**Pictured: BPA free drinking cup along with disposable plastic water bottle.

Fairly recent research suggested a connection between drinking out of plastic bottles and increased association with migraine: Exposure to Bisphenol A Exacerbates Migraine-like Behaviors in a Multibehavior Model of Rat Migraine.  The study results showed an increase in what the researchers identified as migraine-like behaviors in rats (decreased locomotion, light and sound aversion, altered grooming habits, and enhanced startle reflexes).  Results also showed alterations in estrogen signaling and changes in nociception (basically pain receptor processing).

BPA is a chemical in plastics.  It is in plastic bottles, dental sealants, medical devices, lining of canned goods, etc.  Most of us, 90% have BPA present in our bodies.   This is primarily due to consumption of food that has been in containers made with BPA.  It is considered an environmental estrogen because it acts like estrogen in the body.  In the body it can cause estrogen levels to rise and change the internal hormonal balance which may trigger a migraine as well as cause other problems.

I do know that fluctuations in estrogen levels is a trigger for most people with migraines.  I don't think plastic is the main reason for my migraines, however, I consider it a potential trigger.  Back when I started my migraine plan, I started eating mostly real foods, no packaged foods, very rarely a canned item (green chilies is the only item I can think of that I consume from a can).  So, it may be possible that I inadvertently eliminated most of my BPA exposure when I changed my diet.  When I am at home I usually drink from a glass or mug, not plastic cups and I am not a huge consumer of plastic bottles.  That being said when I am in an airport I always buy a plastic water bottle (maybe I should start supplying my own drinking container when traveling).

I guess migraines aren't the only problem associated with BPA. The FDA used to say BPA was safe, but changed their statement in 2010 stating that studies show "current levels" of human exposure are safe.  They have also expressed concern over the potential effects on the brain, behavior, prostate glands in fetuses, and young children. Here is a list of potential problems according to WebMD:

1. Hormone Disruption
2. Brain and behavior effects
3. Cancer
4. Heart problems
5. Possible connection to "obesity, diabetes, ADHD, and others."
6. Possible risk to developing bodies of infants and young children.

When I started my Migraine Plan a year and a half ago, I eliminated a lot of BPA simply as a result of preparing all of my own food.  I started eating a lot more whole and organic produce and meats and a lot less packaged and canned foods.  It looks like data shows more than one reason to reduce BPA exposure.  Here's my plan to do that:

1. I will make sure plastics I am using are BPA free. Get rid of plastics with the number 3 and 7 on the bottom, which are more likely to contain BPA.
2. I will use non-plastic or BPA free food containers and bottles for drinking and food storage.
3. I will not ever heat plastic items...this causes BPA to leach out.
4. I will get rid of plastic items that are old and cracked or scratched.
5. I will not to use canned items or choose brands that use BPA free cans.

Many people will start the new year with a resolution (statistically 45% of people) to change many things about themselves.  Out of these individuals very few will achieve their resolution (8% of people).  That all being said, according to the Journal of Clinical Psychology people who explicitly make a new year's resolution are ten times more likely to achieve their goal.  75 percent of people maintain their resolution through the first week, 71 percent past two weeks, 64 percent past one month, and 46 percent past 6 months. 

My thoughts and feelings on this subject lean toward the idea that you must try to change something in your life if you want to see a difference in your life.  If you are doing all the same things this year expecting a different result, I think you are going to be disappointed.  My belief is that I can control the pain and frequency of migraines by controlling my diet and lifestyle.  I think it would be wise to evaluate the way I did things last year and see if there is room for improvement.  If my "goal" is to reduce the pain and frequency of migraines, what behaviors can a change to accomplish that "goal".

Are there certain aspects of my life I can change in order to improve my migraine lifestyle?

Here are some questions I am asking myself:
Food: Am I eating right? Have I eliminated packaged foods?  Am I eating whole foods?
Sleep:  Am I getting enough sleep?  Do I have a consistent bedtime and wake time?
Hydration:  Am I drinking enough water? Or am I drinking too many caffeinated beverages?  Am I drinking any artificial sweeteners?
Exercise: Am I exercising regularly?  Am I exercising at an intensity that will increase endorphins?
Stress Reduction: Am I reducing our daily stressors?  Can I reduce the importance of "the little things" and focus on what is important?  Are my finances causing stress and is there a way to modify that stress?  Do I need to DEclutter my house or get organized?
Happiness:  Do I have a hobby, sport, or activity that adds joy to my life? Am I surrounding myself with happy people?  Do I have a positive attitude?

