The Headache Healer’s Handbook. Jan Mundo

      chocolate

      citrus fruit

      corn

      dairy products

      fermented food

      food allergy

      food sensitivity

      garlic

      high-fructose corn syrup

      honey

      hot dogs

      lack of caffeine

      lack of water

      liquor

      low blood sugar

      luncheon meat

      MSG

      nuts

      onion

      pickled food

      skipping meals

      sour cream

      sourdough bread

      soy sauce

      spicy food

      sugar

      wheat gluten

      wine

      yogurt

       Environmental

      air pollution

      bright light

      chemical sensitivity

      dim light

      dry air

      excessive cold

      excessive heat

      flashing light

      fluorescent light

      fumes

      high altitude

      high humidity

      hot, dry wind

      loud noise

      low barometric pressure

      mold, mildew

      motion

      optical pattern

      perfume

      scents

      secondhand smoke

      stormy weather

      strong odor

      too much sun

      weather changes

       Lifestyle

      anxiety

      cigarette smoking

      commuting

      disrupted sleep

      excessive sleep

      fatigue

      insufficient food

      insufficient sleep

      irregular eating

      let-down headache

      recreational drug use

      routine change

      stress

      traveling

       Physical

      cold, flu, virus

      exercise

      exertion from sex or sports

      head trauma

      lack of exercise

      medical procedure

      posture and ergonomics

      sinusitis, rhinitis

      temporomandibular joint dysfunction (jaw tension and/or pain)

      tension, tightness, pain (in shoulders, neck, head, face)

      unsupportive bed, pillow

      vision problems (eyestrain)

       Medication

      analgesic, simple (overuse)

      analgesic, combination (overuse)

      anti-asthma medicine

      anticonvulsant

      antidepressant

      blood pressure medicine

      blood vessel dilator

      diuretic

      drug “cocktail” (combining several medications)

      ergotamine (overuse)

      opioid (overuse)

      triptan (overuse)

       Hormonal

      birth

      birth control (pills, patch, IUD)

      hormone replacement therapy

      menarche

      menopause

      menstrual cycle

      ovulation

      perimenopause

      postpartum

      pregnancy

       Bodies Change over Time

      In trying to solve your headache mystery, also consider that bodies change over time. The factors that cause your headaches now might not be the same as those that triggered them originally. For example, some habits that we had as teenagers or young adults are unsustainable as we get older, at least not without consequences.

      Perhaps your headaches began in college, when you would stay up all night studying and writing papers while unconsciously torquing the position of your head, neck, and back. Your younger, more pliable body might have suffered yet bounced back easily. But with age, bodies become less resilient, and recovery time lengthens. Irregular eating habits or food choices, which did not take a toll in your youth, could still influence your choices today. But whereas a skipped meal or snack back then just made you feel weak, dizzy, or grouchy, the same behavior now results in a bad migraine.

       Just One More Thing

      Keep the ideas in this chapter in mind as you read chapters 6 through 10, where you’ll learn more about specific triggers and how to track them. In these chapters, you’ll notice that some triggers receive more attention than others and that they’re listed in order of the most commonly troublesome rather than in alphabetical order. Although each person’s triggers and combinations of factors are different, certain triggers appear to be universally problematic — yet headache sufferers might give them less exploration than needed. You might be surprised to find that your triggers are different than what you thought they were.

       6 Dietary Triggers

      What you eat (or don’t eat) matters, especially when it comes to migraine. Migraine sufferers can be sensitive to alcohol, caffeine, sugar, skipping meals, lack of water, MSG, preservatives, artificial dyes, flavorings, sweeteners, hot dogs, cured meats, aged and fermented foods, dairy products, wheat gluten, spicy foods, and amines. This chapter delves into these triggers and more.

      The purpose of identifying and tracking your food triggers is to uncover your personal migraine cause and effect. Some of the foods discussed in this chapter will likely affect you, and others will not. If you are not sensitive to a food that you enjoy, such as wheat or dairy, despite its presence on a migraine triggers list, then keep it in your diet. For example, cottage