HelperElfMissy 42 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I have been thinking about headaches and their various causes and types over the last few days after the discussion about dehydration on airplanes causing headaches. Then yesterday I had the mother of all headaches! Was really horrendous. I have started my 'Liver Cleansing Diet' and apparently one of the things to be mindful of is that the detox can cause bigtime headaches as the toxins are being released and flushed (ok ...really? ...well maybe it is true seeing as it happened to me !!) I had reduced my coffee intake down to no more than two cups in a day, and some days none - but even so I wondered if with the rest of the stuff out of the diet if the lack of coffee was responsible - soy I had a soy latte (getting used to soy milk, ..slowly..) and then another...nup no good. In the end I had to take a couple of ibuprofen, and go to bed - I was really nauseous as well. It took 3 hours AFTER taking the medication for it to be gone. Has anyone else had headaches from detox? Any other bizarre reasons for headaches? Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Cheese. Appaently. Sorry Cheeseman. Though actually that is more mild migraine than headache, and those of us who have had migraines will know how annoying it is for people to mix the two up! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 Must admit I did say to my husband "it feels like this is a migraine, not just a normal headache" (I have had a few in my 20's - one that was particularly bad).... Is there a reason for migraine rather than headache? Is the pathology different? Or is it just like the next step along from a headache? Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Not sure. I do know that with a migraine you simply cannot even stand up, it hurts lying down in a dark room, and you basically feel the worst you have ever felt. Someone walking around telling people they have got a migraine.... has not got a migraine!! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 Oh no...I kicked the family out and told them to shut up And even more significantly *I* stopped talking. Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Mamabear, it's natural and common that people get headaches from detox. My advise is from a chinese point of view, and relates to what is called Five Element Theory. I won't get into that, but I'd like to recommend food and some practice that will help. There is no need to get those detox med from pharmacy. First thing in the morning just after getting up, get a teaspoon and scrape your tongue. That's right, toxin comes up on your tongue that otherwise will go into your system. After that, drink good water preferably that is put into a glass jug and have been in the sun for a while. Even 5min will do. Oh, by the way, when you pour that water into a jug, cascade it from higher up so the water gets O2 into itself. We want to activate the water a bit. The first 500 cc will flush your system out a bit. If you prefer to have Juice, the best thing is fresh carrot juice. Carrot really helps cleanse your liver. The taste that helps the Liver function is Sour. (Chinese med. describes different taste for different organs) Drinking plenty of water in the morning and afternoon, preferably with lemon or apple cider vinegar (the cloudy type) will cleanse and improve your Liver function. Wheat is the grain of choice for Liver. This includes oats. The best breakfast will be Organic rolled oats. Make a porrage, half an avocado (this will supply the vitamins and oil- carrots need oil for max effect), carrot juice. In Five Element Theory, spleen is the organ that will support and give the energy. Sweet tastes and rice will help in this regard. A little bit of honey as a sweetener will be good. Or dates as a treat. Eat wholemeal bread, rice (white is better for easy digestion) and pasta. All organic ofcourse. Plenty of veg. Coffee will give you a headache. Don't eat too much protein. Soy milk is too concentrated. Forget about this low carb diet. You want slow release carb, low protein, no concentrated food. Reduce stress on the liver- that means don't work out too much but exercise is good. Sauna helps sweat the toxin out. Especially the Far-InfraRed type, less stress on your heart. Try not to take any phama-drugs including vitamins which will load on the liver. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 Doing most of that Jynxx. I am following the liver cleansing diet, so yeah...not low carb. I am not having a lot of soy milk, but I have to replace all dairy - and I am not eating those oats with rice milk (YUK!). I am going to persevere with it, but wow....I am starting to get headachey again already! Link to post Share on other sites
gareth_oau 2 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I get a very rare headache when my diabetes blood-sugar levels get to low - they are very mild, last around 15 minutes and disappear on their own. I only ever get headaches in the back of my head, never around the eyes or temples. i'd be unlucky to have 4 or 5 mild headaches a year, and never experienced a migraine. and i dont drink, so no hangovers, and when I travel on planes, I drink lots of water to avoid the dehydration. Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Why would you need something to replace? The point is to eliminate. None of that soy milk or rice milk (what the hell is that?) In natural state, all we need is water. I actually drink hot water. Yeah, adding tea leaves is great, but anything else is just ... Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Ah, forgot to say. I have been doing that for over 20 years. None of this, on a diet stuff. Diet - WTF is that word ? Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 You miss the point Jynxx. For health reasons I am following a particular eating plan to eliminate toxins and revitalize my liver...it is a prescribed eating plan, written by a professional and telling me what I can and can not eat. Everyone is on a 'diet' - depends on if you are eating a random uncontrolled whatever you choose 'diet' or a choosing very carefully for one reason or another 'diet'. I am allowed soy milk. I am not allowed a lot of other stuff. I am enjoying having an organic muesli with a sliced banana, LSA (ground linseed, sunflower seeds and Almonds) mix topped with good quality soy milk for breakfast. Not really all that keen to give that up for oats and water (gag). My point was that because I am eating this way I am suffering headaches - and that surprised me because I normally have quite a healthy diet. I suppose I have more stored toxins than I thought!! Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Originally Posted By: Jynxx Why would you need something to replace? The point is to eliminate. None of that soy milk or rice milk (what the hell is that?) In natural state, all we need is water. I actually drink hot water. Yeah, adding tea leaves is great, but anything else is just ... In natural state we wore no clothes, we ate raw meat, is that what you're advocating? We went around chasing our meat while it was still on the hoof, had to kill, skin and prepare our own. I like to think that mankind has evolved a little since the "natural state" and thus we have a broader range of options for foods. Not for a second advocating that we should all eat McPlastic every day, but we should have a "diet" (ie the total foods we consume) that balances unless there is a good reason to vary. Mama's reason is so good you'd not ask why. Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 i always wonder why my wife gets an headache at bed time.... Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Main reason for that is not wanting to bother with rubbish sex. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 Never quite understood why women blame a headache rather than saying "Not tonight love, I am really tired.." Lot more honest. The amount of times some of hubby's mates have heard the 'headache' excuse I'd be starting to worry the wife had a brain tumor! Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I'm honest with my wife MB, I'm always telling her sorry I'm really tired not tonight. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Caffeine seems to be a big cause of headaches. If I dont have a coffee in the morning I get a headache and sleepy in the PM. But if I have too many, I also get headache. Link to post Share on other sites
