Vemma diary: December 2009
The festive season has just begun and already my family and friends are making it a migraine-friendly Christmas for me. My mum has made me a special Christmas pudding without the citrus peel in preparation for our feast on 25th. And last night, my very good friend, Claire, made some mulled cider especially for me so I wouldn't feel left out while everyone else supped on mulled wine. Ah isn't that lovely. Avoiding my food triggers - cheese, chocolate, caffeine, red wine and citrus peel - can be awkward and even isolating at times, but I have no need to worry this festive season. I am able to enjoy the food and drink traditions of Christmas with everyone else.
As well as enjoying a migraine-friendly Christmas, I'm also hoping to enjoy a migraine-free Christmas. I have a very good chance of achieving this, as I drink Vemma everyday. Vemma is doing such a great job at keeping my migraines at bay, I couldn't live without it. If you are a migraine sufferer, I urge you to try it. Check out my Vemma website.
Wishing you all a Merry, migraine friendly and migraine free, Christmas!
Sunday 6 December 2009
Saturday 14 November 2009
How drinking mangosteen juice reduces migraines
Vemma diary: November 2009
Ever since I started taking my daily dose of Vemma, I have believed in the many benefits that Vemma has to offer the body and how much it can benefit certain conditions, especially the migraine condition. There has been no denying that the juice of the mangosteen fruit, which is the main ingredient in Vemma, has helped lessen my migraines over the past two and half years. This rare fruit found in South East Asia really is powerful as it can potentially correct abnormal serotonin functions in blood vessels that lead to migraines.
I have been reading an interesting book called ‘Mangosteen Desk Reference’ by Dr Kenneth J. Finsand. As a migraine sufferer I have experienced many migraines related to allergic responses to food. Dr Finsand points out that amino acids have been found to lay a role in headaches and migraines. He says ‘Fatty acid imbalances are what I consider one of the main reasons we see inflammatory type headaches. I tell my patients that if you have a fatty acid deficiency, you will have inflammatory flare-ups, so the best thing is to balance your nutrition. By drinking the mangosteen juice every day you will be adding nutrition to your body that just so happens to get rid of inflammation.’
Dr Finsand continues to explain that taurine, an amino acid that is found in blood-cell platelets has been shown to be high during migraines. Serotonin, also a product of an amino acid called tryptophan, plays a key role in platelet-related migraines. Normal liver function can be predicted by normal gut function and can be the key factor in normal amino acid levels in the body. Heal the gut, balance liver function and produce normal amino acid levels and this in turn can help reduce headaches and migraines… all achieved when you drink mangosteen.
Sunday 18 October 2009
Get the chiropractor and Vemma on stand by: I'm moving house!
Vemma diary: September to October 2009
My lower back and my bank balance recently took a battering, but now I can finally say 'phew, I'm all moved in'.
Moving home is never easy...emotionally and physically. The searching, the negotiating, the waiting.... Luckily for me, the transaction of buying a place was fairly smooth and quick, so my stress levels did not soar too high. It was the physical strain on my body that took its toll.
The days spent packing... the big day of the move.... and the days spent unpacking. It's enough to make the strongest of bodies cry out for mercy. My mum, dad and brother were there to help... a blessing especially as I have been undergoing treatment on my back and neck since February and I had been given the strict instruction not to lift anything heavy. Inevitably I still lifted and carried and for a couple of weeks my back throbbed with pain. One chiropractic session and one sports massage later and I felt normal again.
Amazingly, I only suffered two migraines during the weeks leading up, during and after the move. If I had suffered many more, it wouldn't have come as a surprise. As a migraine sufferer, I expect the interruption of migraines during times of big change, stress and physical strain. All I can say is, thank goodness for my chiropractor for caring for my spine and for Vemma for keeping me energised, but more importantly, for helping to prevent many more migraines coming my way...
My lower back and my bank balance recently took a battering, but now I can finally say 'phew, I'm all moved in'.
