I have a lady friend who has started having headaches during the monthly time. They can get pretty severe behind the eyes for a couple of days. She is 40, & this has started maybe 6 mo. ago. She is a vegan, maybe 30% raw food.

Anyone experience this? Any good ideas, diet-wise/other for combating/relieving/eliminating this problem?

Thanks!

I suggest fewer starchy carbs(vegans can overdo these, in my experience), and lots more water and raw green foods around the time Mr. Friendly comes to call : )

Thanks Tam, for the reply.

As far as starchy carbs go, arg!!! I know she loves the "natural" potato chips, that is not good. And I could probably guess that her water intake is suffering.

She probably weighs less than 100 lb., and consumes around 2 water bottles/day, which would be around 40 oz., I guess. Raw green foods, just what she will want to hear, lol.

menstruation can be a migraine trigger for me too, it's less than pleasant let me tell you. i can't offer nutritional advice here aside from the obvious of avoiding caffeine, sugar, chocolate, fats and salts (basic time-of-the-month cravings for many) but i can address the issue of attitude, something that has been most helpful for me. if there is a negative anticipation towards the coming moon time, a resistance and emotional detachment from this function of the body it always leads to discomfort for me. if i dislike my body and it's monthly work it returns the favour and "dislikes" me right back with aches and pains and unpleasantness. however, if i refrain from judgement and stay in a place of acceptance and love, give my body and mind time to relax and honour this gift of the ability to create life it makes a HUGE difference in how i feel. even more so if i purposefully take time for myself and honour honour honour my womanliness. it can be a difficult thing for a woman to be so "selfish" as to do something just for herself, take time, take it easy, but if i don't it doesn't go as well. maybe it's all in my mind but that's where everything is anyhow, isn't it?

perhaps your friend could take time each month to indulge herself in something healthy and healing, massage, a relaxing pedicure/manicure session or the like. if she associates her time of the month with something pleasant it may lessen the tension she feels about it and carries in her muscles and reduce the stress that contributes to her head pain.

my best wishes for her in any case. culturally menstruation has been portrayed as something terrible, the curse etc, that it's no wonder so many have a terrible time of it. there's something to be said for the red tent practices of ancient times. i sure could use a week of seclusion and relaxation every three weeks!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2009 02:59PM by coco.