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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs.
        
(Message started by: Chip80 on Feb 15^th, 2006, 5:20pm)

Title: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs.
Post by Chip80 on Feb 15^th, 2006, 5:20pm

I’m new here, have dealt with CHs for the past 20 years, and feel that I must share this with you. I’ve had the KIP 9s & 10S and have been able get through them without going nuts. I’m talking about the kind where it feels like there’s an ice pick in the back of your eye socket being hit with a hammer, your pillow feels like rocks and jolts of pain, like electric shocks, make me jerk off the bed involuntarily.

I’m not trying to sell anyone anything, and I know many of you will think I’m some kind of nut. But, what I’m about to describe has worked for me for 20 years. I’m now 47.

I used to be a bicycle racer, and later triathlete, when I was in my mid 20s and early 30s. Early on I came to a point where physical conditioning was not providing the gains I needed to be competitive with the younger competition. I was at a US Cycling Federation (U.S. governing body for bicycle racing and the U.S. Olympic team) seminar where a book on Russian and East German performance techniques that had just come out was mentioned to us. The book is named Red Gold by Grigori Raiport M.D.,PH.D. This book, among other things, covered these areas that the Russian and East German Olympians were conditioned/trained in:
1 – Conquering your resistance to change
2 – Transcending your threshold of pain
3 – Mastering consciousness and attention
4 – Gaining self-control
5 – Achieving a state of optimal functioning
6 – Tapping your co-personalities
7 – Identifying with your winning self

I bought the book mainly because I knew the only way I was going to improve athletically was to be able to break through my threshold of pain (TOP). In addition, I really needed a way to calm my nerves in preparation for races.

The book taught me how to do all of that and much more. The Russians call these techniques auto condition response. Many of us also refer to it as self-hypnosis. I studied the book and practiced the exercises for months before becoming proficient. Now I can automatically do these following things:
1 – Lower my heart rate and BP. I can usually go to sleep anywhere within a few minutes. My massage therapist says I’m the most relaxed person she’s ever worked on.
2 – Direct blood flow to my arms and legs. This actually lessons, and sometimes eliminates the throbbing pain behind my eye but lessoning blood flow to my head.
3 – Divert my focus off of, and through pain. I think if I concentrated on the pain I would go nuts though. I like to mentally put myself in a “happy” place.

So now you think I’m crazy, don’t you. But, if you’d ask my wife she’d tell you that I can lay perfectly still in bed while under attack, and she can sleep like a baby next to me. Sure, there’s still some pain, but I’ve learned how to deal with it without meds when I want to.

If you think this is all a bunch of crap, do not buy it. You must be under the belief that you are capable of effecting physiological changes with your mind in order to get any benefits. Also, you will never be able to master these skills if you are in the middle of a CH cycle.

Buy the way; my CH’s started after a serious head injury from a bike racing crash. I never thought the techniques I learned to help me perform better in racing would help me so much the rest of my life.

Carl

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by pattik on Feb 15^th, 2006, 5:34pm

Hi Carl,
Thanks for the info. Charlie, one of the members of this board has shared a similar technique for directing blood flow to the hands. Up until the age of 32, I had frequent migraines, which I learned to quell with a biofeedback method. Yet, I have never been able to achieve this with CH.
I don't know why it would be different, but it is. However, I'm glad it works for you, and thanks for sharing this information.
Pat

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by LeLimey on Feb 15^th, 2006, 5:40pm

Before anyone jumps this chap I would like to say I've looked up this book and it's out of print, the only place you will find it is a second hand book site or ebay.

Chip, with the best will in the world that was a "dodgy" first post. People who come on and appear to be selling something on their first trip into the forum generally get short shrift as I'm sure you can understand. We've had more than our fair share of snake oil salesmen.

I'm glad you've found something that works for you. You aren't the first poster who has found exersize works for them although for other's its a HUGE trigger.

Sadly with CH there are no easy answers, it's the ultimate "designer" illness in that no two of us have it in exactly the same way nor have the same meds work which makes it very insidious.. but we will beat it!

Stick around, I'm sure you can pick up a few tips or share some :)

Helen

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by floridian on Feb 15^th, 2006, 5:45pm

Non drug methods are great if they work for you. But my perspective is that there are physical things going on in the body that do not dissappear if we 'conquer' pain. The relaxation part you mention sounds good. But when I go into cycle, my sleep gets messed up, and it is not about relaxation.

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by AussieBrian on Feb 15^th, 2006, 8:37pm

I'm with Chip on this one and thanks for posting it, mate. I gave all the meds away more than 10 years ago because they were causing me more problems than I already had or leaving me less capable of dealing with the problem at hand. (No, this is not reccommendation to others.)

My way of handling it is similar to yours and works purely on the difference between victor and victim.

I'm a victor and I wish you good health,

Brian Down Under.

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by MJ on Feb 16^th, 2006, 12:44am

I'm with both Chip and Aussie on this too.

Its how I have dealt for the last many years without meds as well.

The only difference for me Chip is your no. 3 ("3 – Divert my focus off of, and through pain. I think if I concentrated on the pain I would go nuts though" )
I do focus wholly on the pain and go through it that way.

