Medicine vs Migraine Diet: My Quest to Find a Balance

I saw my migraine surgeon, and after speaking with him, I decided to reconsider another surgery. I find myself, again, desperate enough to consider it with hopes of long-lasting lowered intensity, duration, and frequency of my migraines. While I’m considering this, I am also trying to be more well-rounded in my ideas for treating my migraines. I have done more research, been more proactive, and joined support groups that are very knowledgeable and supportive. This time I felt a bit more powerful with thoughtful questions and awareness of my pain.

I have never gone on an elimination diet or strict diet to combat my migraines. I LOVE food, and the thought of restricting myself dampens my spirit. The thought of taking away food I love and then getting a migraine from hormones, stress, weather, sleep, dehydration, or other triggers of mine would be disheartening. I avoid the trigger foods that I know of but I know that I eat a ton of trigger foods without knowing. It’s all so frustrating. But why not start looking at diet as a preventative? If I’m willing to go under anesthesia, have a tough recovery, and have surgery, I should be willing to eat more broccoli. It certainly isn’t hurt me like some of these medications I have taken and will improve my overall health, I’m sure.

So I’m going to proceed with both. I’m going to get my testing for my surgeon, and I’m going to look more into how foods heal. I will kick off my food quest with a juice cleanse. I’ve never done a cleanse before and it couldn’t be coming at a better time. I’m motivated to do it to get healthy, feel better, reset my thoughts about food, and do something naturally that will make me feel better from the inside out. I have been more concerned with taking medicines that give me side effects than with foods that will make me feel better.

I am going into the cleanse with realistic expectations that it may trigger a migraine. Thus, I have had a month-long migraine with lots of meds to get me through the holidays. Including Botox and more meds to follow. Therefore, I finally have lower pain days and feel this is a perfect time to cleanse. I hope to cleanse myself of the toxins consumed by my body and reset my head. So I will begin my cleanse in hopes of renewing myself, mind, body, and soul. It may sound dramatic, but to be honest, after the month I’ve had, I need to be optimistic.

The cleanse I did was from Garden of Flavor. I am not endorsed by them but was provided juices to complete my cleanse. The owner, Lisa Marie, makes her juices locally (Cleveland) but also ships them for free! I was more than thrilled to drink her cold-pressed, organic, never heated, and made from fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts juices. While speaking with her, I felt her genuine concern for my migraines. And she took time out of her day to answer any questions. She shared thoughts about how she thought she could help. I have had doctors show less concern for my health than Lisa Marie did over the phone and through emails. I was happy to drink her juices.