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.
my chronic headaches
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Death by pillow
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.
Labels:
chronic,
chronic headaches,
environmental,
environmental toxins,
eye irritation,
health,
homeopathic,
illness,
migraines,
pain,
plastics,
poisons,
polyurethane pillows,
self-help,
sinus,
sinus problems,
toxins
Location:
Fallon, NV 89406, USA
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
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.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
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
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.
Friday, November 15, 2013
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?
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.
On another note, my wife was dealing with a goiter and since returning to iodized salt my wife's gorier has disappeared.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
My Chronic Headaches
{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}
Forward
The purpose
of this story is to share my experiences and frustrations with the pharmaceutical
and medical community. And to express my viewpoint that the medical industry
needs to rethink itself and start over. I believe that the medical community is
responsible for far more deaths and illnesses, than any holistic or homeopathic
method. I believe that holistic and homeopathic medicine could be incorporated
into the medical industry today but because there is no profit in it, they never will. I believe that obesity and many other major illnesses could be
cured by simply changing a person's lifestyle.
Growing up in a small rural community in Nevada I was always
taught to be independent and resourceful. I was always taught to question
everything and never take anything for face value. My experience with a medical
community that was reluctant to give me straight answers or had no answers at
all, was beyond frustrating. It has led me to alternative medicines and
homeopathic remedies but moreover it has made me a nonuser of modern medicine. It
has made me more responsible for my own health as I know my own body better
than any doctor ever possibly could. It has always come down to one question
when I talked to doctors," does this cure my problem? Does this pill cure my
problem?" I either got no answer at all or just a flat no and that did not
seem right. The hypocritical oath that they took to do no harm now seemed to be
just that, a hypocrite’s oath! We live in a world where we blindly give trust
to a medical practitioner. No one ever walks into a doctor's office and asks
the doctor what kind of grades they got while they were in school. Yet that
very same doctor may have obtained his license with only mediocre grades in
school and the average person still treats that doctor as if he were a straight
A student. After reading this story it is my hope that you will come
away with two things, a desire to ask more questions when visiting a medical
practitioner and a curiosity that will entice you to learn more on your own.
My Headaches
By
Dale Candee
In 2011 after
working for Amazon.com for more than 11 years, I began experiencing
debilitating headaches and facial swelling. My temples would swell so much that
my eyeglasses would cut into my face. Some of the headaches seemed like
migraines while still other headaches seem to be related to a sinus infection.
Some of the headaches seemed to be triggered by changes in the weather. While
still others made me sensitive to light and loud sounds and caused body cramps
in the hands and feet. The headaches increased with intensity and duration
until I was having headaches 24 hours a day, seven days a week and curled up in
a dark bedroom. Taking narcotics that were as debilitating as the headaches
themselves, I found myself completely helpless.
Doctors began a regiment of pain pills, muscle relaxants and
antibiotics. I was referred to seven different specialists, by four different
doctors. I saw general practitioners, ENT(ear nose and throat specialist),
chiropractic, arthritic specialists, neurologists, homeopathic, yoga,
meditation and acupuncturist. I received MRIs, CAT scans, x-rays, a spinal tap,
sinus surgery and over 30 different drugs, some of which the side effects were
worse the migraines.
After sinus surgery I was told I was still dealing with an
infection. I was told at this point I would have to take Claritin-D for the
rest of my life and that I should have a third sinus surgery. Several months
later I was told by a pharmacist that I should not take Claritin-D on a regular
basis. That it could cause rebound symptoms .That the body can becomes addicted
to a drug. That if the body doesn't get the drug, it will simulate the illness
in order to trick you into taking more of the drug. Much like painkillers can
cause rebound headaches.
Doctors began using me like a guinea pig, asking me to try
different drugs to see if they would help. The use of narcotics, debilitated me
to the point of not being able to work. I asked about other symptoms that might
be related to the headaches and was promptly told that we needed to focus on
one problem at a time. I asked about the facial swelling which was more than
apparent but doctors did not seem to know what to make of it. One specialist
recommended testing for the disease called Giant Cell Arteritis but the only
way to test for it was to remove veins in my temple, an irreversible surgery.
