If you missed part 1 click here
So here we are, I’ve found a holistic doctor in my area and we’ve put together some sort of headache treatment plan. This consisted of two visits a week of acupuncture (we did cupping sometimes but not that often) and she prescribed different Chinese herbs to try almost every time I was there.
HERE IS WHAT I TRIED
In the midst of all the trial and error of the herbs, we decided to do some blood work as well. My progesterone was low, my testosterone was high and so was my bilirubin (which I thought only happened in babies.) Homocysteine was high, which is an amino acid in your blood and most likely high because of a lack of B12 and folic acid. We also determined from here that my body wasn’t absorbing the nutrients and protein from the things I was eating as well as it should be.
WHAT NOW
First things first, we wanted to balance my hormones because (sorry if this is TMI) my period cycle was like 40 days long instead of 28. She always asked where I was in my cycle before we did anything because this would determine where she put the acupuncture needles. I SWEAR acupuncture got my period closer and closer to being on track. So that was good step #1.
IT WASN’T ALL RAINBOWS AND SUNSHINE
At this point, I’ve tried so many Chinese herbs, I was about to turn into one. I always suffered with headaches that could be triggered by food. I would especially notice it when I ate bread, or rice, or fried things. This led to taking a digestive enzyme, which if you’re not familiar, is something your body needs to break down food. We make them inside our bodies but some people just don’t have enough of the right bacteria to break down certain foods. I didn’t see much of a difference after a couple of weeks and we stopped this one. We switched to something else called BileMin that I would take with every meal to help process better and hopefully not give me that headache. This didn’t work either.
She thought it would be best for my headache treatment if I started eliminating those foods (gluten, dairy, fried, anything inflammatory. This made me feel slightly better but I was still waking up with a headache every day. The amount of time it took to dissipate was lessening, though so #progress. So at this point I’m taking like 5 different herbs throughout the day. I was taking Apex Energetics Super Methyl SP (to metabolize homocysteine levels), Apex Energetics ClearVite (a powder that offers gastrointestinal and metabolic support), Apex Energetics Estrovite (to support estrogen metabolism), Apex Energetics Prosta-DHT (this is to support male prostate but thought since my levels were out of wack that it might work. It actually gave me more frequent headaches and we shut that down real quick.) We also tried a magnesium supplement which I feel helped a little bit.
HEADACHE TREATMENT GAME CHANGER
There was one though that I did notice a HUGE difference. Liu Wei Di Huang Wan. She suggested I take two capsules 3x a day 1 week before that time of the month and OH MY GOODNESS. My cramps were lessened, my headache barely existed and I was actually able to FUNCTION. If you just struggle with that time of the month I HIGHLY recommend you try this one.
PROGRESS
So after trying countless supplements and herbs, my headaches were getting a little bit better but still pretty frequent and would get worse if I didn’t do anything about it. Quick reminder that I also still have this upper back nerve pain that will not go away. It get’s worse when I stand for long periods of time. I had also seen an orthopedic and done physical therapy for it a couple years prior. We did acupuncture in that area a few times before she recommended I see a chiropractor (who is conveniently in the same office AND worked at my high school, check, check). I was seeing him for that pain but also for headache treatment because this could be the cause of it.
THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
I started seeing the chiropractor twice a week. I was also working at summer camp and on my feet the entire day. If you remember – this makes my pain worse. He determined my right side was lower than my left (most of us have one side out of balance). We did a mix of massage and treatment. I would lay on blocks on one side in the hopes of evening out my spine. We thought that this was the cause of increased tension in that area as well as my headaches. Then he would do a normal chiropractic adjustment.
I didn’t notice a huge difference in the first, probably month. Then all the sudden I was noticing that my pain was pretty much gone, even with standing all day and my headaches were so limited. That ‘everyday’ headache was nearly gone. Funny, people had been telling me for years to go to the chiropractor for headache treatment because it miraculously cured their headaches. I always kind of brushed it off because in my head I was thinking ‘then there’s no way you know what these headaches feel like’. It also didn’t help that my mom, who also grew up with this torture said she had tried the chiropractor and left with a headache every time. Give it a try you guys. We don’t realize how much our spine really matters and plays a role in our everyday lives (other than allowing us to move lolz).
TODAY
We’ve moved to New Jersey and I just started to see a chiropractor again for that upper back nerve pain and a new pain in my leg (yay). I haven’t found an acupuncturist yet. I limit dairy and gluten in my diet (which is REALLY hard living in a food city), I watch my sugar intake, and I take vitamins daily that have been customized for me through Care/Of, I still take the Liu Wei Di Huang Wan 1 week before that time of the month, and I’ve made some serious progress you guys. I used to go months without exercising because I just couldn’t. It hurt too much. That was the last thing I wanted to do. Now, I workout almost everyday and I’m not going to say I always feel good because if you follow along on my stories you know that I don’t. I will say that my headaches have decreased immensely. Something else I think that plays a huge role is STRESS. When your cortisol level is high you’re not going to feel like yourself. Take time to yourself to do things you love even if it’s 10 minutes. Don’t look at your phone before your feet hit the ground in the morning and shut it down early at night. Give your brain a break.
In summary – my journey is not over, I’m still on it and taking it one day at a time, headache treatment is no joke. I’ve also adopted a CBD oil routine. There’s tons of research on this topic, but it’s helped when i’m in the midst of a headache. I love Pure Relief because they’re full spectrum and clean. Headaches can be such a mystery and are so different for everyone so all I can do is explain what I’ve done and hope it might help you too. Do your research, invest time and money in yourself and your health, and find a headache treatment that works for YOU, it’s important.
If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to reach out!
This post does contain affiliate links, which means if you buy something I will make a small commission.
Just here for the food? I feel you. Check out these plantain recipes.
