Here is a short story of my migraine headaches, why I think I got them and what worked for me in eliminating these unbearably uncomfortable conditions after 7 years. I got them around age 25. They would start suddenly and put me to bed for 1 – 2 hours. Then they would dissolve and I’d begin to feel better again. I didn’t get them too often: roughly once every 3 – 4 months. However, after 7 years of suffering from them, they seemed to be happening more frequently.
By now, I haven’t had a headache for 10 months. I consider this to be a significant improvement.
Also, I’m not a doctor, so do take this advice at your own risk. But maybe someone reading this will find the ideas described in this article worth trying and perhaps even useful. I stumbled upon the solution quite accidentally, as I experimented with leaving out certain types of food from my diet and wanting to find out how it affected me.
I was looking to improve my skin conditions and digestion. For nearly 20 years I’ve suffered from minor rashes and skin eczema due to my inability to tolerate certain types of food. I’ve also had chronic diarrhea and therefore problems with absorbing the nutrients. Both of those ailments are something that my father has had as well, so I figured that it was something I’d never be able to change.
In addition I’ve been allergic since age 12. I’ve had hay fewer every spring once everything begins to bloom.
Trying to alleviate those symptoms on my own without the use of artificial human-made drugs or chemicals, I’ve always been a fan of natural remedies and self-help books. I’ve avoided taking any medications or supplements whenever possible. Instead, I’ve made changes to what I eat and have taken notes about my overall feeling or bodily reactions. To increase the chance of getting more reliable information, I’ve often eaten only 2 – 3 different foods for a fixed period of time. Over the years I’ve developed a better understanding and awareness of how specific foods affect my overall energy levels, digestion, as well as symptoms of food intolerance and allergy.
Due to my food intolerance symptoms I ended up eating lots of white bread, which would seem to give me least amount of skin rashes and eczema while providing the greatest sense of satiation. I knew that many allergic people felt better once they left out gluten-foods completely. But I enjoyed the sweet taste and crisp smell of fresh white bread so much, that it took nearly 10 years before I decided to try doing without it.
I enjoyed eating white bread on daily basis for years, as it seemed to be one of the few things that didn’t cause too much skin issues. However, I didn’t realize that I was slowly causing damage to my body in other ways. I had given up dairy products already in my teens, as these would give me the most symptoms and discomfort. Yet gluten-rich white bread remained my main dish along with buckwheat for a long period of time.
I decided to drop gluten completely a little less than a year ago. Already after 3 months later I began noticing significant positive changes to my skin, knee arthritis, digestion, hair loss. By the time 10 months have passed, the only two times that I’ve gotten milder symptoms of headaches were when I went to visit someone and chose to accept their offer of eating gluten-containing foods. Both of those times I developed milder headache within 24 hours of eating those foods. This made me even more aware of the effect that gluten has on my body.
Once in while, I still miss white bread. But once I remember the terrible headaches that I now no longer have, it is easier to look for satiation from alternative food sources. Instead I have substituted white bread with eating more cooked vegetables and fresh fruits. This does not give me headaches, while having even more healing effect on my skin, digestion and other minor bodily conditions that I’ve developed over the years and are most likely linked to my gluten-intolerance.
For the time being, one effective way to liberate myself from migraine headaches is to stay away from gluten.