These Doctors refused to take into account other ailments that might be
related. They acted as if they were confused when asked about other symptoms
such as hands and feet cramping. I repeatedly asked about nutritionists,
allergist and homeopathic remedies, but was always told" you are free to
try anything you like but it will be a waste of money and time." I was
never referred to any of them until my insurance was about to run out. The
allergist could not find any conclusive allergies. The nutritionist would not
talk to me unless I was referred to them by a doctor. And the homeopathic
doctor tried everything from injecting novocaine into my head, to coffee
enemas. I ended up paying thousands of dollars for treatments that never worked
and were not covered by insurance. I was told by doctors that I needed to go to
the Mayo Clinic, but with no guarantee that I would find an answer different
than I already had. After I ran out of insurance, the doctors refused to see me
and Amazon.com terminated my employment because I did not have the money to
continue seeing the doctors.
At this point I became desperate and began trying alternative
medicine, such as homeopathic doctors, acupuncturist, Arovedic doctors and wild
home remedies. I spent days on the Internet searching for answers but only
finding more questions. I did find a baking soda cure for my sinuses, which
seemed to help with the other ailments as well. The recipe calls for a regiment
of baking soda and water for three days, the recipe of which can be found on
the Internet. I also found that using a Neti pot or saline sinus douche on a
regular basis solved most of my sinus problems. Make sure to use distilled or
bottled water, as tap water can contain contaminants and chemicals such as chlorine
and fluoride. Also make sure to use a salt made for sinus douching as regular
table salt can burn and make the problem worse.
For several months I tried using a chiropractor, thinking
that something may be misaligned. I had been told by friends that they knew
people who had got relief from having their Atlas or spine adjusted. Although after several treatments my body was
feeling pretty good, my headaches did not seem to subside much.
The acupuncturist gave some relief but treatments only seemed
to last a couple of days. The treatment ranged from needles, to cupping (heated
glass jars used to suck toxins out of the body) to herbal treatments and
vitamin supplements. She asked if I was drinking enough water and my response
was several 16 ounce bottles every day. I was drinking the government daily
recommended amount of water. She went on
to say that I needed to drink plenty of water with the vitamin supplements and
that my body appeared to be dehydrated. While working for Amazon.com, I was
reluctant to drink any large amounts of water. Going to the bathroom meant that
your R.E. could drop and as a result get pointed for not working fast enough.
After talking to the acupuncturist I once again begin to think supplements and
water had something to do with my headaches.
This is from the method called cupping which is supposed to remove toxins from the body. |
The homeopathic doctor
although he seemed unorthodox, did help some with vitamin supplements. The 50
injections of novocaine into my scalp seem to be stupid when he asked if I felt
my headache anymore. I later learned that some headaches are the result of
tension in the skull and that the novocaine was intended to relax those
muscles. He prescribed coffee colonic enemas at least once or twice a week. I
was dumbfounded as to how an enema was going to fix my headache. He laughed at
me and said," You would be surprised how many people use colonics on a regular
basis." And then said," Mormons may not drink coffee but there is a
lot of them using this method to help with their health." As I was
desperate to try anything, I went ahead and tried it. To my surprise, the colonic
stimulated the liver and kidneys to flush a lot of toxins from the body. In
addition, my sinuses immediately flushed themselves. I found increased energy
and stamina for a couple of days after a colonic. Now when I find myself coming
down with another headache, I find that a colonic will help diminish the
severity of the headache. He asked if I was drinking enough water and what
vitamins or supplements that I was taking. He prescribed major doses of various
supplements and vitamins. It was at this point that I began to suspect that a
lack of vitamins and minerals may have something to do with the headaches.
Unfortunately I was never able to find the right combination and was looking
for a cure rather than a short term solution.
The Arovedic doctor was of more help as I began to understand
that my lifestyle may have something to do with it. It's not to say that my
lifestyle was any different than the majority of the people that live in this
country. Other than having a debilitating migraine that would last for several,
I considered my life to be average. I drank an occasional glass of wine, drank several
bottles of water every day, and ate a balanced diet, avoided red meat and
sugar. Which when you look at it, my lifestyle was actually better than
average. The one thing I did notice about the Arovedic doctor is that he spent
a lot of time asking what I ate, how I felt, was anything stressing me, how was
my home life, and what was my work like, what was my marriage like. For an
American doctor to spend 20 or 30 min. asking you about your life would be
unheard of. But as he explained, stress is a big factor in many ailments and
whether we are happy or not plays a big role in whether or not we are healthy. The
Arovedic doctor did do one thing that no western doctor has ever done for me.
