Reddit mentions: The best books about headaches

Don't totally give up on pizza. There are MANY foods and drinks that are triggers, along with life stuff. The trick is to limit your triggers so that they don't "overflow" and cause you a migraine.

I did that with onions (sulfates). Completely omitted them and wouldn't eat anything that had onions on it. When my life stress started to abate, I reintroduced some of the foods I'd given up, and onions were then an okay thing.

Tomatoes may be just sending your migraine limit over capacity.


Read this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Headache-David-Buchholz/dp/0761125663/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518281052&sr=1-4&keywords=migraine+relief#reader_0761125663

It honestly saved my life. I realized that I had the ability to control my OWN headaches, instead of them controlling me.

Don't get me wrong, I have chronic intractable migraine, so I always hurt; this book, however, has made it so my days are usually a 2-3 on the pain scale (1-10) And that's doable for me.

Please let me know how you're feeling, and honestly, try to get this book. It really opened my eyes.

Good luck, friend!

It would definitely be helpful for your doctors if you kept a log of your headaches. There's a migraine log template on the sidebar, or if you prefer to use an app, I highly recommend Migraine buddy (on Android only currently), and migraine.com has an iOS app.

Migraines can last between 4 and 72 hours, a typical one. People report pain in different places from their shoulders up, and at times in their abdomen. Some migraines are "silent," meaning there is no pain, just other identifying symptoms. Here's migraine.com's overview.

Obviously, we can't make a diagnosis for you here. If you've had a complete work up done with no results - I would ask for a 2nd opinion from a different neurologist.

My personal experience was that when my migraines first presented, I was being treated for a sinus infection that wouldn't clear - then one day presented with stroke like symptoms. I went in for an emergency MRI and followed-up with a neurologist who told me my MRI was clear, then told me to see psych. Just because you present with a "normal" MRI does not exclude you from migraines.

Ultimately, I was diagnosed with Migraine-associated Vertigo by an ENT that specialized in vestibular disorders. He started me on a regimen of Topamax. I was on a leave from work for almost 3 months just to get a diagnosis.

Also, I saw in one of your comments that you don't think it would be food related. I hate to say it, but most migraine sufferers have food triggers, so if you believe you have migraines, do not discount the food you eat. Here's some info about triggers.

If you want actual books to read, I would recommend Heal Your Headache, the author gives an actual migraine diet to follow, and information about how to identify your food triggers using an elimination method. And I would recommend The Migraine Brain, this author takes a somewhat more realistic approach to treating migraines than the first author (but the first author has great info about the diet).

Stress, I believe is a cop-out for docs. We all have stress in our lives and we all manage it differently. Some of us process it physically - and sometimes that means we need medical treatment. I have been told for many years that I need to "limit the stress," but it's not like I can live in a bubble. Life goes on, my friend.

Good luck!!

It was my regular dentist who made the NTI mouth guard for me. Maybe you should try the do-it-yourself mouth guard that mwcdem suggests first, since it is cheaper and you don't have to wait for an appointment to get it, but a full mouth guard never worked for me because I still clenched my teeth on it.

The thing about migraines is that they usually have several causes, and having any one of them doesn't make a migraine happen, but if you have them all at once, they add up to trigger a migraine. If you can reduce some of your triggers your headache frequency will probably go back down. For me the book Heal Your Headache was not perfect (I disagree with his feelings against migraine abortives such as imitrex), but the information on how to figure out dietary triggers was extremely helpful. I recommend reading it. The public library should have a copy.

Coffee and alieve and a nap works for me! I hope you can kick it soon. I highly recommend this book if you get headaches frequently. It's helped me a lot!

Sensitivity can also be cumulative, that is other things you are using or eating can make you more sensitive to other things... like (perhaps) semen. In any case, if this does appear to be an allergy look for other things to eliminate to perhaps help you in this area. Not on subject, but this book describes it really well: http://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Headache-David-Buchholz/dp/0761125663

Another chronic migraine sufferer here, too. I strongly recommend reading "Heal Your Headache"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0761125663/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451829744&sr=1-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=heal+your+headache&dpPl=1&dpID=51WX98eUgLL&ref=plSrch


Its written by one of the premier migraine specialists in the world. It contains all the advice you'd get from visiting a neurologist. Reading that book changed my life. I went from getting migraines every three weeks like clockwork, to being migraine free since 2012. Without relying on medication.

