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 :)

Aromatherapy

I've never tried aromatherapy as a pain reliever; I've always assumed it would take too long, or is too inconvenient to be effective. But after doing a little research, I've realized I'm dead wrong. You should always try something once!

Shamefully, I'd always assumed essential oils could only be used in aromatherapy by using the tools necessary to heat the oil and scent the air. I was way wrong:

Today, essential oils are extracted from the plants used for aromatherapy, making them very concentrated. The two basic ways aromatherapy is accomplished is by applying the oils to the skin and by inhalation. The term "aromatherapy" can be a bit misleading because it's not only the aroma that is therapeutic. The oils also interact with body chemistry directly, thus affecting certain systems and organs. You can demonstrate this yourself by rubbing garlic on the soles of your feet. After awhile, the garlic aroma will be evident on your breath.  (http://headaches.about.com/cs/alternative/l/aa_aromatherapy.htm)

What? That's pretty cool.

Now I'm most interested in finding "recipes" that can be used topically to soothe and relieve pain. Here are a few blends I've found:

• Blend #1: 8 Drops Lavender Oil, 4 Drops Roman Chamomile, 1 oz. Carrier Oil
• Blend #2: 4 Drops Spearmint Essential Oil, 4 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil, 1 oz. Carrier Oil
• Blend #3: 4 Drops Helichrysum Essential Oil, 8 Drops Roman Chamomile, 1 oz. Carrier Oil
• Blend #4: 4 Drops Spearmint Essential Oil, 8 Drops Lavender Essential Oil, 1 oz. Carrier Oil       (http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/aromatherapy-essential-oils-for-headaches.asp)

The article also recommends that despite how strong your headache may be or feel, essential oils are incredibly powerful, and less is more.

Another great benefit of aromatherapy is that the side effects of essential oils are less intense and frequent than those of otc and prescription pain relievers, when used as recommended.

What about you? Have you tried aromatherapy in any way? Has it worked? What blends or recipes have you tried? We're anxious to know! :)