He asked me about all my symptoms, about every little ache and pain that I had.
He did not discount anything that was going on, unlike many western doctors that
can't seem to handle more than one symptom at a time. When I told him about
cramping in my hands and feet, he seemed very interested. He did not tell me
that we need to focus on one problem at a time. He told me that the body is a
connected organism. That what affects one part of the body can and usually does
affect another part. He told me that everything is connected. That the things
we put into our body are as important as the things outside the body. The
things outside the body can have an immense effect on how the body functions.
Western doctors talk about how stress is the number one cause of illness in
this country today. But because they cannot manufacture a pill or perform
surgery on it, they do little or nothing to help their patients with the
problem. One of the things that the Arovedic doctor prescribed to me, was go
fly a kite and not watch the news. That each day I should spend at least an
hour doing what makes me happy and not think about any of the problems that I
may have. He was the last doctor I saw, two years ago and have been on my own
ever since. I have not even seen a dentist since that time. But if I ever need
a doctor again, the Arovedic doctor would be my first and only choice.
A past doctor prescribed pain pills for the numbness in my
fingers and toes only to find out from the Internet that it was a vitamin B
deficiency. The vitamin B deficiency was caused by the same doctor giving me a
prescription strength antacid for my stomach. Another doctor twisted my arm
after a fall to prove that my elbow was not broken. He said," If it was
broken, I would have been in a lot more pain." Not once did he ask if I
had a high pain threshold. Two years later while showing my kids how to
skateboard, I fell and hit my elbow again. This time an x-ray was done, and the
doctor exclaimed," You have broken this elbow before haven't you."
Still another doctor prescribed an antidepressant. When the antidepressant did
not work he said," You just need to get over it." He never asked what
vitamins or supplements that I might be taking at home. I later learned through
Internet research that the St. John's wort I was taking counteracts any and all
medications, including antidepressants. In one case, my daughter stepped on a
nail. I took her to the emergency room and paid $300 to watch a doctor wash her
foot with soap and water and then send her home. In my lifetime I've seen a lot
of doctors and yet I would not refer anyone to any of them. Working with
computers most of my life, I know that if you put garbage in a computer, you
get garbage out. Doctors are much the same way, in that they only know what
they have been taught. The problem is they were educated by a medical education
system that is flawed and corrupted by pharmaceuticals and insurance companies.
Even after they start their medical practice their decisions are constantly
influenced by pharmaceuticals offering incentives and insurance companies
limiting what they will pay for. Most do not know anything about nutrition or
preventative medicine and treat the human body the same as a mechanic treats a
broken car. If it is not completely broken they usually cannot find the
problem. They tell you nothing about what you can do for yourself to maintain
or fix the car. And will only talk to you if you have money or insurance in
hand.
My wife in her frustration with me being sick all the time
would accuse me of creating the headaches myself. She would say that they were
psychologically created from the stress of working at Amazon.com. That I wanted
out of my job so badly, that the universe and my body conspired to create an
illness that would grant my wish. At times I couldn't help but wonder if she
was not right. So I started using meditation, which helped with a lot of
things, but not the headaches. The one type of meditation that I did find of
use is a body survey meditation. It is a relaxing meditation in which we take
note of all the little aches and pains in every part of the body. While in meditation
we begin at the feet and we make note of how our feet feel and then we work our
way up body. And we make a mental note of how each part of the body is feeling.
Afterward we can then treat each part according to its need. If a muscle feels
stiff we would then use yoga to release that tension. In studying the ability
of the brain to heal the body, I found many accounts of miraculous
self-healing. Everything from cancer to infectious diseases had stories of
people somehow healing themselves. I read stories of people taking sugar pills
that had the same effect as prescription drugs, because they believed it was
the real thing. There were stories of people healing themselves with positive
thinking and people laughing themselves well. But I could not find in myself
the ability to just simply think myself well. I could not wrap my mind around
the possibility that I had caused the illness myself. Even witnessing my wife
heal her seizures with positive thinking, did not convince me that I had the
same ability.
