This post may challenge everything you know about Migraine but I have a genuine need to understand and cure it. My wife suffers badly and it makes us both unhappy. I think my sports science knowledge can help. It can’t hurt to try can it, excuse the pun. I don’t promise to have a fix but I have a very strong belief that this will work but I need to figure out how to apply the theory.

This series of post on migraines is about a journey of exploration. So if you have an opinion please share it. I’ve learnt that opening yourself up to being wrong is often the best route to being right. Whether I have the answer or someone else does doesn’t matter. I just want to start the journey somewhere so I am a post closer to a solution.

The first point is that the symptoms of Migraine make complete sense to me if I view them simply as an injury to the brain.

I’m used to my body feeling sore after returning to activity or after a really tough session. It’s normal. I also know that if I ignore the soreness and push hard again instead of resting and recovering I will get injured, feel more pain and take longer to recover. So I’m wondering  if this is also what’s at the route of migraines.

I’ve been with my wife for over a decade so there has been plenty of opportunity to spot the trends. What I’ve noticed time and again is that, just like all injuries, there are common patterns that lead up to a migraine and common patterns in recovering from it. For example she rarely if ever gets a migraine when she sleeps well. Only when she has trouble sleeping do the symptoms start. Then she might also get dehydrated and possibly miss a meal. The busy lives we lead that’s particularly easy.

Each of these problems can weaken your body, then it only takes a particularly challenging day or two and you could push yourself too far. Think about it, if your brain is really tired then what happens if you push it too far. It makes most sense that it can get injured just like any part of your body. Wouldn’t it then hurt, maybe swell and maybe you would need to rest it. Going to a quiet and dark room and lying down is the best way for my wife to relieve the problems of migraine. She does this until the headache subsides.

It is this kind of pattern that has convinced me that the basic principles of recovering from and preventing injuries can help with migraine.

What also convinced me is that while I rarely get headaches I have had a migraine a couple of times so I know how they feel but I also know exactly what caused them. I have since been able to spot when they are coming and ensure I don’t get one. The pattern that led up to my migraines was the same as for my wifes. The fact that I can get migraines but don’t any more because I know how to prevent them is the biggest reason I feel I can help my wife. The real technical reasons are very in depth. I hope to share them over time.

I am also finding that the people I know who are prone to them seem to have similar patterns that lead to migraine. Of course each pattern is slightly different which is why they are so hard to cure but that’s what my training has been about.

Identifying patterns in seemingly random events. I’ve been doing that for over a decade at work and got pretty good at it. Now I want to use these skills for what I really want to do. Learn how to fix the body and mind.

Do you suffer from migraines or does someone you care about? What happens before and after they get one. What helps relieve the symptoms or bring them on? Please get involved and help me help my wife.