Headaches are terrible, but migraines can mean you cannot work, enjoy family, or do regular things. I remember when I had migraines, it meant carrying around prescription injections and missing many memories, as I lay in bed sick.

I’ve been migraine free for ten years this month. I changed many things in my life starting with reducing my migraine triggers.

It is easy to avoid most triggers. Health coaching can give you your life back empowering you and help you develop the best lifestyle possible. Acupuncture helps eliminate headaches, but it is important you know the triggers. This article reveals the top migraine triggers.

Certain foods, things in the environment, even weather changes activate migraines. Emotional upset or stress spark off headaches. So does neck tension from long hours at a desk for instance.

Preventing exposure to these factors could help migraine patients manage their conditions and reduce the frequency of headaches.

The Most Common Migraine Trigger – Stress

The most common trigger is stress. It creeps into our life through work, family, or worry about the past. Most migraine suffers are attuned emotionally to their world. This can lead to anxiety, and sadness both release particular brain chemicals that cause headaches. Learning meditation, mindfulness, and gentle physical activity can prevent migraines. All three help me. I meditate daily, use a mindfulness app on my smart phone to take breaks through my day, and do Yoga.

Your Environment

Perfume, scented candles and body lotion fill the world around you. Public places like church or movie theaters make it difficult to avoid ‘highly-scented’ people thinking everyone wants to smell their favorite fragrance. I once told a lady who sat down next to me that her perfume was too strong. I still had migraines and when she sat everyone within a few rows turned to see where the heavy wafting smell was coming from – it was her. Letting her know took courage and honesty as I said, “I’m a migraine suffer and your perfume is so strong. I am getting nauseated and may vomit.” She got up and moved.

As she and her husband moved away I heard him and their daughter both say, “we’ve told you it’s too much maybe now you’ll listen to us.” Usually you’re not the first person to ‘share this information’ perhaps you’ll be the one that helps them rethink how they use beauty products.

For Women – The Period

I see women weekly suffering from hormonal migraines. They happen at ovulation and during menses. Many patients come in telling me they spend 3-5 days twice monthly in bed with abdomen and head pain.

This was me in my teens. Many a date with that special boy came and went without me. It helped me realize which boys really liked me enough to put up with the inconvenience and which we’re mature enough at the young age of 17 to be around girls with migraines. Over 89% of all migraine agonizers are women.

The Mystery Trigger

Every headache experience is a mystery. Was it the pasta you ate or the chocolate? Could it be the automatic air freshener in the restaurant bathroom? Perhaps it was the combination of all of these. Each person is unique you have your own bio-individuality. Causes of your migraines are different from the next person. Seasonal changes produce a new set of migraine triggers making mystery of why in spring gluten bothers you but it does not in winter.

Keeping a diary can help you navigate along with health coaching. I want to touch on chronic pain and autoimmune disease.

These both can make you more susceptible to head pain.

My Favorite – The Food Trigger

Headaches happen when we eat food that doesn’t agree with our body. Some things in food are never okay for anyone and the leading cause of inflammation, stomach problems, and migraines.

This article is not about the pathway of pain, and the large part inflammation plays in headaches. It is my hope you will crowd-out the triggers or chose to explore health coaching to rid you of migraines altogether.

Some foods to consider crowding out are ripened cheeses, chocolate, marinated foods as pickles, foods with nitrates such as bacon. For some reason, many people have problems with sour cream, and nuts.

Interestingly, caffeine can ease migraines or create them including alcohol especially red wine and beer.

Some healers believe sweet or citrus fruits are problems. My suggestion remember you are unique and go with your ‘gut’ literally! If your digestion does not like what you eat, neither will your head.

Tracking Down Your Triggers

Acupuncture will help you lessen the frequency of migraines even the level of pain. Along with lifestyle changes, a life free of head pain is yours. Working with a health mentor to track down your triggers adds to your success.

Other migraine articles http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20306955,00.html

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/migraine_headache/article_em.htm

http://www.everydayhealth.com/headache-migraine/headache-migraine-articles.aspx

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