Grandma Jackson |
I remember my grandmother having such headaches and then
later learning that she was taking pain pills from three different doctors. Her family even went as far as accusing her of having the headaches in order to get out of doing things she did not want to do. Once again because the illness is not outwardly apparent we tend to accuse people of making up their illness. Unfortunately the pain is far too real and one of the illnesses least understood by medicine. I
couldn't help but think how frustrated she must've been and how desperate she
had to be in order to take that many pain pills. It wasn't discovered until
later that she was taking so many pain pills she was on the verge of
overdosing. Years later I read about the concept of rebound headaches. And wondered
if the very pills she was taking for her headaches were not the cause of the
problem she was trying to get rid of. And that the doctor, who first prescribed
the pain pills to my grandmother, was actually responsible for causing the
headaches in the first place? One of my doctors told me that it could be
genetics, and that it might simply be something that I have to learn to deal
with. In a recent medical article, I read that genes have the ability of
changing. Thinking about my grandmother and how alone she must've felt, I
thought to myself," No matter what, I am not going down the same the road.
"
Over the years I have studied and used more and more
homeopathic and alternative medicine. I now rely solely on homeopathic methods
and alternative medicines. It began with my grandparents showing me how to
bandage and care for wounds. How to put mud packs on bee and ant stings, to
more modern things like using superglue to close minor cuts, and how Ginger
cures motion sickness. But my migraines were getting the best of me, as there
is little information as to the cause of headaches. In addition most remedies
rely on the use of prescription drugs most of which are narcotic. The other
problem I was having was that I was having more than one type of headache, with
multiple symptoms. Oils and ointments such as peppermint oil and lavender oil
helped with minor headaches. The herb Feverfew worked with some of my migraines,
and coffee colonics worked with still others. I tried using the remedies in
combination, but in the end it always seemed like I was waiting for my body to
heal itself.
Using the meditation to focus on what might be causing my
headaches, pointed me in one direction. What was the right question? So I
started at the very beginning. You have a living organism that is mostly composed
of water. You have a brain that is essentially, a drug and chemical factory.
The body takes in food which it converts to energy. The brain also uses these
nutrients to produce peptides, hormones and other chemicals used in the body.
The body expels waste products and toxins through the skin and bowels. It’s
kidneys use water to filter out toxins and so on. Now, imagine you're on
another planet and you meet this creature that you want to take home. What do
you think this creature would need to survive the trip home and how many potty
breaks would it need? It would need water; but would just any water work? What
types of food would be the best to feed it? These and many other questions
clearly pointed to my lifestyle. Although it was a good lifestyle compared to
most, it was clearly not the best. I had the tendency to think of soda and
coffee as a substitute for water. I thought if I eliminated red meat and ate more
chicken and fish that things would be okay. Little did I realize that this was
only a small part of what I needed to be worried about.
Exercise and physical activity
Exercise and physical activity is key to any health issue.
The body uses movement to help move fluids throughout the body. Yoga and tai
chi along with other low impact exercise have been of great help to me. One of
the moves in yoga is referred to as downward dog. With your hands and feet on
the ground this move puts the head in a downward position. It helps to drain
the sinuses, move fluids and is a very helpful position for some headaches.
With so many of us in passive jobs it is important that we get up and move and
exercise every day. One exercise that I perform is called 100 marbles and it is
a simple exercise of dropping 100 marbles on the floor and then picking them up
one by one. The up-and-down movement increases the heart rate and strengthens
the back and stretches muscles. Another activity that I do is called" pulling
weeds" in the garden. Although most people would not consider this
exercise, I cannot help wonder if this is one of the reasons my ancestors were
so much healthier. In addition to growing healthy food they were also much more
active as a result of having to take care of their garden. The one interesting
thing about exercise and physical activity is that I have never heard of a
doctor say that it was a bad thing. At the same time I have yet to have a
medical practitioner recommend physical activity as a way of getting rid of
headaches.
