My Daith ear Piercing for Migraines headaches.

     As most of us know when you get to the point that you realize the doctors are of little help and only in it for the money, you start trying things you normally would not do. I had heard about an ear piercing( Daith  ear Piercing) that gets rid of headaches, so I gave it a try.
     When I went into the piercing parlor I thought all I had to do was ask for the piercing that gets rid of headaches, but when I did they went overboard to make it clear that they do not do medical procedures and could loose their license for even suggesting it. Leave it to the government to once again screw things up. I had to point to where I wanted the piercing and then sign a release stating that it was not suggested as a medical procedure to me.
     Now the place I went to was very professional, clean, very helpful about keeping it clean and if I had any problems I could call or stop back in. The piercing was very fast but was painful. Once it was in I was okay and had to adjust to how I slept, ect , but after a couple weeks of healing I was fine.
      My headaches began to become less intense, although never completely went away it was a major improvement. I had the option to do the other side as well as they recommend the side that hurts the most. In my case of having so many different types of headaches it was hard to tell if one side or the other hurt more. Unfortunately, someone had to tell me that I could go deaf in 15 or 20 years, so I decided to live with just the one piercing.
       In the end, 6 months later I had to remove the piercing because of a job. The effects lasted another 6 months after and as I am no-longer working there, I am considering having it done again.
I have heard from many people and everyone seams to get a different result, with a few people saying it did not work at all. All I can say is it that it helped me and if your going to have it done, DO YOUR HOMEWORK, and talk to as many people as you can. 

Death by pillow

Even though the title may be

a little leading when we are looking at our personal living environment (our homes), it may not be that far from the truth. And when we are searching for answers for ailments such as migraine headaches we sometimes pass up things that seem to be benign. Although some doctors may suggest that migraine headaches may be the result of allergies, few if any will tell you the plausible cause is a polyurethane pillow. This may be due to the fact that there has been very little research published in regards to seemingly benign toxins such as plastics in the home environment. The truth is plastics give the appearance as being a solid stable safe product, but even wood, as it decomposes gives off CO2 gases. With research studies indicating that the air we breathe in our own homes is more toxic than the air outside your home. There still seems to be little interest in studying the effects of chemical vapors from plastics or other in-home products. As our homes become more energy efficient and less fresh air, we may find ourselves living in an extremely toxic environment with ailments as yet to be discovered. It was only a few short decades ago that lead paint and asbestos insulation was touted as safe products to use.

                A polyurethane pillow may not seem like something that you should be concerned about but if you think about it, you are sleeping with your face in close proximity to polyurethane plastic. And if that were not enough, some beds are made with high-density polyurethane (memory foam). The point I’m trying to make is, even when the pillow is brand-new, polyurethane is giving off fumes and in addition as polyurethane is flammable, it is treated with chemical flame retardant’s which also give off chemical vapors.  Interestingly enough these products have not been tested for long-term exposure to humans inhaling these chemicals. To make matters worse as these pillows decompose, they give off additional chemical vapors from the decomposing plastic. Although seemingly few studies have been done on the toxic effects from pillows or bedding, medical patients have reported headaches, eye irritations and sinus problems.

                The problem I have been having though is in finding a suitable replacement. And although down and cotton pillows should have less chemical exposure, you are still dealing with dust mites and other allergens that can trigger migraine headaches. Not to mention chemical treatments these products go through to make them flame retardant. The truth is I’m not sure there is an acceptable substitute and once again I find myself being a guinea pig, trying out different products in the hopes of finding one that does not make me sick, or at least finding a lesser evil that I can live with. So now I have one more item I can add to my list as a plausible cause for migraine headaches.

Headaches, essential oils and aromatherapy

{Disclaimer; this story is intended for entertainment purposes only and in no way intended to diagnose or to make recommendations for other people's medical conditions}

Essential oils and aromatherapy

    In the past couple years I have found essential oils and aromatherapy to be helpful in managing my headaches and other ailments. By no means will essential oils or aromatherapy cure any major ailments, but I have found them useful in giving temporary relief from aches, pains, infections and other minor ailments. I personally use a lot of peppermint oil mixed with lavender oil to alleviate headaches and joint pains. Used with a warm wash rag compress or special humidifier can be very helpful. I use to buy a product called “Migra Stick” because it was a convenient micro-roll-on bottle that I could carry in my watch pocket. But I found it to be expensive for the amount of oils that I got for the price. I still use the bottle but I refill it myself with two thirds peppermint oil and one third lavender oil.

   The latest oils and aromatics to come on the market are called “doTerra”. These are highly refined oils that I have found to be useful in numerous ailments, not just headaches. The products are wonderful and my wife and I buy them on a regular basis but it is also a multilevel marketing business that I have no interest in. I found the people in the business to be very informative and helpful. One such product is called,”doTerra past tense oil” works very well on relieving headaches.

