'I'm for truth, no matter who tells it.' – Malcolm X

Despite the realisation a few weeks ago that I would never find a cure for chronic migraines and needed to establish a good management plan, I find myself wondering more and more about what's causing mine. I don't know if this is more magical thinking: If I just find the first cause and fix that, then everything will be better. Since I was diagnosed with chronic migraines almost a decade ago, it's bothered me how unconcerned the medical profession is about finding the cause. As long as they're treating the symptoms (usually with medication), then that's good enough. I realised that even my current alternative therapists, chiropractor and acupuncture, are mostly about treating the symptoms and getting me through the migraine incident.

I feel there must be some underlying cause more compelling (and treatable) than inherited pre-disposition. Why do I have chronic migraines and my mother, grandmother and aunt only have one or two a year? Why does my body feel a need to react to stress with a migraine? Why when I don't sleep well or have a build-up of muscle tension do I get a migraine, but my husband just gets a little grouchy?

I've got some ideas of how I might be able to answer these questions for myself or waste money trying. 1) A friend suggested kinesiology by which she means applied kinesiology. Wikipedia, the source of all truth, says it's unproven and 'no more useful than random guessing.'
2) A few years ago a fairly sensible colleague mentioned hypnotherapy as being effective for an ailment she had. Wikipedia is more positive about hypnotherapy and even cites a 1995 study that said, 'The evidence supporting the effectiveness of hypnosis in alleviating chronic pain associated with cancer seems strong. In addition, the panel was presented with other data suggesting the effectiveness of hypnosis in other chronic pain conditions, which include… tension headaches.'
3) I could do my own literature review to read about migraine brains and what makes them different.
4) I  may try an elimination diet again to see if there are any new foods I need to avoid or ones I have been that I can now eat again.

This is probably another attempt to control and understand the uncontrollable and little-known.

'A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his migraines.' – Hippocrates

I have been falling off the less-screen-time wagon lately. After having a migraine yesterday and a severe headache all day today, I am clambering back on that wagon tonight. Instead of collapsing in front of the TV for a few hours before bed tonight, I decided to do yoga for some of that time. About halfway through the routine I felt my mind slow and the frenetic energy of my body ease. It was a wonderful feeling and validated why yoga is better than TV. I've come out of it feeling calmer and, I was going to say in control but that's not accurate, it's really more a feeling of ease with the present.

I have a theory that slower brainwaves, like being in a meditative state more than a stress-response state, is one way to reduce the incidence of migraines. I feel like too much TV gets my neurones firing and makes me wired, which is often how I feel before the lethargy, confusion and pain of a migraine sets in. I did a quick internet search to see if I could find anything on brainwave states and migraines, but I haven't found anything really legitimate and scientific looking yet. YouTube has many clips of 'binaural music', which supposedly 'entrains' deep relaxation or slows brainwaves and thus stops migraines. I'm not holding my breath that it's the magic cure we've all been waiting for, but I might try listening to them sometime.

I guess what tonight is about is breaking out of the easy routine, trying something potentially healthier and maybe learning something new about how my messed up brain works. I succeeded in breaking my normal evening TV-watching pattern, I did a healthier activity, but I haven't found what I'm looking for about the effects of alpha or beta brainwaves yet.

'Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.' – Douglas Adams

Right now I’m living between migraines. It’s like flying: when it’s working it feels wonderful and light and free; but when things go wrong it’s going to hurt. I’m getting about one a week and on the days when I don’t have a migraine, I am grateful and productive. At first I would be on tenterhooks anticipating the next fall (migraine), but that’s a waste of time and energy. This has helped me to be more present and appreciative of health, when I have it.

There’s a problem, though. My current prescription will run out just before I see my neurologist in a week or so. I’m hoping he will suggest some other medication so I don’t want to fill another repeat of the current one. I am coping pretty well on this lower dose with only a mild weekly migraine. If I go off all medication, I might go back to two or three migraines a week. Now cheapness and treatment are battling it out in my head. Which logic will win?