From: duncan@brolga.cc.uq.oz.au (Duncan McCardle)
Subject: Re: Back to that migraine thread
Organization: Prentice Centre, University of Queensland
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 06:36:44 GMT

javery@bnr.ca (Joel Avery) writes:

>Well, last night I got another of my (luckily rare) migraines.  I had
>pretty much figured out that my migraines were exercise induced, and were
>caused by getting up, heading to the gym for some pickup basketball, hitting
>the shower, and then off to work - all this before nine AM.  No wonder my
>head hurt.  Anyways, my head changed for the better when I slept in, and 
>didn't exercise.

I also suffer from migraines (inherited, thanks Mom), also *thankfully* rare.
However I've found mine to be triggered by stress, or release of stress, or
lack of sleep, or walking around and breathing ! (I have had that headache
after exercise, plus throwing up etc, but that's just 'cos I'm unfit.)

>From reading about massage techniques for migraines in this great newsgroup, 
>I realized that there was nothing I could rub to avert the headache when I 
>started to have my vision problem, which signals "45 minutes to migraine".
>And, since I was in a bar after my baseball game, and didn't think it safe
>to drive with "holes" in my vision, I drink a beer.  When the migraine
>arrived, it was MUCH less powerful than usual.  

I've tried a lot of things to prevent migraines; rest, stress management, 
chiropractic, massage, valium, almost anything. Sometimes I'd go for
months without one, then bang!, it became a little depressing. After
using valium I avoided drugs and tried more natural methods, but they
didn't fix it either. (Still massages feel great, no need for an excuse
to have one.) Anyway I got frustrated and took my doctor up on a 
suggestion he'd made previously. He prescribed these pills, Pizo-something,
as a preventative. Now apparantly there are many types of migraines and my
sort (vision disturbance, numbness in fingers & face, followed by thumping
headache) are ameniable to this treatment. I took the pills for a month,
and I haven't had a migraine for over 2 months. 

>So, being an armchair doctor, I had a thought.  Alcohol dilates blood vessels
>(that's why we shouldn't drink in the cold (ya, tell that to us Canadians)),
>and, since migraines are (essentially) constriction of blood vessels in the
>head? brain?, did they cancel each other out?  Maybe this is why man has always
>drank beer after sporting events.

Well these pills are supposed to do something to the blood vessels in the
brain, I've also found asprin (which thins the blood) to be beneficial, so
I reckon your idea may be right.

>So, my life now can consist of sleeping in, avoiding exercise, and if I do
>have to exercise, I have to drink beer afterwords.  Just kidding.

Why kid it sound fine to me.

>I'd like throw this theory out on the porch, and see if the dog licks it up.
>Anyone on the net have an opinion?  Of course, everyone on the net has an 
>opinion, but an relatively learned opinion on this?

Sorry, I don't qualify as learned.

>-- 

>Joel Avery   <javery@bnr.ca>
>Manager, Distributed File Systems Evolution
>Bell-Northern Research,          
>P.O. Box 3511 Station C,
>Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA K1Y 4H7
>Phone (613) 765-4638  ESN 395-4638
>Fax   (613) 765-2854  ESN 395-2854

Duncan McCardle

Newsgroups: alt.backrubs