Interviews With Migraine Sufferers

A few weeks ago, I set out to get some information about migraines.  I've been casually researching them since being diagnosed, and have found that though they are not necessarily misrepresented on a massive scale, I'm not generally satisfied by the way they were presented.  I wanted to hear the stories of real people with real migraines and real solutions, and I wasn't finding them.

So I took to my nine hundred and thirty nine Facebook friends, and tracked down five people who were diagnosed with migraines and willing to share their experiences.  I didn't really know what kind of information I was looking for, but I was excited to hear what they had to say.

Jeremy Marchese, the University Scholars Senior Staff Assistant at Stony Brook University, reported getting migraines since he was eight years old.  I was surprised by the young age, but found the same to be true for Kenna Dearborn, a high school senior from Southern California, who mentioned getting her first CT scan as a ten year old.  And Gerilyn Brault, a graduate acting student at Purdue University, tracked her migraines back to the fourth grade!  Craziness.

"I tried pretty much everything," Jeremy told me, "except prescription medication."  The only thing that really worked for him was acupuncture, which simply became "a little too costly."

I feel like this is the case for so many migraine sufferers.  If you asked me what I have tried to prevent my migraines, I would have said the same thing: pretty much everything.  Kenna gave me a lengthy list of things she's tried as well, including dietary restrictions, oral medication, injections, etc.  So far, none of them have been 100% effective, so she sticks to recognizing and avoiding her triggers: sugar, soda, white bread, and meat.

Gerilyn had a similar opinion: "I was initially prescribed medication," she said, "but I had them too infrequently to find any use in refilling."  She did, however, have a clear knowledge of her specific triggers: allergens and lack of sleep.  She takes Ibuprofen and Pseudoephedrine to lessen the symptoms, and "steam, pressure, and sleep tend to help too."

Jeremy found stress to be a trigger.  Isn't that the best one?  "Try to be less stressed" they say.  I remember thinking, 'I'm stressed, so I get migraines, so I can't do my work, which makes me stressed, which gives me migraines.  Yeah that should be pretty easy.  Oh also I'll completely change everything I eat and eliminate everything on this list from my diet.  But yeah I won't get stressed.'

Danielle McClure, a student at Hofstra University, never did track down a specific trigger.  "My mom always thought that my migraines were sugar induced," she said, "but I would keep track of when I had sugar and when I didn't, and it didn't seem to matter what I had eaten." She also mentioned stress, but found that ultimately it wasn't consistent.  "They would occur randomly, with no warning whatsoever... I think we eventually chalked it up to puberty, " she told me.

Her main method of treatment was ibuprofen, which was not completely effective.  Her doctor proscribed medication later on, and it "didn't make it go away completely, but it made it so my migraine lasted about three hours instead of the whole day."

Unlike the others, Danielle hasn't gotten a migraine in years.  "When I think back to getting migraines and getting blurred vision, it makes me shutter because they were pretty much debilitating... I'm so glad they are, hopefully, gone for good.

Samantha Schmitt's situation was unique in the group.  "The cause of my migraines is a combination of two different heart conditions that I have.  The first is called Dysautonomia with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, the second is Mitral Valve Regurgitation.  I also have a disorder called Mast Cell Activation which is known to contribute to migraines."  It was a lot to take in, but I think it helped her have very specific methods of prevention.  She ingests almost twice the amount of sodium of the average person in order to increase her low blood volume, and takes Nadolol, a beta blocker.

She has seen some improvement in severity since administering these treatments, but still gets migraines three to four times a month.  "Unfortunately," she said, "until doctors find a way to actually treat my conditions, my migraines will never be controllable."

I'm so happy that these people were willing to share their migraine stories with me, because I think this stuff is really interesting.  I wish I could say that through interviewing people I found an easy solution to migraines, but I didn't.  What I did come to consider, though, was that the diagnosis of migraines is a condition that, I think, you have to deal with every day, and not just when you have a migraine.

If you read this hoping to have some information about how to cure your own migraines, consider this: it's really different for everyone.  Every random person will have the definite way to cure you and most of them will be wrong.  Try focusing on your general health: for me, that meant eating better, for some, it means dealing with emotional and mental health issues.  But whatever it is, making small and large changes every day can put you on the road towards feeling better (also definitely consult your doctor while you do this).

Thank you for reading!  Let me know what you think about all this.  Have you experienced something similar to one of these people? Do you have any really strong opinions about migraines?  The internet is the place for them!

