FAQ Episode 52: What to do when you're burned out managing your migraines.
FAQ Episode 52: What to do when you're burned out managing your migraines.
Frequently Asked Questions about Natural Migrane Relief.
While this topic may not always be verbally expressed by my patients as a “Frequently Asked Question,” it certainly ranks high on the list of “Frequently Observed Frustrations” by anyone experiencing or treating migraine headaches.
If you’re reading this, I probably don’t have to explain how you get to this point. Months, or years of pain before a somewhat specific diagnosis. Then months or years of trying different drugs. With side effects. Some helped… maybe. And the advice from friends and family: …try an ice pack. …or magnesium. …or beta blockers. …or aromatherapy… or… the list goes on and on. You’ve been made promises, or at least best guesses about results. You got your hopes up, once again, when you hear someone else’s success story. Maybe that will work for me, too! Or, then again, maybe not... again.
In a way, it’s not like having PTSD, it IS having PTSD, in addition to the migraines. The physical and emotional reaction to the idea of trying and failing again is very visceral, very real. And its painful… and depressing, to the point of refusing to try again. Not worth it. Friends think you’re fragile. And you may not want to inflict yourself on them. It’s not their fault, but they really don’t get it. It can be a very lonely and a very miserable place to be.
I’d like to invite you to take a step back for a moment, and consider the following:
despite feeling beat down, you know you are worthy of better, and capable of being able and willing to persist on the quest it will take you to find ‘better and best’ for you, your health and your life.
medical problems have specific root cause explainations. Although it may seem like a mystery, its not mystical. At its foundation, a medical disorder is basic biochemistry.
if we can find and manage your migraine root cause factors, we have a real chance to buy you meaningful reserve between “being okay” and “having a migraine.” If you haven’t seen the “full cup theory of migraine” which explains this, take a quick look here, ~4-5 paragraphs down the page.
you don’t have to solve this overnight. Part of the frustration comes from being given something, probably many serial somethings-to-do as “the answer”, and then finding out that they weren’t. The more likely answer for you is a combination of several somethings, each applicable to you, that add up enough to make the difference between the overflow of having a migraine, or the margin of reserve that prevents one. We do need to identify your most specific root cause factors for you to have migraine relief success.
purpose; and then plan to begin the ongoing process of learning your story. What root cause factors for migraine apply to you and your story? What natural (or drug therapy) options manage your root cause factors effectively? And what’s the least complex plan that gets the job done?
Where to begin…
Start simple. I would consider the following:
Keep a journal. When you get a chance, write down details on:
-your headaches, their duration, and what caused them…if you know.
-what you learn about self-care and migraine therapy from your reading.
-what measures you’ve tried for your migraines and how it worked out
(or not) for you. Plus, when you write it down, you have permission to forget about it, until the time when you want to review it all and look for patterns.
From a non-drug approach, consider the focused synergy of what I call “The Basic Four.” These are simple, easy to find nutrients that have proven migraine benefit potential when taken together. Get the details about them here.
Consider signing on for the Natural Migraine Relief for Women course to use my patented Migraine Action Plan© to turn what you learn there into focused action items that you can individualize for yourself. Click the link below. Its a ridiculously inexpensive $7/month for all you can learn…at your own pace, from 26 lessons and six resource chapters.
Although you are no doubt ready to be better six months ago, please be willing to walk through the process by learning more about yourself, your version of headache, and what therapy options may fit you and your needs best. Its an ongoing process, but by doing reading and research as you are doing right now, you are already closer to your goal of clearing migraine pain!
If you haven’t reviewed the previous fifty-one FAQ Episodes at this site, that would be another good place to extend your research. See the updated FAQ Table of Contents here.
To your health, without the headaches,
Jeff Baker M.D
