Sinus trouble and Migraines

February 13, 2003

I've also noticed sinus trouble affecting vision, and migraines as

well. It's in the same area of the body, after all. Migraine is

thought to be a " vascular headache " but having had both, I

sometimes can't tell the difference. Anything that makes pain,

pressure, & swelling in the area adjacent to the eyes obviously

will adversely affect eyesight. Conversely, the relief of such

stress helps one to see better. In fact the basis of the Bates

Method of vision improvement is that exactly.

I myself have noticed that if my digestion is backed up it affects

my vision and bad enough digestion will give me a migraine.

Some kinds of migraines even have a visual effect called a

" scotoma " which varies from person to person, but often involves

a part of your visual field being blanked out, surrounded by

colored zigzags. It's quite a sight! And thought to be caused by

twitching of the pupils. But who knows what makes them twitch?

But back to bad digestion & migraines: The worst migraine I ever

had happened to me when I was in New Delhi. Migraine comes

with nausea and I was constipated, too. Sick as a dog for more

than a day. Mercifully, I kept falling asleep. Much later, when I got

back to the USA, I had a repeat performance of this. It turns out

that I cannot digest bananas...! I've always loved bananas but

don't usually eat them all that much. But in India I think I ate

maybe 10 in the course of 12 hours. And a couple of greasy

samosas. That was all I could get that day, as I had taken a bus

ride to Agra. Yecch...! Fortunately most of the food I ate in India

was really healthy.

I'll ask my Chinese herbalist what other parts of the body have a

direct connection to the eyes. You may be right about the

kidneys, too.

Fran

February 13, 2003

Sounds like a classic allergic reaction to the " T " . This can be

chronic or can be acute. There are sinus located in the eye area so

when they are plugged and inflamed pain results there. I suffered

much with this condition until I identified the allergy triggers.

What happens is a response of mucous over production in reference to

allergy triggers. This cloggs sinsus resulting in pain, inflamation

and feelings of fatigue. Do this test. Lean over and pick something

up off the floor. If it worsens then it related to sinus. What is

sinus issues? Over production of mucous resulting in pain, and

pressure that can extend to surrounding areas. The KEY is to FIND

the CAUSE of overproduction of mucous and eliminate it.

Why does it come and go so much? Allergies are a part of the immune

system and as the immune system is overloaded it will function less

effectively. Decrease stress on immune system and you will get

better functioning. Its like constipation. Continue to have low

fiber foods and constipation gets worse. As you increase fiber there

is better digestion. (Sorry for the unpleasant analogy it is the

quickest one I could come up with).

As the system is less taxed (good nutrition, avoidance of many

allergins, good rest, low stress, the ever important element of

exercise) You can tolerate more allergins without having a negative

response. So you get variance which makes it more confusing to

figure out.

Love in Christ,

Cindy

herbal remedies , " Francine <feisner@e...> "

<feisner@e...> wrote:

> I've also noticed sinus trouble affecting vision, and migraines as

> well. It's in the same area of the body, after all. Migraine is

> thought to be a " vascular headache " but having had both, I

> sometimes can't tell the difference. Anything that makes pain,

> pressure, & swelling in the area adjacent to the eyes obviously

> will adversely affect eyesight. Conversely, the relief of such

> stress helps one to see better. In fact the basis of the Bates

> Method of vision improvement is that exactly.

>

> I myself have noticed that if my digestion is backed up it affects

> my vision and bad enough digestion will give me a migraine.

> Some kinds of migraines even have a visual effect called a

> " scotoma " which varies from person to person, but often involves

> a part of your visual field being blanked out, surrounded by

> colored zigzags. It's quite a sight! And thought to be caused by

> twitching of the pupils. But who knows what makes them twitch?

>

> But back to bad digestion & migraines: The worst migraine I ever

> had happened to me when I was in New Delhi. Migraine comes

> with nausea and I was constipated, too. Sick as a dog for more

> than a day. Mercifully, I kept falling asleep. Much later, when I

got

> back to the USA, I had a repeat performance of this. It turns out

> that I cannot digest bananas...! I've always loved bananas but

> don't usually eat them all that much. But in India I think I ate

> maybe 10 in the course of 12 hours. And a couple of greasy

> samosas. That was all I could get that day, as I had taken a bus

> ride to Agra. Yecch...! Fortunately most of the food I ate in

India

> was really healthy.

>

> I'll ask my Chinese herbalist what other parts of the body have a

> direct connection to the eyes. You may be right about the

> kidneys, too.

