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?

the PMS monster hath risen

This past week I suffered from awful bouts of irate anger (redundant, much?) and moodiness. Though the migraine frequency has lessened, the headaches still come up once a week or so. Until this week, the head pain wasn't accompanied by other migraine side effects other than sleepiness.

Until PMS time came. I had worse PMS than I can remember in recent history. I was moody, extremely sad (curled up on the couch listening to overdramatic songs on my iPod--not even using the stereo!), and flushed with anger at the drop of a hat. Yech. As I mentioned to my sister, I felt the way I did as a teenager during fights with my mom: in each case (picking a fight with my beau this week or with my mom 15 years ago), I could see the argument spinning out of control, could understand why the things I was getting p.o.ed about really were meaningless. But I couldn't stop being mad. I couldn't stop yelling or uttering huge sighs of disgust. Ew! Dear Lord, please don't make me a teenager every month. I hope that this week's tudiness will not replicate itself next cycle.

Am I the only one whose period brings different side effects every time? Sometimes I'm cool and collected (okay, that's rare--but last month I was like that!); other times I am the devil incarnate. Still other times are marked by awful cramps and no headache; the next month, I might have an 8-day Migraine with no cramps. I prefer predictability.

maintain a healthy weight!

Of course there are myriad benefits to staying in good shape. Now here's a press release about the link between unhealthy weight and migraine! (And more encouragement for me to gain a bit more weight and keep exercising!)

Check out the article here.

goggly googly eyes

Today I went to the YMCA to swim for the first time in awhile. Had I not been walking frequently in the month I've neglected the Y, I might feel a bit embarrassed at not having visited the pool in so long. But I had to skip the Y for several weeks' time due to my being ill (can't be contagious at the Y!) and then because of the severe ear pain that accompanied my dipping my head even 2" underwater.

Today I went around 11 AM and was happy to find a whole lane open for me. I swam a bit but my goggles kept flipping off each time I did a flip turn (probably because I had them on pretty loose--tying them as tightly as I should hurts my head too much!). I gave up after a whopping ten or fifteen minutes and exited the pool. Would've dipped in the clean yet decrepit hot tub were an older lady not already in it. (I don't really want to make small talk while sitting in a 104-degree communal tub. Sorry, lady.)

In the car about to make my way home, I glanced in the mirror and noticed that my lower eyelids were super puffy. After a second I realized this was probably because of wearing goggles. Nearly twelve hours later, however, I look in the mirror and still see those bags under my eyes, bags that were NOT there when I woke up this morning. My face has felt stuffy since the swim, too--and here I'd thought I'd almost rid myself of this obnoxious cold/sinus infection for awhile. Ick.

Anyone ever have his or her head get really stuffy while swimming? The doctors I've seen recently didn't seem surprised at the fact that my ear hurts due to water pressure, but since it happened again today (post medical care) combined with my strange under-eye sinus puffiness, I'm wondering what else is up.

On a related note, I put my Y membership on hold for a few months. (This means I won't pay the monthly fee 'til I start going again, and I won't have to pay a joiner's fee when I start going to the Y again. Not that I paid the joiner's fee in the first place--had that waived for no other reason than that I asked!) I have really been enjoying my walks, and they seem to be a better use of time. By the time I drive to the Y, change into my suit, swim laps, change back, drive home, shower, and change again, I could have walked out my door and around the neighborhood for over an hour. Given the choice, I choose FREE.

why you shouldn't give up hope

One of the readers of my blog, T., started emailing me a year ago or so (has it been longer than that, T.?). I'm happy to report that after 19 months of daily headache/migraine, she has gone eight days pain-free. As far as I know, this is the longest period of headache-free days she's had in nearly two years, folks. I'm so very happy for her--what a wonderful, refreshing feeling that must be, to wake up and NOT feel sick after getting used to the pain as a way of life.

Way to go, T.! Here's to days, months, YEARS of good health!

could it really be that simple?

Were it not for overindulging on New Year's Eve (um, oops), I would probably still be having a migraine-free 2009. On the evening of the 31st, it'd been nine days since my last attack. As of 8 AM on the 1st, however, I was back at square one. That time I knew precisely who was the culprit: me and my re-found affection for white wine. Yes, it's true--I'm drinking that delicious nectar again, but with at LEAST 16 oz. of water with every glass of wine. Worked out well for me 'til NYE when I made the mistake of having a nightcap. Turns out wine is a bit more alcoholic than what I'm used to drinking.

But that's somewhat besides the point.

