Migraines: Bane of Intuitives? Synchronicity? Discuss here!

Add me to the headache crew. Usually mine or either hormonal or weather related, but I have head headaches for the past couple of days that seem to have no discernible origin. (I'm in-between projects too, so am not even busy with work.) Interesting.

I hesitate to ask this, because debilitating headaches aren't a particularly happy topic, but would a forum for migraine experiences, issues and treatments be out of order? That way we could keep it all in one thread and keep better track of what everyone has to say.

I've been wondering lately if people who suffer migraines have heightened intuition. I read something recently, very interesting, that I had never read before. The article said that many people who suffer them have vivid flashbacks of past experiences.

For those with the headaches and migraines check out the People’s Pharmacy. I often use this site for home remedies and questions about medications. One of the articles suggests taking Vitamim B2 Riboflavin.

B Vitamin Riboflavin Helps Prevent Migraine Headaches | The People's Pharmacy

www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/b-vitamin-helps-prevent-migraine-headaches

If this doesn’t work for you the site offers other natural remedies for headaches. I have often referred my friends to this site for various ailments. Many of them have had good results using the natural suggestions provided. The developers of the site are a husband and wife team who were pharmacists. They also provide lots of information on the latest studies on various drugs and ailments. 

@laura-f,

Thanks for starting this thread. I only started getting migraines about 2 years ago. Alas, it seems to be a gift of perimenopause. 

I have been fighting one today, which is interesting because I'm usually able to keep them fairly well under control by avoiding certain foods (like wine and chocolate, wah!! ? ). 

When I consulted my Akashic records about it recently I got the hit that (for me at least), they are a combination of my evolving wisdom and exposure to environmental chemicals. I also got that I need to be flexible in how I receive energy. For me this means being open to many ways of perceiving and receiving information, and not just how I have before. That I am recalibrating somehow. 

Again, this was informations specific to me, but it does jibe with the hunch I've also had that it is not just about chemicals, hormones, changes in the weather and stress (or wine and chocolate, double wah!!). That there may be more going on there on the energetic level as well.

I'll be curious to hear what you all have to say about this topic as well. 

I've had just a few migraines in my life, but many more "near migraines," where I knew that if I didn't try to nip them in the bud they'd get out of control. I'm not an expert, but what works for me on the preventative end is a clean diet with lots of fruits and veggies. If I feel one coming on, I take two Alka Seltzers. The combo of pain and stomach meds always does the trick with me. I always carry some with me just in case. I take them and then just turn off the lights and sit or lie quietly somewhere until I feel is has passed. 

@laura-f. Well, I woke up with a headache and still have it as I read your post.  I’ve been fighting headaches for five or six days and thought it was due to pollen related congestion.  So I’ve been snorting Flonase like a junkie.  It hasn’t worked.  This doesn’t seem like the incapacitating, exquisite pain of a migraine, but I am getting headaches and this is very, very rare for me.  

Interesting correlation, Laura.

@laura-f My mom and husband both get migraines, and they often get them within a day of each other. We are in Minnesota, and my parents live in a state southeast of us. If there is a big weather pattern change that moves over us and toward them, my husband will get one, and my mom will get one a day later. Both get their migraines likely as result of head injuries as teenagers; both had their first migraine within five years of each accident. "In the air" makes perfect sense to me!

@laura-f

I am following this with interest - my husband gets migraines, often triggered by weather patterns. Our younger daughter often gets headaches from weather as well. So interesting to read about the energetic connections. I am sorry to hear so many of you are having them worse right now. The energy, in general, does feel really intense right now - like we are building to a wave that will break soon.

@laura-f, yes, "something is in the air tonight."  I think for me migraines are a mixed bag of my physical and intuitive sensitivities.  For the past two weeks I've had some nights where I've felt a migraine coming on -- more of a sick headache but without intense pain (if that makes sense), extreme light sensitivity, auras, and nausea.  I actually welcome the auras because generally once they pass, I feel better.  Fortunately this week I've been managing to get to the other side of these migraines, but I'm left with bad fatigue.

I know people have listed some remedies that have helped them -- I think some of those are under "The Great Unraveling..." thread, so perhaps you might want copy those and post them here?  @laura-f, I know that you had some great suggestions.

I have a number of migraine triggers, many that you have already mentioned (e.g. weather, stress, food).  I was also in a series of car accidents in my 30's, so my ongoing cervical issues can now bring them on.  

Something that can help me avoid migraines is by staying grounded, where I literally feel my feet connected to the earth.  It's so easy for me to leave my body, especially with what's happening around us.  I visualize the energy moving from my head down through my spine and the souls of my feet.  I'm not always successful, but it has made a difference.  

