Natural Treatments

Non-Pharmacological Treatment "Alternative" Treatments
1

Hi all this is my first post and let me say how absolutely relieved I am to see all of these people with the same symptoms and difficulties as I am having!! :smiley: WOW feels so good to not be alone!

I am interested in anything that you all know of, have heard of, or have tried, with or without success, in the line of natural treatments.

There are a lot of recommended items like 5htp, passion flower, valerian, melatonin, St John’s Wort, B vitamins esp B2, magnesium etc. I do take a lot of magnesium, at least 800 mg to 1200 mg a day. I am ready to give any and all of them a go to stay off phamaceuticals. Right now I am on day 7 of Nortriptyline 10 mg and a few days ago dumped the Prozac 10 mg I have been on for months as the anxiety was just through the roof. I have valium and xanax as needed; xanax forever and valium since this started at the end of December. Before this episode (had a really bad on 10+ years ago off work a year!) I was diagnosed with GAD and of course atypical migraines, which we all know are part of this cross we bear. Seems I have always had to rely on at the very least some xanax over the last several years, just to keep me from flipping. Then in Dec I got a flu shot, the flu that turned into pneumonia, and then wala!! Spin City here we come!!

Anyway comments advice etc welcomed! Thanks again!!

2

Hi there and welcome (sadly)

You will find a great deal of support on this site - but most probably not in terms of natural remedies, although you’re like to get a wealth of responses explaining why.

A lot of us have exhausted every avenue possible (accupuncture, Chinese meds, herbal remedies, naturopaths, massage, reflexology, reiki, snorting tumeric, etc) to no avail and a costly exercise.

However, I personally believe that vitamin support in addition to pharma meds is a good option.

I take:
Magnesium Citrate 500mg p/d
COQ10 150mg p/d
Fish oil 1500mg p/d
Gingko Biloba (Trebonin brand) 1 tab a day
Vit C 1000 mg p/d
Acai

I am on Nori 75mg p/d and Gabapentin 1200mgs p/d and Valium as and when needed.

I really dont believe you can get better without pharma meds. Sorry. Get well.

3

Hi Muppo

In a way hearing you say there that the natural remedies didn’t,t work for you is sad, but on the other hand knowing that there is some kind of help is re-assuring, even if it is meds.

For me b2 has really helped. Also, l try not to take any kind of other supplements, as l think the body doesn’t,t absorb them, and can cause more harm than good. For magnesium, l eat pumpkin seeds daily, and oat bran and also, artichokes are very good.

For me there is this fear of meds. I still haven,t had taken any yet. When l read all the side effects, it’s worries me that it may make symptoms worse. Some of the side effects are dizziness. Well, that’s all l need to send me into another spiral.

Also, l really enjoy a few wines over the weekend, and l think you are not meant to avoid alcholol, whilst in meds.
I don,t want to fall asleep and never wake up, like Whitney Houston.

Sue

4

Thanks Muppo and Shezian for the replies!

I too eat pumpkin seeds love them. Have just started to take fish oil and increase my vitamin c. The ironic thing about gingko is, before this episode and my starting Nortriptyline, gingko helped my tinnitus! But in the last week my tinnitus is on full blast 24/7. Maybe that will pass?? I don’t know I guess I’ll see.

CoQ10 has been popping up on alot of searches too I’ll add that one in. It’s good for us anyway, esp as we get older.

Can’t wait to read more of this site, and for more replies.

Thanks again!! :smiley:

5

— Begin quote from “shezian”

Hi Muppo

For me b2 has really helped. Also, l try not to take any kind of other supplements, as l think the body doesn’t,t absorb them, and can cause more harm than good. For magnesium, l eat pumpkin seeds daily, and oat bran and also, artichokes are very good.

For me there is this fear of meds. I still haven,t had taken any yet. When l read all the side effects, it’s worries me that it may make symptoms worse. Some of the side effects are dizziness. Well, that’s all l need to send me into another spiral.

Also, l really enjoy a few wines over the weekend, and l think you are not meant to avoid alcholol, whilst in meds.
I don,t want to fall asleep and never wake up, like Whitney Houston.

Sue

— End quote

Hi Sue

I disagree about supplements not being absorbed by the body, there is plenty of proof out there that supplements have helped people with a tremendous amount of ailments.

Re the fear of meds - I mean really? Is your fear of meds greater than your fear of MAV? Mine certainly isnt. I will eat whatever they put in front of me in the hope of it making even a 10% dent in the sh*t I’ve had to deal with. But, I dont know how bad your situation is. I’m guessing it must be tolerable if you’re able to drink wine at the weekend???!! :shock: And as for the dizziness side effect listed on meds - keep in mind that the pharma companies have to list EVERY possible side effect that could appear, no matter how slim the chance.

