I hadn’t had a migraine in almost two years, until this weekend when I went camping with the scouts in Lost Valley. The pain was severe and the bone-chilling cold weather made my head pound so badly that I couldn’t participate in many activities. I decided to take the time to reflect on what triggered this migraine after two years of not having it. I pray that my experience this weekend is a testament to many of the things that help make migraines disappear from your life without the use of medication.
I used to have severe migraine headaches for many years. I woke up at night and cried in pain. The heartbeat wouldn’t stop and I felt like throwing up, but nothing came out. I would lie awake for hours, not feeling comfortable in any position. I was taking medications that diminished the effect, but the migraines kept coming back. A doctor finally prescribed a strong pill and it would help me, but it knocked me out and I felt dizzy afterward. He hated taking it, to be honest.
About two years ago, I started living a healthier lifestyle. I started using detergents from Watkins and Melaleuca and started using Melaleuca products in my house. In November of 2006, I began drinking an ounce of a high-antioxidant beverage offered by Young Living Essential Oils and noticed that I began to get sick less, even though people around me were getting sick. I thought it was very interesting. Then I switched to more organic food after reading a book by Kevin Trudeau and continued to feel good. I also started to eat mostly poultry and my red meat intake was very rare; if I ate red meat I would make sure it was organic so it didn’t have all the hormones and all the toxins that were making me sick. About seven months ago, I started exercising more regularly. I scheduled my workouts and found some great workout videos offered by BeachBody that really helped me get in shape. Through all these changes, I noticed that my migraines had practically disappeared and I was amazed. I hadn’t really stopped to think about this until the husband of someone in my church told me that his wife would get migraines on a regular basis. I realized that I had been migraine free for over two years and was waiting for the right opportunity to talk to her about what had helped me and therefore what might help her.
Then I went on the camping trip with the scouts. The weather was freezing. I couldn’t get warm at all. Our first meal was lunch. We had a burger, with a white bun of course, chili, fries, and a brownie. I could only eat half of my burger because I hated the taste of frozen and processed burgers. However, I ate the fries, chili, and brownie. I’m sure the fries were the frozen ones and the chili came from a can. The brownies, of course, were made with white flour and white sugar, as well as non-organic eggs. I noticed that my head was beginning to ache. I ignored him and went to the archery spot with my family and the other explorers. My headache was mild, but it did not go away. It was time for dinner and we went to the cafeteria. We had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. The mashed potatoes were from a box, definitely not fresh potatoes. The beans came from a can and I have no idea how they made the meatloaf; However, I am sure the meat was not organic. After dinner, my headache started to get worse. I decided to put on my emergency therapeutic grade oil blend called M-Grain. That helped lessen the gravity and I went to movie night with my family. When I got back to the store, my headache had returned and my head was throbbing. I put on a little more oil and went to sleep. Since the weather was around 35 degrees, my headache wouldn’t go away. My head was still hurting terribly and I kept getting up every few hours to put on some more oil. I slept from time to time, but the next day, my headache continued. I began to reflect and realized that I was only treating the symptoms with the oils, but I had to treat the cause if I wanted the headache to stop completely. I decided to not eat any more of the meals there and allow my body to detox from all the processed food in it.
I started the day by drinking a bottle of Arrowhead water mixed with an ounce of NingXia Red, Young Living’s antioxidant-rich beverage that I drink every day. I got hungry so I ate an orange and an apple as fruits help the body to detoxify. I kept drinking water. For lunch I had a banana with some almonds and a small salad. My headache was starting to get better, but the cold weather wouldn’t allow it to go away completely because it made me tense. While in the warm cafeteria, I felt better by not eating the meals offered there and only eating fruit. I would go out and my head would hurt again. We decided to drive home that night because I couldn’t take another cold, sleepless night. I was hungry at dinner time, so I had some corn on the cob and some beans, and skipped the BBQ pork ribs. I also had a slice of watermelon. We left camp that night and I slept soundly in my nice warm bed. This morning I feel wonderful. My migraine is gone and my body feels clean after not eating the meals provided at scout camp yesterday, as well as getting out of the cold weather that made me tense and my head continued to throb.
Through this horrible experience this weekend, I realized that my healthy lifestyle is what has kept me migraine free for about two years. I will continue to stay away from processed foods and continue to use non-toxic products on myself and in my home. For those who get migraines on a regular basis, but the recommendations are to start a good detox program to remove the toxins you already have in your body and start living a healthy lifestyle that will help your body stay clean of the toxins that they bombard we have regular basis. Make sure the detox program cleanses your liver, which is the organ that helps your body get rid of toxins naturally, but can’t do its job if it’s overloaded, of course. Start using detergents, multipurpose cleaners, shampoos, lotions, deodorants, makeup, etc., that are free of toxins.
Some good companies that offer these products are Young Living Essential Oils, Tahitian Noni International, some of Watkins, and some of Melaleuca, Tate’s, and the MiEssence line of products. There are a handful of other companies that offer good products as well, so do your research and be a good label reader. Don’t assume a product is good just because the front of the bottle says so. Read the label and make sure the ingredients are safe for regular use. Exercise regularly and drink plenty of filtered water. Eat plenty of organic foods, cut back on red meat, and stay away from processed flour, processed sugar, and processed oils. Lead a healthy lifestyle on a regular basis so that your immune system gets stronger and you too can be free from migraines. In addition to not getting more migraines, you’ll also notice that you don’t get sick as often, which is a great side effect, don’t you think?