Resources

1 August 2013

Biofeedback – Do the Popular Devices Work?

Biofeedback is considered to be one of the safest migraine treatments, and one of the best non-drug treatments available. Basically, biofeedback teaches you to control responses in your body that normally would be automatic.

For example, using biofeedback can help reduce anxiety, promote relaxation, change heart rate, and change blood flow.

There are some devices being sold to help you do biofeedback at home. I was curious to see if people are trying these for headache disorders, and if so what kind of success they’ve had.

So I headed over to amazon to check the reviews, and they seem to be fairly positive. Here’s what people are saying:

Basic GSR2 Biofeedback Relaxation System

Review of the Basic GSR2 Biofeedback Relaxation System

***** The GSR2 reinforces the stress management techniques I learned from my psychologist to attain a state of calm relaxation. These techniques relieve pain generated by stress and anxiety. If you feel inexplicable pain or depression this device can help you cope with these symptoms.

The CD Rom which comes with the GSR2 provides a great summary of some helpful stress management techniques, such as breathing in rhythm and mental relaxation drills. I would recommend this product to anyone who has anxiety-related headaches.

Review of the StressEraser Portable Biofeedback Device [link no longer available]

***** Was never my plan to have to worry about stress, however after a major motorcycle accident this became a reality.

The build up from injuries as well as overall day by day events,the stress level got to a point where a migraine headache was a weekly event. At first, add some medication and the problem was solved but as the weeks lead to months then years the medication got to a point where it was doing little more then produce side effects.

This unit is a part of an overall program that includes everything from a modified diet to lots of water intake to changing television and film selections and music

I am finding that this is certainly helping and is now as important as sleep to me.

This is a not a buy it and it will fix you. You have to look at your complete life and be prepared to make major modifications, then you will find that this will assist.

Do I still have stress in my world? Yes but at least I know that I can work towards a reduction and management

StressEraser Portable Biofeedback Device

Review of the StressEraser Portable Biofeedback Device [link no longer available]

***** I purchased this over 5 years ago and after the initial novelty wore off and after learning the basic skill of deep and steady breathing, I forgot about it and put it aside. However, last year, while I was 8 months pregnant and resting in bed from severe Edema, I took it out again. It really helped me breathe better and feel calmer about the pregnancy. Then, several months after the birth, I found myself too wired to sleep because of the stress of caring for a newborn. I started suffering from daily migraines. I decided to give the Stresserasor a try and after several minutes of retraining myself to take steady deep breaths again, I found myself yawning non-stop for an hour. My brain had been oxygen deprived which I believe was due to shallow breathing, a consequence of chronic stress. After that one session, my headaches went away and it was easier for me to take naps and to sleep again.

I love this product but I agree with the other reviews that sometimes it doesn’t work properly and it is difficult to troubleshoot. I found that it works best when used consistently.

What about you? Have you tried any of these devices, specifically for headache or migraine?

8 June 2013

Fight Back – Facebook Cover Photo

James Resources 0

Still don’t have a cover photo for Migraine and Headache Awareness Month? Feel free to use this one. It’s full resolution – just right click on it and download it to your desktop, then upload to Facebook.

It's time to fight back - Facebook cover photo

Whatever you do, do something today to raise awareness about migraine disease and the many headache disorders people suffer with in 2013.

9 May 2013

Congrats, Gail! (1 Cookbook)

James Resources, Website news 0

Congratulations to Gail in Australia, who was one of the people who has (so far) taken the time to share a recipe! I promised to give away a cookbook once a few recipes were posted – and so here’s the first giveaway!

Gail will be receiving a copy of Michele Sharp’s The Migraine Cookbook: More than 100 Healthy and Delicious Recipes for Migraine Sufferers.

The book is available on Kindle using the link to the right. For amazon UK, click here.

I’ll probably be giving away more cookbooks in the future, so keep those recipes rolling in!

Thanks again, Gail!

21 December 2012

The New (and amazing) Migraine Employment Advocacy Toolkit

James News, Resources 0

The Migraine Trust recently published their new migraine Employment Advocacy Toolkit. This is of special interest to everyone in the UK, but if you’re in other countries don’t tune out quite yet. This kit could be incredibly useful to you too.

