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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> Possible Non-Drug Treatment
        
(Message started by: Owl on May 26^th, 2002, 3:17pm)

Title: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by Owl on May 26^th, 2002, 3:17pm

Well hello out there, C.H. family,
I wanted to tell you of something i tried, that has helped immensley. But maybe i should give you a brief over-view of my case, first. In September '01, i suffered a series of 'headaches', which lasted, collectively, for 6wks. The pain was literally staggering. The effects on my life,[ & that of my loving wife,] were disastrous.
The worst ones hit at 2a.m., or 3a.m., on the dot, everytime. A steel spike being driven thru the left side of my brain. No other way of describing it! The pain was so intense & acute, it made everything else around me seem to disappear. I'd get up, try & do something, e.g. walk around, have a cup of tea, etc., to wash down the 'pain killers', but it soon became apparent that all that was useless. I'd sit with my head in my hands, squeezing my brains out of my skull.
Sometimes i didn't move at all, not that i had a choice, the thing is, i couldn't move. The pain was so intense, i was just trans-fixed. It happened to me while i was walking down the main street, & i must have been standing there, cringing from the pain, with my head in my hands, for about a minute. I remember when i looked up, people were there staring at me, like i was an alien, or something.
The other kind of headache i got, was what i call a 'pressure' headache. That one is also a beauty. Starts with a steel nail being driven thru my left eye, sinuses, even nose, or a screw being screwed [drilled] into my left temple. Then i can feel my left eyebrow getting thick & heavy, & about 1 to 10 minutes later, the 'Vice' starts to tighten on my head.
And it doesn't stop. That's when i've started banging my head on the bench, or the wall.
The worst one though, is the 'Spike'. I'd wake up with it being driven in. I started to fear the nite, because that's when i knew it would come. I actually feared the next one.
Lived on pain killers, not that they did any thing, just dulled the rest of my body, while the thing went to work in my head.
Within a month, i was a wreck, dysfunctional. It was severely affecting my marriage, too. Work was an impossible task, & my employer thought i was a' sook' about these headaches.
I saw two doctors, the first one thought i had a brain tumour, sent me for the tests, C.A.T. scan, eyes, etc., then agreed with the other doctor, that i had C.H.
They both had a virtual arsenal of drugs, to prevent it, to stop it once it started, etc., but then they told me the side-effects, & i opted to try a non-drug trreatment.
I was prepared though, to take whatever they had if i didn't get relief from the other treatment fast.
I went to a homeopath & started on her treatment. Within 5 days, i started to get much better. Since then, the headaches have diminished in frequency & intensity.
But i still get the occassional bad pressure headache.
I only hope it stays this way. Apparently homeopathy doesn't work overnite, but takes a while to realise full effect.
Haven't had the 'spike' for about 5mths. I never want to go there again.
Maybe there is some-one else out there who wants to try a treatment without side-effects.
I'm glad i tried this first, because i was contemplating the 'shroom' thing, because it's only a once a year thing, or there-abouts. I don't do well on medication that i have to take all the time. Done that before.
Well, happy days ahead to all of you, i wonder how many of you have tried homeopathy?
So far, so good, with me.
bye.

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by ave on May 27^th, 2002, 5:04pm

Eh... with all your enthousiasm you omitted to tell us what WAS the homeopathic product you were prescribed.

Would be nice if others could get relief by going to the store and buying it too.

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by lazerboots on Jun 1^st, 2002, 2:07pm

Pease Please HELP me! i am the partner of a CH sufferer >:( could you please give me the name of the things you are taking for CH as this beast is killing him slowly ..i have seen my man crumble before my eyes with the pain and he is such a stong man normally ..we hav tried all the drugs the doctor has given him with varying disasterous results...ie:- memory loss..confusion.anxiety....loss of balance.and bad stomach's.... i feel he is coming close to suicide now as this last bout of attacks has lasted over 7 weeks now(he has been suffering for the last 5years)please if you feel you can help my e-mail address is jadslartybum@aol.com

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by Drk^Angel on Jun 1^st, 2002, 2:27pm

Welcome to the board lazerboots. Sorry to hear that your partner is dancin' with the devil like the rest of us. You'll be able to find all the info you could think of by searching the board and the archives, or clicking on the medications button to the left, or visiting the OUCH webstie, and checking out the meds page on there. To let ya know, I'm on 240mg X 3/day of verapamil for preventative, and Imitrex injections and O2 for abortive. Print out as much info as ya can find here, and take it with you to a neuro. Hopefully you'll find the treatment that works soon. Good luck!

