Daily Headaches and Migraines Every Week
I started having debilitating migraine headaches when I was 7 years old. They continued to get worse as the years went on. By the time I was 28, I was having daily headaches and AT LEAST 4 severe migraines a week. I was starting to wonder how I could keep working (and well, living) that way. My quality of life was in the toilet.
It took me 25 years, but I finally figured out that the Diet Coke I loved, and ALL artificial sweeteners, were a huge trigger for my headaches and migraines. Other triggers I noticed were bright lights, focusing on objects in motion, lack of sleep, and stress.
In 2010, when I started working at the NHCAA and learning about holistic health, I started paying attention to feedback from my body like never before. Dietary changes were definitely helping my headaches. I was having headaches less often and less severely. When I got a headache, I would get muscle tested and a pattern emerged; wearing metal jewelry, bobby pins and even headbands were affecting my headaches. JEWELRY!
A Start of Headache Relief
I begrudgingly reduced my use of jewelry and was feeling better but was still wearing it on special occasions. I started noticing that wearing earrings always seemed to be an issue. I would start getting a headache, remember my earrings, take them off, and then recover. I also had this phenomenon with metal necklaces and other metallic jewelry.
I haven’t worn earrings in years. My piercings are completely closed now. I also wore little to no jewelry most of the time. About 5 years ago, I was on a cruise that stopped in Curaçao. I bought the necklace I’m wearing in this picture from a local vendor that handmade it herself. NO METAL! Just string, wood, and shell. No headaches! I felt like I hit the jewelry jackpot for less than $20. Luckily, now that I have done more healing, I can get away with wearing a greater variety of jewelry and some high-quality metal on occasion.
Keep A Log
If you are trying to discover what causes migraine headaches, I highly recommend that you keep a migraine log. With a migraine log, you can start isolating triggers and patterns – be them food, sleep habits, environment, or even clothing. In this way, you can be your own health detective.
Migraines can be a complex condition to tackle. There are often many layers to migraines such as gut health, food sensitivities, hormonal imbalances, and toxicity. Even so, you CAN be migraine free. Healing takes patience and persistence, but I’ve helped hundreds of patients to achieve this. Together, we can solve your health puzzle.
Amanda Childress,
Holistic PharmD