sunrise 0 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 MB I would see if there is a good TCM (chinese medicine) practitioner in your area, or even aryuveda. You will be able to do a lot for your liver health with help from these, your detox may be a little too extreme, it might be better for you to go a little more slowly, so that you can still detox but have less extreme symptoms. Jynxx I think you also need to take into account the liver condition alongside the 5 elements theory. If there is a lot of heat in the liver vs depletion (in TCM terms, not western terms) different advice might be better, also depending on whatever the balance of the other organs are too. For instance, there is a chinese formula that helps take rising liver heat out of the head (headaches), which can work well depending on if the individual's condition fits what those herbs work with. For another person it may not help. I'm not sure if oats are necessarily so good in this particular situation if there is a lot of heat going on as they are a 'warming grain' (in TCM terms) which may also be why MB isn't attracted to them. Tumors etc, AFAIK come from blood stagnation (in TCM terms), so TCM or aryvedic herbs that cleanse and build the blood will also help, also the digestive system may not be handling the detox so well so you may also need herbs to support the spleen. But really (if you're interested in this at all) you'd need to see a good certified practitioner for a proper diagnosis of your own unique condition. That being said, I agree with Jynxx - apple cider vinegar with 'the mother' is excellent stuff, though as always, you have to check it out to see if it works for you personally. Organic tumeric could also be very helpful, this also is slightly cooling (in TCM terms), it's great for liver and digestion (Japanese often take this as a 'hangover cure'), and could help with the heat that's going on too... If you're interested MB drop me a PM, I'll be happy to chat more about it. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 Wow ... some of you guys really do know a lot about TCM and naturopathy. I have an appointment to see someone (recommended to me) which will be really interesting, but apart from the headaches I have been noticing some really interesting things (positive things). I have that bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar on the go And this two weeks is not as tough as the next four (I lose Free Range eggs and chicken as well then) - so there is definitely an 'easing in' to try and reduce the nasty side effects of detoxing the liver. I got rid of todays headache (at least for now) by taking a calcium supplement - that is one I have used before - calcium also used to have an antidote effect when my kids ate something overloaded with artificial crap (like bright red icing at a birthday party) and started going off. I am taking a note of all this stuff to talk to the naturopath about. Pretty fascinating though. Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Originally Posted By: bobby12 Caffeine seems to be a big cause of headaches. If I dont have a coffee in the morning I get a headache and sleepy in the PM. But if I have too many, I also get headache. i get that too. holy hell i had a killer migraine a few months ago. drinking too much coffee everyday for months on end, and then boom! my normal morning coffe just destroyed my brain. worst thing was i has to guide guests around on a boat in thr tropics for about 6 hours. i was pretty useless. found them some waves and then jay lay down in the shade in absolute agony. now i try and reduce caffeine on a regular basis, give the liver some time to cleanse itself. i've also had the same migraines from alcohol. same story - drinking everyday for a few months (not excessively, just a few pints a night) and then out of the blue - one sip of guiness and a world of pain for a few hours. i just cut out the booze for a few days and then i'm good again for another 6 months. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Mamabear, I am by no means an expert but detox and cleansing is my business..literally. Everybody's advice so far is fine but just be aware that a successful cleansing is not a result of haphazardly taking this and that. A knowledgeable detox specialist will take several or more ingredients in specific quantities that are know to work together synergistically. Due diligence and research is my best advice. Once you find a program that agrees with you it's important to stick with it..Don't miss a single day. As for the undesirable side effects of detox. The dull headache at the base of the skull is a big one but others include rash and diarrhea. If the side effects become too uncomfortable your specialist should have a strategy for that as well. Usually it's nothing more than reducing the dosage until the undesirables disappear and then work up to the recommended amount. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Originally Posted By: grungy-gonads Main reason for that is not wanting to bother with rubbish sex. "grungy gonads".. given that handle I'd have a headache AND nausea, too. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 OK...well clearly the detox is helping my abdo bloating ... I got a "Wow! You have lost weight." comment this afternoon - yet my scales tell me otherwise. I feel way less congested with my breathing too (not that I felt it was a problem before - but it is remarkably clearer). I reckon the dairy products are the big culprit because I have been off them for almost a full week. I am missing cheese and sour cream, but I could stay off butter, and milk permanently if I needed to. And the headache is much better this evening, in fact the groggy head feeling is starting to clear too. Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 A friend of mine used to get a fair few migraines, so much so that they were worried she had a real problem. Scan showed nothing to worry about though, but she still gets at least one every few months and they last a few days. Poor lass, they really are nasty. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 Oh god Rach, I think that would send me round the twist. Has she looked at eliminating certain foods? A girlfriend of mine had recurrent debilitating migraines, she was very overweight, but had them from her teen years when she was thin - she would have to go straight home as soon as they started as she sometime lost vision after about half an hour. She had gastric surgery to lose weight (and gain health back) and since then has not been able to eat chocolate (or bread/rice and a few other things) but the migraines are now RARE. She blames chocolate - but she was a serious chocoholic. Link to post Share on other sites
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