    As with any homeopathic healing method, essential oils and aromatherapy should be studied thoroughly before using them. I have found many useful oils but I have also come across a couple of them that seem to trigger headaches or allergic reactions as well. These are usually pungent and strong oils like you would find in a head-shop. Keep in mind that the use of incense, scented candles and other aromatics are not the same as aromatherapy. If oils are used in the proper manner you should not have any problems with them. There are numerous books and courses on the use of oils and aromatherapy. Keep in mind that it still comes down to trial and error and that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.

headaches and bad lighting

{Disclaimer; this story is intended for entertainment purposes only and in no way intended to diagnose or to make recommendations for other people's medical conditions}

Lighting and lights

Over the last few years the government has pushed us away from using incandescent lighting and toward florescent lighting. In an effort to save energy and possibly to make more money, they have gone as far as passing a law making incandescent lights illegal. I remember my father and other people saying that florescent lighting was not good to work under as it strained the eyes. It caused headaches, made objects look unnatural and is unsafe to use because of the Mercury in the light bulbs. It is funny how no one seems to be making these statements anymore or asking questions about how safe florescent lighting is. How do artisans work anymore if they are forced to work under unnatural lighting? Does OSHA have anything to say about such things? There seems to be little if any research having been done on the topic.

          As a child in school I witnessed one of my classmates go into a seizures as the result of a flickering florescent light. How much the flickering florescent light had to do with my friends seizure I do not know, but as a person trying to find answers about my own headaches I cannot help but wonder what the possibilities are. My latest job puts me in a office with florescent lighting and staring at a computer screen for several hours a day. My headaches seem to have increased as of late and I cannot help but wonder if there is some connection. In the last year I worked at Amazon.com in Fernley Nevada, I remembered they were forced to change all of their lighting because of the new law. This was also about the same time my headaches begin.

          Over the last few years I have come to realize that our human civilization seems bent on poisoning itself to death. That we seem to be repeating the same mistakes that helped bring about the fall of the Roman Empire. There is some archaeological evidence that the use of lead pipes and the degradation of their sanitation system may have been to blame. Let us pray that our civilization wakes up and realizes the road that they are now traveling down, is a dead end.

My chronic headache part 2

{Disclaimer; this story is intended for entertainment purposes only and in no way intended to diagnose or to make recommendations for other people's medical conditions}

Headaches, symptom or illness?

    Over the past few decades the medical community has progressively gone from identifying illnesses, to identifying symptoms as illnesses. . Labeling symptoms as diseases is in large part due to pharmaceuticals trying to create diseases that they can sell drugs for. Arthritis is now an illness rather than a symptom of an illness, and headaches are now an illness instead of a symptom of an illness. If you look up the definition of arthritis, you will find that the word simply means inflammation of the joints. This is not a disease it is a symptom that can be caused by numerous things, including food allergies. Tomatoes and potatoes which are a member of the nightshade family can cause a toxic reaction to the body. This includes inflammation of the joints and is many times mistaken for arthritis. I have noted that one of the types of headaches that I get, is related to what I eat. Tomatoes and potatoes will cause my hands and feet to swell and ache followed by tension headaches. In talking to people I have found that some people are more sensitive than others and it may be related to the type of the doshas (an Ayurveda term that refers to one of three bodily humors or body types) that a person falls under. This is not to say that I have given up eating tomatoes but that I make a choice to limit the amount that I eat and to counterbalance with a base food that counteracts an acidic food. At times this may be as simple as putting a half teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water and drinking it. It should be noted that this does not always work and I do not recommend using on a regular basis. I guess what I'm trying to say is at times you have to choose whether the pasta with tomato sauce is worth the headache that you know will follow and if eating in moderation will solve the problem?

Tea Tree Oil

    I remember that years ago I started chewing on cinnamon toothpicks and seeing in the health food store tea tree oil toothpicks, thought how cool and started using the tea tree oil toothpicks instead. Basically I use the toothpicks to help cut down on smoking and to eventually help me quit. Thinking that it was a very good antiseptic, thought nothing about swallowing small amounts from the toothpicks. Tea tree oil is used as an external antiseptic and is found in many different products including toothpaste and mouth wash. The small amounts that are consumed in mouthwash toothpaste are considered to be safe and packaging recommends not swallowing product. In further research I have come to find out that even small amounts that are swallowed can cause side effects, which includes headaches. This is why it is so important to do your homework and research any homeopathic or holistic remedies yourself, as many can be as dangerous as prescription drugs. On the whole herbal remedies and vitamin supplements when used properly have far less side effects and are far safer to use compared to anything created by a pharmaceuticals.

Dollar store bargain?

In my never-ending search for answers I came across something I did not expect. I am a regular patron of dollar stores and like anyone else looking for a bargain. At the time I was a regular coffee drinker and other hot beverages. The dollar store had some nice extra-large coffee cups that I like and used on a regular basis. One of my homeopathic doctors made the recommendation to test the dinnerware and porcelain coffee cups in my house for lead. To my surprise several the coffee cups turned out to be unsafe to use. Even though this was a company distributing products in the US, some unsafe products do slip by inspectors. I found this out for myself many years ago when I owned a novelty store and thinking I was getting a bargain bought color crayons from China only to find they may have contained lead. I now drink hot beverages from glass mugs only and use only dinnerware made in the US, preferably Corning Ware.(Lead poisoning symptoms: vomiting, constipation, headaches, difficulty thinking and abnormal weight loss.)

