while we're on the subject...

I found this video on YouTube.com. The narrator, Michael Shermer, seems to approach the subject with a healthy skepticism--I like how he doesn't dismiss acupuncturists (and patients) as fools. He seems to take the most issue with practioners' claims that acupuncture can help alleviate certain conditions, conditions that have not been shown to improve at all due to acupuncture.

What he does allow is that there seems to be some relief for chronic pain patients--and this is why it seems appropriate to post the video here.

acupuncture post part II

Here's an article my dad asked me to read last month. (We often get in debates about so-called "alternative" medicine, acupuncture, etc.) It's from Skeptic Magazine.

Then take a look at this entry on HealthCentral.com.

These are but two examples of the acupuncture debate. With all these educated and well-intentioned folks on both sides of the issue (or somewhere in the middle, like me), it's hard to know what to believe. If acupuncture works for you, that's wonderful. I'm pleased to hear it. If it doesn't, I'd like to hear from you, too.

As for me, it's not an affordable option right now, especially since I've been finding success with other lifestyle changes.

Read on and let me know what you think!

The strength of the placebo effect with acupuncture

Did anyone else see this article? It seems to be making the rounds like wildfire--in the headache & acupuncture communities, at least. I've long since been interested in acupuncture but can't get my mind around the fact that several of the studies cited most often to acupuncture experts are not well-crafted and cannot serve to make generalizations about larger populations. I know several people whose lives have improved since going to acupuncture--headaches, back pain, and more have been reduced to amazingly low levels for some friends who've gone to an acupuncturist. That's wonderful--but is the belief in acupuncture more powerful than the process itself?

The needles aren't painful as they enter your body (and as they rest there for awhile). Lying on a table imagining your body healing itself is good for anyone, even those without an acupuncturist hovering above. Imagining those energy channels opening up, envisioning your body working smoothly, all its parts in line--these visions probably accompany acupuncture treatment and may be just one part of the reason acupuncture seems to work so well.

I'm not looking for an argument here--there are many people who truly believe in its power. I am not denying that it works for many, many people. I'm grateful and happy that it's brought such relief to some people in my life! But, as this article suggests, its anecdotally-reported success in the migraine community might be attributable to the placebo effect. And maybe that's okay--as long as it works, right? Scientific and medical experts warn that the placebo effect wears off eventually, leaving people where they started. Even if that is the case, can't we be happy that the patients have seen a break in pain without putting more drugs in their systems?

What do you think?

hope!

I had my much-anticipated appointment at one of our city's hospital's Mind-Body Institute today. The doctor met with me from 10:10 AM - 12 noon, uninterrupted, in a room lit with two small lamps. We talked the entire time about my health and my life (which he'd taken the time to read about already in the extensive intake forms they send to you before your appointment). I have a long list of things to do to help myself, all focused on regulating my serotonin levels and keeping them up. As I've seen a huge change in my pain and fatigue levels since beginning more frequent exercise nearly a month ago, I have the highest hopes that continuing to keep myself active, fit, and well-nourished will lead to less pain.

I'll write more about it later--I must go get new tires put on my car. But for now I just wanted to drop by and say that, for the first time, I have hopes of really improving my health and cutting migraines out of the picture most days of the month!

Love,
me

yoga nidra

On Sunday at noon, I went to one of Athens's many yoga centers for a yoga nidra class. (I just wrote "noga yidra" and had to erase it. Thanks, Imitrex, for your charming effects on my brain.) My friend A. was about thirty seconds into her explanation of it when I decided it would indeed be for me.

As someone who's done yoga nidra twice, I don't feel equipped to aptly (or accurately) describe it. From a layman's perspective, it goes a little something like this:
1. Lie on your back on the floor, preferably on top of a yoga mat or comfortable, thin cushion.
2. Cover your eyes with a soft cloth or eye mask. (For people who can tolerate the smell, a lavender-infused eye mask is nice.)
3. Adjust your body so you are as comfortable as possible.
4. Listen for instructions.
5. 45-75 minutes later, you're done. You have not moved that entire time.

This yoga can be done by even those of us who aren't flexible or super-athletic. Let me reiterate: YOU DO NOT MOVE FOR AN HOUR.

The teacher (or kind British voice on the free mp3 recording) will have you get in position and relax first. Then you'll "rotate consciousness" (skeptics, just go with it) by focusing on one body part at a time. The "61-point" focusing exercise is repeated 2-3 times and really does leave you feeling relaxed and mushy and good. Then you are led through some relaxing breathing exercises and visualizations. The goal afterward is to feel more refreshed and ready to live life, as a properly done yoga nidra session is supposedly as restorative as four hours of deep sleep.

