For the past month I've had a right-sided dull headache and vertigo. My doctor said it was likely a migraine and he'll send me for testing. I've never had headaches before.

I'm doing RawTil4 and started buying canned chickpeas and rice a few months ago.

The can of chickpeas has an ingredient called Sodium Sulfite in it. And the rice is enriched with Thiamine Mononitrate. I also noticed my vegan multivitamin has that too.

Do you think they are the culprits? It certainly fits the timeline. I'm cutting them out either way but I would be re-assured to know these ingredients have adverse effects.

vertigo could be caused by the little rocks of the ear coming out. There are exercises to put them back (lying on the couch). Search youtube.

[www.livestrong.com]

excessive taurine supps could also cause vertigo

Rufio:
For the past month I've had a right-sided dull headache and vertigo

The can of chickpeas has an ingredient called Sodium Sulfit

Tai"
In Chinese medicine, temporal region of the head relates to liver and gallbladder (referred area of the meridian network), and vertigo can also relate to liver, so yes, it is possible sulfites could contribute to temporal headache via congesting liver. But in another post, you mention gut issues too. You have a lot going on and hopefully your doctor will run a complete blood test, including thyroid function, and maybe even a gluten sensitivity test.

Anyway, it is easy enough to google the relationship of sulfites to headaches:
[www.learningtarget.com]

p.s. you have to rule out any infection, too, with vertigo. Make sure there is no inner ear stuff going on.

In my first post, I mentioned to make sure your doctor includes thyroid function in your blood test. You can show him this article and take note of the last paragraph where it says subclinical or undetected hypothyroidism, which means that it could be in a functional range as opposed to a red flag laboratory range. Functional medicine practitioners deal with different ranges than standard laboratory ranges. Also, I mention gluten, because if you are sensitive, it can affect thyroid and gut health. ALso Panchito shared some eye-opening links about carageenan and how it can cause chronic gut inflammation, if you are continually ingesting carageenan.
Also, make sure you don't have any impingement in neck or neck pain, which can make migraines worse. IT sounds like you have insurance to get these things checked out.

[www.healthcentral.com]
Migraine, Headache, and Thyroid

by Teri Robert, Lead Expert

Comorbid conditions are conditions that occur at the same time as but independently of each other. With Migraine disease, perhaps the most common comorbid condition is major depressive disorder (clinical depression). Approximately 47% of Migraineurs also experience major depressive disorder, but neither causes the other.

Comorbid conditions can have significant impact on effective treatment of the individual disorders. Thyroid diseases, including hypothyroidism, are among the conditions now know to often be comorbid with headaches and Migraines. A strong connection has been found between hypothyroidism and new daily persistent headache (NDPH) and chronic Migraine.

Researchers have concluded that comorbid conditions can affect each other in multiple ways including how they progress and the amount of time it takes to diagnose them and find effective treatments. In addition, it's been shown that comorbid conditions may play a role in headaches becoming and remaining daily or near-daily. In some cases the response of Migraine to treatment of even borderline hypothyroidism has been dramatic. Spierings theorized that, "An explanation of the benefit of the treatment, at least with regard to the Migraine aura, could lie in the decrease of cerebral excitability associated with the correction of hypothyroidism."

"Thyroid and other endocrine hormones can play a notable role in the development of headache and Migraine and in their failure to respond to treatment," stated Dr. John Claude Krusz. "People tend to look at only reproductive hormones when, in fact, the endocrine hormones can play such a significant role." Dr. Krusz recommends that headache and Migraine patients have blood work to check thyroid, cortisol, and other endocrine hormone levels. He also recommends that free T3 and free T4 be checked, saying that the standard TSH test, "doesn't tell the whole story."

Bigal et al concluded, "Subclinical (undetected) hypothyroidism may be associated with the development of new daily persistent headaches. Also, hypothyroidism may be associated to refractoriness to treatment in patients with primary (primary headaches are headaches that are not caused by another disease or condition) headaches, e.g. Migraine."

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I am sharing this for all the poor migraine sufferers who take really toxic pain meds and are not getting better.

I am an herbalist (and acupuncturist) and there different herbs for different kinds of headacnes and accompanying symtoms (I am not taking on any new clients, but I will share migraine info, because it is so debilitating. I even know someone who tried to commit suicide over them)
.
The herbs would vary if other symptoms are present: constipation, neck pain, liver disorders, cold or flu/infection (inner ear, tooth, etc). Different accompanying symtoms require different herbs. Also different parts of the head relate to different meridians, so there IS a difference if the headache is on the forehead, the temple area, the top of the head, the back of the head, behind the eyes, etc.

Lastly, EVERY non-organic and processed food item that you eat must be examined as a potential culprit. Sulfites, excitotoxins, MSG, gluten, pesticides should be discontiued. Pesticides are potent brain toxins (green juice, even if raw, can concentrate pesticides. So ONLY use organic, if you have any brain problems). Alcohol is another trigger for the liver. Cigarettes give your brain carbon monoxide.