Moving home is never easy...emotionally and physically. The searching, the negotiating, the waiting.... Luckily for me, the transaction of buying a place was fairly smooth and quick, so my stress levels did not soar too high. It was the physical strain on my body that took its toll.
The days spent packing... the big day of the move.... and the days spent unpacking. It's enough to make the strongest of bodies cry out for mercy. My mum, dad and brother were there to help... a blessing especially as I have been undergoing treatment on my back and neck since February and I had been given the strict instruction not to lift anything heavy. Inevitably I still lifted and carried and for a couple of weeks my back throbbed with pain. One chiropractic session and one sports massage later and I felt normal again.
Amazingly, I only suffered two migraines during the weeks leading up, during and after the move. If I had suffered many more, it wouldn't have come as a surprise. As a migraine sufferer, I expect the interruption of migraines during times of big change, stress and physical strain. All I can say is, thank goodness for my chiropractor for caring for my spine and for Vemma for keeping me energised, but more importantly, for helping to prevent many more migraines coming my way...
Wednesday 26 August 2009
Migraines make me healthy!
Vemma diary: August 2009
When I am in the throws of a migraine, healthy is the last thing I feel, and yet, migraines make me healthy. Let me explain by telling you a short story
Every day I take preventive measures in order to avoid my migraine triggers. I stay clear of caffeinated drinks, I keep hydrated and drink plenty of water, especially when exercising, I don't eat my trigger foods, mainly cheese and chocolate, which are also fatty foods, I try not to drink too much alcohol in fear of becoming dehydrated, I eat little but often and never skip meals so that my blood sugar levels don't drop, I try to get enough sleep and rest and avoid stress as much as possible, and finally I drink a nutritional supplement everyday called Vemma - which is packed full of vitamins and essential minerals - to help lessen the number of attacks I suffer from. All the makings of a healthy lifestyle! Would I still be this healthy if I didn't have this condition? Maybe, but its nice to think that there is some good that comes from being a migraine sufferer.
Friday 31 July 2009
Vemma for sport as well as migraine
Vemma diary: July 2009
There are many reasons to drink Vemma every day. For me, the main reason is it helps lessen my migraines. I also love to take my shot of Vemma every morning with breakfast because this liquid dietary supplement gives me all the nutrients my body needs. In other words, the mangosteen fruit and essential minerals found in Vemma supports a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle, and creates a much welcome energy boost everyday.
Always keen to spread the Vemma word, and even keener for family and friends to try it for themselves, I gave a bottle to my brother, Justin. He willingly accepted, especially as he is preparing and training for his first ever duathlon (5km run, 20km cycle and 3km run) in 3 weeks time. Will Vemma increase his energy levels, thus increasing his performance? Will Vemma help support his immune system and keep the bugs away? And will Vemma, that aids muscle and joint health, speed up the recovery time after each training session? I'm confident. Follow his experiment and training here.
There are many reasons to drink Vemma every day. For me, the main reason is it helps lessen my migraines. I also love to take my shot of Vemma every morning with breakfast because this liquid dietary supplement gives me all the nutrients my body needs. In other words, the mangosteen fruit and essential minerals found in Vemma supports a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle, and creates a much welcome energy boost everyday.
Always keen to spread the Vemma word, and even keener for family and friends to try it for themselves, I gave a bottle to my brother, Justin. He willingly accepted, especially as he is preparing and training for his first ever duathlon (5km run, 20km cycle and 3km run) in 3 weeks time. Will Vemma increase his energy levels, thus increasing his performance? Will Vemma help support his immune system and keep the bugs away? And will Vemma, that aids muscle and joint health, speed up the recovery time after each training session? I'm confident. Follow his experiment and training here.
Monday 29 June 2009
Could my remedy for migraine help speed up my nephew's recovery from a serious accident?