Interesting stuff. And it feels so good! It's also interesting to willingly put yourself in that stage that occurs between wakefulness and sleep, that lucid dreaming zone where it seems as if you're having an out-of-mind experience, watching how your brain works as your body calms down. It's really, really interesting. I promise.

I refer you to this Wikipedia link and really encourage you to read it. Yoga nidra is especially recommended for those whose brains race, who have chronic pain, who have been feeling stressed or anxious, and more. It takes awhile to get used to the practice, but I'm told by the yoga teacher and other practitioners that every time you do yoga nidra it helps you--and every time the session is different because you yourself have changed since the last time you practiced.

Important breakthroughs? Let's keep our fingers crossed..

I'm sure lots of my blogger friends are already all over this, but I figured it could only help and encourage others if I spread the good news. At least I hope it continues to be good news!

There are two new devices that are proven to help headache sufferers before the headache completely surfaces. Look at just one of the many articles about these developments here on U.S. News & World Report's site.

In other news, I've been terribly out of the loop when it comes to reading aforementioned blogger friends' pages. Sorry, guys. BUT this can be seen as a good sign: I've felt great since Sunday and have been very productive working on the bookstore and doing other positive things. Hooray!

I'll catch up on your news later, and I am thinking about you!

tired of being tired

I'm so tired all the time. I've a sneaking suspicion this has to do with the weather, as pollen has permeated every breath I take for a couple of months now. When I'm not in the Georgia air, I am traveling--and traveling makes me tired, too.

When I first started taking Petadolex and rid myself of Zonegran, I was happily shocked at the energy boost I felt. "Wow," thought I, "turns out it's not normal to want to take a nap ALL THE TIME." I wanted to do things; I cleaned the house without complaint while blasting music or This American Life (my life's blood).

But recently I've become tired again. In the last week, I've attempted to go to bed at the same time each night and rise at the same time each morning. Maybe I'm getting too much sleep at once? (In a week I've not yet avoided my obnoxious pattern of waking up in the 3-5 AM range--grr.) I get up and at 'em and have even been getting exercise recently. Seems like the new me would be ready and rarin' to go.

But no. I just want to close my eyes. Is it working on the computer? Maybe, but not being on the computer doesn't guarantee wakefulness. Instead of my long walks resulting in an energy boost, I want to curl my sweaty self up on the couch and doze off for awhile. Driving makes me tired. Reading makes me tired. Walking makes me tired. Immobility makes me tired.

What to do?

Oh! One more thing. Maybe this nugget is my savior, the piece of the puzzle that will soon right itself and make it so I can live energetically again. I cut out caffeine completely about two weeks ago. I had cut down a lot and was only having caffeinated coffee when headachey or (in one case) slightly hungover. But after one cup I'd switch to decaf (a la my parents).

Now I'm clean, kids. I'M CLEAN! But I'm tired. The boost that caffeine provides is brief, I know, so having a cup of joe is not the solution.

I ingest six BILLION* pills of riboflavin (B2) each day and take my multivitamin in the morning. I have been eating breakfast, including delicious fruit smoothies and chock-full-o-goodness juices and snacks.

What gives? Does anyone see something obvious happening that would explain my sleepiness, my laziness? Am I missing the obvious or am I doomed to a sleepy existence forever!?

* or so it seems

good morning, migraine girl

Just another morning here. Omega-3 (fish oil), 4 B2 pills,

500mg of magnesium, a multivitamin, and a sinus pill + Naproxen to
combat the weather (those last two are rare bonuses!).

helpful treatment for TMJ dysfunction and migraine?

I was perusing the comment section under Jeff Tweedy's insightful blog on The New York Times site when I saw that one of the inventors of the Face Caddy had posted. I rarely follow people's self-published links to websites that profess to know the answer to my pain, but this was different. First off, the writer didn't annoy me with any obnoxious claims that the product would definitely cure a migraine or TMJ pain. Second, the website (http://facecaddy.blogspot.com) for the product doesn't reek of shameless self-advertisement. The guys who invented this product initially made it for those recovering from a common operation we like to call "the mini-facelift." I have a family member who suffered for weeks after her operation, and something like the Face Caddy would've come in handy.

But let's not go off on a tangent just yet. The folks at the site then went on to say that they didn't have the response they'd expected from plastic surgeons. Surely the doctors they spoke with would be happy to recommend a lush, stay-in-place recovery tool instead of the usual "hold a bag of frozen peas to your face" remedy. Right? Wrong. The plastic surgeons they spoke with didn't care one way or the other for this implement and the inventors hadn't gotten any further with their creation. That is, at least, until they happened to speak with a chiropractor, who said he wanted to order several of them for his patients who suffer from TMJ dysfunction and migraines.

