Holistic Chamber of Commerce

The Holistic Chamber of Commerce (HCC) is a cool little ditty not much different from a "regular" Chamber of Commerce. It's a national commerce with chapters in various cities with the intent of educating holistic care providers about better business practices.

The idea (though not always true) is that many holistic care providers do what they do because their purpose in life is to help others, and many of them would do that for free if they could afford it. They have to start a profitable business - not necessarily because they want to, but have to. Therefore, some of these providers aren't so savvy at the business side of things, and could maybe use a little help.

That's where the HCC comes in, providing resources, conventions and meeting, and networking opportunities for its members. It can also be a great way for people to find alternative / holistic health care in their area. My chiropractor has been working on starting a local chapter in Southern Minnesota, and hopes to be up-and-running with a board, meetings, and members within the next month or so.

I know many people in similar situations as mine get fed up with clinics, hospitals, and drugs, and look to alternative forms of relief, so I wanted to make others aware of the HCC. Check to see if there's a chapter in your area, and what suggestions they might have for you!

The Support of Friends and Family

I'm letting Kerrie Smyres write my article today, because I whole-heartedly agree with her :)

Find her article about the joyful feeling of supportive friends and family here.

Thanks Kerrie!

Melatonin

I wish I'd thought about using melatonin a long time ago, and that I would've known my boyfriend already had some stashed away in the medicine cabinet.

This past weekend was a long one: Working early every morning + a St. Patty's Day party at our apartment = stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep. Fortunately, I found the melatonin in the cupboard Friday night and had at it.

Normally, when I work early in the morning, I don't sleep well the night before. I get jumpy, like I'm afraid that I might miss my alarm (that, and I just dread the thought of working early). The melatonin helped me relax and drift off without freaking about my alarm going off in 5 short hours, and I was able to wake up without drowsiness or a headache!

That was the best part.

I don't want to take melatonin all the time, but it was great for the weekend and other instances like this one. Granted, I woke up with a headache again this morning (no melatonin last night), but at least I know there is a temporary solution to use while working on finding a permanent one.

Booze Again?

Kind of. Not entirely.

I've been experimenting a little bit when it comes to drinking. I know there must be some pattern that triggers my migraines related to alcohol, but I haven't quite figured it out yet.

In the past, I've been able to drink and drink with no problem at all. Not even a hangover in the morning. Then, over the past couple years, I started to develop an issue where I'd feel a migraine coming within an hour of the first sip, and I'd wake up in my death bed the next morning. And this was more than just a simple "hangover" - I would be in severe pain, extra dehydrated, and vehemently ill for the majority of a day.

So I quit drinking. Period.

And it hasn't been awesome.

I'm not saying I want to go out and get plastered every weekend again - I got that out of my system my first year at a university (also likely why my liver seems to be fighting back at me now). But I'd like to be able to go out with friends and get a drink once in a while without the fear of a migraine ruining a pleasant evening.

I recently got back from vacation in Key West (which was a blast), and there was a lot of alcohol consumption going on around me. Key West is less about the beach and more about the bar life, and my parents, brother, and boyfriend were able to nurse beers throughout most of the week without an issue, so I thought, "Why not? Let's give it a shot."

I hydrated as best I could throughout each day, and ordered maybe one or two drinks throughout dinner and the evening. The first night I tried this went swimmingly: I ordered a mojito with our Cuban dinner, and then another one at a bar we stopped at, drinking waters in between. No noticeable issues - not even the next morning!

The next night, we went on a pub crawl where we were given a ticket at each of the 5 bars we visited. This ticket allowed us one free specialty drink, beer, mixed drink, etc. The speciality drinks, because they were recommended to the crawl patrons, were expected orders and watered down. We had eaten before we got to the crawl, and I was careful to only sip on the drinks (generally didn't finish them), and watered myself between each one.

No good, no good at all. I left the night early with a migraine, and felt funky (but not actually sick) most of the night. That was the last time I tried drinking on the trip.

