The holidays are on the horizon, with the related ”to-do” lists forming in the back of most people’s heads. Though for most people , the holiday season means family, parties, friends, and celebrations, for some this time of year works out to be much more stressful than fun.
What I’ve noticed over the years is that Migraine sufferers end up having an increase in the frequency and intensity of their suffering during the holidays. There are, undoubtedly, many factors involved, but one factor in particular, stands out above the others.
Dehydration - a/k/a less than adequate daily water intake.
While dehydration may sound like an extreme term for someone who just doesn’t drink enough water, the importance of adequate water intake cannot be understated. Our brains consist of about 80% water. Our muscles are more than 75% water. Even our bones are comprised of 50% water.
So, why else is water so important? Water is involved to some degree or another in everything the body does. Water promotes, provides, and supports innumerable functions in our body including the following:
Water helps our bodies digest the foods we eat, and absorb & assimilate nutrients. Water helps remove toxins from our cells and organs; it supports the regulation of our blood pressure. Water is necessary for our bodies to form new blood cells, and water is a transport medium for communication from the Central Nervous System to the rest of the body. It even supports our having an effective immune system, so if you find yourself having frequent colds and illnesses…you may want to take a closer look to see if you’re drinking enough water every day. I could go on and on, but I wont. Needless to say, water is a fundamental necessity for our body’s well-being.
During the holiday season, we all tend to drink less water, and indulge in food and drinks that dehydrate the body even further, including coffee, sugary items, and alcohol. To add to that, many do not sleep as well, what with all the activities, parties, commitments, traveling, etc., which compounds the dehydration in our bodies.
Migraine sufferers have it particularly bad this time of year, and one way to mitigate some of the suffering is to get enough water into your body every day. I recommend to clients that they keep a 16oz bottle of water in the car, one on their desks at work, and one by the TV remotes at home. These act as visual reminders to drink water throughout the day.
Wishing You Well,
Sandy Schell, LMT, ACST
There are close to 30 million reported Migraine sufferers, and they have it pretty bad. The pain is described as booming and all-consuming. Add severe nausea, extreme sensitivity to light and sound (a whisper sounds like someone is shouting), balance issues, visual disturbances and feeling “sick beyond sick” to the debilitating pain. It then becomes easy to understand why Migraine sufferers would be willing to have their heads cut off to escape from their pain and suffering.
Then imagine having to go through this once every month for 3-5 days at a time. And worse yet, some people have 2 or even 3 Migraines each and every month!
While debates continue about what causes them, many of the people I’ve worked with who suffer from Migraines seemingly have some things in common:
1. They have tension in their low back or tailbone area
2. They have tension in their upper chest and upper back areas.
3. They have tension in their neck.
4. They have tension where their head meets their spine, otherwise known as the Cranial Base.
5. Much of the tensions outlined in #1 -4 above are present in the dural membranes along the spinal canal and/or in the membranes inside the head.
6. They tend to have tight jaw muscles.
Though not all of these are present in every person that suffers from Migraines that I’ve met or worked with, these are some areas, that once released, give way to less frequency and less intensity of Migraine suffering.
For those of you who suffer from Migraines and are reading this, know there is hope.
The vast majority of clients that I’ve worked with over the years have reported the following:
a. Their Migraines don’t occur as often. (And many report being migraine-free.)
b. If they do occur, the intensity and pain are much less, and the symptoms do not last nearly as long.
c. Many who came in for CranioSacral Therapy while suffering a full-on Migraine reported their symptoms being markedly decreased or nearly gone by the end of the session.
d. The vast majority reported that their quality of life has greatly improved in many ways, from having better overall health, more energy and stamina, improved relationships with family and friends, more satisfied with their jobs, more enjoyment of daily life, better sleep, more freedom to live their lives as they desire, without the disabling pain and sickness of Migraine headaches.
So, before you opt for cutting off your head, you may want to consider CranioSacral Therapy as a way out of Migraine pain and suffering.
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