Archive for February, 2009

Discounted Food Intolerance Test

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

It’s well known that there are links between migraine and food intolerances and there are many methods of testing.

My preferred method is described in this article on food intolerances and migraine. But don’t buy from the link in the article, because (at the time of writing) buying online from this blog post gives you a special offer on a food intolerance test.

In fact it’s half the original price when you order on-line from the special offer link above!

I can’t promise how long the supplier (YorkTest) will keep this discount available, so don’t delay.

Therapeutic Effect of Laughter

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Following on from my post a few days ago about “walking, talking and laughing” I came across the following post about laughter clubs in the news.

If you can bear with the initial (possibly) “fake” laughter in the news-clip, you’ll see that this is backed up by science. And I mean no insult when I talk about fake laughter, because you’ll hear in the clip that the well-being effect is even induced by fake laughter.

More on laughter’s therapeutic effect.

So…. next time someone sends you a corny joke in your email, enjoy it anyway.  A good belly laugh is just what the doctor ordered.

Other stress reduction techniques are available in my ebook.

Can cola cause migraine?

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

If you’re still trying to track down the cause of your migraine here’s a very simple test you can try. Eliminate fizzy drinks (sodas) and watch if you migraines reduce.

Recently I recently published an article on migraine and caffeine intake. It mentioned  the improvements found in a study done on adolescents who drank a liter of cola a day and suffered from daily migraines.

Quitting cola eliminated chronic headache in 100 percent of the 36 subjects. Headaches totally ceased in 33 (91 percent) of the subjects. Daily or near-daily headaches ceased in the remaining 3 subjects, though they continued to get infrequent migraines without aura.

Such a spectacular result must really make it worth your while to try eliminating fizzy drinks for a period (say two to three weeks).

(1) Hering-Hanit R, Gadoth N. Caffeine-induced headache in children and adolescents. Cephalalgia 2003;23:332-335.

Thanks to Barry Spencer for his confirmation of the excellent results of this study.

Acupuncture for migraine?

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Many people have found acupuncture beneficial in preventing migraines and tension-type headaches, and this has been confirmed in scientific studies.

Two large reviews of studies have found that people having acupuncture for at least eight weeks had fewer headaches than those who only treated themselves with painkillers when the headaches developed.

Should you decide to try acupuncture, be sure to find a qualified and registered practitioner. Your health professional should be your first port of call. We’d love to read of your results in comments to this blog.

Interestingly, sham acupuncture was as effective as real acupuncture at preventing migraines, and nearly as effective at preventing tension-type headaches. Sham acupuncture is where needles are inserted incorrectly.

The reviews were done by researchers in Germany, Italy, the US and the UK.

You can read the full article here.

Source: The Guardian (UK) Wednesday 21 January 2009

For more drug-free ways to treat or prevent migraine subscribe to a free mini-course at: StopTheMigraineMadness.com.

Walking, talking and laughing

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

Qualified complementary therapists keep up-to-date with their profession via training and continual personal development. My governing body runs regular sessions we can attend to introduce us to the work of other practitioners and learn how it can help our clients.

This morning I attended a fascinating talk by Adam Shaw, a qualified health consultant with over 16 years of experience in the health care field – and a great sense of humour.

Adam held us spell-bound for a couple of hours with the story of his life-journey, and introduced us to his Walk Innovation sessions.

What has this got to do with migraine? Well, we all know that walking is good for you. Instinctively you may feel, or have experienced, that talking things over is good for you. What may come as more of a surprise to some people is that laughing is great therapy too – releasing serotonin, often referred to as the “feel-good” hormone.

So combining walking, talking and laughing is absolutely amazing for you – and this is precisely what Adam Shaw’s Walk Innovation sessions will do.

If your migraines could be caused by unresolved issues and stresses in your life, Adam’s workshops could be just what you’re looking for.

Other approaches to stress reduction can be found in my ebook.