Last night, back in chilly MN, my boyfriend and I went out with a friend to do some catching up. I'd been drinking water and juice throughout most of the day, so I thought I'd give it another shot. We ordered an appetizer and I ordered a glass of white zin to go with. I noticed my alcohol tolerance has gone done over the past couple years (I was super buzzed for a bit), and a slight wine headache, but no actual migraine that required treating.

So a pattern that seems to be worth following so far:

• Eat before and while drinking
• Drink lots of water before, during, and after
• Sip slowly, not too much all at once
• Don't drink (even if it's small amounts) two days in a row?
• I never drink on a day I've already taken Imitrex - it doesn't even sound pleasant

These seem like really basic things that everyone should follow, regardless of issues with alcohol or not, but they are extra important for people with migraines triggered by alcohol. I'm not sure this is foolproof (likely not), but I'm going to keep giving it a shot (especially considering St. Patty's Day is right around the corner).

What kind of things do you do to prevent alcohol-related migraines?

Update: Sleep + Headaches

I did a little more research after yesterday's post. I don't know why I haven't looked harder into this before...

Many times, waking up with headaches has been connected with sleep apnea (and other sleep disorders). This is scary to me.

I've been told a few times I should get a sleep study done, and that I snore. Loudly.

It's something I should bet done, but it scares me a little. Scary to be watched while I sleep, and scary to possibly get stuck with one of those scary masks I'd have to wear to bed.

That's a lot of scary.

A couple different articles I found:

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/03/get-some-sleep-daily-headaches-how-are-you-sleeping/

http://www.headache-help.org/sleep-disorders-and-headache

Sleep + Headaches

I go through random bouts of insomnia every once in a while. They don't generally last very long, and aren't too severe.

But when I'm trying to get up at a normal time, it makes the next morning suck and not suck at the same time. I'm super fatigued (I'm like dizzy-fatigued today), but... NO HEADACHES EITHER!!! Sort of.

I've noticed that when I get less sleep at night (max 7 hours), I'm less prone to waking up with a headache, or less get a less severe one. If I sleep much more than 7 hours though, I wake up with a pounding headache (lately, anyway).

I was up til about 2:00 a.m. last night, which is pretty late for me. I forced myself to get up at 8:00 to see the boyfriend out the door, and really didn't notice any kind of headache at all. Much of the time, I'm ok off 6 hours for a day or two, but not today. I passed back out for another hour or so after he left - head pounding ensued.

And all the websites say 8 hours is what's necessary, and that you're less likely to get headaches with that amount of sleep. But I can't find anything specifically about no headaches on less sleep...

So the conundrum is: Do I start maxing at 7 hours a night at the benefit of less morning headaches, but perhaps bigger risk of daytime, fatigue-triggered migraines in the long run? Or, do I just continue with more sleep and morning headaches? Hmm...

Morning Mood Boosters

Major headache mornings like this always slow me down, and on top of some alternative remedies to these headaches, I could use some morning mood boosters every once in a while. Luckily, I happened to stumble upon this article a little while back:

http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/morning-mood-boosters

Here's a highlight of the ideas in the article I like the most:

1. Eat a Well-Balanced Meal
This is something my boyfriend and I have been trying to work on recently - not only as a good morning boost, but also in an attempt to lose weight. And I think it's working, at least as a booster. Now I look forward to getting up and making / eating breakfast every morning, and it helps kick those annoying a.m. headaches when I have them.

2. Focus on Feeling Good
I hadn't thought about this one before, and it's something I could really stand to work on. This doesn't have to just take place in the morning, either. When someone / thing ticks me off, I need to focus on relaxing and breathing properly to keep the blood flowing the right way, and I think the whole world would be a better place if everyone worked on this.

3. Get Some Fresh Air
I can't wait for Spring, since going outside won't be so painful. I'd really like to start going on morning walks / jobs, but it's hard to motivate oneself to willingly go out in 20 degree weather. I also can't wait to garden again :)

4. Our Cat (this is my own contribution)
Our cat is actually a big pain in the rear every morning - he jumped on my chest and stuck his face in mine at 6:00 this morning in an attempt to get me to feed him. But past that, he's a lot of fun to have around, and he always has a way of relaxing me and lifting my mood. I think everyone should have some kind of pet, be it cat, dog, bird, fish or whatever. I think having something to care for gives us a better sense of purpose and give us something to look forward to coming home / waking up to. \

Diezel :)

What are some things you do to make your mornings happier and lift your spirits?