For the first time, I really, truly believe that I can get this disease under control. I'm following my doctor's orders, yes, but I'm not doing too much that's out of the ordinary. In general, I'm doing things I've always known to be good for me, things that I've let slip out of my life for one reason or another. As I've mentioned here before, the regular exercise has already proven to be quite the boon. It was nice to be validated by my new doctor, told that even long walks would give me a boost in serotonin. I don't need to swim at sprint-speed for an hour or even turn my walk into a run--I can just walk briskly five times a week and reap the benefits of exercise. It took some effort to let go of the notion that an "in shape" person should be able to jog or swim laps for much longer than I can without getting winded. Truth is, I'm not in the best shape. Another truth is that my body doesn't like it too much when I overexert myself (migraine trigger alert!), so why not take it easy and work my way up to some gentle exercise that fits the bill and makes me feel better?

A few days ago, I walked by the Habitat for Humanity parking lot on a walk. "Girl, you need to be runnin'!" a worker loading boxes called out to me. I do believe that a few months (or even years) ago I would have felt a bit bad after hearing this, simply knowing that I SHOULD be able to run and jump and do the activities a healthier person can. But this day was different. "Nah, I'm more of a walker," I called back, to which the man responded with a smile: "All right, all right!" I could have cited the arthritis in my knees, my bouts with sciatica, and my tendency to develop a migraine when I overexert myself. But I didn't. I just admitted that I'm more of a walker and kept on going. And you know what? I wasn't hard on myself afterward. I didn't spend too much time harping on the differences between my super-in-shape self of the early 90s (when I was a pre-teen, mind you!) and the 28-year-old I am today. I just kept going, and I felt great. There is a joy in being able to move and exercise without pain; you don't need to overdo it in order to feel accomplished. If there's one thing I've learned in these 2+ months of exercising healthily, it's that it's important to do what's right for you and not judge yourself by the standards set forth by fitness experts and marathon runners. Just do what you can. I do, and I hope to continue doing this.

Most of the other recommendations from the doctor were pretty simple, too. Eat well, treat my body well, and the like. J., my beau, pointed out the fact that many of the doctor's tips were tips he'd recommended for us long ago. Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. Try to cut out dairy. J. hadn't called the "weed out white and enriched flour" bit, but that wasn't surprising. White and enriched flour is rougher on your system if you're sensitive like me and have IBS.

I keep reflecting on my wonderful visit and wishing more people could meet with this same doctor and have success. Were I you, I'd be skeptical. All the same, I'm putting it out there: I'm convinced that this person could help many of the people reading this. No, I'm not going to post his name and information (though if you are convinced by my admiration you can email me for details). He diagnosed me with several diseases/disorders I'd long since guessed I'd had, but didn't diagnose in a way I perceived as threatening or upsetting. He just verified my suspicions: I have mild depression, chronic fatigue (but not necessarily chronic fatigue syndrome, mind you), arthritis, allodynia (which I suspected I had on my scalp but had no idea was related to the bruised feeling I often have on my arms, legs, and torso!), Migraine disease (duh), irritable bowl syndrome (IBS), hypersensitivity, and mucositis (inflammation of the mucus membranes--mine is chronic but should be helped with my new regimen). I felt vindicated and relieved--all of these seemingly disparate symptoms I've been suffering from for a long time were all named, and all of them were related to my naturally low serotonin levels. The doctor is convinced that regulating my serotonin levels will allow me to live a happier, more productive, and less painful life. He pointed out how much better I'd been feeling since I started exercising and said that the exercise, combined with a diet that's easier on my system and some other exercise and relaxation techniques, I could cut out the majority of my migraines.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Every day I make a smoothie chock full of good things for me--blueberries, pomegranate juice, tea, oatmeal soaked in rice milk, flaxseed, and some supplements. Each morning and night I take supplements/vitamins, a few of which I've been taking for a couple of years now. Five days a week I'm to engage in "gentle exercise" for 30-60 minutes, depending on how long it takes for me to reach the peak when I have the endorphin rush. I've been exercising 45-70 minutes when I go out and walk. Tomorrow I'll call and sign myself up for therapeutic yoga class (which I convinced Handicapped Twin to go to, too!); soon I'll buy a book on mindful meditation (the main form of meditation that has lots of good research behind it, hence the hospital being able to endorse it). The more I do for myself, the better and more hopeful I feel. I've already begun returning more to what I consider my "real" self--making calls to distant loved ones with more frequency, writing letters again (something I was once famous for but sort of dropped in recent times), and persuing creative activity. Hell, I even enrolled in the Sketchbook Project and am trying my hand at drawing, something I never thought I'd do.

