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.
Saturday, 28 March 2009
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.
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
Vemma diary: December 2008
Migraine miracle
The migraine started at 6.45am while I was having breakfast. By 7.30am I was out the door and walking to the office – an hour’s journey. It was the week before Christmas and with a busy schedule at work I couldn’t afford to be sick, so I took my medication and carried on with my day as if the migraine did not exist.
I may have been fuzzy headed, clumsy, my reactions slower than normal, and I may have mixed up words and struggled at times to put a coherent sentence together but somehow I got through my hectic day. I even had a little chuckle when I discovered that I had written ‘migraine’ instead of ‘migration’ twice in an email and in my diary.
By the time I got home I was feeling proud of myself and rather baffled. ‘It is a migraine miracle’ I thought. I have tried several times before to push through a migraine attack whilst at work but I have eventually given in and gone home to bed. So why was this time different and why did I not feel so ill? I have taken the same medication - Migraleve - for years. When taken as soon as the migraine begins (during the aura) these pink tablets combat the nausea and the headache allowing me to sleep if I so wish. So I’m wondering if Vemma could also be helping me. Has Vemma made my body healthier and stronger and therefore more capable of dealing with a migraine attack?
I’m also wondering if my mind is getting stronger at dealing with migraine attacks. By pushing through the migraine and carrying on with the day as normal, am I training my mind to believe that a migraine (if the right medication is taken) doesn’t have to be debilitating. I was certainly more determined than usual to get through the working day. I couldn’t let the migraine win - I had deadlines to meet. I did not allow myself to stop. Adrenaline kept me going and as a result my usual negative feelings of disappointment, failure and guilt of having a migraine did not have a chance to surface. Instead I ended the day feeling positive because on this day the migraine did not control me. I control it.
Happy 2009!
The migraine started at 6.45am while I was having breakfast. By 7.30am I was out the door and walking to the office – an hour’s journey. It was the week before Christmas and with a busy schedule at work I couldn’t afford to be sick, so I took my medication and carried on with my day as if the migraine did not exist.
I may have been fuzzy headed, clumsy, my reactions slower than normal, and I may have mixed up words and struggled at times to put a coherent sentence together but somehow I got through my hectic day. I even had a little chuckle when I discovered that I had written ‘migraine’ instead of ‘migration’ twice in an email and in my diary.
By the time I got home I was feeling proud of myself and rather baffled. ‘It is a migraine miracle’ I thought. I have tried several times before to push through a migraine attack whilst at work but I have eventually given in and gone home to bed. So why was this time different and why did I not feel so ill? I have taken the same medication - Migraleve - for years. When taken as soon as the migraine begins (during the aura) these pink tablets combat the nausea and the headache allowing me to sleep if I so wish. So I’m wondering if Vemma could also be helping me. Has Vemma made my body healthier and stronger and therefore more capable of dealing with a migraine attack?
I’m also wondering if my mind is getting stronger at dealing with migraine attacks. By pushing through the migraine and carrying on with the day as normal, am I training my mind to believe that a migraine (if the right medication is taken) doesn’t have to be debilitating. I was certainly more determined than usual to get through the working day. I couldn’t let the migraine win - I had deadlines to meet. I did not allow myself to stop. Adrenaline kept me going and as a result my usual negative feelings of disappointment, failure and guilt of having a migraine did not have a chance to surface. Instead I ended the day feeling positive because on this day the migraine did not control me. I control it.
Happy 2009!
Monday, 10 November 2008
Vemma diary: November 2008
"Vemma is like a pocket rocket smoothie!"
My good friend, Mark, feels like a new man since he started taking Vemma - and he's only one week in! "It was very exciting when I opened the Vemma box - just like Christmas. Very posh especially with the shot glass," he tells me. "Every time I take it I feel energised and perky, which is very unlike me in the morning. Must be all the goodness causing brain stimulation, like a pocket rocket smoothie!" I'm so pleased it has already had such a positive effect. It certainly feels good to recommend Vemma to a friend.
For your own pocket rocket smoothie click here.
Friday, 31 October 2008
Vemma diary: October 2008
Would you avoid certain activities to avoid a migraine?
As a migraine sufferer I make a conscious effort to take extra care of myself which means sticking to a healthy, balanced lifestyle in order to avoid my triggers. Well that’s the plan anyway. I don’t miss meals, I don't drink caffeine, I try not to let myself get too dehydrated, I try to avoid stress and muscular tension, I take my daily shot of Vemma…and so on. But sometimes I’ll do something which upsets the routine and the risk of triggering a migraine becomes greater.
Take for instance, the abseil I did for charity. I abseiled down 29 storeys (469ft) and even though it was all over in a matter of minutes I had, without realising it, put a lot of strain on my body. I may not have felt scared; in fact I thoroughly enjoyed it however my body was still very tense. The next day my neck, back and arms were stiff, and I suffered a migraine. As with all migraine attacks you can never be sure of the exact trigger or combination of triggers, but I think it’s a fair bet to say it was probably due to muscle strain from doing the abseil. As muscular tension and migraine often go hand in hand I wasn’t surprised this had happened.
Normally I feel angry and upset when I get a migraine, especially as I try to figure out what had caused it this time. But how could I feel angry that I had a migraine because I had done a charity abseil the day before? If doing the abseil meant I would get a migraine then so be it. I'll happily avoid certain foods to avoid a migraine but I certainly won't avoid doing certain activities to avoid one.
As a migraine sufferer I make a conscious effort to take extra care of myself which means sticking to a healthy, balanced lifestyle in order to avoid my triggers. Well that’s the plan anyway. I don’t miss meals, I don't drink caffeine, I try not to let myself get too dehydrated, I try to avoid stress and muscular tension, I take my daily shot of Vemma…and so on. But sometimes I’ll do something which upsets the routine and the risk of triggering a migraine becomes greater.
Take for instance, the abseil I did for charity. I abseiled down 29 storeys (469ft) and even though it was all over in a matter of minutes I had, without realising it, put a lot of strain on my body. I may not have felt scared; in fact I thoroughly enjoyed it however my body was still very tense. The next day my neck, back and arms were stiff, and I suffered a migraine. As with all migraine attacks you can never be sure of the exact trigger or combination of triggers, but I think it’s a fair bet to say it was probably due to muscle strain from doing the abseil. As muscular tension and migraine often go hand in hand I wasn’t surprised this had happened.
Normally I feel angry and upset when I get a migraine, especially as I try to figure out what had caused it this time. But how could I feel angry that I had a migraine because I had done a charity abseil the day before? If doing the abseil meant I would get a migraine then so be it. I'll happily avoid certain foods to avoid a migraine but I certainly won't avoid doing certain activities to avoid one.
Monday, 29 September 2008
Vemma diary: September 2008
Migraines are a pain in the neck
I often find myself spreading the Vemma word, telling friends, colleagues and family members about how well Vemma is working at combating my migraines. I also recently suggested to a friend that his mum, who suffers from arthritis, should consider taking Vemma to help relieve the pain. I have read testimonials from people with arthritis who say that they are now pain free or have experienced reduced pain and stiffness.
This got me thinking. Many different triggers for migraines have been identified and one cause is muscular tension. I know that many of my migraines are caused by muscle tension around the neck, shoulders and back. A few years ago my neck had become very stiff and sore, which lasted for months. It had got so bad that I could hardly move my head from side to side. I had many migraines during this time and ended up seeing an osteopath to get my neck back to normal and therefore reduce the number of migraines I was suffering from. After six weeks of treatment the stiffness and pain had disappeared and the migraines had lessened. However, I found that if I did not keep up with the daily neck exercises the stiffness would slowly start to return.
I haven't done any neck exercises for over a year now and I've hardly experienced any problems with my neck. I also started taking Vemma over a year ago too - in June 2007 - so I'm pretty much convinced there is a connection between the two. If Vemma relieves muscular and joint tension, then surely I haven't been having so many migraines because Vemma has been relieving and keeping at bay the muscular tension in my neck.
I often find myself spreading the Vemma word, telling friends, colleagues and family members about how well Vemma is working at combating my migraines. I also recently suggested to a friend that his mum, who suffers from arthritis, should consider taking Vemma to help relieve the pain. I have read testimonials from people with arthritis who say that they are now pain free or have experienced reduced pain and stiffness.
This got me thinking. Many different triggers for migraines have been identified and one cause is muscular tension. I know that many of my migraines are caused by muscle tension around the neck, shoulders and back. A few years ago my neck had become very stiff and sore, which lasted for months. It had got so bad that I could hardly move my head from side to side. I had many migraines during this time and ended up seeing an osteopath to get my neck back to normal and therefore reduce the number of migraines I was suffering from. After six weeks of treatment the stiffness and pain had disappeared and the migraines had lessened. However, I found that if I did not keep up with the daily neck exercises the stiffness would slowly start to return.
I haven't done any neck exercises for over a year now and I've hardly experienced any problems with my neck. I also started taking Vemma over a year ago too - in June 2007 - so I'm pretty much convinced there is a connection between the two. If Vemma relieves muscular and joint tension, then surely I haven't been having so many migraines because Vemma has been relieving and keeping at bay the muscular tension in my neck.
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