One of the most dramatic demonstrations of that grounding idea came when my sister-in-law, who is an acupuncturist, once treated a horrible migraine I was having.  I sat in a chair and she put some needles in the back of my head and base of my skull.  About 15 minutes later, I felt a blast of energy -- almost like a lightening bolt -- surge from my skull down my spine and through the soles of my feet.  The migraine disappeared and I was immediately grounded.  I haven't been able to achieve anything that dramatic on my own, but grounding visualization does help. 

Another thing that helps me with my migraines is myofascial unwinding.  Those of you who are yoga practitioners may have even worked with it.  My physical therapist is remarkable in her ability to facilitate that in my body.  Myofascial unwinding is a process where your body undergoes a spontaneous reaction – an “unwinding” – in response to a therapist’s touch.   It’s almost an intuitive way of stretching and moving the body to release fascial tension and pain.  I am often able to do MU on my own – by focusing on an area of discomfort (usually my head and neck) and moving a bit to get the ball rolling, my body will then go through a series of spontaneous movements.  I often end up making some very contorted faces, moving my jaw, eyes, etc. (I’m sure that's a sight to see!)  I’m not sure how well I’ve explained the process, but there’s a fair amount written about myofascial unwinding online.  There are some contraindications, so if you have any health issues (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, acute injuries, etc.) it’s best to check it out first with a doctor or body therapist. 

I used to get migraines when weather fronts came through. Blizzards and hurricanes in particular, in fact.  Here in SoCal, the weather is less of a trigger. Even when a Santa Ana comes, I don't typically get a migraine for that, nor for when we get the winter "pineapple express" (the "atmospheric river" that gives us months of rain at a time).

Perimenopause - @kateinpdx - I feel ya. Before menopause, I used to get 3 migraines a month minimum: one at ovulation, one when my period started, and one when my period ended. To boot, I had endometriosis. For me, menopause has been a blessing. When I think back on my life and how sick I felt most of the time - between the endo, the migraines and autoimmune issues, I realized that it's only in menopause that I feel well most days, up until that most days I felt like crap. In retrospect these issues kept me from living the life I wanted to live. I lost jobs because of too many sick days more than a few times. So what you might want to look into is BHRT - Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. I've been on it for 10 years, and for me it has ameliorated many of my issues and I believe it helped me dodge a couple of reproductive cancer bullets that run in my family.  It's expensive and a fair amount of work, but totally worth it. My doc calls progesterone "the slayer of migraines". It does help to bump up the progesterone on migraine days. And the BHRT as a whole smoothed my transition - no hot flashes or night sweats, less bladder incontinence, less moodiness, etc. And yes, for me, wine and chocolate are verboten, and some kinds of wine actually trigger migraine for me.

@bluebelle - this is all conjecture on my part, but it makes one wonder, doesn't it? For you, I'm kinda feeling like you might need to alter your caffeine intake. If that's not part of your daily routine, maybe have some green tea. If you're a big coffee person, maybe taper it down by using black tea instead.

I forget who discussed doing an energy cord disconnection from the base of the skull (@vestralux? was it you?), anyone who has that capability, I say go for it. For me, my migraine pain emanates from the absolute center of my brain and goes outward, I can feel it swelling against my skull a bit. I've never had encephalitis (and I don't have Lyme), but friends who have tell me their pain was similar. So I have no idea how to disconnect that...

Lastly, I'll re-list what works for me, without specifics, all stuff to play around with as your body allows:

Aleve, Progesterone, Magnesium, Taurine, Cannabis, Caffeine (via Mexican Coke and green tea), Benadryl, Binaural Beats music, peppermint oil, lavender oil, dark room. And three I forgot earlier that are ridiculous and specific to me, but fun to try anyway:  organic potato chips dipped in sriracha sauce (with the Coke, of course), Pho noodle soup (also with sriracha).

And here's my list of what I avoid when a migraine is happening:

Estrogen (as Estriol), wine, chocolate, dairy, beans, nuts, chamomile, sunlight, loud noise, looking at screens, reading.

I used to get migraines about once a month but they have almost completely disappeared since I started daily energy clearing and meditation.  Since the beginning of 2018 I've only had two migraines, one when I was weaning myself off of some medication, and the second one about a month ago which (I just got the message) was triggered by Covid-19 fear being emanated by the collective. 

My migraines are quite consistent in that I get 30 minutes of "warning" with a progressive aura that eventually makes it impossible to see. The aura then quickly fades as the headache and nausea roll in like a thunderclap.  I've found three things that help reduce the migraine: high levels of caffeine, intense cardio exercise and a "prescription" level of ibuprofen (800mg).  If I can do one or more of those things during the aura phase, the headache phase usually downgrades to 'just' a regular low level headache and I can still function.  

