Best Migraine Prevention

When all of life is distorted by migraine, you can be miserable for days. This makes some migraine sufferers willing to do almost anything to prevent the next episode. Migraine prevention becomes uppermost in their minds and, depending on their personalities, they actually will do almost anything.

The Little Green Book

The best migraine prevention is what I call “The Little Green Book”. I use the color green because it speaks of perpetual life and health.

Why is The Little Green Book the best migraine prevention? Here are 3 reasons.

1. It requires total commitment on your part.
2. It becomes your personal trainer.
3. It helps establish required new habits.

Total Commitment to Migraine Prevention

You must so want the best migraine prevention that you are willing to invest time and effort - and the price of a small green journal. You must be so determined to obtain migraine prevention that you are willing to carry The Little Green Book with you 24/7/365.

In The Little Green Book, record every bite of food you eat each day, and every drink you consume. Write down every activity, every situation that upsets you in any way. Don’t make it complicated. Just be sure you will know a month from now what you meant when you wrote, “perfectionist Sally”.

Above all, if you are to gain migraine prevention, jot down the first moment you suspect a migraine episode. Record what happened just before it, and how it developed.

Personal Migraine Prevention Trainer

After your next migraine episode, study your Little Green Book, looking for clues as to what triggered it. Look at everything for a week preceding the onset. Look back two weeks. Are there any patterns? Is something repeated that built to trigger your migraine? Mark things that you believe might be triggers.

Begin to modify any behavior that seems to be involved. Clean your life of activities that upset you on a regular basis. If necessary, change jobs. If “perfectionist Sally”might be a trigger, tell her good-bye in a pleasant manner. If you yourself are a perfectionist, begin to reduce your demands on yourself. If you find frequent stressors in your life, learn to stop each hour for 10-15 deep, relaxed breaths. Learn other stress management techniques.

Habits can be changed in as little as 21 days. Mark your calendar, and determine to change yours as a big step toward migraine prevention.

Establish Positive Migraine Prevention Habits

It has long been known that a “merry heart” does good, just as medication does. The best migraine prevention, and the one affordable to everyone, is happiness. Take time to jot down the things that most often make you happy. What activities help you relax and smile? What people always seem to make you laugh? What kind of reading material or television program can usually bring a smile to your face? This is probably the most important part of a migraine prevention program.

Once you have created, in The Little Green Book, your list of “merry heart” events, people, etc., begin to schedule as many as possible into each day.

Muster Migraine Prevention Forces

Show The Little Green Book to family, friends, colleagues, and ESPECIALLY your health care provider. Explain your plan, and enlist their support. When they know which habits you want to break - which food and situations you want to avoid - they will probably help you do so. If they know you want to laugh much more than you do, they may be very willing to help you see the lighter side. It could be beneficial to all involved.