There are few medical conditions as shrouded in myth as the acute attack of a migraine. The rush of blood and swelling of the cerebral arteries, that stretches the nerve fibers coiled around them, has been decorated as the catalyst for a dizzying amount of genius. Held responsible for the birth of Athena (the goddess of civilization, justice, and wisdom) from the aching head of Zeus; for Hippocrates foray into the creation of Western medicine; for the pointillism of George Seurat, the impressionism of Claude Monet, the vibrant contrasts and colors of Van Gogh; for the hallucinations of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, the poetry of Emily Dickenson, the creation of Nietzsche's Übermensch (or superman), the duality in the works of Virginia Woolf and Sigmund Freud, and the rabbit hole in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. In addition to artists and philosophers, migraines lay claim to some of the brilliance and tenacity of politicians and warriors such as Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant.
However coupled with the accolades of luminance and originality of vision, migraines are blamed for many of these artists and leaders irritability and impossibility. Driven to hallucination and madness by the throbbing pains in their head, these individuals heralded in history for their genius were often loathed and despised by many forced to live with them on a daily basis. While it is comforting to claim kinship with such intellect and talent, it is also disquieting to recognize the debilitating qualities of migraines. The irrationality and nastiness of migraines that forces many sufferers, myself included, into isolation and depression.
For the past two decades I have suffered from the periodic brain rape (Lol!) of migraine headaches—the incapacitating delirium that seems impossible to avoid or control. I have put clamps on the forehead, tied knotted rope around the temples, taken hot showers and applied ice packs to the face, attempted sleeping for days, treated myself to countless back, neck and scalp massages, lit candles, removed lamps, dimmed lights, listened to the sea, tried physical therapy, acupuncture, yoga, and many other unsavory, unmentionable, and even illegal methods to quell the fiendish pain. While all of these methods work some of the time, none of them have worked all the time—including medication.
The best methods that I have found in controlling migraines come through prevention and meditation. Keeping a journal of all food and drink, strong odors, perfumes, chemicals and sprays, bright lights, sleep patterns, and stress; helps to determine common triggers. In order to prevent migraines, I take B vitamins and allergy medicine daily; have changed my diet to include more vegetables; have eliminated tobacco use and caffeine; stopped eating many processed foods; stopped eating foods high in nitrates such as dried meats; stopped consuming mass-produced fermented beverages like beer and wine (though I still consume organic wines produced without additional sulfites and additives); and keep my bedroom, office and car extremely clean and free of molds and dust. In addition I have found daily meditation and exercise helps to reduce and control stress as well as the frequency and severity of migraines.
Migraines help create bouts of both genius and loathsome, insidious behavior—peaks and valleys. Controlling and preventing them is best achieved by creating a life in balance: a balanced diet, a balanced exercise routine, and a stable balanced mind. Avoiding extremes and constructing a life and environment that is more subdued, constrained, and docile has helped significantly in reducing the regularity and strength of my migraine attacks.
Sources:
University of Maryland Medical Center
Migraines.org
Family Doctor.org
Health Communities
Time Magazine, Medicine: Battle Against Migraine
Joan Didion, In Bed, MIT