A good Magnesium supplement (I take one that blends threonate, glycerinate, and taurate) usually helps me get rid of a bad headache. Cutting down on screen time and reading definitely helps too.

For the past two weeks I've had some nights where I've felt a migraine coming on -- more of a sick headache but without intense pain (if that makes sense)

And, @deetoo -- your words perfectly explain my experience, too. Nearly a week of a "sick" headache without intense pain. And fatigue. 

Can't find a clear cause, either. (I'd say stress, but I've been stressed since 2016, so at this point that's par for the course! ? )

This is a great thread. 

@deetoo and all, I've also had sick headaches this week. That's a good way to say it. Like a pre-migraine where my body feels unwell and the light sensitivity starts, but it's not an actual migraine yet.

I live in Oregon and right now we do not seem to have a weather system coming in, which is also a trigger for me. 

I think the "weather system" we are having is the winds of change you mentioned. That has also come to me in meditation. Winds and flooding. 

It's such a relief to talk to others having this experience too!

Just popping back here to say, I still don't feel well, took a 2 hour nap (with Tess glued to my side)... still very wobbly. What's odd is no real head pain... By luck, my French teacher cancelled our Zoom class for today (that was a big relief).

This is a great thread.  Thank you, @Laura!  I had migraines as a young child, and while my mother and siblings didn't think it was real, my father knew what I was going through because he had had them as a child. So I appreciated his sympathy and understanding.

The migraines affected my vision.  We didn't use the term ocular, but I suppose that is what they were.  I'd see a wave-like tremble in my field of vision, and that would signal that a day-long bout of suffering was coming. I'd get worse within 30 minutes,  threw up, and would have to lie down in a darkened room. I went through this all through the elementary school years.  My father assured me that I'd grow out of them which thank God I did with puberty.  I feel for those of you who get them.  

Now I just get simple headaches, often in the morning, and especially on those low pressure weather days.  Also if I eat too much sugar the night before. I rarely drink, but if I do, I get a royal headache later. 

When I studied a little Chinese medicine, I got an understanding of yin and yang energies in the body.  It helped me with the headaches which I came to see as an extreme yin condition. 

Alcohol and sugar are very yin. So too much of either gives me a royal headache the next morning.  Yes, I know that alcohol also dehydrates you, which can contribute to the headache. But it is also a yin issue. 

Also alcohol affects the kidneys and the kidney meridian runs right through the eyes.   So no surprise that too much yin gives me pain in the eyes.  I noticed how George W Bush, a recovered alcoholic, squints badly, probably from years of drinking. I bet he suffers from headaches too. 

 Exercise, which is yang-izing, is a great remedy from too much yin.  Also eating more yang helps, which I believe in Ayurvedic terms, is more alkaline. Heat is also yang-izing. That's why the Japanese heat their Sake wine. When I drink hot sake, I don't wake up the next morning with a headache.  

So while it may not be true for you, the moral of my headache story is vigorous exercise and stay off the sugar, no alcohol or drugs (all very yin) except for the occasional hot sake.   

@jeanne-mayell

I remember getting headaches before I was in kindergarten. My mother didn't believe me either. Even in adulthood she would tell me to stop complaining about my "sinus headaches". She used to get clusters, but was always in denial and also attributed her headaches to "sinus trouble". Oy vey.

I've had to actually cut out all exercise this week, anything that dilates blood vessels in any way causes me more pain.  Hoping to get back to a Zoom dance class tomorrow...

Posted by: @polarberry

I've been wondering lately if people who suffer migraines have heightened intuition. I read something recently, very interesting, that I had never read before. The article said that many people who suffer them have vivid flashbacks of past experiences.

Back in 1989 after the San Fran quake that year,  I watched an interview with a woman who was an earthquake psychic. She sensed earthquakes before they happened and she had sensed that quake before it happened.  She told the interviewer that headaches were one of the symptoms she had before an earthquake.  They asked her how she was feeling during the interview and her eyes started twitching and she said he had a headache -- I never forgot that part. lol

My daughter suffered 60 days one year in high school were she had migraines and needed to miss school. Most ended up being from an concussion she had had 18 months before the migraines happened.  The remaining still happen on the first day of her monthly cycle.  We solved the issue stemming from the concussion headaches after finding a DO who was a neuromuscular skeletal specialist and did neuromuscular manipulations on her for over a year.  It was amazing to see her heal when no other doctor could help her out.  

I can get occasional migraines, but haven't recently.  I do have a headache now, but that is from muscle tension.  I moved my daughter into a new apartment today...all day.  

I have so much to say about migraines I don't know where to start. ugh.

I will share my story at some point. It's long.

I had to lay down again this afternoon. I am tentatively able to say I am feeling better, fingers crossed. This was a bad one.