Vemma diary: June 2009
I have recently been through a very stressful and worrying time and as a result have suffered a bout of migraines.
My 8-year-old nephew, Damon, recently had a serious accident. He was enjoying a family picnic in a public park when a reversing grass cutter knocked him down, slicing his foot. The lawnmower driver reversed unexpectedly after Damon, his friend and his friend’s dad had waited for it to pass. Damon fell into the rotating blades in his attempt to save his friend who was knocked down first. His friend escaped serious injury. Damon was airlifted to hospital to undergo an emergency operation in a bid to rebuild his foot and avoid amputation. Several operations later and Damon is at home recovering. There is still a long way to go, but my brave little nephew, who is a junior cycling champ, is going to be OK. His foot has been saved.
Over the last two years Vemma has greatly helped to lessen my migraines and I would recommend the product to anyone. This nutritional supplement, which contains mangosteen fruit, may not have been able to help prevent my recent bout of stressed-induced migraines, but I still very much believe in its power to heal and that is why I have passed on a bottle of Vemma to my nephew to help aid his recovery. The xanthones in mangosteen improve the body’s cell to cell communication, speeding up healing and repair. I’ll let you know how he gets on.
Links to published articles about Damon's accident.
BBC News
The Telegraph
I have recently been through a very stressful and worrying time and as a result have suffered a bout of migraines.
My 8-year-old nephew, Damon, recently had a serious accident. He was enjoying a family picnic in a public park when a reversing grass cutter knocked him down, slicing his foot. The lawnmower driver reversed unexpectedly after Damon, his friend and his friend’s dad had waited for it to pass. Damon fell into the rotating blades in his attempt to save his friend who was knocked down first. His friend escaped serious injury. Damon was airlifted to hospital to undergo an emergency operation in a bid to rebuild his foot and avoid amputation. Several operations later and Damon is at home recovering. There is still a long way to go, but my brave little nephew, who is a junior cycling champ, is going to be OK. His foot has been saved.
Over the last two years Vemma has greatly helped to lessen my migraines and I would recommend the product to anyone. This nutritional supplement, which contains mangosteen fruit, may not have been able to help prevent my recent bout of stressed-induced migraines, but I still very much believe in its power to heal and that is why I have passed on a bottle of Vemma to my nephew to help aid his recovery. The xanthones in mangosteen improve the body’s cell to cell communication, speeding up healing and repair. I’ll let you know how he gets on.
Links to published articles about Damon's accident.
BBC News
The Telegraph
Monday 25 May 2009
Vemma diary: May 2009
Super fruit mangosteen has another role to play
I started taking Vemma everyday in the hope it would cure or help lessen the number of migraines I suffer from and two years later I can truly say that this liquid nutritional supplement, that includes the fruit mangosteen, has been my saving grace and I feel as if I couldn’t live without it now. My migraines have indeed lessened and as a result I feel to some degree that a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders; I no longer need to worry as nearly as much about when the next one is going to rear its ugly head as I have faith that Vemma is helping to keep them at bay.
It’s crazy to think that a tangerine-sized fruit can be so powerful and effective at helping to combat the frequency of migraines, but it really is quite simple. Mangosteen can potentially correct abnormal serotonin functions in blood vessels that lead to migraines. Mangosteen is a super fruit for this reason and for many other reasons, and that is why I find myself increasing my daily shot to twice a day – one in the morning with breakfast and one in the evening with dinner. This is because mangosteen aids muscle and joint health, and pain can be reduced by the anti-inflammatory properties of the fruit. Also this rare fruit improves cell communication. The xanthones in mangosteen improve the body’s cell to cell communication, which speeds up healing and repair. This is exactly what I need while I’m undergoing chiropractic treatment on my back and neck!