If I am honest with myself, I would say there is room for improvement in some of these areas.  Some things I am very consistent with and others I have a tendency to slack on.  But when I look at my responses to these questions it helps me to see an area where I can develop my New Year's Resolution around.   Once I have set a goal, I will try to hold myself accountable.  If I slack some...I will try to get myself back on track.  Like I said if I don't try at all, then I definitely will not succeed.  I have my 2014 planner ready and it's time to start tracking my progress:)

Good luck to everyone in the New Year.  I hope this year finds you free from migraines and making positive changes to eliminate them.

You wouldn't think that being thankful and chronic migraine should go hand in hand, but I believe they are absolutely necessary.

Seeing as how it's November and everyone is counting their blessings and being grateful, it made me think about how and what we are thankful for as Chronic Migrainuers.   I am not suggesting that we would be thankful for the pain, because that would be just plain ludicrous.  However, we all have fantastic things in our lives to be thankful for outside of migraine.  

One of the tasks that many a migraine patient takes on with part of their treatment is the task of keeping a migraine journal.  UGH is how I feel when I think about marking my calendar with every day that I have a migraine.  UGH is how I feel as I right down every possible thing that could trigger my migraines.  UGH is how I feel when I look back at all the events that I missed or just pushed on through in horrible pain.  I don't know about you all, but this is a lot of UGH's.  At some point I just quit writing it all down and obsessing about it.  Looking back at the calendar and seeing that 22 out of the last 30 days were spent in pain is just down right depressing.  And I for one do not want to be depressed.  Quite the opposite, I want to feel happy and blessed.  Every day I count my blessings.   I usually start my day thanking God for my exceptionally beautiful and supportive family members and friends.  Frankly, without them I would not have survived the years I spent in pain.  Then I just go down the list of all the wonderful things in my life.  I literally count my blessings.  And I never forget to be thankful for my health and how great I feel today. 

I am so thankful that I get to spend everyday of my life with these people:

Research on gratitude confirms that being thankful has a strong correlation with greater happiness.  Gratitude elicits positive emotions, it can improve health, it can help people deal with adversity and it can enhance personal relationships.  Most of the research on gratitude has been conducted by Dr. Robert A. Emmons and Dr. Michael E. McCullough.  One of
the studies they conducted hit close to home for me.  You will see why when you read their study design: 
    
    The participants were divided into groups and asked to write down some sentences each week.  The groups were given a different topic on which to write.  One group wrote down the things that they were grateful for during the week.  A second group wrote down daily irritations or things they didn't like that occurred that week.  The third group wrote down significant occurrences with no emphasis placed on whether the event was good or bad.  The groups participated for ten weeks.  At the end of ten weeks, the grateful group felt more optimistic about their lives, they exercised more and had less trips to the doctor than the other groups.

It doesn't seem like rocket science that if we think about happy things we will be more happy than if we think about
depressing things.  I believe that how we choose to perceive the world around us determines our own reality.  We as individuals have the opportunity to create our own beliefs about our lives and thus our own reality.  I decided at some point to make sure that recognized the great things about my life more often than I was acknowledging the painful parts.  Hopefully I am gaining some health benefits from it:)

Whew!  Safe here in Tulsa after a tornado originated very close to my home and touched down near friends last night in Broken Arrow.  This weather is scary and exhausting.

Last week was a rough one for those of us living in Oklahoma.   Depending on where in Oklahoma you were life was a little more fragile but emotions and grief  were high no matter where you were.  We all know the risk that comes with living in this part of the country.  However, we also become a little numb to the warnings after years of getting in our closets.   The tornado drills at schools start at a very young age.  We are trained early to file ourselves into the hallways away from the windows, to get as close to the center of the structure as possible and then to curl up into a little ball and place our hands over our heads and then wait.  We are instructed to locate the safest room in the house.  In my case that room has typically been a closet.  Even though we follow the safety protocols that have been drilled into us since elementary school most of us do so expecting to come out of the closet at the end of the storm to learn the tornado passed through without insult or injury to anyone.  The Moore Tornado last week put all of this training into perspective as well as stripped away the numbness that had built up over the years and left most of us raw and exposed to the emotions that lay in the wake of the devastation. 

