but beaming, sure that I had found the answer. The day came, I took the stress test and made it on their 'Wall of Fame' as the person who lasted the longest on their treadmill. I took the echocardiogram with a smile on my face. That smile didn't last as a week later when the results came in and I found out my heart was in fine shape. The patent foramen ovale was not the issue. So now I was back to square one. It was Dec 25, 2007. A very sad Christmas.

But, the winds of change were in motion. I wasn't through visiting Dr. T. Some amazing things happened in the next month. We will continue this story tomorrow. Have a blessed day Thursday. Hope for the best, keep your spirits high and have fun.





My grand-son L.J. is not discouraged! He is reaching for something bigger and better!

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Migraine Headache Relief - The Journey

This is my 17 year old daughter Michlle.
She rarely gets migraine headaches.



My headaches reached their peak about four years ago and stayed the same for three and one half years. It was near the beginning of that time frame that I was introduced to Immatrex. My strategy was as follows, if I woke up with a slight headache, I would follow the experts advice and take a B.C. powder right away. If I woke up with a severe headache, I would take an Immatrex right away. Because of the expense involved, I tried to save Immatrex for the really severe pain.

Normally, if I did not wake up with a headache I would develop one before noon. Once again, if it didn't come on real hard I'd go for the OTC stuff. If it approached like thunder, then I would go for the big boys (big dollar) items. I became so hooked on B.C. powders and Immatrex that I became a slave to the pill. It is a pretty well known fact that both of these medications lead to rebound headaches, but I was so deathly afraid of migraine's that I took them anyway. I really, honestly became frightened at the thought of having a migraine. Even though I would have a headache almost every single day, I still maintained taking these pills, knowing that they were not helping the overall situation. Even with taking as many as I did (up to five B.C.s a day at times), I would still get migraine headaches 1-2 times nearly every week.

It was miserable. I virtually lost all of last summer. Outside of my job, I spent most of the summer in bed, doing nothing. I would exercise and get a headache. I would try to go outside and do some yard work I would end up with a headache. I would eat a nice meal and surely there would be something in it that would trigger a headache. It was awful. I really did not know if life was worth living. Many times in the midst of a migraine I would pray to God asking if my life could end, if this could be the last night.

November, 2007 was a significant month in my life. I was sick and tired of headaches, sick and tired of trying the same old thing, sick and tired of living the way I was. Something had to change. Something different had to happen, or my life was not worth living. In tomorrow's blog I will begin to explain the relief I have had and what I did to achieve it.

For great information on timely medical news visit Naturopathic Physician Dr. Teresa Latendress's newsletter at: http://www.feelingoutstanding.com/Dr_T_newsletter.html

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Enjoy life, have fun, be generous and feel great!

Migrane Headache Relief - Part 2

I can remember having migraine headaches as a young boy, probably between 5 and 8 years old. In fact it is one of my earliest remembrances. I remember being sent to the elementary school nurse because of headaches many times. And I also remember how much my teacher, the nurse and the principal doubted that I was in any real pain.

As I grew older I accquired a part time job as a substitute teacher while attending Indiana University. I stayed quite busy and it made for a decent part time job while in college except for one thing, almost every day I would come home with a migraine headache. I began to think it was stress that was leading to the headaches, and of course that may have had something to do with it. Almost all of the so called experts at the time told me that headaches were a cause of stress. Funny thing was, I really didn't have that much stress in my life at the time. I honestly didn't. And I was just as likely to develop a headche whether I had a stressful day or not. That theory just didn't fly.

Over time I went to see M.D.'s, neorologists, chiropractors, cranial-sacral chiropractors, naturopaths, neurologists, accupuncture specialists, an Australian spinologist, integrated medical specialists, etc. Unfortunately, the pain continued.

The neurologists and M.D.s prescribed at least 4 different medications that had "helped many people in the past". Some of these medications, like some of the vitamins and nutrients I had taken before did have a very short and limited benefit. The higher I got in the medical field the more potent the drugs became, and the more serious the side effects. The most common side effect I experienced was weakness. Drugs would often leave me feeling like I was operating at about the 80% level and I did not want that. There had to be something better.

The headaches kept getting worse. Not necessarily more severe. There is not much more severe pain than that of a migraine headache, but they did become more frequent. At the age of about 40 or so I became pretty well hooked on BC and Goodies powders. They were the only OTC medication that I could get my hands on that either provided some relief or didn't make my headaches become immediately worse. Within about a year I was taking the powders every day, and usually more than just once a day. Often 2, 3, 4 or even 5 times a day.

I came to realize that these powders were causing "rebound" headaches, but, I became so frightened of migraines that I felt if I didn't take them at the first sign of a headache it would turn into a migraine. Eventually I received a prescription for Immatrex, which did not agree with me at all. Immatrex led to such devastating rebound headaches that I had to quit taking them. I re-tried Immatrex therapy four or five times hoping that my body would be more tolerant, but there was never any improvement.

Before I go on, let me say that any of these medications or treatments I have described may work well on certain people. If they do, that's great. Don't run from something that works. They just did not work for me.

I want to describe how bad my addiction to these medications became in my next blog. But as I said yesterday, there is hope. I have made tremendous accomplishments against headaches. I cannot wait to share my experiences.

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Migraine Headache Relief

To the right is my 5 year old grand-daughter Aaliyah. Now she looks like she is feeling outstanding!

Have you ever had a headache? Have you ever had a migraine headache? Have you ever had a headache that felt so bad that you wondered if you were going to live through the night? Have you ever had headaches so bad and so often that you were not sure life was worth living?

I was speaking to a person the other day who told me he never had a headache. I paused for a moment, and asked him "Never?" His response was "Yes, never." I couldn't believe it. I still have a hard time believing it. Never???!!! What a blessed person. If any of you never, or rarely have headaches, count this as an outstanding blessing.

I'm going to be talking to you as a person who has had headaches, migraine headaches, as long as I can remember. I can remember as a boy getting these awful headaches but not wanting to tell anybody about them. I didn't want to appear weaker than others and I wanted to participate in sports and games so much that I just suffered. I can remember as a young adult the headaches getting worse and more frequent. I can remember from about ten years ago up until January of this year having headaches of one degree or another nearly every day.

I also remember lying in bed for one or two or three days in a row in abject misery wondering if I would make to the next day, wondering if I even wanted to make it to the next day. The pain being so intense that I couldn't do anything but lay down in a fetal position. Sleep was almost impossible to come by. All I could do was lay down and try to keep my mind on something other than the pain. Migraine headaches have got to be one of the most painful experiences a person can undergo.

I struggled and searched for answers. Over the past 35 years I have went to several naturopathic physicians, neurologists, accupuncture specialists, spinologists, M.D.'s, chiropractors, cranial-sacral chiropractors, massage therapists, integrated medical doctors, homeopathic doctors, etc. I tried several different things on my own including many nutritional supplements. Some had limited success, some had no success.

The good news is that over the past six months my situation has changed for the better very much. So much so that I would like to spend the next few days telling you about it and what led up to it.

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