The book focuses on identifying and reducing your migraine triggers. For me, my strongest triggers are by far irregular sleep, alcohol, and stress.

Your mileage of course may vary, especially since you suffer more acutely than I did. But the good news is that supposedly most people age out of migraines. If you're in your teens/20s, its likely your migraines will subside with time.

Yes, there are tons of lifestyle changes you can make. And lots of migraine triggers can seem really innocuous--like bananas ALWAYS give me a headache. Every time. Sure, they're healthy, sure they're fruit, but for me, when I eat a banana, 15 minutes later I'm in agony.

I found this book really helpful for identifying triggers: https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Headache-David-Buchholz/dp/0761125663/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1523831870&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=headache+cure&psc=1

I've been doing the Buchholz diet. It's been working really well, especially considering how sensitive I am (chronic migraines).

If you haven't already pick up a copy of his book, even if you're not gonna do his diet, it's well worth a read.

https://www.amazon.ca/Heal-Your-Headache-David-Buchholz/dp/0761125663

This book talks about rebound medication headaches and elimination diets. I found it really useful.

THIS BOOK opened my eyes to my triggers and helped me to cut down my migraines from 20 or so a month to maybe 4 or 5. You have to realize that some triggers you can't control (weather, light/noise, etc) but when you find the ones you can control it makes a world of difference.

Triggers I've learned about from reading aforementioned book:

• MSG (in so many foods that are canned, boxed or pre-packaged or precooked and frozen)
  
• Aspartame
  
• Lack of sleep
  
• Too much sleep
  
• Loud/Sharp noises (the guy behind me at a ballgame whistling)
  
• Light exposure (bright lights above my head for extended periods - the sun, a bright dining table light, etc)
  
  I also learned that everyone's triggers are different. Bananas are problematic for many ppl but i have no problem with them. Good luck finding yours, and it always helps to see what triggers others have because you just might have the same one.

Coolio thanks I'll read them. What do you think about this book here? I was just looking at it.

Edit: I read the first one. Question. Does the same science apply to different kinds of headaches other than migraines? For example I have a New Daily Persistent Headache. It has no beginning or end. So the "trigger" part of every migraine anything I read is always irrelevant to me.

I'm an assistant, not a dentist, who was suffering from 3-4 migraines per month. A Hygienist who previously had been dealing with 2 years of chronic, near-daily migraines recommended I check out "Heal Your Headache" http://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Headache-David-Buchholz/dp/0761125663
It's a little preachy, but explained how some (though the author claims all) migraines are caused by combinations of multiple triggers, rather than the commonly accepted single trigger. Knowing my "migraine threshold" has helped me knock the frequency down.

Yea I know it sucks but you can't be taking that much excedrine per day. Guaranteed you're in a rebound cycle. You just gotta bite the bullet and get off of those to help yourself get out of the cycle. I recommend the book Heal your Headache. Helped me a shit load.
http://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Headache-David-Buchholz/dp/0761125663/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419222647&sr=8-1

Have you tried any of the migraine diets? I am following the Heal Your Headache diet (focuses on eliminating any potential triggers) and after 3-4 weeks my migraines went from 5-7 per week to 1 mild one per week. However, I started acupuncture and the SpringTMS (transcranial magnetic stimulator) at the same time, so I'm not sure which intervention helped.

I am eighteen and I have had migraines for over ten years. Almost all of my migraines are accompanied by an aura, but every few years I will go through a period of experiencing the aura without pain. You should make note that you had an odd migraine and record any changes in your migraine patterns. You may still be at risk for a migraine with head pain; you might want to consider avoiding alcohol, chocolate, and excessive caffeine (energy drinks). If you keep getting migraines my neurologist recommended to me the book Heal Your Headache. I hope this helps.