Archive for the ‘Migraine / Headaches’ Category

Migraine Headache and Epidurals – Is There a Connection?

Monday, October 26th, 2009

I have received more than one communication from clients who have claimed that they received relief for their migraine headache by using my Migraine and Headache Relief program, where no other medication or remedy was able to help.

This is of course, always great feedback. Along with this feedback I noticed a pattern of women writing to me telling me they experienced migraine headache after receiving an epidural during childbirth.

This struck me as interesting and after much research, most evidence points to there being no link between migraine headaches and receiving an epidural.

Great, but if there’s no link why do so many women suffer from migraines after an epidural? Up to one percent of women report this problem. Many of these same women report having never had migraine headaches before.

It is extremely rare to develop migraine headaches as an adult. Most experience symptoms during late childhood or early adolescence.

What I did find in my research though is the condition known as a spinal headache. This occurs when the protective layer of the brain, called the dura and spinal cord (which contains cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF) is punctured by a tiny needle in order to deliver spinal anesthesia.

In one percent of cases, this tiny hole can allow CSF to drain enough for the brain to perceive it as pain. This headache actually has a technical term - post-dural puncture headache, or PDPH.

The symptoms of PDPH can include double vision, sensitivity to light, hearing problems, nausea and pain or stiffness in the neck. Do any of these symptoms seem amazingly similar to another condition?

That’s right! The headache, while not technically a migraine headache, still feels just like a headache.

This can also occur in one percent of epidural cases. While the incidence shouldn’t occur at all – there is no intentional puncture to the dura in epidurals, it can happen accidentally.

While there’s no evidence of women with a history of migraines having a higher chance of a spinal headache, it can be especially hard to determine whether or not the headache is a migraine or a spinal headache.

The average time to heal from a spinal headache is two to four days although many women have reported symptoms lasting for months. Again, for those who have a history of migraines, this could be an actual migraine triggered by lack of sleep and stress over a new baby.

Regardless of your reason for migraine headache, I highly recommend my Migraine and Headache Relief program. It’s all natural, safe and the results are amazing!

El331002

Oxygen – Its Importance for Good Health

Friday, September 11th, 2009

“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” That’s a great quote when wanting to lend support to someone after a negative experience. It is however, especially in my line of work, mis-leading. I believe it would be more accurate to say, “That which does not kill us right away, can still kill us in little ways, every day.”

Yes for those how know my personality, that’s a bit dark. The point I’m stressing today is that just because one hasn’t suffered a major trauma such as head injury, near drowning, stroke or heart attack, it doesn’t mean one’s body is immune to oxygen deprivation.

It’s generally accepted for each minute the brain goes without oxygen, there is a 10% increase damage caused. After 3-5 minutes however, one’s chances of survival are greatly diminished.

It also depends on the type of injury. Someone who’s drowning is still getting some blood to the brain as compared to someone in a choke hold that is getting no blood and therefore, NO oxygen to the brain. In a situation like that, death could occur within seconds.

What isn’t generally accepted is that other factors occur, many of them environmental, which cause the body to deliver reduced and/or polluted oxygen to the brain and body. When this happens, the effect may not be immediate or even noticed at first, if at all.

An excellent example of this would be heart disease. Known as the “silent killer,” damage to the heart can occur for years before it is made known, via chest pains, heart attack, etc. Keep in mind that the organs work together and when one of the major organs fails to operate at a proper level, all of the organs can suffer.

If high blood pressure has caused the heart to enlarge, this has in turn, affected the muscle and it is more than likely that the heart isn’t pumping blood properly to the other organs, including the brain.

Another example could be sleep apnea. While moderate to severe apnea can definitely cause high blood pressure and other negative health issues, even mild sleep apnea or snoring can cause extreme tiredness and overeating – due to the fact that the body will try to get it’s “energy” from somewhere.

Over time, this weight increase on its own can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues, not to mention the psychological issues associated.

Pollution is another example but a little scarier to me because barring any congenital or genetic health disorders, this is the one arena I feel I have the least control. While we may disagree to what extent our earth is being polluted, I don’t think anyone will disagree that pollution is occurring.