I cant imagine being able to have a glass of wine with this crap, the thought of adding that lightheaded buzz to an already dizzy and out of it brain seems like madness to me! And yes, avoiding ending up like Whitney is probaly the way to go…

KathleenW the brand Trebonin of Gingko is supposed to be one of the very best, not sure if you can get it where you are but you can check it out on the web.

Let me know how you go.

Mup

6

When the neurologist diagnosed me MAV, he said that natural remedies can be as bad as Meds, as the natural stuff hasn,t gone through testing, and especially with MAV, can also make things worse. But whatever works for you, and everyone is different. I can,t say your MAV is worse than mine or mine is worse than yours, it’s just that if a medication side effects say dizziness, is the risk worth it? I mean are there any meds that don,t have this side effect? It’s the dizziness we are trying to eliminate and not aggravate.

My dizziness is intermittent so not sure l can yet justify taking meds daily. I have Valium handy, but have only taken it once. I actually get more anxiety over taking meds. As soon as l swallow a med or supplement even, that l haven,t tried before l completely freak out.
See the doctor on Monday again, even though at the present feel okay.

Sue :smiley:

7

Hi Kathleen,

In my opinion there is no more to fear with regular medicines then there is with vitamins and supplements when treating migraine. They are all regarded as medicines whether “natural” or not. Be aware that the word natural is thrown around out there in all sorts of advertising and on websites as though it’s intrinsically safe, warm and fuzzy and without side effects. It’s simply not true and is one of the most misleading terms used in health advertising. Remember, tobacco, snake venom and ricin are all natural too and are also deadly. St John’s Wort gave me far greater side effects than Paxil ever has and when I was coming off SJW the withdrawal was brutal. As far as supplements go for migraine prophylaxis, the evidence-based ones are:

vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
CoQ10
magnesium

That said, if you are low in iron or other B vitamins, or any vitamin or mineral for that matter, it wouldn’t hurt to try an all rounder vitamin supplement to see if it picks you up or makes an impact in how you feel. Sadly, I don’t know of anyone who was able to control a chronic migraine condition with VMS therapy alone. Living a full migraine lifestyle offers control in some 40% of cases but most (the other 60%) will end up needing a medicine to raise their threshold.

Cheers and welcome!

Scott 8)

8

Hi Kathleen,

I’m with Muppo - when I have been in the deepest pit of migraine I am literally housebound and mere existence is hell - the idea that ANY side effects from a med could be any worse is inconceivable. Quite frankly, when I’m that sick pissing about with some vitamins or supplements is not even going to put a dent in the symptoms - I need drugs, and lots of them.

I have tried magnesium and a B complex and CoQ10 which didn’t do anything for migraine symptoms, but I assume they are ‘good’ for me in other ways so still take them when I think of it.

9

Kathleen-

I too have a fear of medications…but at some point I have had to put the anxiety about it on the back burner and bite the bullet and pop the pill. I do take it slowly and that gives me the security I need to push on. I come here and find support. Living with MAV is awful and I refuse to let my anxiety squash a chance at getting the symptoms under control. I’m on the diet including cutting beef and gluten out (and lots of other things I tested highly sensitive to with food intolerance testing)…that has been very difficult but worth it because it has at least helped with the headaches tremendously and also my digestive tract. I have added mag and B2 prior to the prescription meds and have realized I need those meds to get better. My next step is to get the exercise going. I want to get one thing going successfully and then do the next. Living in fear sucks but having fear AND MAV is way worse. Wishing you the best in whatever way you decide to tackle “the beast”. :smiley:

10

Hi all and thanks to everyone for advice and sharing. Every time I read more about this, I have a ‘light bulb’ moment, you know? Like ‘no wonder I’ve always felt better when I take tons of Vit B!’ You know things like that.

I got car sick as a kid. Never never EVER wanted to be upside down, hated even to do tumbles in the grass, hangovers after 1 beer, more and more as I read and study.

I had what they now believe to be a labyrithitis (VN?) in my 20’s, my first (undiagnosed) MAV in my 30’s, and now I’m 47 having another serious episode, and finally finding out that it’s been related to migraines all this time. So I go thru periods where I am okay, but not really ever 100%. I do know that looking back this episode has been building for at least 2-3 years. Had a million 'flu’s that really weren’t, fuzzy thinking, no energy, etc then the panic attacks started about 16 months ago in earnest.

In the past I took SJW for depression with good results. Then a few years later took Prozac with good results, weaned myself off both times with no probs. This time, prozac seems to have increased my anxiety. After trying it for a few months my GP sent me to a shrink, we played with celexa and lexapro but I couldn’t take the side effects esp constipation, so I just went back to 10mg prozac. Tried to add 5htp got very anxious again.