>

> Fran

February 14, 2003

Hi Cindy,

I appreciate your suggestions, BUT:

I can't say that I agree with the basic thrust of your posting. The

information you give is not erroneous, just a bit too general. The

reason I say this is that I go contrary to many of the patterns that

you describe. For exampe: I don't produce much mucous, unless

I have a viral infection. When I have allergic rhinitis, it presents as

rather " dry " and the inside of my nose is sore. I've known since I

was a child that I have an allergy to dust and mold.My sinusitis

tends to flare up in cold weather as soon as the steam heat in

the radiator comes up. In times when I am allergy-prone I start

sneezing as soon as the heat comes up, several times a day.

I get both common and classical migraines, on either side of my

head. Sinus headaches tend to be on my left side, which is

probably smaller than the right sinus cavity. I first developed

sinus trouble at age 20, which was thirty years ago. I contracted

quite a severe sinus infection at that time and it kept recurring.

Fortunately, it subsided after a few years. At age 24 I developed

my first migraine headache, which was so severe I wound up in

the hospital emergency room. I believed at the time that I must

have a brain tumor.Fortunately, the resident who examined me

also suffered from the exact type of migraine that I was in the

midst of, the classical type which has as its warning sign the

visual disturbance that I described in my earlier post. I've had

migraines on and off ever since then. The initial migraine came

immediately after a vigorous bout at the gym (not an uncommon

occurrence in migraine " lore " ) but since then they usually

seemed to be triggered by some unfortunate intake of food,

inorganic wine, etc. Lately, as I am fifty years old, they seem

hormonal in origin.

The way I usually can tell the migraine from the sinus headache

is that I have extreme sensitivity to sound, light, and odors only

when I have a migraine, as well as the pain, which varies in

severity in both cases. I used to take Fiorinal for migraines but

frankly I overused it until it was no longer effective. I finally

weaned myself off of it and now I am able to use Excedrin

Migraine (acetaminophen + caffeine) combined with valerian

herb, freeze-dried from Eclectic Institute. I haven't found Feverfew

to be effective at all.

You do make a number of statements that I agree with. Allergies

are an overreaction of the immune system. I also agree that

proper rest, exercise, and nutrition help your ability to tolerate

more allergens without having a negative response. But

sometimes elimination of the stressors is not possible. For

example,I live in an apartment so have no choice regarding the

means of heating my apartment. I live in New York City, and

these days, whenever I hear a plane I hope it's one of " ours. "

I eat a very good diet, high in fiber as well, but at times my

digestion is too sluggish no matter what I eat. At those times I

rely on TCM. I've got a really good Chinese doctor and fortunately

I respond very well to Chinese herbs.

As far as allergies being environmental in origin, it is my

understanding that there is a very strong genetic component as

well. I have a very strong family history of allergies and asthma,

and I was born with atopic dermatitis, which I first exhibited at 6

months. When I was in high school I was taken to an allergist,

who pronounced me " allergic to everything " but offered no

suggestions. I actually wasn't diagnosed with the atopic

syndrome until age 20, though. Atopic syndrome is often referred

to as " the itch that rashes. " What this means is that the person

itches, often for no discernible reason, and they scratch until the

skin gets raw. I can remember itching for most of my life. I didn't

know what to do when I was a kid, so I took alot of showers. My

skin always felt very uncomfortable. In a way this problem did me

a favor. I knew that my body chemistry was extremely weird, so I

never experimented much with drugs. And I got very interested in

nutrition and nutritional supplements. I found that quercetin with

vitamin C acts as a natural antihistamine, so I don't itch very

often and sometimes, when I'm at home for long hours with a

big project, I forget to bathe. Before trying quercetin this could

never have happened, LOL. All in all I'm doing pretty well with the

allergy problem considered how tough things used to be. I plan

to try some of the sinus remedies in the files. I think I may try

adding slippery elm because of the dryness and irritation I

experience when my sinuses act up.

As far as stress reduction goes, I try not to listen to the news very

much lately, and I practice breathing exercises. Some stress is

inevitable, though. For instance, I experienced 9/11 firsthand (I

live a mile from Ground Zero), had to breathe the air (if you could

call it that) afterwards, and broke up with my husband of 13

years. He got to keep the cat, the Acme juicer, and the

two-bedroom apartment. My business isn't going very well, and I

am POOR. We're going to war again, and I am not optimistic

about the repercussions. I'm not really complaining, just stating

the sources of my stress, and they are very real. I am careful

about my diet, I see my immediate family as much as possible

and try to get out of the city. I got two more cats, and I have

learned how to live very frugally, which I find kind of fun, sort of a

triumph. I do a variety of exercises. So there is bad stuff going on

but I am living my life.

