Ann Redfearn’s Migraine is one of my books with little post-it arrows sticking out, marking important pages. It’s not a big book like the Fibro book I talked about last month. It’s small but mighty.
And also beautiful.
With lush photos of infused herbal teas, recipes, essential oils, yoga, and exercises — all suggested to prevent migraines, it feels more like a picture book for adults. But make no mistake, there are plenty of words to read. I’d suggest doing that when you DON’T have a migraine.
It’s a holistic, “natural” health book. And I think it’s fabulous.
This is not to say I agree with everything it says. For example:
There is a strong school of thought that now believes our physical sickness, whether in the form of migraines or anything else, is a mirror-image of any emotional sickness that lies within.
While I agree that certain diseases (and yes, migraine is among them) seem to be tied to emotional sickness, I will not go so far as to say “all”… which the quote implies. The reason is simple — I will not blame the victim. There is no way a child with cancer had an emotional illness that caused it. No. I just refuse to believe that.
However, migraine (and asthma, which I also suffer from) are two biggies in the “Ill health as a result of unresolved feelings” genre. And it makes sense.
This will be one of my “famous” (who the hell do I think I am? lol) rabbit trails, so get ready for a digression.
I really believe the saying, “Your body believes every word you say.” And further, that your physical symptomatology can mirror what you’re feeling… like the case of a UTI when you’re pissed off or a heart attack when you’ve had a broken heart. My mom once had something happen with her shoulder… a cyst?… not sure… but what I remember most is that before it happened, she felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. So, yes… I believe you can… manifest?… would that be the right word here?… a physical symptom or ailment.
Anyhow, back to the book…
It is within these pages that I learned about food allergies and how closely tied they can be to migraines. This also doesn’t surprise me. Before I was diagnosed with actual migraines, I thought I was having sinus headaches. I’m not a scientific mind… and it took a few years to realize the headaches were also coming at the same time every month, especially after I had my children. Ah yes, lovely hormones.
Also, I have a family history of the things.
So, you can plainly see it’s not *just* emotional illness that triggers migraines. I mean, unless everyone in my family is mentally ill. (I never joke about mental illness, so I’ll just dance past the obvious haha’s I could include at this juncture. Although, my sister did get me a plaque that said: Sisters – two nuts off the family tree. It made me giggle. Am I a bad person?)
It’s a big thing, these migraines. If you’ve ever had one, you know what I mean. The pain of these baddies is nowhere near “a headache.”
(And oddly, sometimes, there is no pain at all. There are actually things called “Visual Migraines”… who knew?… which are a little like a longer-lasting pre-migraine aura. Oh gosh, now I’m going into a whole ‘nuther realm of this beast. Another rabbit trail? Should I? Okay. Quickly, it’s like you’re having a stroke. Not joking. Scared the snot outta me the first time it happened. For me, it is absolutely triggered by fluorescent or bright lights or an emotional upheaval like a new job or the death of a loved one. So, see, in this case, it does sound suspiciously like it ties right into emotional health, doesn’t it? But yeah, I did it again. I digressed… but kinda didn’t, too… since we’re back to the beginning.)
All I’m saying is that if you suffer from migraines, I understand, just as you understand me. Get this book while you’re feeling good and take some time to read it. Try some recipes, pressure points, and exercises. Or just enjoy the beauty. At the end, there’s a really neat section on color therapy, which leads into a short Chakra discussion.
All in all… this book is a helpful and gentle way to step into the notion of holistic healing for migraines. And it’s really good.
Originally written by me for this blog on June 21, 2018
The Self-Help Whisperer® 