So Im thinking no SJW, no prozac as I’ve just dumped that, add extra supplements of B2,CoQ10, additional mag, and keep on the diet. I just last nite moved to 20mg Nort. Makes me very tiredand dizzy the next morning but I think I will at least be needing a maintenance dose of this so will keep at it.

One site suggested Tyrosine for Ldopa and 5htp for seratonin, and another light bulb, I just started in with a thyroid supplement Thyroid Energy that includes the Tyrosine and some B’s & things. Another prob I have had in the past was slow thyroid…not so slow as to require meds but I def felt better with Tyrosine.

What a complicated and amazing journey this has been, and continues to be. Thanks again everyone!

11

— Begin quote from “shezian”

t if a medication side effects say dizziness, is the risk worth it? I mean are there any meds that don,t have this side effect? It’s the dizziness we are trying to eliminate and not aggravate.

Sue :smiley:

— End quote

Again… every med you will ever take in your life, no matter what it’s for will list dizziness as a side effect. I dread to think what state 90% of the folk on this board would be in if they all fell at that hurdle of being too scared to try a med because of that side effect. The pharmas HAVE to list every possible side effect… doesnt mean any of them are going to eventuate.

12

— Begin quote from “KathleenW”

. Then in Dec I got a flu shot, the flu that turned into pneumonia, and then wala!! Spin City here we come!!

— End quote

Kathleen - My symptoms also began shortly after receiving a flu shot. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this – I have wondered often if it really did set something off in my body to trigger the MAV. The Western doctors I’ve seen generally disregard this thought.

13

Adrir, I have read about flu vaccines setting off underlying neurological disorders including narcolepsy. And of course we are warned before getting the shot about Guillan Barre syndrome. I am sure that I had MAV before the shot, but that the shot did have something to do with setting off this particular severe episode.

14

My MAV hit me like a stack of bricks 3 days after the flu shot. I was just diagnosed last week. It took 7 months to get diagnosed. I’ve just started taking the vitamins, I have been on the diet for a month. My Nori sits there staring at me. Honestly, I wouldn’t be so scared to take it but so many people on here seem to over chat and freak out over it. For a newbie it’s hard to understand why. It’s like everyone poo-poos it.

SFS

15

HI SFS,

Many people here are taking Nori. Don’t be afraid to start the med. Low dose usually and titrate up.

S

16

Nick,

Tapping (Emotional Freedom Therapy) seems to me to be like cognitive behavioural therapy done on a Buddhist prayer mat and accompanied by wind chimes and incense.

CBT is great - there’s lots of evidence behind it and it’s a proven, plausible and sound way to reduce stress and anxiety, both of which are the enemy of the migraineur. All the other stuff offered by EFT however, about ‘ancient Eastern wisdom’ and tapping on meridians has zero evidence and even less plausibility. Here is the most neutral source (Wikipedia) I can find to articulate this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_ … Techniques

For more on EFT (and how it doesn’t live up to its claims) see here:
http://www.csicop.org/si/show/can_we_really_tap_our_problems_away_a_critical_analysis_of_thought_field_th/

http://www.skepdic.com/eft.html

http://quackfiles.blogspot.com.au/2005/01/skeptics-of-energy-therapies.html

17

I have used this in the past, and just about a year ago was reintroduced to it. Too bad I didn’t keep up with it! I first heard of it at a small seminar given by Gary Craig. This would be almost 20 years ago now. It’s simple and it helped a friend get over her fear of heights.

18

Hi everyone,

So this post is a little out in left field, but I hope you’ll bear with me. I have a dear friend who has MAV and I’ve been working with her with a technique that I use, and we’ve seen some decent results (lessening of symptoms at various points), but haven’t resolved it completely. I recently also worked with someone that had chronic migraines for 11 years (not MAV, general daily migraines), and was able to help her get off all meds and be pain free.

So this technique seems to be moving in the right direction. The reason I’m writing is that I’m looking for open minded volunteers who might consider working with me (for absolutely free). Why am I doing this? (the obvious question!) - because I want to help my dear friend and think that getting insights into what’s going on with other people with the same condition might help.

The technique I use and teach is called “EFT” or “Tapping”. Scientifically researched and validated (with more data coming out every day)

So you know I’m not a total quack, you can read a blog post on the Huffington Post about the science and research behind it here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nick-ortner/emotional-freedom-technique_b_1349223.html

And see me presenting on the topic here:
http://www.thetappingsolution.com/2012VideoSeries/?p=1

Please note on the video above the amount of positive comments from people- this works.

So…if you’re interested in learning more (again, no catch, all free, video skype or phone sessions), please contact me at:
nicko@thetappingsolution.com

I personally haven’t experienced MAV, but I know how much pain my friend is in, so if i can help her, and help you, it would be a pleasure.

Sincerely,
Nick Ortner