Having sessions three times a week has meant I am often sore. Muscles are being released and bones are being re-aligned. However, my body has coped well and at my three-month progress examination, the x-rays showed a lot of improvement. Sometimes I feel like the class swot as my progress has been maybe quicker than others in a similar position. According to my sports therapist I have good muscle structure (from going to the gym) and my muscles have released quickly allowing the chiropractor to be able to get to and work on my spine quicker. I may have had a lot of aches and pains throughout the treatment, sometimes quite considerably, but at the same time, I feel as if my body is strong and healthy, and this, I believe, has a lot to do with taking two shots of Vemma every day. So I may have started taking Vemma because of my migraines, but Vemma has another role to play now – helping to heal and repair my muscles which in turn is helping to re-align my spine.
I started taking Vemma everyday in the hope it would cure or help lessen the number of migraines I suffer from and two years later I can truly say that this liquid nutritional supplement, that includes the fruit mangosteen, has been my saving grace and I feel as if I couldn’t live without it now. My migraines have indeed lessened and as a result I feel to some degree that a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders; I no longer need to worry as nearly as much about when the next one is going to rear its ugly head as I have faith that Vemma is helping to keep them at bay.
It’s crazy to think that a tangerine-sized fruit can be so powerful and effective at helping to combat the frequency of migraines, but it really is quite simple. Mangosteen can potentially correct abnormal serotonin functions in blood vessels that lead to migraines. Mangosteen is a super fruit for this reason and for many other reasons, and that is why I find myself increasing my daily shot to twice a day – one in the morning with breakfast and one in the evening with dinner. This is because mangosteen aids muscle and joint health, and pain can be reduced by the anti-inflammatory properties of the fruit. Also this rare fruit improves cell communication. The xanthones in mangosteen improve the body’s cell to cell communication, which speeds up healing and repair. This is exactly what I need while I’m undergoing chiropractic treatment on my back and neck!
Having sessions three times a week has meant I am often sore. Muscles are being released and bones are being re-aligned. However, my body has coped well and at my three-month progress examination, the x-rays showed a lot of improvement. Sometimes I feel like the class swot as my progress has been maybe quicker than others in a similar position. According to my sports therapist I have good muscle structure (from going to the gym) and my muscles have released quickly allowing the chiropractor to be able to get to and work on my spine quicker. I may have had a lot of aches and pains throughout the treatment, sometimes quite considerably, but at the same time, I feel as if my body is strong and healthy, and this, I believe, has a lot to do with taking two shots of Vemma every day. So I may have started taking Vemma because of my migraines, but Vemma has another role to play now – helping to heal and repair my muscles which in turn is helping to re-align my spine.
Thursday 30 April 2009
Vemma diary: April 2009
Migraine pain prepared me for chiropractic pain
I have been seeing a chiropractor for the past three months. The sessions are painful and from the start, I have seen my treatment to correct my spine as a challenge; a challenge to overcome the pain and get better as quickly as possible. How I cope and how others cope with the pain fascinates me. I have heard screaming, groaning and swearing from the treatment room while I wait for my turn. No-body can blame another person for being vocal, however, I don't like to swear and I have never seen it as an option to groan out loud. That's not to say that I haven't felt like crying at times. If I cope with the pain and I cope with it well, it feels like an achievement.
The chiropractor and sports therapist often say I have a high pain threshold. Is this something that a person is born with or is it developed over time? Do I have a high pain threshold because I had such horrendous migraines from an early age? As a child, I had to learn very quickly to find a way to deal with the pain of a thumping headache, which could go on for hours at a time. There was definitely no swearing or screaming, just the need for quietness and concentration. Laying down the pillow felt like concrete and sleeping would be impossible. So, the thumping headache became waves crashing against rocks - a beautiful vision in my eyes - and this mediated state was often how I dealt with the pain of a migraine. I would try to relax and go along with the pain. If the body and and mind is relaxed, the pain would be easier to deal with, and this, I have realised is how I have been coping with the pain of the chiropractic treatment.
