Heal Your Headache

Heal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain by David Buchholz is the book I mentioned the other day. I promise this is a personal plug from me, not from an author or publisher. 

While some may say the book is full of common sense or common knowledge, the motivation in the book is what inspired me to take control and do what I needed to do. Dr. Buchholz reminds his readers that doctors don't always have the time to go through the process of finding and eliminating triggers, and may just reach for "quick-fix" prescription solutions. Sometimes it's up to the person in pain to take control and do something about it.

From what I remember, step 1 of Dr. Buchholz's program is to find possible headache / migraine triggers. He suggests starting a headache journal to track what you eat and do each day and find patterns that could be leading to headaches. Dr. Buchholz lists many common triggers that may be causing a problem, many of which I wouldn't ever think of. 

Step 2 is to eliminate these triggers. Many people might suggest weaning oneself from triggers, but Dr. Buchholz suggests going cold turkey since it may be more tempting to "relapse" while weaning. I remember being hesitant about this at first, but once I bit the bullet, it was a great idea.

Step 3, essentially, is to follow up with yourself. If you know you've eliminated your triggers but are still having some headaches, Dr. Buchholz suggests seeing a doctor for preventative measures. If you are unsure you have found the right triggers, he suggests going back to the drawing board.

Obviously, each person is different and what worked well for me may not at all for others. Regardless, I really hope you give this book a try - I'll be anxiously awaiting your reviews!