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!

My Story, Part 2 (the uphill climb)

I think the cover of Heal Your Headache is what initially captured my attention, and David Buchholz seemed to know exactly what I was going through. The first I thing I learned was that I needed to cut caffeine and fix my diet (surprise!), and eventually, my headaches would become manageable.

After cutting my high caffeine intake cold-turkey and living through the worst (and only) withdrawal-related, three day migraine of my life, I took Buchholz's next suggestion. I went back to the doctor for preventative medications and received Topamax (later to become my worst enemy).

For a couple years, I did okay. Everything seemed to be going well enough. Then, when I transferred schools, things started acting up again. I restarted the battle with Excedrin, and saw my Imitrex counts rise again. Finally, after my first senior year, I saw a neurologist.

The neurologist helped with nothing. He put me on a higher dosage of Topamax and gave me cortisone shots (aka occipital nerve blockers) in the back of my skull and neck in an attempt to relieve the tension. Soon after, my periods became incredibly irregular, my hair started falling out, and the headaches seemed to be getting worse. Now what?? Ignoring what the neurologist recommended, I cut the Topamax and continued to see a chiropractor. I haven't seen the inside of a neurology clinic since.

It was said chiropractor who seemed to be doing me the most good. After transferring schools, it'd been a year or so before I settled down and realized I should start seeing a chiro again. Not only did she adjust my spine, she worked hard to ensure I was eating well and staying as stress-free as possible - key elements to staying happy and healthy.

For a while, I was feeling pretty good - despite my complaints of jaw pain. It was my mother who suggested I ask my dentist for ideas. At a routine cleaning, I told my dentist of my jaw issues, and he referred me to another local dentist who specialized in TMJ problems. I learned that not only was I grinding my teeth on a nightly basis, but my bite was also misaligned. This was causing my jaw to overwork itself, and jaw problems can lead to headaches. 

There's one more shorter chapter to this story. Click here to continue on to Part 3, or here to reread Part 1.