Finally, it seems, a good thing has come out of being a migraine sufferer. Migraine pain, I believe, has mentally prepared me for the chiropractic pain. In comparison, the pain endured in a chiropractic session is far easier to cope with than the pain of a full-on migraine attack, for the sole reason you can tell the doctor to stop at any time and in the back of your mind you know the pain will be over in 30 minutes anyway. With a migraine, there is no such luxury.
I have been seeing a chiropractor for the past three months. The sessions are painful and from the start, I have seen my treatment to correct my spine as a challenge; a challenge to overcome the pain and get better as quickly as possible. How I cope and how others cope with the pain fascinates me. I have heard screaming, groaning and swearing from the treatment room while I wait for my turn. No-body can blame another person for being vocal, however, I don't like to swear and I have never seen it as an option to groan out loud. That's not to say that I haven't felt like crying at times. If I cope with the pain and I cope with it well, it feels like an achievement.
The chiropractor and sports therapist often say I have a high pain threshold. Is this something that a person is born with or is it developed over time? Do I have a high pain threshold because I had such horrendous migraines from an early age? As a child, I had to learn very quickly to find a way to deal with the pain of a thumping headache, which could go on for hours at a time. There was definitely no swearing or screaming, just the need for quietness and concentration. Laying down the pillow felt like concrete and sleeping would be impossible. So, the thumping headache became waves crashing against rocks - a beautiful vision in my eyes - and this mediated state was often how I dealt with the pain of a migraine. I would try to relax and go along with the pain. If the body and and mind is relaxed, the pain would be easier to deal with, and this, I have realised is how I have been coping with the pain of the chiropractic treatment.
Finally, it seems, a good thing has come out of being a migraine sufferer. Migraine pain, I believe, has mentally prepared me for the chiropractic pain. In comparison, the pain endured in a chiropractic session is far easier to cope with than the pain of a full-on migraine attack, for the sole reason you can tell the doctor to stop at any time and in the back of your mind you know the pain will be over in 30 minutes anyway. With a migraine, there is no such luxury.
Saturday 28 March 2009
Vemma diary: March 2009
Cracking bones lessens cracking migraines...
I have started seeing a chiropractor. It turns out I have a curve in my spin and my neck has lost its curve due to a fall I had 5 years ago. I had meaning to go to this chiropractor that had been recommended to me by a friend for quite some time as she specialises in helping with migraines. So it was shock to discover that I would need three months of intensive treatment, with three sessions a week.
During the first 2 weeks of my treatment I experienced quite a few migraines. I already had 2 during the previous 2 weeks on my holiday in Thailand. Normally I would be feeling quite down about this. However, as my muscles start to be released and things start moving back into place then a few migraines is to be expected. Having a reason for a migraine helped me deal with them better and I didn’t let them bother me so much. My chiropractor reassured me that the attacks would lessen and sure enough I’m 6 weeks in with the treatment and I’ve been migraine free for 4 weeks. Result.
When I saw also saw an osteopath recently he said an interesting thing. He said a migraine happens when there are three triggers at once so to eliminate one trigger – muscular tension – will help decrease the frequency of my migraines. Seeing a chiropractor for three months will re-align my body once more, lessening my back and neck pain considerably and this in turn will help me to cure my migraine.
I have started seeing a chiropractor. It turns out I have a curve in my spin and my neck has lost its curve due to a fall I had 5 years ago. I had meaning to go to this chiropractor that had been recommended to me by a friend for quite some time as she specialises in helping with migraines. So it was shock to discover that I would need three months of intensive treatment, with three sessions a week.
During the first 2 weeks of my treatment I experienced quite a few migraines. I already had 2 during the previous 2 weeks on my holiday in Thailand. Normally I would be feeling quite down about this. However, as my muscles start to be released and things start moving back into place then a few migraines is to be expected. Having a reason for a migraine helped me deal with them better and I didn’t let them bother me so much. My chiropractor reassured me that the attacks would lessen and sure enough I’m 6 weeks in with the treatment and I’ve been migraine free for 4 weeks. Result.
