I did some continuing education on migraines this week so thought I would pass on some recommendations. It is important to make sure you are well hydrated if you suffer from migraines, Sipping from a water bottle can be helpful. Add an electrolyte solution if it is particularly hot or you are sweating. It is important to prioritize sleep and rest if you are prone to migraines. Sleep in a cool dark room.n Sticking to a good sleep wake cycle can help establish beneficial circadian rhythms which help regulate your sleep.

Diet is incredibly important when you are treating migraines. Doing IgG testing to identify food sensitivities is a start. In terms of a migraine diet, it might be important to cut out high histamine foods like fermented foods (kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, etc.). High tyrosine foods might be cut out too such as aged cheeses, wine, etc. Nutrients like magnesium glycinate or magnesium threonate are particularly helpful to supplement along with riboflavin (B2). The goal is often to decrease the severity of the migraine then decrease the frequency of the migraine. 

In migraine, you may see a specific pattern or aura beforehand. You may suffer from nausea or vomiting alongside the headache. There is some relation to vasodilation or constriction of the arteries. There can be hormonal migraine patterns with estrogen dominance. Histamine can increase inflammation and estrogen can prevent the breakdown of histamine. Low progesterone can be related to inability to breakdown mast cells. Increased histamine can cause H2 receptors in the GI tract causing anxiety, fatigue and pain related to high mast cells. High salicylate foods, high tyramine foods and high histamine foods many need to be eliminated.

Doing Dutch hormone testing may help one discern if hormones are clouding the picture. As mentioned, estrogen promotes the release of histamine. You can look at the full load of hormones with Dutch testing including the PMS window leading up to the period. You can also look at estrogen metabolism for clues about estrogen breakdown and whether that may play a role in your migraines, If your 16-OH metabolite is high, you may not be clearing estrogen. You may need to methylate it out (provide help to move it through phase 2). You may have low serum estrogen with high metabolites. You may have rapid changes of estrogen levels in perimenopause affecting your migraine pattern. Look at testosterone, is testosterone being aromatized to estrogen?

How can your hormones be balanced and regulated? Working on liver function may play a role here.  I do a lot of liver drainage with patients that have high estrogen levels which can cause irritability along with migraines.

You may need to look at gut health, blood sugar, detoxification pathways, neurotransmitters, homeostasis pathways. Paint a solid picture of your migraine- before you get one, what did you eat, what time of the month is it, are you hydrated, are you sleeping?

Nutrients that may assist include Mg, B2, CoQ10. Diet may need to be followed for three weeks. Pull out nitrates, salicylates, high tyramine foods.

All these factors may help treat your migraines successfully. There are many homeopathic remedies that can offer symptomatic help for migraines such as belladonna, lachesis, natrum muriaticum, and calcarea carbonica. If you need more help with treating your migraines, please book an appointment with me. I am a registered naturopathic doctor in the province of Alberta. I am practicing on the Jane platform doing telemedicine. To book a session with me go to www.robinvinge.con then click on contact to be led to my Jane booking site.

Reference: Assessment and Approach to the Estrogen Dominant Female Allison Smith, ND

Estrogen Dominance: Signs and Symptoms. Rebecca Clemson, ND

My ebook on recovering from anorexia is coming out this month. I wanted to touch on an aspect that I felt was helpful to my recovery. Dr. John Demartini and his collapse work with patients has helped me a lot in my life. His book the Breakthrough Experience should be on everybody’s shelf. I read it when I was in my late twenties. A doctor colleague friend of mine collapsed my life over coffee once and it really shifted my perspective of things. At the time, I was with a boyfriend who ended up being such a mirror reflection of mine. His books really are meant to bring you to more love and acceptance of yourself and shift your perspctives to a more balanced perspective. 

In my ebook which is titled Putting the Puzzle Together: Gathering up my Lost Soul Pieces to Heal my Anorexia Nervosa I talk about the collapse process and how it has been helpful to me in my life. I talk specifically about my grief over not having a family and how i have had to collapse that perspective and see where I feel like I have a family.  I treat my patients like they are part of my family. I worry about my patients like they are part of my family If anything feels like a crisis for them, I feel it like they are part of my family.

I have a number of plants in my apartment, I almost treat them like they are part of my family. I maximize their light, position them for their best growth, repot them and move them to the to a bigger pot when necessary. So in a microway, it is like having my own plant family.    I talk to my plants like they are my own children. I love that they bless my sacred space of an apartment.

Lastly I had the experience of being a mother when I was in Seattle going to school. I worked part time as a nanny when I was doing my naturopathic medical degree. For three years, I was blessed to be the nanny for the Nilsen’s (Trish and Nick) who now live on Whidbey Island. I got to take care of Sophie who was a 6 month old baby when I first got the job, Katie who was 3 and Christian who was 6. I was their nanny for three years so I had plenty of time to change diapers, I took Katie to swimming lessons and kicked the soccer ball in the back yard with Chris. I even took Sophie to the beach when she was older so I did have the opportunity to be a mother. 

I thank God for the experience of being a mother only if for a short time. The mother was so organized so it was easy for me to step into the role and be their part time nanny. I collapse my perceptions and it helps me be grateful for my life. Thank you God for all my blessings.

I am excited to let you know that I will be releasing my ebook hopefully this month on healing from anorexia. I waited a long time to write this book. I was hospitalized when I was in grade seven and when I was in grade nine with anorexia nervosa. My love of sports got me past anorexia when I was in hiigh school. When you can change your focus to something positive and get it off of your addictive tendencies it can really help with overcoming an eating disorder. In my ebook I talk about some of the catalaysts for anorexia- the peer problems I experienced when I was growing up, the anxiety I suffered from, my high sensitivity level to my environment, and my lack of self worth and self esteem. My book focuses on how taking the journey to know yourself, love and accept yourself can get you on a healing path of recovery. Elements that were involved with my recovery included being mindful and really expressing my feeling when I felt hurt by others. I had to identify belief system that were operating when I had anorexia. A big one was ‘I do not have to punish myself for not being perfect by not meeting my physical needs of nourishment.’ Perfectionism is a challenge to get past in anorexia, I write a whole chapter on perfectionism and anorexia in my ebook. Loving and accepting all parts of yourself is imperative if you suffer from anorexia. Through that journey of love for yourself you will find yourself healing and moving forward. You are meant to shine in your life. You are worthy of everything that you are wanting in your life. You just have to believe it. I will let you know when you can buy my ebook on my website. I am really proud of this book that I have written.  Much love, Dr. Robin Vinge   If you want to work with me go to www.robinvinge.com then click on contact to be led to my Jane booking site. I am a registered naturopathic doctor in the province of Alberta. I am doing telemedicine currently on the Jane platform. I also hold a meditation on Zoom Tues nights at 8 pm if you are interested. Email me at rvinge@telus.net and I can send you the Zoom link to connect.