Water
As a kid growing up in Fallon Nevada we always drank from our
well water. The water tasted good and it tested as being good drinking water. City
water always tasted of chlorine bleach, and I always hated going out to
restaurants because sometimes the chlorine was so strong you could smell it.
Now I always had a question about city water that no one seemed to have a good
answer to. Why would you put chlorine
and fluoride in the water that you
drink? Would you drink straight chlorine bleach or fluoride? And what does
chlorine and fluoride do inside your body? I've been told that the chlorine is
added to kill bacteria and that the fluoride is added to help prevent tooth
decay. I understand the chlorine but why does it have to be there all the time? And what does chlorinated water do to the good bacteria in your digestive tract? I have also learned that there are other safer methods of purifying water. The fluoride
doesn't make much sense either. I have not been drinking fluoridated water all
my life and neither have any of my friends. I stopped using fluoride toothpaste
three years ago when my headaches started, as I thought it might be a plausible
cause. A year after I stopped smoking
and reduced my sugar intake to as
low as possible, I still have no cavities. I also learned that even though
sugar can be used as a preservative in foods, that in the body it actually
helps bacterial infections grow. I have reduced my sinus infections
dramatically by eliminating this one thing from my diet. So if I can go three
years without a cavity, why do they need to add fluoride to anything?
When bottled water came on the scene people scoffed at it
saying," why would I want to pay for something that I can get out of my water
tap for free?" For years anyone trying to sell bottled water struggled to
make a living selling bottled water. It was not until a city construction crew
accidentally broke a water line and with the scare of contamination forced
people to buy bottled water. It was interesting to note that the city claimed
they didn't know the water line was there. It was also noted that one of the
city fathers was related to one of the major bottled water suppliers. Although
no one could prove anything, the damage had already been done. People that
normally would not have bought bottled water were now lining up to buy bottled water.
Years ago when reverse osmosis first came out for purifying
well water, an interesting thing happened. Plumbers would install the system on
the entire house, and five years later would have to replace the copper pipes
that the water eat holes in. This is why reverse osmosis water is called
starving water. Like distilled water, reverse osmosis water has no minerals in it.
Drinking distilled or reverse osmosis water for long periods of time will
result in the water leaching minerals out of the body. The bones literally have
calcium leached out of them along with any other minerals the water can attach
to. But if the water is Spring water that has a lot of minerals already in it,
it does the opposite by adding minerals to the body. The old stories of a
fountain of youth may have been literal. That upon drinking the right water in
large amounts could reverse aging, cure illness and extend the longevity of
one's life. In the modern age that we live in today, finding and drinking the
right kind of water is as much a problem as finding the fountain of youth.
Purchasing refillable bottle water sounded like a good idea until I realized
that it was reverse osmosis water. Most bottled water is filtered and
sterilized leaving it devoid of any nutrients that are needed by the body. In
addition, chemicals can leach from the plastic bottle into the water,
especially when exposed to sunlight and heat. Labels on packaging can be
deceiving, as Springwater does not necessarily denote that it came from a
spring. What is even more disturbing than anything else is that there does not
seem to be any safe sources of water left on earth. As a result the only
alternative I was left with was to drink distilled or reverse osmosis and
increase my intake of minerals and vitamins. As I did further research, I
became more aware that our civilization was being poisoned either intentionally
or unintentionally. The springs that I once drank from when I was a child are
now unsafe to drink from. The free ranges of cattle and sheep have contaminated
most streams with parasites and toxins. A report came out several years ago
about children in Europe that were testing positive for Viagra, steroids and
other drugs. Authorities were in shock to find that the source of the drugs was
the very drinking water in the schools. It was later learned that the water
treatment plant was not designed to filter out such drugs. When a person takes
a drug it does not stay in the body and it is urinated out into the sewage
system. These drugs then find their way into the environment and water supply.
Engineers have told me that there is no cost effective man-made water treatment
system in the world that can filter out these drugs. In addition since these
tests were run 15 years ago no additional tests have been done in the United
States or elsewhere. Their solution to the problem seems to be ignoring it and
maybe it will go away. The biggest problem that I see is that as a human
species we are arrogant and disconnected. And until we realize that we are part
of our own environment and that everything we do in our environment affects
everyone else, we will continue to poison ourselves into extinction.
