Jbanksies

For anyone suffering with any type of headache, neck pain, shoulder pain, tingling, "sinus pressure" or other undiagnosed pain, I highly recommend reading Heal Your Headache- The 1-2-3 Program For Taking Charge of Your Pain by David Buchholz. I had been suffering for almost a year with migraine, facial pressure, burning in the back of the head, neck and shoulder stiffness ect and had seen numerous doctors and specialists without an answer. I was convinced (by many doctors) that I was having a reaction to stress and the neck/shoulder stiffness was muscle spasm. But like many of you, I found it hard to believe that such pain magically erupted without some physical cause (because I knew I was not a very nervous, anxious person). Anyways, after reading this book, I found that headache is a genetic and hereditary disorder and some of us suffer more frequently than others because we have a low threshold for various triggers. This book explains that all headaches arise from the migraine mechanism, which can cause multiple symptoms that do not always necessarily fit the "classic" migraine category. For instance I would suffer from a sinus-like pressure for 2-3 days, accompanied by runny nose and runny eyes. Since I was experiencing such tremendous pressure on my right cheek and nose, doctors were convinced that I had some kind of "environmental allergy". Actually, when the migraine mechanism is activated it can cause inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in any area of the head, neck and trapezius muscles (for example, I also had an experience where both of my ears were blocked for 5 days straight). To make a long story short, all of my chronic problems were triggered by foods that I was eating. For me, tyramine, which is an amino acid found in aged cheeses, nuts, beans, fresh breads, alcohol, ect... is a major trigger. I also read in another book that certain people lack an enzyme that allows the body to metabolize these amino acids, such as tyramine which results in the constriction of blood vessels in the head. Everyone has different triggers so it could be caffeine and chocolate for some or diet sodas for another. The trick is finding what the triggers are for you. Since I have followed the migraine diet detailed in the book I have improved tremendously. I no longer wake up with a headache or stiffness and I never have severe migraine attacks. So, if you are experiencing unexplained chronic pain and you cannot see the pattern, I highly recommend reading this book and trying the diet. It has opened my eyes to the misdiagnosis and mistreatment of headaches and other pain in the medical community and it has finally freed me of daily chronic pain.