Lifestyle Modifications
Migraine Treatments: Acupuncture for Migraine Relief
Have you ever wondered about acupuncture? Maybe you see it as a covered benefit in your health insurance, or know a friend or colleague who has tried it, but you’re not sure if it is something for you to try? Today, we will explore this ancient practice of traditional Chinese medicine, which has been used…
Read MoreNavigating Migraine and Relationships – the Joy and Challenges
No one likes to be struggling with pain and feel like a burden to their loved ones and friends. Equally, no one likes to see a loved one in pain and not be able to intervene. Relationships when one or more people live with a chronic disease such as migraine can be incredibly challenging to…
Read MorePhysical Therapy for Migraine
When traditional migraine treatments aren’t effective enough on their own, combining them with alternative options, such as physical therapy, may help. According to research, physical therapy can help reduce the impact and disability of migraine disease and improve strength, endurance, and mobility. In addition to medications and medical devices for migraine, patients may benefit from…
Read MoreLife With Migraine in College: 3 Tips to Help You Survive
Do you ever feel embarrassed about your struggle with migraine in college? I felt this way throughout most of my college career. It never struck me as something that I needed to make a big deal about, especially to friends. It was just pain, as far as I was concerned, and not something I usually…
Read MoreLight Therapy for Migraine
Though light sensitivity is often a migraine symptom, light therapy is an emerging treatment option for those with migraine and chronic pain. Research shows light exposure to be a safe, effective treatment that reduces the frequency, severity, and symptoms of migraine attacks. It comes with a very low risk of side effects and no risk…
Read MoreHow Gentle Stretching Can Help Migraine
We are all searching for ways to reduce migraine symptoms, symptoms that can be felt in all five stages of migraine: prodrome, aura, attack, postdrome, and interictal. Along with migraine medications, many people are turning to non-pharmaceutical ways to manage their symptoms. This includes medical devices, alternative treatments, and lifestyle changes. Incorporating gentle stretching into…
Read MoreVision Therapy for Migraine
Have you ever wondered if treating your vision could help with the frequency and severity of migraine attacks? As a long-time glasses wearer, this is something I’ve often thought about. Like most people, I see an ophthalmologist regularly. At my appointment each year I tell my doctor about my migraine, eye fatigue, and visual aura…
Read MoreNew Blog Series: Exploring Migraine Treatments
While there is currently no cure for migraine, there are many treatment options that can help. People with migraine often experience the most success managing their disease with a toolbox approach. This involves combining multiple different treatment options to create a well-rounded plan that can help you better manage life with migraine. Finding the best…
Read MoreFostering Empathy in a Migraine-Filled Relationship
How Can We Foster Empathy in a Migraine-Filled Relationship? Do either you or your partner suffer from migraine attacks, or perhaps even both of you? It’s not uncommon, given that over 42 million live with migraine in the US alone. Like any physical or mental disability, migraine can bring a new layer to your relationship.…
Read MoreBeyond Medication: Sleep and the Migraine Brain
If ever there was a tale of a complicated relationship, it is the story of sleep and the migraine brain. Get too much sleep, and you will likely trigger an attack. Get too little, and you are also likely to trigger an attack. Feel tired and take a nap, and yet again that can trigger an attack. Fatigue is a highly common and debilitating symptom among those with migraine, and yet many report migraine wakes them up and is the cause of not getting enough sleep. To complicate matters even more, for many, sleep is often the only thing that relieves the pain of a bad attack, and getting quality sleep at night has been shown to reduce head pain. So how do we navigate this ever so complicated relationship?
Read MoreDo You Have an Individual Exercise Plan?
“I was a marathon runner until my migraine became intractable and chronic daily. I lived to run. It was my physical and psychological outlet. Then…boom…it came to a screeching halt. I began walking, which soon became my lifeline. That is until 2 years ago when I developed vestibular migraine and had 3 serious falls while…
Read MoreWhy I Finally Added Self-Care To My Migraine Toolbox
Having lived with migraine for as long as I can remember, certainly from very early childhood, one of the coping mechanisms I learnt early on was to push through. For many of us with migraine, or in fact any other chronic disease, “pushing through” often becomes a way of life. However, one of the things…
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