self help
Be Your Own Advocate
Happy Holidays
How to get through ‘ the most wonderful time of the year ’ without letting migraines and headaches play Scrooge .
By Kelly Rehan
Ahh … the holidays . It ’ s time for busy party schedules filled with platters of aged cheeses and smoked meats , festive cocktails and stress . Lots and lots of stress .
Let ’ s face it : The holidays are a painful time for most people . For migraine and headache sufferers , they can be an absolute minefield . Trigger foods take center stage , stress levels spike and regular sleep patterns are out the window . Even winter weather fluctuations increase your chances of developing head pain .
But that doesn ’ t mean you are resigned to a blue Christmas this year . If you ’ re vigilant about your lifestyle habits , there are ways you can help manage your pain .
Here are five healthy habits that should be in every migraine and headache sufferer ’ s toolkit .
1 . Keep a diary . Migraine and headache triggers vary widely from person to person , so the best way to identify your triggers is to keep a headache diary , says Joshua Cohen , MD , MPH , headache fellowship program director at Roosevelt Hospital ’ s Headache Institute and Adolescent Headache Center in New York City .
“ Each time you have a headache , jot down anything you can think of that may have triggered it — changes in sleep , skipping meals or what you ate ,” he says . “ Over time , you will discover patterns in your diary that can help you determine what you need to avoid .”
2 . Consider shopping online . For shopaholics , the days between Black Friday and New
Year ’ s Day are like the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras rolled into one . But shopping malls can be a trigger wonderland for people with migraine and headache , Dr . Cohen says . If you ’ re worried a holiday shopping spree might make your condition worse , you can find everything you need ( and then some ) online .
“ Just walking into the mall to do some holiday shopping can be a challenge ,” Dr . Cohen says . “ People are sprayed with perfume ( an odor trigger ), surrounded by lots of chaos ( a sound trigger ), exposed to fluorescent lights ( a bright light trigger ) and they may grab lunch at the food court where foods are often rich in MSG ( a food trigger ).”
3 . Manage stress . Stress is a major trigger for migraine and headache sufferers , and the holiday season can cause anxiety levels to skyrocket .
George Rederich , MD , director of the South Bay Neurology Research Center in Redondo Beach , Calif ., advises patients who struggle with holiday headaches to start thinking about pain prevention early — ideally months before the holidays . Headache sufferers need this extra time to learn and “ master ” the necessary preventive care techniques before the stress-filled holidays hit . To help patients understand the precautions they should take , he recommends a book called The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook by Martha Davis , et al . This guide helps people manage stress with a variety of skills based on their unique symptoms .
Additionally , he tells patients to use an even simpler stress-reduction strategy : Just say no .
“ You can be pressured into participating in things you don ’ t want to do ,” Dr . Rederich says . “ If that is happen-
16 HEAD WISE | Volume 1 , Issue 3 • 2011