As far as my atopic syndrome goes, it doesn't bother me much

but there must still be alot of histamine in my skin, as

mosquitoes don't like to bite me...! This is something my older

brother and I share: Genetics, once again.

And one other thing: After I developed migraines I found Oliver

Sacks' book entitled " Migraine. " I not only learned alot about

migraines but this was my introduction to his writings, which

continue to inspire and delight me.

Fran

February 14, 2003

Hi Fran,

Maybe your migraines arent allergy related. The symptoms sounded

nearly exactly what I experienced when my allergies were undetected

and untreated. Mine were so severe I came close to passing out when

I would bend over. Grocery shopping was nearly a nightmare.

Migraines were almost always a part of my daily existance causing me

to just exist and not fully live.

I never thought they were allergies because like you, I didnt think

I was producing mucous as I also had the dry nose syndrome you

described. What I later learned from CT scans showing brain

inflamation and clogged sinus requiring fairly extensive surgery is

that the mucous was so backed up it never drained into my nose. So,

although I was having dry nose syndrome the allergic response was

continueing in my head and backing up like a defective faucet hence

causing the same symptoms you have described. The only exception was

I was never sensative to odors but I was to light and sound. Why?

Because basically from all the pressure from the sinus there was

pressure on surrounding areas and general brain irritability. The

brain is incredibly sensative to pressure and even extemes of

pressure from clogged sinus can affect it.

I too saw a connection between what I ate and my migraines before I

was properly diagnosed and treated. Corn specifically but other

foods were triggers but it took careful testing to get that

identified. After awhile, I learned how food reactions produce many

of the same reactions as airborn ones do and it takes a two

different tests (skin poke and blood draw types) to completely

identify reactions. In my case food reactions are more likely to

produce migranes while airborn ones are more likely to produce

asthma.

This all became apparent when my allergies were properly addressed

and treated my migraines went away. (about 3 years ago) If I let my

allergies get out of control I am gaurenteed to get the migraines

back. I know that when my self discipline with food is weak and I

give in I am going to pay with a migraine. If I stay clear then I am

migraine free. I also do what I can about airborne allergins which

really helps.

I find it intriguing that most of the drugs used by the medical

institution to treat migraines are what? Antinflamatories of one

type or another. What is their primary action? To reduce inflamation

that therefore reduces pressure and restores blood flow. Prehaps it

would be more helpful to prevent the inflamation in the first place

(correctly identifying and avoiding allergins) and not have to treat

it will expensive and high powered meds. But that wouldnt be as good

for the drug companies and they know that. It is also not a quick

perscription your Dr can quickly write out and get you out of his

office with. It takes time on the part of a Dr to correctly diagnose

and treat this condition. Hmmm I dont think it is likely they will

change their tune and divert from their drug treatments any time

soon. As a result many people continue to suffer and treat symptoms

but not cause.

There was just alot in your post that I related too and my heart

always goes out to people who are or have suffered the same symptoms

as I did. Now that I am typically migraine free (from nearly

suffering them daily) I try to share my experiences in case someone

can benefit from them. If there is something in this post you can

relate to then good but if not then maybe there is someone you know

who would benefit from this story. Since there is a 50% worldwide

increase in allergies in the past decade chances are that someone

all of us know has their quality of life affected by the negative

results of overinflamation in the brain, respiratory system and

digestive system (all places where excessive allergic response-

inflamation, occurs). I just wish the medical institution would do

more than write a perscription and really get to helping people.

Whew! Sorry I rambled so. I wondered if I should go back and delete

some of this but in case something here benefits someone I will keep

it. Please excuse the rambling.

Love in Christ,

Cindy

herbal remedies , " Francine <feisner@e...> "

<feisner@e...> wrote:

> Hi Cindy,

>

> I appreciate your suggestions, BUT:

>

> I can't say that I agree with the basic thrust of your posting.

The

> information you give is not erroneous, just a bit too general. The

> reason I say this is that I go contrary to many of the patterns

that

> you describe. For exampe: I don't produce much mucous, unless

> I have a viral infection. When I have allergic rhinitis, it

presents as

> rather " dry " and the inside of my nose is sore. I've known since I

> was a child that I have an allergy to dust and mold.My sinusitis

> tends to flare up in cold weather as soon as the steam heat in

> the radiator comes up. In times when I am allergy-prone I start

> sneezing as soon as the heat comes up, several times a day.

>

> I get both common and classical migraines, on either side of my

> head. Sinus headaches tend to be on my left side, which is

> probably smaller than the right sinus cavity. I first developed

> sinus trouble at age 20, which was thirty years ago. I contracted

> quite a severe sinus infection at that time and it kept recurring.

