a candid look at managing and living with headaches & migraines

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Numbing to Difficult Emotions Through Migraine(?)

Could migraine attacks be my body’s way of numbing itself to strong emotions? “What a load of crap” is my typical response when someone broaches this subject. And yet today I find myself working with my accidental therapist on this hypothesis. Some important points I must address before continuing. Migraine is a neurological condition that [...]

TheraSpecs Migraine Glasses Featured on TV Show The Doctors!

TheraSpecs are featured on today’s episode of the TV show The Doctors! We’re so pleased they highlighted what makes TheraSpecs unique and mentioned that wearing regular sunglasses can worsen light sensitivity. You can watch for yourself:   I’m also glad that the entire segment on migraine has pretty good information. My main quibble is with [...]

New Stylish Migraine Glasses

Like the idea of TheraSpecs to minimize migraine triggers, reduce photophobia, and relieve fluorescent light sensitivity, but want a different frame than our traditional wrap? Check out Stella from our fashion line, Over-Rx for prescription glasses-wearers, or get a custom pair made to your exact specifications. TheraSpecs Stella‘s on-trend styling and dark tortoiseshell finish look [...]

Trusting Myself With the Failsafe Diet

Have I lost my mind? This is what I wonder daily when I consider this low amine, low salicylate, and additive-free diet that I’m still on. I mean, seriously. I’ve severely restricted what I eat based on guidelines from one hospital in Australia, which uses the diet to treat behavior problems in children, not migraine [...]

Asphalt Roofing Odors and Indoor Air Quality

Having someone put a new roof on your house doesn’t seem like it would be an exhausting experience, but here I am, physically and emotionally drained after a week of construction. You need some background to understand why I’m so wrecked, but I’ll keep it short because who really cares about my roof? With my [...]

Ritalin Three Weeks In: A Turbulent Relationship

Like so often happens with love at first sight, the spark I initially felt with Ritalin has faded. That first week, I had energy and a clear head even when I had a migraine. Week two began with a five-day migraine full of fatigue and head fog. Since that attack let up, I’ve had intermittent [...]

Progress is Not Linear: Arrrgggh!

I fall for it every time. One good week and I assume every week thereafter will be exactly the same: low pain, little fatigue, high energy. Two weeks ago I went to four yoga classes, cleaned, ran errands, and wrote like crazy. The next week was only two yoga classes, a little writing, and one [...]

Cutting Hair for Headache Relief?

My 15-year-old niece who has chronic daily headache asked me if cutting my hair, which was to my mid-back, into a pixie cut reduced my head pain. Although I don’t remember noticing a correlation, I’m hoping you may have some experience with this. She said it always feels like her hair is pulling on her [...]

Breaking the Fast: A New Headache Pattern

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but I’ve come to dread breaking the fast. No matter what time I eat my first meal of the day, anywhere from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., it kicks off a downward spiral. For the last two weeks, I have little head pain and a [...]

Dietary Ups & Downs

I promised myself my next post would be about something other than the diet. But diet is all I think about right now. It is exhausting. You’d think whittling down my food selection would be a reprieve, except that I’m either in a migraine, recovering from a migraine, or planning the next food I’m going [...]