Hello, everyone.

Last week, Beliefnet posted a terrific little piece on migraine triggers and how to avoid or mitigate them.  So for those who suffer from this heinous condition, check out the bulleted points, courtesy of Beliefnet, and if you want to see the fleshed out original, click here.

• Stay Ahead of Your Stress  - get into a routine of stress busting activities, such as deep breathing, music, exercise, meditation, guided imagery (they were kind enough to mention Health Journeys here, bless their hearts) or biofeedback.
  
  
• Down with Dehydration - drink a ton of water, and even more if you go for coffee, booze or sitting on planes.
  
  
• Avoid Alcohol - especially the red wine - or at least downsize your intake significantly.
   
• Keep Your Blood Sugar Stable – no roller coaster spikes and dives, thank you very much, which is to say sugar snacks are poison for you. Go for the complex carbs and slow-digesting proteins, like apples and peanut butter, cashews, eggs… and don’t let yourself get starved.
   
  
• Figure Out Your Red Flag Foods – investigate what foods are your triggers for you and your aching head. Keep a journal. Research your own reactions. Be methodical about this and figure it out.
  
  
• Get Good Quality Sleep – too little or too much can trigger a migraine.  Get your sleep hygiene in order and regulate your snoozing.
  
  
• Understand Your Relationship to Caffeine – it can be your friend or your enemy – it’s all about figuring out the right quantity for you.
  
  
• Handle Those Hormones – learn the times in your cycle when you’re most vulnerable; look into medication like birth control pills; and try to work around those times by inviting the least stress into your day.
  
  
• Avoid Strong Aromas – certain scents are deadly. Don’t be shy about asking someone to wash their perfume off or else move your own self if you can.  Get out of smoky rooms, if they still exist.  Change your seat at the movies. Pay attention to this and be proactive.
  
  
• Don’t Get Slammed by Light –if you’re one of those whose migraines are triggered by light, do what you can to mitigate that, with good sun glasses, being careful about computer screens and LED lights, etc etc.

Okay, so you’ve got your work cut out for you.  But if it helps you mitigate those nasty migraines, it’s well worth it.

Take care and be well,

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