To my point above, the sun doesn’t have to be blocked and the earth’s population dwelling underground such as in certain sci-fi movies for there to be a very real adverse affect to our health caused by pollution.

Studies now abound that more cancers, viral infections and other diseases are occurring and not just due to population increase. This pollution affects the oxygen molecules being delivered to our brain and other vital organs.

Before you decide that we are fated to ill health, I want you to consider my programs. They are all natural, safe and most importantly, these breathing and relaxation exercises work! I have had great success with the following programs which are aimed at delivering vital oxygen to the brain and body: High Blood Pressure, Alzheimers (coming soon!),Weight Loss Breeze, Migraine and Headache Relief, Vertigo and Dizziness and Stop Snoring.

EL331002

Toxic Headache vs. Migraine Headache – Which one do I have?

Monday, September 7th, 2009

I have written extensively about Migraine headaches and one topic that is hard to ignore is the effect of diet on food. I’ve also written about certain foods to avoid but recent research into food toxins and their affect on health in general really produced some interesting results.

While certain research will tell you that the foods to avoid (Aged cheese, citrus fruits, chocolate, nuts, cured meats, fatty foods, fried foods, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, pork, seafood, seafood, alcohol -especially red wine, food additives such as MSG, asparatame, and caffeine) are to be avoided as triggers, still other research indicates that these items are toxic to the system for certain people.

This can be confusing since there is such thing as toxic headache. While considered a type of vascular headache (headaches which involve an abnormality of the arteries in the brain in which they constrict and dilate rapidly and pain is the result) like migraine headache, its cause can be conclusively traced to some type of food poisoning whether a bacterial infection or an environmental toxin (e.g., pesticide, breathing car fumes).

This type of headache is not by definition a migraine (it usually involves a fever), many of the symptoms are the same including nausea, vomiting and headache. With migraine, however, the headache is unilateral (one side) and throbbing.

Additional symptoms typically unique to food poisoning and not migraine include abdominal cramping, diarrhea and muscle pain. Symptoms can appear between a few hours of ingesting the toxin but may take up to three days.

It may seem like it would be easy to distinguish between food poisoning and migraine headache would be easy, this is not always the case. Yes, one could say that the odds are against eating the same food over and over and developing food poisoning; however, what if your food preparation habits need examining (e.g., consistently undercooking certain fish or poultry, or you work in an environment where you are consistently breathing in the same toxic fumes?

Additionally concerning is the fact that food poisoning causing toxins can be especially harmful to one’s health if that person already has a medical condition affecting one of the major organs, an already weakened immune system or if that person travels frequently to areas where contamination to food is more likely to occur.

In order to avoid certain food toxins (especially if you are susceptible to food poisoning) make sure you are thoroughly rinsing your fruits and vegetables (even bagged lettuce). This will help eliminate fertilizers or pesticides which likely haven’t been cleaned before packaging. Additionally, keep in mind that eating out, even in “nice” restaurants has its risks. Even though I love to go out to eat either with my wife or with friends, I know that I cannot completely trust the hygiene or health of the person preparing my food.

If, migraine or tension headache is the cause of your distress, I highly encourage you to try my Migraine and Headache program. The results are amazing and it will help no matter what’s the cause of your headache.

EL331002

Mind over Matter – Is This Why Buddha Wasn’t Sick?

Friday, September 4th, 2009

A couple of months ago, I had the honor of sitting in on a lecture by his holyness, the Dalai Lama. His amazing joyfulness made my mind wonder about the origin of his path.

Regardless of one’s particular religion (or lack, thereof), one cannot help but be impressed with the life of Buddha. An actual prince who, after seeing the sickness and dying of his people, couldn’t help but take notice and feel it his duty to try to help.

According to various historical documents, he decided that the only way to do this was to achieve enlightenment and pass on his enlightenment to others. He also determined that in order to do this, he would first have to give up all his worldly possessions and live “without.”

Perhaps it wasn’t that difficult to defy his parents, leave his palace and live in a state of fasting and doing without. I can’t say – I’ve never walked in his shoes; however, I can’t say this would be my first choice.

Come on, give up the good life? There’s a reason the lottery is so successful. We are (most of us) looking to better our lives and most think that involves money.

Not to mention the fact that early in 500 BC, health care was likely, at best, little more than guesswork.

So this man chose to deny himself the comforts of palace living. All research points to the fact that he wasn’t concerned about his own health rather that he wanted to ease the suffering of those around him.

Now, anyone who has rubbed the belly on a statue of Buddha knows that he did eventually reach enlightenment and through that enlightenment knows he did eventually pick up a fork (although given his home was in modern day Nepal, he likely picked up chopsticks) and eat something.

Although we of course can’t really say for sure if the Buddha belly was a factual picture or just represents a spiritual abundance, modern day nutritionists would likely look at his statue and recognize that he was just a tad on the overweight side and would not recommend this as a healthy weight. But they can’t deny the smile on his face.

Even when surrounded by the “common man,” no evidence supports his being a sickly sort. Of course, one might argue that this was the reward of enlightenment, but I think the power of positive thinking is the real source.

Buddha lived without anger, without hate, and didn’t seem the type to hold grudges. How many of us can say the same? It doesn’t have to be a big life tragedy to get one down. Sometimes it’s dwelling on the small stuff so much that we are consumed with negativity.

There are too many studies which have shown that a positive outlook can greatly improve or maintain one’s health. Likewise, negativity, depression and the like can just as easily destroy one’s health.

I agree but I also believe that one sometimes needs a starting point in order to focus. If weight loss and/or high blood pressure are your ailments, I recommend my Weight Loss Breeze program or my High Blood Pressure program. If it’s stress that’s led to headaches you should try my Migraine and Headache program. They are all natural and guaranteed to show amazing results!

EL331002

Migraine and Diet – There is a Connection!

Monday, August 17th, 2009

I really enjoy going out to eat on occasion, sharing a good meal and good conversation with my wife and/or other friends. One friend in particular is great fun but finding the right place to eat is a bit of a challenge.

She is a migraine headache sufferer. She has been for most of her life but became extra sensitive after menopause. She never realized up until this point that her headaches became more frequent and more severe after she ate certain foods.

Always curious, I asked her to list out her “trigger” foods. The list was plentiful. While her reaction to foods and the subsequent migraine to follow isn’t technically a food allergy, the result might as well be.

Migraines have increased dramatically in children and adults within the last twenty years. A change in diet is one theory which holds weight.

While everyone is different, there is a common list of food triggers known to set off migraines. This list includes: Aged cheese, citrus fruits, chocolate, nuts (especially peanuts), cured meats, fatty foods, fried foods, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, pork, seafood, seafood, alcohol (especially red wine), food additives such as MSG, asparatame (found in many diet soft drinks), food dyes, vanilla flavoring (due to the alcohol), and caffeine. Although, if you are a caffeine drinker, you may notice that a sudden withdrawal can trigger a migraine headache.

Again, everyone is different and almost no one suffers from all of these triggers. To know if a certain food is the trigger, try eliminating it for several days (longer if your migraines are infrequent) and then re-introducing the food to the diet. If another migraine is triggered – you’ve likely found your culprit food.

OK, now we know what foods to avoid, it naturally follows that certain foods may help ward off migraines. While important to note that eating certain foods is by no way a cure for migraines, research does indicate that a healthy diet consisting of mostly unprocessed foods can help to ward off migraines.

Foods such as ginger, peppermint, fish (and fish oils), calcium rich foods (kale, broccoli, spinach), oatmeal, wheat and garlic do show promise in the fight against migraines.

That said, “All things in moderation,” is a noteworthy saying in this situation. It is never a good idea to drastically change your diet, whether it’s weight loss or migraine on the line.

Along with diet, getting enough sleep is also important on the road to migraine free living. Daily exercise has also proven to be beneficial due to the fact that oxygen deprivation is thought to be the culprit of most headaches. Exercise helps to deliver vital oxygen rich blood to the brain.