I have begun a Regiment of drinking 1 to 2 liters of room
temperature water in the morning before I eat or drink anything else. I use
room temperature water so as not to drop my body temperature or kill the fire.
Your Agni or digestive fire is one of the more important body functions. It is
not only responsible for digesting your food but also for digesting life
itself. So it is important that while you are drinking water you do not
extinguish your digestive fire. I may drink as much as 6 liters of water or
more throughout the day but as I do so I pay close attention to how I feel and
I do not attempt to drink it all at once. I make sure that at some point during
the day that I take additional multivitamins and minerals to offset the
starving water. The body will use this water to lubricate joints, expel toxins
and to move energy throughout the body. Think of it this way, if you want to
clean your clothing, you don't clean them by adding more dirt, you add more
water and soap to get them clean. Drinking Water and eating antioxidants acts the
same way in the body. Toxins and oxidants are the main cause of aging and
illness. If your skin is dry and wrinkled and not very resilient it is most
likely because you are dehydrated. If you are dealing with constipation you're
most likely dehydrated. If you're urine is yellow you're not drinking enough
water. If you have a urinary tract infection the first thing the doctor will
ask you is" are you drinking enough water?" The body is an amazing
self-regulating, self-repairing organism and if you give it the right amount of
water and nutrients it will take care of itself. If you take too much vitamin
C, the body will expel the excess through your urine. Too much sugar in the
body and it will try to expel the excess. But if you're not drinking enough
water, the body has no choice but to retain it or convert it into something
else. In the case of sugar, the body converts it to fat. The body also decides
what to store based on how you feel. The body will increase your appetite and
begin to store food and sugars as fat if you are stressed or fearful. If you
are happy and getting enough sleep, the body burns fat at a higher rate. Keep
in mind that there are other factors also involved such as oxygen intake,
physical activity, body type and environmental factors. All of which contribute
to how quickly and how efficiently energy is moved or stored in your body. But
you should always remember that your body cannot move anything without water.
Energy drinks that have been the latest rage are also
probably one of the most dangerous drinks that you can drink. The caffeine and
other ingredients may give you a short boost but the sugar and the following
crash the next day have to make you wonder whether it's worth it. Caffeine is
added to the drink mainly to open up the capillary veins so that the B vitamins
can be more readily absorbed. To this day FDA and the medical community have
done no studies on excessive use or long-term effects of this drink. Yet I have
seen people drinking two or three of these drinks in a single day. Flavored drinks,
energy drinks and sodas are not a substitute for water. Drinking a full liter
of water in the morning before you eat or drink anything else will give you the
same effect as drinking an energy drink. Keep it in mind the body does not
separate out the water cup of coffee and then use it to cleanse the body. That
would be a little bit like using sewer water to clean your clothes, with the
idea that it contained water, therefore it should clean your clothing just as
well as plain water.
Vitamins and supplements
Although I'm not an expert in the use of vitamins and
supplements I have found them to be of use along with the addition of herbal
supplements. As I said before I use a vitamin and mineral supplement to offset
the lack of vitamins and minerals in the water I drink. I also use herbal supplements
in place of prescription drugs. I have found the use of feverfew to be very
helpful without the side effects that I was getting from prescription drugs.
With that said I still treat these herbal remedies with the same respect as
prescription drugs and I do extensive research on the supplement before I begin
taking them. Herbal supplements can have similar interactions as prescription
drugs. In addition although these may be herbal drugs they can be just as
dangerous, the possibility of overdose and interactions with other things that
I'm taking are always taken into consideration. St. John's wort is one of those
herbs that should be used with extreme caution. Used by itself it is a good
antidepressant but will counteract any other medication or herb that you are
taking. It is currently under study by toxicologists for the possible use of
helping patients with poisonings and overdosing. Fish oils and omega-3 oils are
a supplement that I also take and which has helped some with the frequency of the
headaches. Vitamin D3 is a good supplement for depression as well as other ailments.
