Botox for migraines

This month it's been reported that Botox has been approved as a preventive treatment for chronic migraine by UK drug regulators. Patients who suffer headaches for at least 15 days a month, half of which come with migraine symptoms, are eligible.

Read the full report on the BBC website.

I had once considered trying an injection of Botox to cure my migraines. In 2004 whilst interviewing the owner of a medical clinic, she told me she had had Botox injected into her forehead for the usual reason of smoothing out wrinkles. A few months had passed and she hadn’t suffered a migraine since. What a great side effect! Botox at that moment seemed very tempting. Yet, did I want my forehead to be frozen without being able to form any kind of expression there? I decided it wasn’t for me. I know I would have felt very differently if I was suffering from 15 migraines or more a month. Then, I believe, I definitely would have given it a try.

Aspirin 'reduces migraine pain'

I recently saw this story on the BBC News website - Aspirin can reduce migraine symptom pain, review says. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/health/8617254.stm

Research suggests that an aspirin can reduce migraine headache pain within two hours for more than half of people who take it. Researchers have also found that a high dose of aspirin also reduces other symptoms of migraine - nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light or sound.

Wow this is great, but I think I'd be too scared to try it in case the aspirin didn't work in the same way as my usual migraine medication. Would you try using aspirin as your migraine cure? I would be interested to hear your thoughts...

Migraleve, Tiger Balm and Vemma - the essential Vemma toolkit

Vemma diary: March 2010

Wednesday's migraine wasn't any different to the other migraines I have had in recent years. Migraleve - my migraine drug of choice - does a great job in numbing the pain and preventing the sickness. There is, however, the fear that I might take the two pink tablets too late - if, for instance, I sleep through the aura - allowing the full force of the migraine to take hold. In recent years, I'm happy to say this hasn't happened, that is until Wednesday's migraine turned into a double whammy.

After a whole day of battling with a migraine, I was looking forward to recuperating with a full night's sleep, but at 1am I woke with a throbbing headache. As I swallowed more pink tablets, I was reminded of the immense pain of a migraine headache. Not having experienced this for a number of years, I wasn't prepared and I found myself whimpering and in a flummoxed of what to do.

Not being able to sleep and wondering how on earth I used to endure this for many hours at a time, especially when I was in my early teens, I reached for the Tiger Balm that I had bought in Thailand, and in the darkness massaged a load of the stuff into my forehead. The heat of the balm fought to soothe the pain and it seemed to do the trick as eventually I was able to sleep. If this hadn't had worked, I was also considering getting the bottle of Vemma out of the fridge, taking a few massive gulps of the thick orange liquid and then rubbing that into my forehead too!

My first Vemma podcast!

Vemma diary: February 2010

Not just for migraines. Vemma can help prevent and lessen the symptoms of many medical conditions. This powerful nutritional liquid supplement will also slow down the aging process, increase energy and strengthen the immune system. Check out my podcast below and then pop over to my website The Health Drink Station for more information...

New Year, new feelings: a different migraine experience

Vemma diary: January 2010

Today I am recovering from a migraine. It is the first one of the year and I hope there aren’t many more to come in 2010. The good news is, I can’t remember my last migraine. It must have been about three months ago. I think this might be a record and I believe I have Vemma to thank for that.

I also have Vemma to thank for lessening the severity of the attacks. Since taking the nutritional supplement every day, my body, it seems, has become better equipped in dealing with the symptoms of a migraine.

I experienced my first migraine when I was 12 years old, and 22 years on, I am finally starting to feel somewhat in control of my condition. That control comes from knowing and avoiding my triggers as best I can and having an understanding and knowledge of what my body needs to help prevent and recover from a migraine attack. Vemma really has been my migraine lifeline.

Even though I feel as if I am gaining some degree of control, the migraine condition can still surprise me.

Let me explain. The day before the attack I was very emotional. I felt anxious, gloomy and unmotivated. I couldn’t think straight. My mood was terrible and there was no snapping out of it. Ok I had a touch of the January blues, but my negative feelings were heightened greatly. I didn’t realise at the time, but a migraine was on its way. Mood swings are known to manifest before an attack.

The next morning I woke with an aura and immediately felt relief. I wasn’t frustrated, disheartened or anxious like I normally am with the onset of a migraine, instead I was relieved that I could finally move on from the horrible feelings of yesterday. It was a new day. Yes I had a migraine, but I would get through it and then I would be ready to get on with living my life again.

Happy 2010!

A migraine-friendly Christmas

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!

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.