Migraine

My HA specialist recommended for me to try biofeedback, along with additional vitamin supplements. I dislike new medications, so I was encouraged by this suggestion. However, when I discovered the high price tag associated with biofeedback, I'm now looking for an alternative.

Of course, I plan to discuss this with my doctor at our next appointment, but I'd like to have some suggestions and perhaps try something else in the meantime to help manage my chronic headaches and migraines.

I was thinking perhaps yoga would be a good alternative. Any tape suggestions? (The only class at my gym I could attend, due to scheduling, is once a week.) Although I'm hesitant, I've been considering chiropractic care as well.

Do you have any suggestions?

Liz

I've seen two different chiropractors, both of whom were confident that they could *cure* my migraines, and they both didn't do a whole lot of good. The second one helped tremendously with a debilitating pain in my hip and with a round of severe back pain. But he didn't touch the headaches.

A once-a-week yoga class can be very helpful. I practiced yoga for several years, 10 or 12 years ago, and I think it was very helpful with my tension-type pain. It was also good for calming me down. Part of each session is a total relaxation exercise. I was in a beginners class once a week at the beginning, then I went into a regular class once a week. As the studio added classes, I went more times a week.

I stopped when I got in a bad place, both with my head and my depression, and I stopped going just about anywhere. I'm looking to start back. I can't find my old teacher, but there are several more teachers to investigate.

There are several different types of yoga. Some are much more athletic than others. Do some research into the school of yoga your gym offers. I studied the Iyengar method, which stresses proper alignment and spends much more time on getting a pose right, rather than trying to move quickly from one pose to the next. My old teacher recently spent a year in India studying with Iyengar himself, so I'm disappointed I can't find her.

My specialist recommended I take a yoga or pilates class. She told me that if a yoga pose hurts, don't do it. Simple advice, but easy to forget.

Do you exercise regularly? My head pain is better, and so is my depression, when I'm getting near-daily exercise. I walk, and when the weather's nasty, I have an exercise bike to ride.

I don't have any tape/DVD suggestions. Ali McGraw had a nice yoga video several years ago, but I don't know whether it's still available.

Perhaps someone else will have some DVD recommendations.

Gretchen in Mississippi

Tai chi is also a good option. There's a school near me that started specifically for chronic pain patients - if there's one here, I would think there are more elsewhere.

Also, the physical therapist I saw for biofeedback has a few CDs out. Her name is Carolyn McManus. When I saw her, she took me through an exercise similar to her Relaxation Body Scan & Guided Imagery for Well-Being. Her exercises have been a helpful way for me to deal with the anxiety I get when I'm in pain.

She's got quite a number of CDs out, and at least one book. If you search for her name on amazon.com or Barnes & Noble, you should be able to find her stuff.

Hope this helps!

Gretchen,
Thank you for the feedback. I'm hesitant on a chiropractor being of great help, but well-meaning friends and family continue to encourage me in that direction.

I have limited yoga experience(a beginner's class and a pregnancy yoga tape a couple of years ago). The class at my gym is a "gentle yoga" class, so I thought that would be a good one to start back with. I used to be an exercise junkie, but it is one of the things I've set aside while I've been dealing with an intense time with my migraines. So, the short answer is I don't exercise regularly.

Although I've not found an effective preventative, I do think if I find the right routine exercise would be helpful. Even if it doesn't effect my headache and migraine patterns, I'm hoping it will help my mood and outlook on dealing with them.

I hope you find an instructor you enjoy working with soon. Let us know. I'm curious to discover about the different types of yoga you mention.

MJ,
Thanks for the Tai Chi suggestion. It's an alternative I'd not considered yet.

I also appreciate the CD and book suggestions about biofeedback. Since my doctor suggested biofeedback specifically, I think that's an excellent compromise!

If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd enjoy reading about them.

Liz

You're welcome, Liz - glad I could help! Let us know how it goes.

Acupuncture helped a lot but after a few months my body began to reject it and I would leave and be in more pain for days after than I was when i went in. When it worked I felt amazing right after treatment and for a day or two later.

I saw a chiropractor for almost a year. I think she put me in a lot more pain. She said that she could fix me as well. So I went three times a week for a very long time and it didnt fix me.

BUT..the big thing is that I stopped going d/t cost and then when my specialist told me not to EVER let anyone touch my neck then I just stopped going completely. Nothing against chiropractors but they all want to crack your neck-my neurologist told me that he has quite a few pts who have had strokes as a result of neck cracking w/ chiropractors. That was enough for me not to go back!

Yoga always feels good and has helped when I do go. I have never tried biofeedback but my doctor is suggesting it.

Heidi,
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Let us know what you think of biofeedback if you decide to try it.

I'm planning to start a "gentle-yoga" class this week. Hopefully, it will be a good alternative for now. It couldn't hurt anything.

Liz

Liz --

Your "Gentle Yoga" class sounds great.

I've got to get off my rear end and do it, but I'm going to go to a studio that does "Joyflow" yoga. It's a combination of methods that the instructor/owner has developed. She was an instructor at my old yoga school, so I'm familiar with her and am comfortable with her teaching style. She was developing Joyflow when I was studying with her, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it has developed.

I think my walking has me in fair physical shape -- pretty good for a 51-year-old who's about 45 pounds overweight. [But I lost 30 pounds last year and intend to get the rest of it off by my 52nd birthday, in February 2009] But my flexibility stinks, and I've never had a good sense of balance. I think the yoga will be good for me.

Let us know how it goes!

Gretchen in Mississippi

Liz-
Your gentle yoga class sounds awesome!

HERE is a book that I like. It is called "Yoga Therapy: Healing Therapies for Headache Relief" It is nice because I can do it at home when I don't feel like getting out of the house.

Sometimes I am careful what positions I do. But it is very relaxing.

Kelly

Well, I was distracted by the little ones and lost track of time. I missed my gentle yoga class this week. I'll be sure to try it next week and let you know how it goes.

Kelly, Thanks for the book tip. That would be a great reference!

Liz