SootheAway

This SootheAway thing is mildly intriguing... But not for $300. Especially not when I could do hot / cold therapy myself with a hot rice bag and ice.

Maybe when I have a real job I'll give it a shot :)

In other news, today was another day free of the use of pain relievers. I know a lot of the minor headaches I have in the mornings are all in my head (no pun intended), but I'll take one or half of one Excedrin out of total paranoia anyway. So, I'm pretty proud of myself, and I hope I can keep it up!

NO BOYS ALLOWED

I mean, you guys can read it if you want to. But I don't think you want to.

My PMS symptoms have become so predictable, it's almost boring. Still just as agitating, though.

Usually the first day of PMS (about 4 days before day 1 of my period), I get a random migraine from out of nowhere, with no real or definable cause. Days 2 and 3 consist of TOTALLY irrational thoughts / moods and mild depression, accompanied by random (almost uncontrolled) 5 - 10 second internal temper tantrums (road rage!!).

Then there's the really fun stuff like the bloating, gas, constipation, weight gain, nausea, and sore boobs for a couple days. But by the last day of PMS, I'm lucky enough to almost forget that my period is even coming the next day.

But then it does.

And it SUCKS (you know this). Days 1 and 2 of my period are like someone glued an extra-tight vice to my uterus and left me to die in some dark, creepy alleyway. And the hot flashes. Oh, the hot flashes. And you just feel dirty all the time.

But by Day 3, it's not so bad, and I remember I'm going to live through this one just like I've done in the past and will continue to do.

But damnit it's a waste of my time. 

Super Inspiring

The Right Footed Woman: A Life Without Arms

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/309651

I can't imagine what a life without any kind of appendage would be like, but Jessica has still made the most of it. Reminds me that I don't always have it that bad ;)

Post-Vacay Blues

Ugggh. I think my brain is telling me I should've stayed in Key West.

Our last morning in Key West, I woke up completely headache free for the first time in months. Our first morning back home (despite how depressing it was to wake up in dreary Minnesota), I was again headache free. Two whole days without the aid of any kind of pain reliever. I haven't pulled that off in years.

And I felt good. Proud that I had beaten a major obstacle. A sense of better health and healing, whether it was true or not.

Then Saturday morning happened.

It wasn't that bad. I let it slide. Blamed it on bad hydration practices or too many bad foods the day before.

Sunday came. Slightly worse. But Saturday had been a long day. And PMS was on the rise.

Today. Migraine all day - until I finally caved and took Imitrex, anyway. Hard telling what the cause may be.

I may never beat morning headaches, but I have to beat the daily Excedrin. It's killing me - mentally and physically.

If it's a caffeine withdrawal, I can do that. I don't mind having a cup of coffee or tea first thing every morning. I'm also looking into more topical relief, like the use of essential oils. Hopefully, they are affordable and worth it.

Maybe it is a climate thing. Hopefully, I can move somewhere warm soon and put this all behind me. Let my liver heal up a little bit.

Maybe I'll just go be a hermit, selling seashells in Key West. Who's with me? :)

Until then, I'll just keep plugging away...

Any suggestions and support would be greatly appreciated :)

Nightly Experiment, Day 3

I'm proud of myself.

Over the first half of vacation, I had headache issues, which I attribute to minor jet lag, weird sleep patterns, and adjusting to a new environment.

But, by Day 3 or 4 of vacay, I felt awesome. Even my hair was enjoying the humidity. I was even able to go two whole days without taking any sort of pain reliever - that's a record!

I did end up taking a couple Excedrin TH this morning, but knowing I could go pain-free for a couple days has been a confidence booster. Maybe this will be the boost I need in the right direction.