I'm happy. I really hope you are, too. I hate the fact that I might sound as if I'm proselytizing, but it's hard to hold back when you've been hopeless for so long and suddenly see concrete evidence that your life is changing for the better. I dare any of you who've made it through this entire blog entry to start exercising a few days a week to the best of your ability and see if you don't feel better. I dare you!

Happy 2009. Love love love.

the best is yet to come!

I've been doing better and better at staying positive--it helps that my migraine frequency and severity have both plummeted in the last month and a half, I know.

Goals for 2009:

• Eat well (and according to doctor's instructions) -- this means limiting dairy (wah) and cutting out as much refined & white flour as possible. This means eating more fresh fruit and veggies. No regular intake of sugary sweetness.
  
• Exercise frequently. No need to pressure myself to become a runner or hard-core cardioaddict. Just regular, gentle exercise. Slow laps in the pool, long walks around the neighborhood, yoga class. Take it easy while staying in shape and keeping those delicious endorphins and serotonin levels coursing through my body.
• Accept my life as it is and figure out which goals of mine are realistic. Don't take on too much. Meditate. Learn to calm myself down and lower stress. Don't overcommit. Do make time for friends and family when possible and healthy. Don't give myself guilt trips for not accomplishing every single thing I have ever considered.
  
• Sleep as regularly as possible. Try to cut out naps (wah). Wake up around the same time each day.
• Don't get intimidated by the above goals! Any little bit I can do will help; the more I do, the better off I am.
  

I wish you all good health and happiness in 2009. I haven't been blogging as much because I haven't wanted to think too much about migraine while feeling well. No, I don't think I'll jinx myself or anything; it's just that, for the moment, I don't need this outlet as much. Oh, okay--and I think I'll jinx my current good fortune just a bit.

That being said, goodbye for now! Talk to you next year.

9 days and counting

Excuse me if I sicken you with my sickly sweet view of the world again, but I'm feeling great! The past few days I have been staying at my friends' new house in Atlanta, and I've been overexposed to triggers that usually work on me like clockwork, causing me to pop a few triptans in order to function.

Here are the things that usually tip me over the edge, especially over Christmas:

drinking a fair bit of alcohol (two nights in a row, at that!)
sleeping in a place where cats might jump on you and meow in the middle of the night
slight cat allergies (sad.)
changing weather patterns (sunny to cloudy, cloudy to rainy, rainy to soaked, creepily warm to freezing)
interrupted/disrupted sleep (2:30 AM bedtime one night, 4:45 AM the next, 11:45 PM the next)
driving in the car in unfamiliar, trafficky areas
having my period
exposure to fluorescent lights
exposure to cigarette smoke
loud music

In the last four days, I have experienced inordinate amounts of the above-listed triggers and am still alive to tell the tale. Nine days without the need to take a Relpax or Maxalt--and on those days I've felt really good, not half-blah as I often do on my non-migraine days.

Of course I'm hesitant to chalk it all up to the 4-6 weeks of regular exercise, but I do think that's the key player in this equation. Add that to the fact that I am hopeful--truly hopeful!--about my chances of operating like a normal human being again and you get one optimistic, good-feelin' girl.

Merry Christmas. I hope my next post is just as pain-free, and I wish you all happy, HEALTHY holidays!

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

I wash my hands of this!

After nearly four years of being on my condo association's board of directors (first as secretary, then as secretary/treasurer, and now as treasurer), I have felt some relief: due to my urging, we are going to hire an association management company to take over! I'll still retain my fancy title but with 99% of the work going to the management company and not to me. No more putting notices in people's boxes, asking them to clean up their yards! No more invoicing neighbors for their late, monthly condo dues! No more meeting with accountants multiple times a year to work out the books and file the taxes! No more emailing homeowners asking them to get their tenants to clean up the remnant's from Friday night's party! No more emailing association members repeatedly with getting very little in return! No more feeling guilty because I didn't do as much as I felt I should have (despite no one else doing much at all)! No more reminding people once a month that they cannot leave garbage in piles OUTSIDE of the cans! No more calling the garbage service to ask them to clean up extra mess! (See photo.)

Yay! Joy! Heaven!

There's still more work to go, but that works is OURS (and not mine), as it should have been all along. I can't say how many neighborhood-related woes have contributed to migraine attacks.

Whew.