We all know that migraine is a serious disability which costs the economy billions. Well, we should all know. Sadly, misinformation and misunderstanding and a simple lack of good protocol is making the situation even worse.

The kit is basically a series of documents available online, via mobile device, or in hard copy. Here’s what the toolkit has to say about itself:

Purpose of the pack
The purpose of this toolkit is to provide general information for migraine sufferers, their colleagues, managers, human resource (HR) departments and occupational health (OH) professionals about ways to manage migraine in the workplace. This pack also provides individuals with general tools and guidance on matters they may wish to raise in the workplace either on their own behalf or on behalf of a migraine sufferer at work.

The kit provides useful information about migraine in the workplace. For example, do you know what presenteeism is? It refers to someone who comes to work even though they’re sick – so they’re working at a lower capacity and likely “faking it” quite a bit to make it through the day.

It answers questions like – Should I tell my employer that I have migraine disease? When? How should I go about it? What can be done to make the workplace a more friendly place for migraineurs?

And on that last topic, there is a LOT of very useful, practical information, related to computer screens, access to drinking water, planning of your day, and much more.

And what if there’s a serious problem with my employer which isn’t being resolved? There are a number of suggestions here too, including templates for agreements and letters.

Now almost everything I’ve mentioned so far will be of use to you no matter what country you live in.

However, there are some great tools specifically for those in the UK as well. For example, a detailed explanation of the law and its relation to migraine in the workplace, contacts and phone numbers that will help you, and more.

Every migraineur in the workplace needs to get their copy of this.

To see the toolkit, visit the Migraine Trust Employment Advocacy page. While you’re downloading, a question. If you don’t live in the UK, are you aware of anything like this in your country? If not, why not?

Note: The Migraine Trust also has a Education (Student) Advocacy page and a Patient Advocacy page.

19 December 2012

Two Books that Should be on Every Migraineur’s Coffee Table

James Resources 5

If you could only choose two books to have on your coffee table, or to have handy when company comes over, what would they be? Here are my two suggestions for migraineurs:

Migraine Expressions: A Creative Journey through Life with Migraine: Migraine Expressions is really designed to be a coffee table type book. It’s a large, colourful, beautifully designed hardcover.

Many people don’t understand the impact of migraine disease, and what a large community migraineurs make up. They don’t understand how migraine destroys life, and how much migraineurs want to fight back.

This book will give your guests quick pictures to look at that illustrate the agony of migraine, but it will also give them poems and prose to read if they’re relaxing for the evening. (Full review here. Migraine Expressions is available at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk.)
Migraine Art: The Migraine Experience from Within: At first this may sound like the same kind of book. And yes, both books are filled with full colour art showing migraine symptoms and the impact of migraine.
So why would you want both?

Migraine Art comes from a very different perspective than Migraine Expressions. Migraine Expressions gives a voice to the migraine community. Migraine Art, on the other hand, is scientific research.

If your friends think you’re the only one who has your crazy symptoms, they’re in for a surprise.

First, they’ll find the names of two doctors on the cover – Dr. Klaus Podoll (a physician and researcher) wrote the book along with Derek Robinson (long time migraine art expert). Plus there’s a forward by Dr. Oliver Sacks, famous for his migraine research and the work that became known to the world in the movie Awakenings.

Next, your friends will see page after page of documented, researched symptoms of migraine. They’ll see fascinating illustrations in each category. They will find out that most likely some people have symptoms even more strange than yours. (What is the strangest symptom, anyway? That may be a topic for another post!)

This is a medical reference book, so not for casual reading. But the scientific aspect is what makes it so different and valuable. At the same time it’s easy enough to flip through that your guests will find it interesting.

(Full review here. Available at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk)

One more note. Because of the topic, these books are at times harsh and graphic in their art and descriptions. So it may not be a book you’ll want your neighbour’s 6 year old flipping through.

But if you really want your friends to understand migraine, sometimes you have to be blunt. These books can do the work for you.