I also highly recommend my Migraine and Headache program. The results thus far have been incredible! Even better, all of my programs are all natural. No nasty side effects of medicine to cause a rebound headache!

EL331002

Alzheimer’s, Sleep Disorders and Migraines

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Any migraine sufferer knows that this is a painful almost crazy making condition. When a person experiences a headache, the veins and cells all around the brain swell up. They push on the nerves around them which actually cause the pain.

Recent studies have shown that after people begin to experience headaches and migraine, their brain demands and gets many times the amount of oxygen from the blood delivered to it. The brain has been starved for oxygen and tries to get an adequate supply.

Research also indicates that migraines leave behind damage to the brain in the form of lesions. A particular type of lesion is commonly found in people who have Alzheimer’s.

In addition to Alzheimer’s being linked to migraines, there are also numerous studies reflecting links between Alzheimer’s and sleep apnea.

This makes a great deal of sense that so many conditions either coexist or even feed each other. I’ve published articles explaining the links between migraines and sleep disorders. Both of these conditions are worsened (or possibly created) due to a lack of oxygen in the brain. Alzheimer’s too is linked to an oxygen starved brain.

In the case of sleep disorders, Alzheimer’s is also known to contribute to restless sleep which in turn makes the disorder even worse.

The encouraging news though is that researchers have found that people who obtain treatment for sleep apnea, also find some relief for Alzheimer’s symptoms especially when some form of oxygen therapy is used (such as a CPAP machine.)

Cognition is improved as is memory. This is important as these are aspects seriously affected with Alzheimer’s.

Additionally, better sleep contributes to lessened migraines and symptoms as well. Therefore, acknowledging the link between all of these conditions and most importantly seeking treatment can make a huge difference in a person’s physical and emotional well being.

I am proud to share that I will be releasing my all natural Alzheimer’s Program in the near future. I also encourage you to check out my very effective Stop Snoring and Headache and Migraine Programs. All are focused on increasing the oxygen supply, but with easy to use exercises that require no special tools or equipment.

EL331001

Menopause – What Health Issues Accompany this Life Change?

Monday, June 29th, 2009

Every day we are reminded that we are getting older. Whether it’s your doctor suddenly ordering tests after the age of 35 that you had deemed for, “old people” or your body itself suddenly not acting the way it did just a couple of years ago.

It’s a fact of life that we all age and it should be accepted. What I believe shouldn’t be accepted is that there is nothing to be done about it and we should get used to being in pain or discomfort.

One common theme I consistently see when reading client feedback about my program concerns menopause. This is the time in a woman’s life when her menstrual cycle ends.

While at one time in our history, this did mark the beginning of the end of the lifecycle of women, this is no longer true today. With advancements in diet, medicine and technology, women now spend over a third of their life in the post-menopausal stage.

Common health ailments actually tend to start in the perimenopausal stage which can last between 5-10 years before menopause (defined by not having a menstrual cycle in over a year).

During this time and into menopause, women typically experience the following symptoms at least temporarily: Hormone changes affecting mood, hot flashes, fatigue, headache, and anxiety and depression, although women in this age group are no more likely to suffer long term depression than young adult women.

For some, though, other more serious medical conditions can arise. Migraine headache is one example of typical menopausal symptoms gone awry.

Studies have shown that migraines can start during the perimenopausal phase and are usually worse if the sufferer has experienced migraines in the past. Taking hormone replacements like estrogen has proven to be a migraine trigger.

Vertigo is another disorder reported in some perimenopausal and menopausal women. Sudden dizziness or feeling like you or objects in the room are spinning when they are in fact not.

Occasionally, women suffer from a combination of these two conditions known as migraine associated vertigo (MAV). This is dizziness which accompanies the migraine.

Another health concern for women at this stage in life is weight gain. While yes, our metabolism and physical activity tend to decline as we age, studies have shown that it is during menopause that many women gain weight when they never did before.

Given that weight gain can affect one’s health in so many ways, this is important. Overweight people tend to have more fat in the throat and neck area which compresses the airways and can lead to snoring and sleep apnea. Left untreated, this can lead to an enlarged heart, high blood pressure and other heart diseases which one is already at risk for if she is overweight.