I took the bait and ordered one on the spot. You see, another reason I was so ready to buy a product I'd ordinarily dismiss as another false promise was this: the pain in my jaw and near my right ear hasn't let up for well over a month now. I used to be an occasional sufferer of TMJ dysfunction, experiencing pain only for brief stretches of (usually stressful) time. Not the case now. Weeks straight of not being able to open my mouth as widely as I should. Jaws cracking and popping at the smallest yawn or bit of food. I started wearing my mouth guard again and even have some muscle relaxers I pop now and again before bed to decrease the chances of my grinding my teeth.

But to have something I could wrap around my head and fill with either heat or cold, cold relief? Whenever I was feeling especially bad? Even if this product wouldn't rid me of TMJ pain entirely, at least it would soothe it in doses. Right? I hope so.

I just got back in town from vacation and my Face Caddy was on my porch. To the delight of my boyfriend, I wore it the entire time we watched a movie last night, alternating between the heat packs and the cold packs (you have to order an extra set of packs to be able to switch 'em out quickly like that). It felt gooooood. And when the boyf woke up in the middle of the night with extreme shoulder and neck pain, we wrapped the Face Caddy around his shoulder so it became a shoulder caddy. It's so much softer than a traditional rubber water bottle.

I think this means I like it. And it brings me much pleasure to say "face caddy" as many times as possible in a brief period of time. Face Caddy, Face Caddy! Ha. A cheesy but entirely apt name for what seems to be a soothing product. I'll let you know if there are any significant updates either way.

Goodbye, Zonegran/Hello Petadolex!

Guess what, guess what, guess what?! I am officially weaning myself off Zonegran. My neurologist gave me a plan to follow and everything. I started on the drug in April 2006 and quickly worked my way up to 200mg/night. In October of 2006, my neurologist upped it to 300mg/night in the hopes of killing off more Migraine attacks.

It is now January 2008 and, after months of going back and forth about the issue, I've finally started the process of getting off the meds. This marks the second night in a row I'll be taking 200 mg/night instead of 300mg.

Here's the plan.

Up until now: 300mg/night before bed.
Then for two weeks: 200mg/night before bed
For two weeks after that: 100mg/night before bed
And for the two weeks after that?: 100mg every OTHER night before bed

And then I'll be done. Minor snafu? The doc didn't call in enough pills to the pharmacy to get me through all the weeks. I'll run out of pills during the last stage, right when I've almost got it beat. We shall deal with that when the time comes--a quick but annoying call to the neurologist's voicemail will clear that right up.

To complicate and [I sincerely hope!] improve things, I've been prescribed a new treatment, if "prescribe" is the accurate word here. My doctor is requesting (nay, ordering!) that I begin taking a new pill every day, but not one I need his signature for. What is this, you ask? Why, it's a little something called Petadolex. This herbal supplement has virtually no side effects, is relatively inexpensive (especially if you're starting from scratch sans insurance like me!), and is readily available on this here World Wide Web. There are actually verifiable scientific studies in which results show that Migraine frequency and intensity decreased in people using it daily. And my neurologist, one of the foremost experts in the field, is recommending that I take it.

So why didn't my doctor tell me about this long ago?

I fear that the answer lies in the well-founded fear that doctors are getting some pretty big payoffs from Big Pharma in exchange for pushing certain drugs to their patients. (I just stumbled across this article that describes how influential drug reps can be! Frightening.) This doesn't seem entirely true in my case, perhaps, since I was taking the generic form of Zonegran anyway--but I lasted the first four months of my drug therapy without needing one prescription from my local pharmacy. Why? Because my neurologist had tons (TONS!) of free samples to give me. While I was very grateful for this, I also find it off-putting to think of the millions of dollars and labor hours spent in order to get those sample packets into my hand. I fear that the motive isn't just to make me and others like me well. I think it may have to do with handouts, payouts, and some free vacations and dinners to boot. A friend of mine who's a pharmacist just went to a talk given by my aforementioned well-known neurologist--a talk about Topamax. "Why would he do such a think in his free time? You know he's got to be getting paid for it."

And I'm off on a little bit of a tangent. I'm really hoping that there's a good reason why I went through four preventative treatments, all of which had adverse side effects, all of which I told the doctor I was hesitant to go on, before he told me about this side-effect-free alternative therapy. I really hope that the reason has nothing to do with his being money-grubbing, 'cause I like him. I do.

Goodnight, and I hope you're feeling well!