London is the Best Place

I don't even know where to begin.  I just loved London.  So soon after my trip to Zurich, I felt like I barely had time to prepare for the trip.  So I hit the ground running on Thursday night and didn't stop until about two AM Monday morning.  Needless to say, Monday was a pretty pointless day when it comes to being productive.  It's hard for me to care, though, when I had such an amazing time all weekend.

It was really nice to be in a place that was so modern and urban - Florence is neither of those things, and it can get tiring if you're not used to it.  London seems like a really efficient place.  And I hate to say it, but it was really nice to be able to speak English again.  I think that the language barrier her is really good for me, but it was nice to be able to communicate easily.  

Hagrid is a fake robot. No seriously.

I had to write out a list of all the things we did to start working on this blog, because we were so busy the whole time that I might forget something.  On Friday, we went to the Warner Brother's Studio and did the Harry Potter tour (amazing), then went to see Once, the Musical (more amazing).  On Saturday, we visited Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park (beautiful), went to Portobello and Borough Market (delicious!), did the London Eye (spectacular), and saw Big Ben, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and Parliament (overwhelming).  Then on Sunday, we visited the Tate Modern (crazy) and Shakespeare's Old Globe (fascinating) before doing some last minute shopping on our way out.    

At the Stage Door with The Guy.

The best part of the weekend was seeing Once.  As I mentioned on Facebook, I cried three times during the production, then came home wanting to learn to play piano and the violin, then learn to speak Czech.  Friday morning, we went to Leicester square and scored tickets for twenty pounds.  It was so nice to have everything be a surprise that I really don't want to tell you that much about the show, but I will say that there is a certain quality you can only get when everyone involved in a production really loves what they are doing.  I am always the most inspired by people who love what they do, and when what you "do" is Once, I guess you're bound to love it.  It was an amazing work of theatre and I encourage anyone within a forty mile radius of any production of it to stop what they are doing and go see it right now.  Right now.  I'll be back to see it in New York, I'm sure.

But let's talk about what really made this weekend awesome.  Look at all the food!

I know that a few weeks ago, I called the Avocado Sandwich my favorite meal ever.  That was careless wording, I think.  Avocado sandwiches are my favorite thing to eat, but my favorite meal is the kind that lasts hours, spans neighborhoods, and includes food from numerous cultures.  That was the kind of meal I had on Saturday afternoon, and it made me so happy.  As I mentioned before, we hit both Borough and Portobello Market on the same day.  So I started eating lunch at the beginning of Portobello and didn't stop until the last of the stands at Borough Market.  It was amazing.

I ate Falafel, a Waffle, Fresh Orange Juice, a Vegan Burger, Thai Coconut Pancakes, and countless samples of fresh fruit, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, you name it.  So happy.  It was all right there and they were happy to give it to you!  I budgeted myself fifteen pounds for the meal, which is excessive, but I was indulging... I just wanted to.  That night, I was able to get a tiny dinner, so it worked out - I felt like I wouldn't be able to eat for a few weeks, but unfortunately to my wallet, it doesn't work like that.

Now, the British are not known for fine dining.  In fact, quite the opposite.  My impression of British food has always been unhealthy and, in the words of my mother, also "just not good."  In addition, not particularly vegan friendly.  But judging by the feast I just described to you, it's easy to see I had no trouble.

The truth of the matter is this: excluding the cider, I ate very little authentic British food.  Though I usually aim for an authentic experience, I am no Anthony Bourdain (yet).  Boy, was I happy to see a Chipotle.  I didn't only eat American food though: I ate Thai, Korean, Mexican, Irish, Japanese (is that what Mochi is?), and Italian food.  All coming from people who really knew the food they were preparing.  Along with that, I had an amazing amount of access to really healthy options: gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, all readily available.

I think big cities are great places to eat if you know what you're doing.  They have so many options, and some of them are not healthy at all, but some of them are quite healthy.  I guess the large population demands variety, which can open up opportunities.  They also have access to knowledge and resources from around the world, which can be both good and bad.  So I took two things away from my trip to London that I think are important to share here:

1. Taking advantage of the largest variety of food available will help you stay healthy.  From the ingredients you use to the cultures from which your recipes originate, eating a variety will help you get a variety of nutrients and avoid excesses of particular additives or unhealthy ingredients.  Chances are, other cultures practice healthier food habits than your own.  Find out what they are and adopt them when you see fit.  With that said, in some ways, it is important to stay close to home:
2. Becoming a "locavore" will help you in many facets.  I know it seems difficult at times, but with the right knowledge, you can do it from wherever you live.  Moving to New York from California really opened my eyes to the difficulty, but I do it anyways, whenever I can (I know, Long Island isn't Siberia... but to this California kid it sure seems like it).  Now, from Florence, I really have no trouble at all.  Quite often, local food is the only food available.  Find out ways you can eat locally by searching for the Farmer's market, or even creating relationships with local farmers.  It helps the environment by eliminating some of the fossil fuels necessary for transporting food.  It will help the financial environment in which you live, by contributing to the flow of currency within your own community.  And the food you'll eat will be richer in vitamins and nutrients because there will be less time involved between picking and eating.  

