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Tag: headache

What Causes Headaches? It Could Be A Food Sensitivity.

Last month I noticed that I began to get headaches regularly every afternoon. I didn’t immediately suspect that it was a food sensitivity reaction, but once I realized what was causing it, I was able to make the headaches disappear.

I’m not a person prone to headaches and after the third day in a row of having dull pain above my right eye I began to suspect something was wrong. Of course, I jumped to all sorts of rational conclusions first: it was a tumor that was causing the pain, what if it were a parasite behind my eye, or maybe I had brain-eating amoebas!

Then I gave it some thought and asked myself to remember when the headaches had started and what had changed at that time. I realized that my headaches had begun after we had arrived back home from our east coast vacation. I had been suffering from a cold that week so hadn’t thought of a headache as notable since my sinus cavities were full, etc. But then the cold ran its course and I still had the headache every day more than a week later.

I wondered if the problem could be caused by the agave syrup I used to sweeten my cup of decaf coffee at home. On vacation I was using cane sugar in my coffee, but at home I usually use agave. Food sensitivities can be delayed by up to four days, so a headache beginning around 3 pm could very well result from a drink at 7 or 8 am.

I stopped using agave syrup the very next day and had only a faint headache that afternoon. Two days after ceasing using the agave I was completely headache-free. It has now been four days without a headache and I am convinced it was the agave.

I feel lucky to have been able to identify the culprit and find relief so easily! Many of my clients complete MRT food sensitivity testing and find they are sensitive to as many as thirty or forty foods. After they complete a washout and some healing time, they often find that there were one or two big offenders that were tipping the scales for everything else.

I worked with a 29-year old attorney who had suffered from migraines almost daily since she was twelve years old. With MRT testing and the LEAP Immunocalm Diet, she was able to identify her biggest sensitivity as being from the additive fructose. As in High Fructose Corn Syrup. She realized that everything she used to eat as a busy career woman contained fructose and she had been unwittingly keeping herself in pain.

The first two weeks after removing all fructose from her life she went through a washout period and experienced about a dozen migraines. Then they stopped for good. Now she lives a migraine-free life as long as she avoids her fructose trigger. She feels like a new person. She received a raise and a promotion and is happily living migraine-free.

Sometimes you just don’t know until you know.

Healthy Sports Drink and Electrolyte Replacement

Sometimes, you just need to replace your electrolytes.

A series of hard workouts, excessive sweating, headache, bad breath, fever, vomiting, diarrhea,… any of these can be  signs that you should take steps to prevent dehydration, replace your electrolytes, and help your body recover more quickly and regain its interstitial fluid balance.

That’s why sports drinks and electrolyte replacement therapies can be a great speedy solution. Unfortunately, I have a lot of issues with regular “sports drinks.”

When I read the labels I see some great electrolytes like magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium, but I also find artificial sugars like Aspartame, Sucralose, and High Fructose Corn Syrup; artificial dyes (show me where florescent orange appears in nature!); caffeine; and “natural flavors” (Remember the frightening list of ingredients that make up “natural flavors”?).

It’s harder to find a clean, acceptable sports drink/electrolyte replacement than you might think. I challenge you to start reading the labels.

One that I like is Owater and their line of All Natural Electrolyte Drinks.

I think electrolytes by themselves must taste awful, because even Owater needs a sweetener. I’m happy to report that they use only pure cane sugar, and 35% less sugar than typical sports drinks. Without any artificial flavors or colors, Owaters are clear like the purified/distilled water they start with.

I prefer Owater to standard pediatric electrolyte replacement therapies like Pedialyte for the same reasons.

My kids like the Black Raspberry flavor, whereas I prefer Coconut. Find your own favorite!