So, whether it was tears of sadness and pain from losing precious lives or whether it was tears of amazement in awe of the generosity and miraculous resolve of the human spirit, tears were shed.  As if the barometric pressure changes weren't enough for the migrainuers living in Oklahoma the past few weeks the outburst of tears and strong emotions were a  problem as well.  The knowledge that a good hard cry will most likely precipitate a migraine attack prevents me from allowing myself a good hard cry.  When I feel the tears begin to swell I quickly distract my brain and gather my emotions to become this stoic little robot the migraines have created.  My heart is extremely heavy on the inside but in no way shape or form can I allow myself to relax and let the tears turn into an uncontrolled cry.

Why would crying cause a migraine? 
I believe, along with several scientist that it is worth looking further into for some answers.  There is not much in the literature on crying being a precipitating factor for migraines.  In an attempt to examine the role of crying as a trigger these scientists enrolled 163 migrainuers in their study.  Crying was identified as a trigger by 55% of participants.   In this study the only other triggers listed greater than crying were stress, anxiety, and menstrual periods.  These scientists concluded that since the physiology of crying is not well documented or understood, but it seems to be a migraine trigger, crying warrants further research.

Here are some of my hypotheses with regards to why crying may trigger migraines:
1.  Intense emotions start the process.  This stressful state may be enough on its own to be a trigger. 
2.  Physiologically there is an increase in pulse and respirations, muscles in the head, face, and neck become tense.  This tension may irritate the trigeminal nerve which is linked to migraines. 
3.  The tears themselves may contribute to water loss and hence have a dehydrating effect.  
4.  Crying causes facial and sinus congestion which is a trigger for many a migrainuer.

Typically, I like to present solutions on this blog.  I am not sure we can always stave off a good cry and maybe you could try hydrating if you can't hold back the tears.  So, my solution to my tears and tornados is contributing to the rebuilding of the areas devastated by last weeks storms.   If you haven't already contributed here are some links that might be helpful:
1.  Lifechurch.tv has ways to help either through donations or volunteer on their site
2.  Donate to the United Way Oklahoma Tornado Relief
3.  Volunteer Opportunities on OKStrong
4.  Donate to OKStrong
5.  Also, participating Starbucks will be taking donations this week for OKStrong in exchange for a free cup of coffee!

Prayers to all those that have suffered as a result of this storm.  If you can handle some tears my friend Lisa lost her brother last week in Moore and the rescue worker who found his body was her angel through this tragedy.  Here is a link to their story: http://newsok.com/article/3833849.
 

My flight with the overly perfumed passenger last week got me thinking about specific odors that are migraine triggers for me.  Do floral scents trigger migraines for you?  I can vividly recall a beautiful floral bouquet being sent to my hospital room after just having a child.  It didn't take long until I could no longer stand the odor of the bouquet.  I reached out to my sister for help and had her relocate the flowers to a different hospital department.  Hopefully, they were fully appreciated in their new home.  I love the way fresh flowers look, I just prefer not to smell most of them.  Is there a way to enjoy their beauty without suffering from their floral scents?  There may be hope.   I have found that sticking to my Migraine Plan has decreased my sensitivity to certain things, one of which is odors.  That being said, certain floral scents still seem a bit risky to me and it may be that I still haven't recovered from the memory of my postpartum bouquet (or last weeks plane ride).

Do you ever wonder why a floral scent triggers migraines?  Here is my conclusion after some research.  The scent of a flower is a chemical that is produced in order for the flower to survive.  The flower can actually change the chemical it emits in order to either attract pollinaters or repel predators.  The odor is a chemical messenger that is dissolved in the air.  We unsuspecting migrainuers inhale it and it interacts with receptors in our bodies that transmit it through the nose and olfactory bulb and then on to the limbic system (part of the brain).  The limbic system is tied directly to the pituitary and hypothalamus glands which control hormones that affect heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance.  The hypothalamus produces growth hormone, sex hormones, thyroid hormone, and serotonin.  The fluctuation or change in hormones is well established as a trigger for many a migrainuer.  Our weary heads are triggered by the changes created by sniffing our flowering friends (or fellow airplane passengers).

What can we migrainuers do about floral scents?  When we have the opportunity we can let our loved ones know about our sensitive snouts.  When we get the stinky bouquet it may be an opportunity to educate our  friends about what flowers we can tolerate.   There are a number of flowers that give off barely any scent at all.  The following flowers I can enjoy without triggering a headache:

Tulips
Anemones
Poppies
Ranunculus
Calla Lilies
Amaryllis
Protea
Hydrangeas
Orchids