“Could a herbalist help my migraines?”
Julie Ayres, 47, is an education welfare officer and lives with her partner in Leicester. The problem: "I have been suffering with migraines for 20 years. I've cut out every food group in turn to see if the trigger is an intolerance, plus I'm vegetarian, don't drink or smoke, so I'm sure my lifestyle can't be to blame. My GP put me on lmigran - a type of triptan - but I still had weekly attacks."
Julie's verdict: "Seeing herbalist Mark Ure is a very different experience. We discuss how I've been since the last treatment, then he alters his remedies accordingly. I've now had seven sessions, one a month. I take two doses of liquid medicine a day, plus daily drops of Vitex, a herb used to balance hormones. Last month, I only had one attack. I'm pleased with my progress, but I can't say yet if the migraines will completely go."
The conventional treatment: Painkillers and migraine specific drugs known as triptans.
How herbalism works: Herbalists believe some plants have a particular affinity with certain organs and can "restore" them to health. Medical herbalists are trained in the same diagnostic skills as orthodox doctors, but they attempt to treat the cause rather than the symptoms alone.
Also good for: Digestive, heart, menopausal or pre-menstrual problems.
My name is Janet Fowler. I too have spent 20 years+ with migraines I am 49 & after living on Imitrex and visiting endless Neurologists I finally found one that listened to me rather than thinking he could read my mind-Dr Jonathan Sule located in GA, USA. After hearing my story & symptoms he suggested a nerve study (no other doctor had tried this)& explained that he will never be able to cure my migraines as they are a disease he did feel however that he could help reduce them by finding my triggers. The nerve induction showed that I had nerve damage to my spine which was causing my back to knot up like a pretzel. The 2 MRI's showed I had 4 slightly bulging disks & carpel tunnel syndrome. So now I am at the point where I have gone from using up to 16 shots (6mg per shot)of self administered Imitrex a month to maybe two shots a month. I have a back brace that I wear when I feel muscles spasms begining (I know after all these years) I also have the hand splints that I try to use minimally as I work a job where I type alot.In the begining he gave me trigger point shots but I find I don't need them any more unless the back spasms get really out of hand. This man has helped to give me my life back, but I have to listen to my body & realise that I can't cross stitch for hours at a time or stay on the computer after a day of typing at work. So my life has changed for sure but it is better than the constant migraines that came and lasted for days. I can live with the amount of migraines I have now. Oh yes & I should probably mention that the facial pain I experienced during a migraine made docs think I had sinus issues (I would wake up with a migraine more mornings than not we suspect probably due to the way I was laying & the fact that my arms would go numb from theelbows down due to the carpel tunnel something to do with my elbows )so I probably had 2 needless sinus surgeries & was actually scheduled for a 3rd with a specialist in Savannah as this would be near my optic nerve at the time that my previous Neurologist fired me after 5 years as a patient as he had run out of ideas & was not comfortable prescribing the amount of Imitrex it took me just to get to work every day. Best thing he ever did-Thanks Dr.
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