When I saw also saw an osteopath recently he said an interesting thing. He said a migraine happens when there are three triggers at once so to eliminate one trigger – muscular tension – will help decrease the frequency of my migraines. Seeing a chiropractor for three months will re-align my body once more, lessening my back and neck pain considerably and this in turn will help me to cure my migraine.
Thursday 26 February 2009
Vemma diary: February 2009
On the search for mangosteen in South East AsiaWith no Vemma in my backpack, I planned to find mangosteen fruit to eat instead whilst on holiday in Thailand.
So imagine my surprise and excitement when I came across the fruit as soon as I landed at Bangkok airport. I was buying my flight down to Koh Samui and sipping tea when I spotted a bowl of fruit on the other table. I asked the friendly staff what fruit it was, although I was almost sure I knew what the answer would be. Breaking one open, I ate my first mangosteen and it was yum.
I found more mangosteen on the market stalls. I bought big bags and ate them one after the other as I sat in the sun outside my bungalow by the beach. Bliss.
Sunday 18 January 2009
Vemma diary: January 2009
Holidaying with migraines
I have had a lot of migraines over the years. Most blur into one another, however, some I remember very well. Like my first ever one during a music lesson at school, my most horrific one where I felt like a wild animal trapped in my own pounding head, the one when I was stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway, and the ones I have had while on holiday.
Having a migraine on holiday is never easy. Time away is precious and the intrusion of a migraine becomes all the harder to bear. I remember the migraine I endured on a day trip to Mexico from San Diego was particularly hard, however I still managed to write an article about the day when I returned and had it published in the local paper. While, the migraine I had on Boxing Day in Sydney was extremely frustrating more than anything else. Then there was the migraine that popped up two days before my wedding in Cyprus. Now that was a big pain in the backside (and in the head of course), but I was very, very grateful that it wasn’t on the actual day of my wedding. Can you imagine?
The reason I’m thinking about the ordeal of holidaying with a migraine is that I am off to Thailand in just over a week’s time. I’m not worrying or dwelling on the fact that I could be ill while I’m enjoying my time in the sun, but its there in the back of my mind as a possibility. All I can do is pack my medication and my bottle of Vemma, and hope for the best. Hopefully the Vemma will stay kind of fresh without constant refrigeration. If not I’ll go in search of some mangosteen fruit, which is found in South East Asian countries, including Thailand, and make my own home-made shot of Vemma each day! Now that would be fun.
I have had a lot of migraines over the years. Most blur into one another, however, some I remember very well. Like my first ever one during a music lesson at school, my most horrific one where I felt like a wild animal trapped in my own pounding head, the one when I was stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway, and the ones I have had while on holiday.
Having a migraine on holiday is never easy. Time away is precious and the intrusion of a migraine becomes all the harder to bear. I remember the migraine I endured on a day trip to Mexico from San Diego was particularly hard, however I still managed to write an article about the day when I returned and had it published in the local paper. While, the migraine I had on Boxing Day in Sydney was extremely frustrating more than anything else. Then there was the migraine that popped up two days before my wedding in Cyprus. Now that was a big pain in the backside (and in the head of course), but I was very, very grateful that it wasn’t on the actual day of my wedding. Can you imagine?
The reason I’m thinking about the ordeal of holidaying with a migraine is that I am off to Thailand in just over a week’s time. I’m not worrying or dwelling on the fact that I could be ill while I’m enjoying my time in the sun, but its there in the back of my mind as a possibility. All I can do is pack my medication and my bottle of Vemma, and hope for the best. Hopefully the Vemma will stay kind of fresh without constant refrigeration. If not I’ll go in search of some mangosteen fruit, which is found in South East Asian countries, including Thailand, and make my own home-made shot of Vemma each day! Now that would be fun.
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