There are volumes and volumes of books written on the subject of herbal,
vitamin and mineral supplements. I recommend that you take advantage of several
of these books in addition to the Internet in order to determine a consensus of
the proper use of the supplements.
Food
In this day and age, food is as important as water but how
you eat is as important as what you eat. From the time of day that you eat, to
how long you chew your food, and whether you eat in front of the TV, can
determine how healthy you are.
If the largest meal of your day is your dinner and you eat
late in the evening, you are more likely to be obese and to have digestive
problems. This is because food eaten late in the evening stays in the stomach
longer than normal. If you go to bed with an hour or two of having eaten food,
the food digests in the upper part of the stomach causing ulcers or acid reflux.
It also takes longer for the stomach to digest the food and as a result ends up
storing the food as fat, as the body has no need for extra food while it
sleeps. It should also be noted that your digestive system is designed to use
gravity as a way of moving food through the digestive system. If you're lying
down the body can't use gravity and the food usually remains in the system
until the morning. You should not eat food within four hours of going to sleep
or laying down. In addition eating small portions throughout the day works
better and is easier for the body to digest small portions rather than large
portions. Your largest meal of the day should be breakfast or lunch as this
will give your body time to digest the food before going to sleep.
Eating in front of the TV is probably one of the worst things
you can do. It creates what is referred to as mindless eating. If you have
eaten in front of your TV for any length of time, you've created a habit of
eating whenever the TV is on. Your subconscious mind is in control now and you
are not eating because you are hungry, you're eating out of habit. Habits are
anything that you do and cannot control. It is a hardwiring of the brain and
takes 21 days of not doing the habit to break such habits, or replacing the old
habit with a new habit which you hope is better than the old one. In addition
if you are eating while the news is on, you are adding negative energy to what
you are eating. You have to understand that the body does not simply consume
food and water. The skin absorbs whatever it comes in contact with and our
lungs take in more than just air. The body also absorbs negative energy which
stresses the body and causes the body to store fat.
In a day and age when food is filled with chemicals, irradiated,
sprayed with pesticides, filled with steroids and genetically engineered, it’s
no wonder we don't know what is safe to eat. As a matter of fact the United
States is the only country that does not require food manufacturers to label
GMO”s (genetically manipulated organisms ) as such.
Animals raised for meat production can contain steroids,
antibiotics and other toxins. Most meats are processed in large factories where
they can be exposed to bacteria such as salmonella. This is not to say that
home raised meat is any safer. Animals are constantly exposed to parasites and
diseases. As such some animals are treated with antibiotics on a regular basis,
creating super strains of viruses and bacteria. Even hobby farmers struggle to
find feed that has not been treated with antibiotics. Farmers are faced with
either raising their own feed or paying exorbitant prices for feed that doesn't
have chemicals and drugs in it. Grass fed or free range animals are best. These
are animals that are allowed to wonder in a large pasture. The animals are
moved on a regular basis, which allows the land to restore itself and keeps
bacteria and parasites to a minimum One thing to keep in mind is that we have
been told a lie. Animal meat is not bad for us as long as we keep it to
moderate amounts. A yogi master will tell you that you should consume no more
than a palm size piece of meat per week. The main source of protein should come
from vegetables such as beans and lentils. This is for two reasons: one
vegetable protein is easier to digest, and two vegetable proteins are not
likely to be contaminated with steroids and other chemicals. The other lie
about meat is that fat is bad for you. The truth is there are good fats and
there are bad fats. The fact is your body needs a certain amount of good fat
every day just to function. Your brain and other organs rely heavily on fatty
acids just to function. You should also know that a person who does not eat fat
can die from starvation. I have read old news clippings relating stories of how
people starve to death trying to subsist on just rabbit meat. Also if you
starve yourself of fats the body will try to make up for it by eating sugars
and other foods that are bad for you.