The following is a generic migraine formula in Chinese medicine (it will be different if an infection is present), which I have used in conjunction with other formulas depending on other problems. Read my other post about how IF you have hypothyroidism, you should treat that too to help the headaches.

Ingredients (I am only posting this in case you see an acupuncturist/herbalist and you can print this out for them as a possibility. Evergreen herbs sell this as a formula called Migratrol, but they only sell to licensed practitioners NOT to the public.)

Bai Shao (Radix Paeoniae Alba)
Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis)
Shu Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata)
Bai Zhi (Radix Angelicae Dahuricae)
Chuan Xiong (Rhizoma Chuanxiong)
Ge Gen (Radix Puerariae Lobatae)
Ju Hua (Flos Chrysanthemi)
Sang Ji Sheng (Herba Taxilli)
Tian Ma (Rhizoma Gastrodiae)
Yu Jin (Radix Curcumae)
Man Jing Zi (Fructus Viticis)

If you go to see an acupuncturist, they could help with the pain and give you an herbal formula based on all of your symptoms. I have always helped migraines and headaches and I personally believe that Chinese medicine excels in this area in terms of quick results). Very often, I find blockages in people's necks that are contributing to headaches, so a combo of a neck and shoulder herbal formula often help the migraine formula, but all this has to be sorted out by a practitioner. Frontal headaches (forehead, not behind the eyes) often are related to digestion and if someone is constipated, they MUST address that especially with diet as a basis; yet if pain meds are causing constipation, they might need a laxative if diet is not enough.

The last thing I will add for migraines is:
1) The Gerson therapy was marketed as a migraine cure for all kinds of migraines. It is a hypoallergenic diet, as most high raw vegan diets are.
2) Lou Corona, an all raw vegan, has had success with his diet at helping migraines.

So, without a doubt, diet can eventually help. But if you want to use herbs, I recommend getting in touch with a real practitioner.

Thank you for sharing this info.

My headaches have gotten better. I went to a chiropractor and although the adjustment didn't relieve my headache, I did notice I had knots in my neck and trapezius upon his examination. I began researching trigger point therapy and found that releasing the points around my head and neck seemed to help. There's 3 points right over the ear that gave me the most relief. I could hear better after massaging these 3 points and I could feel the blood flow improve. I'm just waiting right now to see if the headaches return and if this was just a temporary solution. I forgot to note that I've been weightlifting 5 days a week for most of this year until these headaches happened. I also work at a desk for long hours and droop my head forward (poor posture). This could very well be a mechanical issue.

I think I am going to cancel my CT scan. I doubt I have a tumor/clot/aneurysm and don't want to risk the radiation. Still need to see what's in my tummy though lol.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2014 10:18PM by rufio.

Hey Rufio,
Excellent that you are doing your own massage on those points, as opposed to having someone else do it. I would have mentioned massaging those areas, but it didn't cross my mind to tell you to do it to yourself. Going from the back of the neck, along the back of the head, around the back of the ears and lateral to them, to your temples and even to the top of the head is great.
Sometimes just gently pressing on a sensitive spot helps until it becomes less sensitive.

My CT scan came back normal. Unfortunately my headaches are getting worse - can't sleep some nights.

Is my issue mechanical then? I've tried every supplement now. Trigger point release doesn't help. Should I see a chiropractor/accupuncturist/masseuse? I've already had one adjustment by a chiro... maybe I need more?

did you try drinking less water and adding some salt?

[www.livestrong.com]

I don't think I drink enough water to begin with. It's just that one time I took some activated charcoal and then drank 2 liters of water really fast.

Is salt better than trace minerals liquid?

Of course I recommend seeing an acupuncturist who is also an herbalist. Make sure you interview them over the phone about their history of treating migraines. If they have a lot of experience at healing migraines, that is very hopeful for you. I wouldn't recommend going to an acupuncturist who does not sell herbs, because then the treatments would cost $$$ a lot of money and it is still not fast enough without the herbs. Acupuncture does give a lot of relief, but a severe problem requires more than just acupuncture. (I do know acupuncturists that do just acupuncture only for headaches and migraines and it works, but over time (like 50 treatments for chronic problems, as they work mainly with insurance companies and doctors, and herbs are not accepted.)

I have already given you a good suggestion to suggest as a possibility to the acupuncturist:
(formulas by evergreen)
1) Migratrol
2) neck and shoulder formula

I listed so many points and you didn't respond to most of them. How can you ask us if your problem is mechanical, when we don't know? What if you are talking on your smart phone all day against your head or sleeping with your head against your tablet? Who knows about your lifestyle and diet and whether you are constipated? We don't know your stress level either. You don't give a lot of information.