PFDAN............................... Drk^Angel

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by BobG on Jun 4^th, 2002, 8:16am

hmmmm Owl,

Like ave said, just what did the carrot-and-raisin doc give you?

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by Owl on Jun 10^th, 2002, 8:08am

Hi again,
I sent a reply to queries, but i'm still trying to learn how to drive this thing. I sent a reply, & my normal email thing is Outlook Express, but Netscape Navigator came up & i thought it would go thru anyway. But i'm finding out, it doesn't. Something to do with setting , mail preferences, i think.
The homeopathic treatment i was prescribed, was called Bryonia. But apparently it's not the same treatment for everybody. You may laugh at that, but the treatment is tailored to the individual, & when you go for the first consultation with the homeopath, you will probably be in there for about 1hr., answering questions about a lot of other things in your life, symptoms, sleep patterns, questions about your body systems, [other symptoms] , all kinds of questions about your headaches, like the type of pain, where it occurs, the time of onset, the duration of attacks, when they first started, etc.
For information purposes, i am still on the treatment, and i still do get headaches, but as i said in the first email, the severity & frequency is less!!
And, most important to me, i don't get the 'Spike' at 3a.m.
The way it was explained to me was like this. Everybody who gets C.H. doesn't respond to the same drug. And if your car doesn't start in the morning, you don't just buy a new battery & stick it in.
It could be out of fuel, it could be an electrical component, or fuel pump not working, or a number of other things. The 'mechanic' has to find out what part is the one to put in, before you can get it back on the road.

So you have to be matched with the homeopathic drug that most closely fits your symptom picture. Yeah, i know, it sounds like B.S. But all of you know, there are some things that can't be explained in terms of what we know. eg, C.H., it's hard enough getting others to understand what it's like, [or believe you,] let alone understand that it is a real condition. They all think it's crap.
So it's not impossible that there is a treatment out there,that doesn't quite fit in with everybody's idea of what's real, but still works.
C.H. doesn't quite fit in with most people's idea of what a headache is, does it? But it's REAL!!
So is the relief i've gotten from the treatment i'm on. It's not a silver bullet, it takes time, but it is working, so far.
And it has saved me from going on drugs with notable side-effects.
Hope this info. is of use to some-one out there. If you're interested, talk to a qualified practitioner.

What have you got to lose?!
see you,
Owl.

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by BobG on Jun 11^th, 2002, 12:16am

Your sentence "It's not a silver bullet, it takes time" sounds like it came from your homeopath not from you.
It's just like a chiropractor's best sales pitch "It took a long time for your spine to get crooked and it'll take a long time to fix it". (it takes exactly as long as your insurance will last).

I hope it is NOT this stuff you are talking about.
http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/bryonia.html

Remedy of the week. That that doesn't kill you will only make you sicker than a dog
http://www.geocities.com/~simillibus/bryonia.html

Owl, hope it works for you but for me trying it, not a chance.
http://www.homeoint.org/books/boericmm/b/bry.htm

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by oringkid on Jun 11^th, 2002, 8:31am

Don't be too hard on homeopathy. It works in a different way than the drugs we take. From what I understand, the different herbs etc. are in specific tiny amounts and are used to stimulate the body's own healing responses.

Homeopathic medicine is well known to work, BUT, it takes a while for your body to respond and takes time to get the right combination. If you go the route of homeopathy, I suggest finding a well respected and certified doctor. Certified as an MD and a doctor of homeopathic medicine.