Processed meat such as sausage and bacon can contain nitrates which are used to add flavor and
shelf life. I have found that nitrates are one of the triggers for my
headaches, as well as monosodium
glutamate. Only through a process of trial and error did I discover that these
foods were causing problems. Keeping a food journal is extremely important when
trying to decipher if foods are the cause of your headaches. Strangely enough
these triggers did not come up in allergy test, which goes to show that not all
headache triggers are allergy related. Tomatoes,
potatoes and coffee are also problem foods for me. They cause joint pain and
inflammation of the joints as well as headaches. My mother suffered from
arthritis for many years. It wasn't until she stopped drinking coffee that she
found relief. Coffee can act as a diuretic and many people who stop drinking
coffee not only get headaches but also get constipated. Coffee falls into the
category of a body and brain dehydrator along with alcohol. They cause the body
to expel large amounts of water, trying to remove what the body considers to be
a toxin or a stimulant. Although each works in a different way the result is
still the same. A hangover from drinking too much is in actuality the result of
being dehydrated. This is why people who drink large amounts of water with
their alcohol seldom get hangovers.
I have found that eating coconut oil in my oatmeal and with
other foods is a good source of fat for the brain. My headaches do not come
about as frequently when I eat coconut oil on a regular basis. A tablespoon in
my oatmeal is usually all it takes. I also eat eggs on a regular basis at least
two or three times a week, despite being told I have high cholesterol. I do not
give much credence to doctors who base this on FDA recommended levels. These levels
were based on recommendations by doctors who worked for pharmaceuticals that
make statins and other drugs to control cholesterol levels. They lobbied for
acceptable levels to be lowered so more people could be put on their drugs.
At one point I had a doctor prescribing statins to lower my
cholesterol and another doctor prescribing testosterone which raised my
cholesterol. Both doctors were aware of the others prescription and at one
point they were raising the amount I was taking every month like a couple of
poker players doubling down. They did not seem to care about my health and were
more interested in selling a prescription drug. The statins side effects caused
extreme back pain and headaches. Statins are also known to cause memory loss
when they leach into the brain and may be the leading cause of Alzheimer’s.
Additives such as aspartame
are notorious for not only causing headaches and joint inflammation but also numerous
other ailments as well. I have found that if I drink flavored water with
aspartame in it, I get excessive joint pain. Anything that is sugarless or low
sugar should be approached with caution, as it may contain one of these sugar
substitutes. Studies also show that sugar substitutes can be 100 to 1000 times sweeter
than sugar. This can cause the body to think that it's getting an excessive
amount of sugar and the over stimulation can cause the body to become addicted to
the sensation. If the body thinks it's getting more sugar than it can use, it
immediately begins trying to store the excess as fat. This is why drinking diet
sodas does not help you lose weight. My mother who is diabetic found out the
hard way that sugar substitutes can cause blood sugar spikes. This is very
strange, as doctors are still recommending sugar free products as a way of
fighting or managing diabetes. High
fructose corn syrup is also another product that should be avoided. Corn
producers spent millions of dollars on advertising try to convince people that
this product was safe to use. But did the FDA or any doctors or medical
practitioners ever come out and say different?
Saccharin was proven to be a carcinogen and yet we still see
it in restaurants on the dining tables in the United States. Even with safer
substitutes this product is still being made even though the manufacturer knows
it causes cancer and is band in many other countries. Read the label is all you
have to do in order to wonder why our medical community has done nothing to
stop the use of this product. They will spend billions of dollars filing
lawsuits against cigarette manufacturers before they ever file one single
lawsuit against the manufacturer of saccharin,why?
Excessive intake of salts
can cause the body to retain water and inflame the joints. Although it is used
as a preservative and a flavoring it should be remembered to be used in
moderation. It is one of those products that you cannot live without but at the
same time can kill you if taken in excess.
I could go on and on about all the bad additives that are in
foods but the main thing that you should come away with is, your body is only
as good as what you put in it. Raw foods that have no additives and have not
been cooked are the best foods. They are the easiest for the body to digest and
contain the most vitamins and minerals. Drink pure water whenever possible and
avoid flavored drinks. Take vitamin and mineral supplements on a regular basis
to make up for what is lacking in your diet. Do an exercise or extracurricular
activity such as sports every week. Many of the vitamins that our body needs
can only be produced if we spend time outside being active. Remember, the body
wants to heal itself but can only do so if given the right tools.
To this date I still have not cured all of my headaches but
it is hoped that by sharing this story I will eventually find the answer to my
questions. And that other people will be inspired to share their stories and
their quest for answers.
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