My migraine was initially diagnosed when I was 36 years
old. As with many migraine sufferers the debilitating
attacks occurred weekly, affecting my ability to function
and lead a 'normal life'.
To find relief and help, my first port of call was to my
General Practitioner who was most unsympathetic, implying
that three young children, moving house and working were
bound to have a detrimental effect on my health and the
combination of stresses had 'chosen' to manifest in the
form of migraine. When I asked for suggestions for relief,
anti-depressants were offered as the 'best course of
action'. The GP also intimated that in time the migraines
would probably disappear; if not a hysterectomy may be the
answer!
There was no discussion regarding my medical or family
history, side effects that I may experience or the
potential for addiction to the anti-depressants. The whole
visit was over within five minutes, I left the surgery
reluctantly clutching a prescription. Hopefully this was an
atypical experience, and GPs these days are more
sympathetic.
I decided to carry out research into the side effects these
anti-depressant drugs could induce. I was horrified to find
that the symptoms I suffered, headache, nausea, difficulty
concentrating etc. could be further aggravated, and there
were other potential side effects such as sexual
dysfunction, hair loss and abdominal pain. My immediate
instinct was to throw the prescription away; in no way did
I want all those chemicals inside me, potentially doing
untold long term damage to my body. Neither did I want a
hysterectomy, as my migraines did not coincide with monthly
hormonal changes.
After alternative advice from family and friends to change
my diet, cut out all known triggers such as cheese,
chocolate, caffeine, alcohol and have more sleep, I decided
to look into complementary therapies and a friend
recommended me to try homeopathy. The use of homeopaths was
not as widely known as it is today and many people inferred
that their practices were somewhat dubious.
Unperturbed and determined to find someone to help me I
used the local telephone directory to seek out registered
homeopaths, finally arranging an initial consultation with
the one who seemed the most genuinely interested and
concerned with my plight during our introductory telephone
conversation.
When I arrived, the homeopath began explaining in detail
the 'like-for-like' principles of homeopathy. She was not
at all offended or alarmed by my questions about her
training and qualifications, the answers to which were most
reassuring.
My life and medical history were discussed in depth,
including family history of migraine and my sister's
epilepsy and the thoughts I had that my headaches were an
indication of me developing the same, which terrified me.
We also discussed my present and past emotional states and
the holistic approach to finding suitable relief.
During the consultation I explained that my migraine
usually started at the back of the head and spread
predominantly to the right temple, accompanied by a
pounding, throbbing pain and was worsened by light, noise,
jarring and cold hands and feet. From this and careful
questioning about other life and family factors, the
homeopath concluded that Belladonna would be beneficial for
me.
She told me that Belladonna is also known as Deadly
Nightshade. I was somewhat alarmed by this and expressed my
concerns over using such a toxic and sometimes fatal plant.
The homeopath carefully explained that the doses of
Belladonna that I would be taking were very diluted but
confirmed that it should only be used when prescribed by a
qualified practitioner, and should NEVER be used as a
self-help measure, for example picking it from the wild.
As an aside, Belladonna means 'beautiful eyes' in Italian
and preparations of it were used in days gone-by to dilate
the pupils and make women appear more alluring and sexy.
But apart from that, I was interested to learn that the
therapeutic use of Belladonna has been known for over 500
years and it has proven beneficial in many different
homeopathic remedies. It was also reassuring to find out
that many non-prescription cough syrups sold over the
counter contain atropine which is obtained from Belladonna.
My homeopath explained that should Belladonna not be
beneficial there were other homeopathic remedies such as
Sanguinarine, which is used to treat migraines with similar
symptoms but accompanied by vomiting, which rarely happened
in my case. Therefore it was agreed that Belladonna be
prescribed initially.
I was recommended to take the Belladonna in tablet form
twice a day, three in the morning and three at night over
five days and return for further consultation within 7
days. She also advised me to exclude cheese, chocolate,
caffeine and alcohol for the time being, while keeping a
headache diary to enable triggers to be identified and
discussed during future consultations.
I continued visiting the homeopath on a weekly basis for
several months, all the while continuing to take daily
doses of Belladonna which were gradually reduced. The
homeopath always made the visits productive and as she
found out more and more about me, my life-style and
triggers, she noticed that I have a tendency to clench my
jaw and grind my back teeth when subjected to topics of
discussion that were upsetting or made me angry. She
advised me always to sleep with my mouth slightly ajar to
prevent muscle tension. This is something that to this day
I consciously make an effort to do not only when drifting
off to sleep but when I begin to feel tense. The
improvements in the severity, intensity and frequency of my
migraines were astounding and gradually they disappeared.
I strongly recommend that anyone who suffers from migraine
attacks should consult with a homeopath as I'm sure they
will find the experience and their professionalism as
'life-changing' as I have.
To repeat: Belladonna is another name for deadly
night-shade, and should NEVER be self-administered. Use it
ONLY under the supervision of a registered and qualified
practitioner.
----------------------------------------------------
Joy Healey qualified as a nutritionist in 2000, at the
prestigious Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London. Her
dissertation topic was migraine.
For immediate delivery of an ebook full of further
recommendations for natural, alternatives approaches to
treat and prevent migraine visit:
http://www.natural-migraine-alternatives.com
No comments:
Post a Comment