Mercury tooth fillings

This is one that was also brought to my attention by one of the homeopathic doctors. The homeopathic doctor put it to me with this simple question. If Mercury is not safe to handle with your bare hands why would it be safe to put in your mouth? The next time you're at the dentist office and the dentist is about to put a filling in your mouth, asking that same question. (Some of the symptoms of mercury poisoning are: inhibited memory or memory loss, headaches, profuse sweating, hypertension, and too many other ailments list here. Keep in mind that where I live the fish in Lake Lahontan are considered to be unsafe to eat due to Mercury. The government solution to the problem was to limit people on the number of fish they consumed, even though the federal government considers there to be no safe level for mercury. In addition the federal government has mandated the elimination of incandescent light bulbs recommending that people use more Mercury florescent light bulbs in their homes. Yet one homeowner in the Reno area reportedly broke a florescent light bulb in his home and asked a local hardware how best to clean up the broken glass. To his surprise the hardware store reported the incident to the local hazmat that then arrived at the homeowner’s home in full hazmat. After the hazmat team cleaned up the broken florescent light bulb, they promptly presented the homeowner with a bill for $1200.

Fungus and Bacteria

Fungus, mold and bacteria contamination can be a homeowner's worst nightmare. Not only is it extremely difficult and expensive to decontaminate at home but even in the cleanest homes you are exposed to these contaminants on a regular basis. They are in the air we breathe and exist in almost any conditions, wet or dry. A few years back I came down with a lung infection that was referred to as Valley fever. It is a fungus that exists in the Valley from prehistoric times and when the weather conditions are right cause a spike in lung infections. The symptoms are very similar to pneumonia but medications that work well for pneumonia generally do not work for this type of infection. These types of contaminants in the sinus cavities can cause excruciating headaches and in some cases act as flesh eating bacteria. They can also be responsible for chronic sinus infections that seem to recur or never go away. In one such case a man became contaminated with bread mold in his sinus cavity. The mold quickly adapted to the moist conditions and promptly began to eat that man's face away. His life was saved only through radical surgery and high doses of pharmaceuticals. Although this is the extreme end of such cases, many people including myself have found themselves having to resort to drastic measures. Remove carpeting and other materials that may be harbingers of contaminants including parasites such as dust mites are just a few of the things that people have had to resort to. Living in a desert such as Nevada does not help and sinus headaches can come and go with the changes in the weather. One of the types of headaches that I have is referred to whether migraines. They are triggered by dramatic changes in barometric pressures and changes in weather patterns. They are similar to altitude sickness and generally do not last more than a day or two. But with living in Nevada and as often as the weather changes here they may seem more like chronic headaches.

Styrofoam insulation

Several years ago while attending college I took the course in" Man and the Environment" which involved pollution and environmental contaminations. The college course turned out to be an eye-opening course that resulted in my having nightmares about the end of the world. The amount of toxic substances that we are exposed to on a daily basis is mind-boggling. One of these substances is Styrofoam insulation. This product was touted at one time as a safe alternative to fiberglass and a more efficient installation, this product is now known to emit formaldehyde gas as it decomposes. CH₂O or HCHO can be toxic, allergenic, and carcinogenic and formaldehyde exposures in buildings include frequent headaches, unusual fatigue, lethargy and troubled sleep. This also may explain why some of my headaches started to occur while working for Amazon. One of the main products that were used on a daily basis was cardboard boxes and cardboard products. One of the chemicals used in making some cardboard's is formaldehyde. Reports of people in the facility breaking out in rashes were commonplace. Amazon never fully explained the cause or tried to blame it on dust mites and to this date as far as I know has not been resolved. The effects of exposure to formaldehyde are too many to list here but it is apparent that OSHA and other government agencies have become complacent in protecting workers in the workplace.

Lighting, florescent to strobe

Due to changes in the laws incandescent lighting has gone by the wayside being replaced by florescent lighting. Even before the laws were passed florescent lighting was always blamed for causing eyestrain and headaches. It seems almost coincidental that the number of headache related illnesses have increased since the passage of a law that outlawed the use of incandescent lights. . As if it wasn't bad enough having to use lighting that is known to cause headaches we now have engineers designing strobe lights to transmit data. Engineers say that the lights will flicker so quickly that the human eye cannot detect fluttering in the light. Personally I'm tired of corporations using me as a guinea pig to try out products that should be tested in the lab first.

Iodized salt

One of the problems with being such a health-conscious person is that we sometimes take for granted what is presented to us. A few years back my wife and I began using sea salt because we believed it to be healthier. In my research little did I realize that sea salt does not contain iodine. Iodine is needed by the body's thyroid system and the deficiency of iodine can cause numerous illnesses. Goiters are the more common signs of iodine deficiency, as well as extreme fatigue, slow mental processing, depression and weight gain. Iodine deficiency is also one of the leading causes of mental retardation. This also goes to show that a lack of vitamins and minerals can be the cause of so-called illnesses.
    On another note, my wife was dealing with a goiter and since returning to iodized salt my wife's gorier has disappeared.