“Probiotics are bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in the intestines. The normal human digestive tract contains about 400 types of probiotic bacteria that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system. The largest group of probiotic bacteria in the intestine is lactic acid bacteria, of which Lactobacillus acidophilus, is the best known.
It has been suggested that probiotics be used to treat problems in the stomach and intestines. But only certain types of bacteria or yeast (called strains) have been shown to work in the digestive tract.
In most circumstances, people use probiotics to prevent diarrhea caused by antibiotics. Antibiotics kill "good" (beneficial) bacteria along with the bacteria that cause illness. A decrease in beneficial bacteria may lead to diarrhea. Taking probiotic supplements (as capsules, powder, or liquid extract) may help replace the lost beneficial bacteria and thus help prevent diarrhea.
A decrease in beneficial bacteria may also lead to development of other infections, such as vaginal yeast and urinary tract infections, and symptoms such as diarrhea from intestinal illnesses.”
*http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tc/probiotics-topic-overview
Those of you who regularly read my blog will know that I write a new post either when I have explored a new avenue as a possible cause for my headache, or when someone has suggested looking at a specific factor that may be contributing to the pain.
I have now run out of avenues to explore. I have not come across anything else, whether this be through research or by talking to others, that I have not looked at.
I am still clueless.
But I am still taking my supplements, and feel that the probiotics the kinesiologist suggested taking are somewhat alleviating my pain. Having said that, I do not know if it happens to be a coincidence that my headache seems to have been alright for the past couple of weeks or if it is actually better because of the probiotics themselves. I did take them a few months ago and, if I am not mistaken, I did feel better during that time.
My zinc drops that I ordered over three weeks ago have, nonetheless, not arrived thanks to the postal strike. Thank you Royal Mail.
On the low pain days I feel full of life and energy, ready to live the day ahead to the max. One temporarily forgets about the severe pain, and it’s not until it returns that you realize just how bad it is.
The other day somebody told me that - strange as it may sound and difficult as it may be - I have to start to befriend my pain, as this will help me come to terms with it. It may also help me get less worked up about it as the pain itself causes stress. Given that I have no answer and am not able to justify what I am living through, it angers me, thereby making me stressed.
I now have to try and befriend the pain and almost treat it as if it were one of my peers - given that I need to spend all day and all night with it, it’s best if I consider it a friend as opposed to an enemy. I have tried, and it’s not as easy as it sounds, especially when the pain intensifies and all I want to do is bang my head against the wall and tell the headache to stop tormenting me...
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I've learned that pain alone doesn't kill you, but have wished many times that a viking with a huge axe would come and split my skull so my brains would be free to expand. Wishing you success in managing your headache!
ReplyDeleteMelantonin works for some headaches like mine that are indomethacin responsive. My headache specialist recommended rather high doses of it, and to experiment with brands since some are better than others.
I imagine something that I can clip on both sides of my head and exert pressure on the pain - a bit like a huge clip that will then lift me up into the air by my head. hard to explain but sounds a bit like your viking!
ReplyDeleteI haven't ventured down the Western medicinal path as yet because I am trying to solve this naturally - neurologist I saw recently also suggested best to follow the headache's natural path, given its recent improvement...
I think Vikings are very holistic!!! I guess that would be the Norse medicinal path???
ReplyDeleteHey! My dad has a permanent headache also that has been going on for a few years now. I just found your blog here and I'm definately going to read some of your posts and talk to him about it.
ReplyDeleteDo have a read - unfortunately I still haven't found a solution as you can see but some of the therapies that I have tried may help him? Thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteI have tried 4 different brands of probiotics, all highly recommended sources, and each time about a day after taking the first dose I would start getting terrible headaches. These headaches would continue until I stoppped the probiotics...at least for 2 days after I stopped. Have this problem for anything fermented, sulfites (especially wine), msg, etc.
ReplyDeleteMy 14 year old son has been suffering from migraines for the past 3 years, the Dr. Has him on sumatriptan, topamax and now a recent trip to the hospital has this taking a new medication for next two weeks, prior to his hospital trip I started giving him probiotics could this be the cause to his migraines being so bad the past two weeks? Before this his migraines still came on but not so bad or so long usually only lasting a day or 2 has been 2 weeks with meds. I had been trying to do holistic with him taking him to chiropractor 3 times a week, giving him b 12 and b complex sublingual drops, cayenne drops, peppermint tea ( caffeine free or ginger tea) I need answers my doctor is a JERK and I hesitate to switch Dr.s only because she is the # 1 neurologist in az. I just need help for my son. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHi there, get your hormone levels checked. Could be low on T, which can lead to fatigue and headaches. I also find that just about every vitamin, supplement or probiotic makes my headaches worse. Raising T levels can clear your head.
ReplyDelete