This weekend I'll be taking it easy, maybe visiting some places around Italy.  Maybe studying for midterms, but if we're all being honest here, probably not.  Hopefully I'll be able to get some good writing in, though, because I will be spending the following in Paris, other cities in France, and maybe London again because I didn't see enough of it yet.  As always, I hope you let me know what you think of this article, and leave any questions, comments, and suggestions in the comments below.  My goals are to do more talking to and less talking at, so any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Dairy Facts

If you've read my blog or been updated on my current life in any other form, you know that dairy is not my friend.  I used to consume it daily without any immediate negative side effects, but my tolerance for it has plummeted to a point where even small quantities have me feeling sick.  No matter how much I wanted it to be, dairy is not good for me.  But I have a secret: dairy isn't really that good for you either.

I always try to make it clear that while I believe that a vegan diet is the healthiest for my body, other choices are acceptable too.  I didn't create this blog to publicize why I have made my choices or rope other people into a vegan diet.  With that said, I feel pretty strongly that the amount of dairy consumed in the standard American diet is not good for us.  If you're interested in the nutrition facts about dairy, I encourage you to do your own research and to click here for my opinions on it.  But for now, I'll just give you my two cents.

1. Consuming dairy is weird.  When you get to the end of The Grapes of Wrath, nobody is sitting there thinking, "yeah that would really hit the spot right now."  So we agree that drinking human breast milk after infancy is strange, right? But it's okay, because we get it not from our mothers, but from other people's mothers.  Nope, still weird.  Well, the mothers we get it from are animal mothers.  Yeah, that's cool, right? That's definitely not weird.
   
   I think that many people are very detached from the primary sources of their food, so that argument may not really get you on board.  Even though you know where dairy comes from, when you see it packaged up all nicely in a bottle of low fat milk or a block of cheese, it doesn't really bother you.  But what really got me thinking was when I learned that the human body naturally stops producing lactate, the enzyme that digests lactose, after infancy (because that's when we're supposed to be done with it).  When someone develops lactose intolerance, their body is just functioning naturally.  The abnormality is actually the lactate persistence that many people develop by continuing to consume dairy through adulthood (Patrick-Goudreau).  Fascinating.  So it's weird to consume dairy, but people do a lot of other weird things.  There's a lot more going against dairy, though.
2. Diary consumption is linked to a variety of health issues, like mine.
   Migraines, acne, and asthma are three health issues that I did not have to research to link to dairy consumption; in my own body, these three things nearly disappeared after I stopped consuming dairy.  However, in eliminating dairy from my diet, according to the Physician's Committee of Responsible Medicine, I have also lowered my risk of Osteoporosis, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and types of cancer, and eliminated sources of contaminants (Understanding the Problems with Dairy Products).  Other side effects people have claimed to be related to dairy include constipation, arthritis, and insomnia, but I have no sources that provide scientific proof.
   
   So unless you sleep like a baby, have beautiful clear skin, poop twice a day, and don't get any of the other health issues I've mentioned, it might be fun to try out a dairy-free diet.  I am a firm believer that the best way to find out if something works is to try it yourself.
3. The benefits do not outweigh the risks.  What are the benefits of dairy products?  The one that they are most known for is Calcium.  Let's break that down: Calcium is a mineral that comes from the ground.  When cows eat grass that is grown on calcium-rich soil, the calcium is processed and excreted in their milk, along with whatever else they have consumed.  Some argue that our bodies cannot process the calcium once it has been processed by the cow.  But when cows don't eat grass, their feed must be artificially supplemented with calcium (Patrick-Goudreau).  Therefore, most of the calcium consumed in dairy products is hard to digest and unnatural.
    
4. It's really easy to stop consuming dairy.  Nutritionally, there are many other sources from which to get the benefits of dairy products.  Beyond that, there are so many substitutes and resources out there for you.  Just try it, and you will surprise yourself.  

Works Cited

Patrick-Goudreau, Colleen. "From Excuse-itarian to Vegan." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Oct. 2011. Web.        1 Mar. 2014. 
"Understanding the Problems with Dairy Products." NutritionMD.org ::. Physician's Committee for              Responsible Medicine, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.