Just my 2 cents

Sherry

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by Ueli on Jun 11^th, 2002, 11:58am

Homeopathy can only work on a psychosomatic level, like charming away warts.
For some minor ailments, that go away on their own, you might believe the few drops of water you took were helping.

And that what it is: pure water. The initial solution of the active ingredient is diluted over and over again (they call it 'to potenzise'). In the end the concentration is like one thimble full spread in all the oceans of the world. Of course, there has to be an explanation why such a dilution is still working: A 'memory' effect of water is postulated, the original ingredient makes an 'imprint' on water, that can be propagated and multiplied ad infinitum. (Some homeopathic substances are not soluble in water, and to 'potenzise' them alcohol or solid substances like milk sugar are used, and conveniently these display the 'memory' effect too). However, no scientist could ever observe this memory effect the homeopaths believe in. It would contradict the accepted laws of quantum mechanics and thermodynamics, which have enabled us to make such things as computers, lots of new plastics, Imitrex, travel to the planetary space, understanding of microbiology and black holes,.....

Note that none of the over 700 homeopathic preparations on the market has gotten an FDA approval. This would require the proof of effectiveness and reasonable freedom of side effects. (The later would be no problem, nobody is harmed by a few drops of water).

But there is one side effect of homeopathy that is extremely harmful, irresponsible, condemnable, horrid, ignoble, villainous and ..... : Trying homeopathics keeps people away from proper treatment. Or how would you call a bogus 'remedy' that lets you ride out cluster attacks for a few weeks until it kicks in (or the cycle ends on it own, whichever comes first)?

The alchemists of olden time had to pay for the lead they tried to transmute into gold (they never succeeded). The 212 year old, but ever more thriving, scam art of homeopathy uses water to fuel their multi billion $$ business, that's what I call progress. :(

Finally, inform yourself, don't just believe the what the scam artists tell you, but read too what the sound minded have to say, by example:

Your Skeptical Guide to Homeopathy (http://www.homeowatch.org/)

PFNAD's,
Ueli, enemy of all scam remedies

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by oringkid on Jun 11^th, 2002, 12:30pm

If you think you are cured and you experience no more pain are you any less cured?

The mind and body are amazing things, we know very little about them and their workings.

I would never tout homeopathy over any other treatment, but if you decide that you want to try it, it can work, whether it is psychosomatic or not.

Now I wouldn't recommend it instead of an operation for say, acute appendicitis. But for some things it can work.

Sherry

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by sailpappy on Jun 12^th, 2002, 11:46am

;D ;D ;D For Yoou guy's that don't know yet! :-/ Let me be the first to tell you! ;DOf all the message boards in this entire message Board town, you had to stumble into My message board, Of all the Great analitical mind's in all the Great Message Board's Web Sites in this virtual world, our Man Ueli is the Tops, The Cat's meow, The analizer extrodinare! They just don't come any wiser or more educated in this profecency enriched art of anology at least that's my Humble Opinion and I'm sticking with it! Pappy ;D :P

http://www.msnusers.com/_Secure/0WQAAAFQdBPk0DC0v0nZu7GGXhlHZVfa*lzjrofRdNR2zlRhpFvr2YdKS1qF2iMr5Jtl3CvPZY7bh3UoEHkYsTOtXDJS9RNOg2DxAp9GlqOzG!RqM8hMZlKrR1xT2wza0SPAl*J1t3JA/!cid_006e01bfbc1e$f3fdcac0$ac6e9fcf@gateway233.gif
ANY QUESTIONS

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by amk on Jun 13^th, 2002, 8:41pm

I AM NEW TO THIS CITE. I TAKE ATENOLOL AS A
PREVENTIVE AND IMTREX PILLS...WHICH AT THIS POINT
IS NOT HELPING DOES THE IMTREX INJECTIONS WORK.. :)

Title: Re: Possible Non-Drug Treatment
Post by simpson1974 on Jun 13^th, 2002, 10:07pm

Imitrex injections are sent from GOD. They have never failed me thus far. 5-10 minutes for relief.