> Fortunately, it subsided after a few years. At age 24 I developed

> my first migraine headache, which was so severe I wound up in

> the hospital emergency room. I believed at the time that I must

> have a brain tumor.Fortunately, the resident who examined me

> also suffered from the exact type of migraine that I was in the

> midst of, the classical type which has as its warning sign the

> visual disturbance that I described in my earlier post. I've had

> migraines on and off ever since then. The initial migraine came

> immediately after a vigorous bout at the gym (not an uncommon

> occurrence in migraine " lore " ) but since then they usually

> seemed to be triggered by some unfortunate intake of food,

> inorganic wine, etc. Lately, as I am fifty years old, they seem

> hormonal in origin.

>

> The way I usually can tell the migraine from the sinus headache

> is that I have extreme sensitivity to sound, light, and odors only

> when I have a migraine, as well as the pain, which varies in

> severity in both cases. I used to take Fiorinal for migraines but

> frankly I overused it until it was no longer effective. I finally

> weaned myself off of it and now I am able to use Excedrin

> Migraine (acetaminophen + caffeine) combined with valerian

> herb, freeze-dried from Eclectic Institute. I haven't found

Feverfew

> to be effective at all.

>

> You do make a number of statements that I agree with. Allergies

> are an overreaction of the immune system. I also agree that

> proper rest, exercise, and nutrition help your ability to tolerate

> more allergens without having a negative response. But

> sometimes elimination of the stressors is not possible. For

> example,I live in an apartment so have no choice regarding the

> means of heating my apartment. I live in New York City, and

> these days, whenever I hear a plane I hope it's one of " ours. "

>

> I eat a very good diet, high in fiber as well, but at times my

> digestion is too sluggish no matter what I eat. At those times I

> rely on TCM. I've got a really good Chinese doctor and fortunately

> I respond very well to Chinese herbs.

>

> As far as allergies being environmental in origin, it is my

> understanding that there is a very strong genetic component as

> well. I have a very strong family history of allergies and asthma,

> and I was born with atopic dermatitis, which I first exhibited at

6

> months. When I was in high school I was taken to an allergist,

> who pronounced me " allergic to everything " but offered no

> suggestions. I actually wasn't diagnosed with the atopic

> syndrome until age 20, though. Atopic syndrome is often referred

> to as " the itch that rashes. " What this means is that the person

> itches, often for no discernible reason, and they scratch until

the

> skin gets raw. I can remember itching for most of my life. I

didn't

> know what to do when I was a kid, so I took alot of showers. My

> skin always felt very uncomfortable. In a way this problem did me

> a favor. I knew that my body chemistry was extremely weird, so I

> never experimented much with drugs. And I got very interested in

> nutrition and nutritional supplements. I found that quercetin with

> vitamin C acts as a natural antihistamine, so I don't itch very

> often and sometimes, when I'm at home for long hours with a

> big project, I forget to bathe. Before trying quercetin this could

> never have happened, LOL. All in all I'm doing pretty well with

the

> allergy problem considered how tough things used to be. I plan

> to try some of the sinus remedies in the files. I think I may try

> adding slippery elm because of the dryness and irritation I

> experience when my sinuses act up.

>

> As far as stress reduction goes, I try not to listen to the news

very

> much lately, and I practice breathing exercises. Some stress is

> inevitable, though. For instance, I experienced 9/11 firsthand (I

> live a mile from Ground Zero), had to breathe the air (if you

could

> call it that) afterwards, and broke up with my husband of 13

> years. He got to keep the cat, the Acme juicer, and the

> two-bedroom apartment. My business isn't going very well, and I

> am POOR. We're going to war again, and I am not optimistic

> about the repercussions. I'm not really complaining, just stating

> the sources of my stress, and they are very real. I am careful

> about my diet, I see my immediate family as much as possible

> and try to get out of the city. I got two more cats, and I have

> learned how to live very frugally, which I find kind of fun, sort

of a

> triumph. I do a variety of exercises. So there is bad stuff going

on

> but I am living my life.

>

> As far as my atopic syndrome goes, it doesn't bother me much

> but there must still be alot of histamine in my skin, as

> mosquitoes don't like to bite me...! This is something my older

> brother and I share: Genetics, once again.

>

> And one other thing: After I developed migraines I found Oliver

> Sacks' book entitled " Migraine. " I not only learned alot about

> migraines but this was my introduction to his writings, which

> continue to inspire and delight me.

>

> Fran

February 14, 2003

The book Allergies: Disease in Disguise by Caroloee Bateson-Koch is

worth a read in my opinion...

ILANA xxoxo

luv3kidsdc wrote: