Sleeplessness, memory retention and Migraines

[Aoife]

Help me!


Note: I have epilepsy and it contributes to all. I would like a more natural remedies if anyone knows of any.

[RedSky]

calcium ion uptake inhibitors stopped my cluster headaches thank the gods. beta blockers maintain that. I still get the visual things like kaleidoscope vision
but not the pain. the self medication really contributed to my sleeplessness, excedrin etc. that and the fear of waking up with a headache. best I can do is send positive waves your way. Do you like dogs? I've heard that sensitive ones can be of help to those dealing with epilepsy. In my limited experience it was me helping the best dog ever thru his episodes. The Celts thought dogs with an unbroken white neck ring were fairy steeds. I always told myself our Bramble
was off helping them when he so obviously was not with us. Peace be with you. someone with more herbal skills will be along.

[Aigeann]

Help me!


Note: I have epilepsy and it contributes to all. I would like a more natural remedies if anyone knows of any.

Blessings to you Aoife. Due to the epilepsy I strongly recommend you seek out a specialist you can meet with face to face for help. I'm sure there must be people locally you can ask for recommendations. Keep trying.

[EmilyRaven]

If you have not had a full allergy workup and been tested for Celiac Disease I recommend you go that route. Allergies can pop up at any time in life and mine contribute greatly to my migraines and headaches. I also have Celiac disease which also contributes to migraines. Eliminating all the allergens the doctors found helped my health quite a lot and reduces my needs for drugs.

Best wishes for healing.

[Danaan]

I'm sorry you are going through the pain, and sleeplessness with migraines and epilepsy. I hope you are working with physicians that listen to you and are trying to help. I know that even when doctors are really trying often they're unsuccessful. It's good to look into options, but any quick remedy someone could offer here would be unlikely to help either. I agree with earlier comments that given your health challenges you should instead meet personally with a specialist.

I'll give you an example. In my case I sought out an acupuncturist for my severe migraines after years of failed prescription drug therapies. This acupuncturist was also a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor who helped identify some food allergies, included herbal treatments, and taught me how to use pressure points on myself. I worked with him for a little over a year and my migraines have been basically gone for 5+ years now. He had the training and experience to try multiple treatments, and had no problems coordinating with my regular physicians. He was the right caregiver to help find new answers for my particular issues at that time. But- I had other headaches and problems he was unsuccessful with. It turns out I had a brain herniation that had to be discovered via conventional medicine. So I feel very thankful to have found someone with the skills and patience to have helped with my migraines; I also realize no one practitioner- alternative or physician- can do it all.

Acupuncturists, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors, and herbalists may have options for you. Make sure the practitioner is licensed and will (of course) listen to you. Best of luck, and I hope you find a path to relief and healing.

[Woodfox]

I get migraines as well and have had to eliminate certain foods (diary and corn in my case). Dairy is the biggie though as far as migraines. I've also had to cut out wheat for IBS reasons but because my IBS is better, the migraines are better.

I don't have an issue with sleeplessness but my husband and all of his family can't eat anything with artificial food colourings in them, especially Tartrazine yellow and one of the reds (I can't remember which one, sorry). If any one of his family eats them they're up all night, no matter how tired they are.

I hope this information helps.

[Aoife]

Thanks for the answers!

You know, I hadn't even considered potential allergens and acupuncture. I really should ask about those. Any idea if acupuncturists are covered by health insurance? I haven't really told my doctors because the SUPER bad migraines (sensitivity to light, nausea, tears and so on) only happen every couple of months so it was easy to excuse. The "baby headaches" as I've started calling them are weekly and those can usually be taken care of with normal drugs like Tylonal and generic pain killers. I think a lot of it may be muscle tension related. I don't know what it is I do (or maybe it's all emotional?) but my muscles will clench up and I'll suddenly realize that seemingly every muscle I'm aware of is tensed up like I'm expecting to be punched or something. After I realize that I try to relax but certain muscles (like those in the neck and upper back) are more stubborn about it and usually require a massage.

[Woodfox]

A pinched nerve could cause head pain likes that as well.

[Danaan]

Aoife-
some medical insurance will cover acupuncture, some will not. (When I went through all of my AP treatments my insurance did not cover it, but I didn't care. I needed to be better, and if lost my job because of being non-functional then I wouldn't have medical insurance anyway .) I used to be a big fan of massage and chiropractic for overly tight muscles and minor things like pinched nerves, but now know that some of their treatments can actually really hurt people with my type of brain herniation, etc. Live and learn. (I can still get massages, but have to go to an experienced therapeutic masseuse and explain what they can and can't do on me.)

Oh- and extreme muscle tightness in the neck and upper back has been a symptom of mine for over 3 decades- it's one way I react to chronic pain. Better to find the root cause of the pain by working with a specialist(s) and progress from there, in my opinion. Best of luck!