Smoking and drinking to excess are two other bad habits that tend to increase during menopause. These on their own can lead to heart disease and stroke, let alone when combined with weight gain.

No matter what the reason if you find yourself suffering from headache or migraine headache, vertigo, MAV, weight gain, snoring, mild sleep apnea or high blood pressure, I highly encourage you to try one or more of my all natural programs. You can find links to each of them on the right hand side of my blog.
EL331002

Migraine Associated Vertigo – Yes, There IS a Connection

Friday, June 19th, 2009

The response to my Migraine and Headache program has been overwhelmingly excellent. Based on feedback from my clients, my Vertigo and Dizziness program has also helped thousands. So much so that many have written in telling me that they experience vertigo and migraine at the same time.

Just how related are these conditions? Very, if you consider that 10% of the population experiences migraine (this number is actually up to 30% for some women). Add to that the fact that vertigo is in essence, dizziness.

Hence, vertigo is a symptom, not a disease. While there are many several causes of vertigo, the most common being benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) where sudden dizziness is brought about by moving one’s head into a certain position, migraine associated vertigo, or MAV does make the list.

The most common type of MAV is where the sufferer experiences vertigo and an “aura,” seeing spots, colors, lights, hearing voices or a feeling of numbness occurs.

The vertigo tends to either immediately precede the migraine headache and/or occurs during the headache. This can last for just a few minutes but can last over 24 hours.

As with other types of vertigo, hours of rest are needed for the dizziness to subside. Migraine sufferers tend to need quiet dark places to rest once the headache has started so it’s no wonder that throwing sudden dizziness into the mix would require even more rest.

There are some individuals who experience dizziness without headache but also experience the “aura.” For this reason, the vertigo is still linked to migraine, especially if the sufferer has experienced migraine before.

There is no defined test for MAV. Diagnosis is achieved when other medical conditions such as Meniere’s disease can be eliminated. Clinical analysis is needed but the condition can be defined by the response to therapy.

Certain foods like chocolate, alcohol, cheese and MSG can be considered and should be avoided if you are a regular migraine headache sufferer.

There are also prescription drugs available but they ALL contain very serious side effects, not to mention the “rebound” effect of the drugs – the migraine headache does go away but is often replaced by a secondary headache as a result of the drugs.

While there is no defined cause for migraine headaches, it stands to reason that the cause of migraine associated vertigo is also elusive. It is thought though that there is a disorder in the gene which is responsible for the perception of pain.

I recently discovered that the main cause of migraine is a lack of blood flow and oxygen delivery up to the brain. It’s like the brain is being suffocated. This is also one of the main causes of vertigo. So again, those two conditions go hand in hand.

I encourage anyone suffering from MAV to try my Migraine and Headache program or if you experience the dizziness without headache, my Vertigo and Dizziness program.

The programs are completely natural and easy to do. With both programs, the object is to get necessary oxygen to the brain in order for it to perform the job it is meant to do!

EL331002

High Blood Pressure and Dizziness – Are they Related?

Monday, June 1st, 2009

“Whoa, that was strange!” This was the comment recently from a friend who was standing in line for a movie with me recently. Always interested in “strangeness” I asked my friend to expand on that statement. “I just had that dizzy feeling again like when you stand up to quickly from a seated or lying position.”

The fact that this dizzy feeling was happening “again” indicated a pattern to me so we began to discuss this symptom. I knew my friend had been diagnosed with high blood pressure a few months back and through our discussion, I learned that this is also when the dizzy spells started happening.

This is not so surprising, as one of the symptoms of chronic high blood pressure is dizziness, in addition to headache, blurred vision and fatigue. My friend, however, had none of these symptoms before a routine physical indicated a high blood pressure reading and more tests were ordered.

Additionally, much research on dizziness and blood pressure indicates that low blood pressure is generally the culprit. When the blood pressure drops, dizziness is a common side effect.

How low blood pressure drops is of less importance than the fact that the blood pressure is dropping at patterned intervals and so the side effect is important because it could be denoting a serious medical problem.