Sometimes it takes great pain to get there.
But at any time I too can lower my heart rates, BP and beats in just a few minutes time.
It does work folks and whatever you call it, it can be learned.

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by vaughan on Feb 16^th, 2006, 3:13am

What a load of crap.

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by Chillrmn1 on Feb 16^th, 2006, 5:18am

on 02/16/06 at 03:13:49, vaughan wrote:

What a load of crap.

Gonna disagree with ya Vaughan. Self mind control and deep meditation is well documented, martial arts is a good example. I just haven't been able to accomplish it personally to this level..........might just see about getting my hands on a copy of the book Chip referred to.

Have a good day,
Bob

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by sandie99 on Feb 16^th, 2006, 6:50am

Chip,

welcome! :)

I'm glad that you've found a method which works for you and shared it with us. I'm a firm believer in the power of the mind. I has helped me achieve wonderful things in my life.

Unfourtainly, getting rid of ch wasn't one of them. My che went into remission in April 2005, thanks to meds. But I will recall that if it decided to come back (yes, I'm being Miss Optimistic here), I will try harder to beat it without meds as I'm not that fond of meds either.

Best wishes & PF days,
Sanna :)

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by Chip80 on Feb 16^th, 2006, 9:20am

on 02/15/06 at 17:40:39, LeLimey wrote:

I didn't even realize that there was a condition called CH until I went to the neurologist this past Monday for the first time. I found this web site and just wanted to share how I've been dealing with it for years. No other motives. The advice and experiences are free - take it or leave it.

I guess being new I could have read the Kudzu thread and thought someone was trying to sell something. For anyone that Kudzu helps, I'm truley happy. But, without clinical trials (Kudzu vs Placebo) who's to know if it's the Kudzu that's producing the benefit, or the BELIEF that Kudzu will produce the benefit that helps people. IMO as long as the side effects are 0, it really doesn't matter.

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by seasonalboomer on Feb 16^th, 2006, 9:23am

Chip,

I'm with you and wish I had the ability. One of my first posts here (a lot of posts ago) I was excited that I'd actually seemed to breakthrough some low-level hits using some yoga-developed meditation. I took some guff from a few but many have felt that the mind has the ability to help some but not overcome. When my CH cycle really grabbed hold I had to recharacterize my "success" a little bit.

I'm also an endurance athlete and believe that some of what I've developed in my endurance training for marathons is of some help in this process. The ability to run through pain does help one mentally and emotionally through CH.

But, I did finally decide that being a "trooper" and trying to gut through everything with my mind didn't offer the same rewards as an O2 tank and ClusterMasx, and the Kudzu which I had greater success with. I just couldn't see what I was gaining anymore by trying to do it without the help of what others were getting results from.

Godo luck to you in keeping it going. The mind is an amazing thing.

Thanks for posting.

Scott

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by Dragnlance on Feb 16^th, 2006, 10:30am

Hey Chip

Thanks for posting. I also have not been able to reach a point that I can control the CH with this method.
However, like the aussie roo man, I gave up the meds a few years back. I do take kudzu now, which has surprised me a great deal. It's not a cure, but it very much helps reduce the amount of pain.

Stay pain free man!

Dragnlance

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by Melissa on Feb 16^th, 2006, 12:19pm

I'm going to have to say that the BEST abortive out there, is O2. Period.

It quit working on me 1/2 way through my 2000 cycle and didn't work at all in my 2003 cycle, but when I bought a Clustermasx and tried O2 again this last cycle, it worked 100% of the time. I can't say that about any other thing I've tried.

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by Chip80 on Feb 16^th, 2006, 12:43pm

on 02/16/06 at 12:19:46, Melissa wrote:

Although I've never tried 02, because I just found out about CH this week, I'd have to agree with you.

Oxygen deprevation (being in my living room with the wood burning stove on and no window open to let air in the house) will trigger a CH for me. Getting outside in the fresh air soon enough will abort it. Also, I have found the a good workout at the start of a CH will also abort it.

How expensive is it to have an 02 setup on hand? I have a large 02 tank for welding, but I'd guess it's not suitable for breathing - not medical grade.

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by Mr. Happy on Feb 16^th, 2006, 1:52pm

on 02/16/06 at 12:43:41, Chip80 wrote:

How expensive is it to have an 02 setup on hand? I have a large 02 tank for welding, but I'd guess it's not suitable for breathing - not medical grade.

Clustermasx - $25.
540 Regulator - $12.50
Bubbler - $2.00
S&H - $10.00 or so.
Welding O2 is fine and dandy.

While supplies last.
Randy@ouchpanj.org

Title: Re: Auto Conditioning - How I manage without drugs
Post by Beastfodder on Feb 17^th, 2006, 4:36am

I'm pretty open on this one and would read the book.

Spent years misdiagnosed and know that given enough concentration you can keep a lid on the pain. Never came close to stopping it, just knew that there were worse places I could go if I let it.

Wasn't until I was diagnosed and Maxalts missed a couple of headaches that I found out where that was.

But these Russians and East Germans - did they also use these new found self awareness techniques to bend a few of the drug tests as well?