The important thing to take note of is what your blood pressure readings are when you experience the dizziness whether low or elevated. Purchasing an ambulatory cuff will help with that.

It also occurred to me that my friend’s dizziness could also stem from vertigo (the sensation that objects and people around you are moving when they are not or that you are moving when you are not). Vertigo, quite simply, means dizziness.

There are several causes of vertigo including trauma to the head but the most common is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, or BPPV. This is an inner ear disorder which can suddenly cause dizziness when the head is moved in a certain position.

The fact that my friend’s dizziness started immediately after being prescribed high blood pressure medicine was of concern to me. In fact, his doctor didn’t mention anything about dizziness as a side effect.

His first cause for concern was when he picked up the prescription and noticed no fewer than 4 warning stickers on the bottle indicating severe side effects, the least of which was dizziness.

His doctor at first shrugged off the link but after 4 months and no other causality, he eventually prescribed a different medication. This helped to alleviate certain other high blood pressure symptoms but it wasn’t until my friend tried my High Blood Pressure program that the underlying causes were treated.

Almost immediately, my friend was feeling better and within just a few weeks he was able to go back to his doctor and begin to wean himself off of the medication. My program is all natural and easy to follow, but the most important fact is that it works! I highly recommend it if you suffer from either high blood pressure or low blood pressure. And if you suffer from dizziness or vertigo, my Vertigo and Dizziness program will help you.

EL331002

Oxygen – The Free Health Food

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Perth, Australia has the most intense white sunlight compared to anywhere I’ve ever been. It lightens up your heart and soul. I spent good quality time with my family there recently. Lying on the beach and body surfing in the ocean was amazing.

It was while lying on the beach and breathing in the beautiful fresh air, that my thoughts led back to the importance of oxygen for our minds and bodies. It is absolutely vital for good health. And the lack of it can create many health issues.

I am sharing a rather simplistic description of this process and why it is so important.

We are all aware that we need food for survival. However, food without oxygen will not do us much good.

Our bodies require energy sources to survive. We do obtain part of that energy from the food we eat. Oxygen, though, is the component that makes it possible for our bodies to turn the raw materials (food) into the energy source.

The oxygen is transported throughout our bodies through hemoglobin to various cells. These cells then turn oxygen into water. Usable energy is then created for our bodies.

The process is kicked off by breathing. We are obtaining oxygen about 20 times a minute through our noses by inhaling. In short, oxygen has to take a rather long and winding journey in order to reach the lungs.

Oxygen passes through the nasal passages, throat, windpipe, chest and eventually the lungs. The process is actually more complicated than this as there are various tubes and so forth that splinter off to deliver oxygen to appropriate destination.

Carbon dioxide is then exhaled more or less in reverse.

When this process is disrupted, problems (often times serious) occur.

Headaches including migraines can occur. The brain is starved for oxygen and eventually the veins and cells around the brain swell up and horrible headache pain results.

You may also experience dizziness or vertigo due in part to the lack of necessary oxygen.

I’ve also dedicated specific articles to the importance of oxygen to weight gain or rather weight loss. In order for anything to burn (including fat), three things are necessary; material to burn, heat to burn it with, and you guessed it - oxygen.

Shallow breathing means we’re not getting enough oxygen supply to adequately equip our bodies to burn the excess fat and we gain weight.

Deep breathing on the other hand allows us to intake necessary oxygen as well as relax our bodies. Relaxing results in stress reduction, which can also help result in normalized blood pressure.

Arming ourselves with improved oxygen flow is something we have to practice. Breathing itself is something that just occurs. But breathing “just enough” to maintain consciousness is not sufficient to ward off health problems.

But think about improving your health as a trip (often times a short one.) Summer is never more than 24 hours traveling time away. The same is true about health and happiness. It’s often much closer than we think. It’s just hard to imagine when all we see is rain.

All of my programs address the importance of oxygen to our bodies and maximizing this process through all natural exercises. In addition, I am elated to share with you that I am currently working on an Alzheimer’s program related to oxygen deprivation to the brain. You can find more information on all of my programs through the links on the right hand side of my blog.

EL331001


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