Chronic headaches

[Sorentus]

I started developing chronic headache that got more and more frequent as time went by, now barely a day goes by without having an headache. I been using melatonin for years now to help me sleep as I have a very hard time sleeping but it give me an headache most of the time when I take it now, even as low as 0.1 mg. So I decided to cut melatonin for good and see if it help headaches.

As anyone else struggled with this? CFS/Chronic Headache started after my digestive issue and I find CFS/Headache much more impairing now then all those digestive problem, today I'm doing very good digestion wise but my headache feels like a migraine. For some reason whenever my digestion is at bay, my headaches go crazy, it's like I can't be free of headache and without digestive upset at the same time, it's one or the other or both. Any thoughts on what could be done or why it's happening?

[TylerDurden]

Melatonin only works temporarily. After a while, the body stops producing its own melatonin and the dosage also becomes ineffective.

I would suggest trying autogenic training. It is quite easy to achieve. Info on it should be available online.

[jessica]

What are your habits like?  Do you drink enough water? Do you get enough minerals and salts?  Do you stay up at night in front of the computer or TV or even just under artificial lighting after  you are tired? Do you have enough activity throughout the day? Get out into the sunshine?  Work on any calming practices before bedtime? What do you eat throughout the day?

[Sorentus]

Well I eat ground beef and honey but my eating habits changed several times and don't seem to affect my sleep pattern. I drink throughout the day whenever I'm thirsty. I sleep between 9:30pm and 10:30pm and stay in bed till about 9-10am, waking up so many times just to pee. I'm always tired, I have don't go out because I don't have enough energy, no matter how long I slept I feel like I wake awake all night like now, about to go back to sleep despite having been in bed almost 12hours. I meditate every time I go bed for about 30-mins to 1hour.

[24isours]

As I mentioned before, If you are very low carb you will have to supplement extra salt in your diet. Your headaches could be caused by dehydration. Without enough salt you won't be utilizing the water you drink and it will just pass through.

[Sorentus]

I'm definitively not VLC I'm getting good amount of honey, I could try to add some salt though.

[van]

don't know really how to say this, but your choice of ground beef and honey seems extreme to me.  If it was a once a week occurrence, ok, but as a mainstay, I think you're inviting trouble.  Honey is sugar which will raise your insulin levels which will raise your cortisol levels, which will cause inflammation.   Now if it's just a teaspoon here and there, fine, but as described, I have no way of knowing how much,, and Why?   Venture out, include other foods; eggs, fish, whole pieces of raw grass fed meat, marrow, and back fat, oysters, some greens or other vegetables that you find tasty.   

[Sorentus]

Well, I only have access to fresh ground beef, I will be getting frozen organs(liver and heart) as well as suet in a few weeks. The reason I take honey is because it does have a benefictinal effect on my digestion, it soothe my organs. I feel SOOOO clogged when I eat meat by itself, it's like my entire digestive organs are stuck and can't move and i get spasms with constipation.

I have eggs but I had severe intolerance to them just so many times I had them raw once since going raw paleo but not sure if I tolerate them well.

I want to do fish but I need to find a source, all the stuff in a regular grocery store can't be eaten apparently. And I eat fermented vegetables, I just happen to have run out of them for now.

I don't get all the fear about honey, sure it taste very good and is addictive but I feel physically better with it and never had an insulin problem. I went ZC in the beginning and it hurt my digestive organs so much, I felt relief when I included honey.

[eveheart]

You've mentioned gut issues a lot, and there may be a connection between your gut symptoms and headaches. The headache solution may well come as everything heals.

You said you lived near Montreal, right? I've been to Montreal; it's a large city with with markets all over the place and with surrounding farmland. The rest of Quebec Province is all forests. So, I'd say, get out of the supermarket! Google your leads and follow up with phone calls and visits. Find cooked paleo dieters and ask where they shop - they are as fussy about their food sources as raw paleo dieters are.

With whom do you live, and what are your food storage options? What are your transportation options.

Use your meditation time to challenge and dissolve your focus on what doesn't work. Open yourself to every solution.

[Inger]

Why all I can think of reading your post is... EMFs. Dehydration....

I started to get morning head aches as the smart meter was installed in this house. I did not even know about it until later. Wifi, other EMF dehydrates you. Dehydration = Headache

[Sorentus]

Yeah I have a wifi in my room and been thinking maybe it could cause problem, I definitively didn't have as much headache as before it got installed. I disabled it and put my cell phone as far away as possible, will see if that helps.
I don't feel dehydrated though.

And I live 40mins away from Montreal, the actual place to get all the good stuff are IN Montreal, where I am not. My only transportation methods are my parents which I live with and bus and I have my own refrigerator and freezer. Yup I live with my parents because I can no longer support myself from being so ill, I used to live on my own, health only got worse when I moved with them.

[eveheart]

...I live 40 mins away from Montreal, the actual place to get all the good stuff are IN Montreal, where I am not.'my only way transportation method are my parents which I live with and bus and I have my own refrigerator and freezer. Yup I live with my parents because I can no longer support myself from being so ill, I used to live on my own, health only got worse when I moved with them.

Those are some of the objections that I mentioned, where you are focusing on what doesn't work. The hunter-gatherer mentality would say, "yes, our hunt can take days, and we have to carry the carcass all the way home to feed our families, but we are hunters! We can do this."

With two shopping bags, you could take a day trip to one or two markets in Montreal, buy 10 or twenty pounds of meat, hang them in your refrigerator, and you're set for a week or two.

The bus ride itself is a time for meditation, conversation with yourself or others, or music appreciation on your portable device with headphones.

Another solution is to get help from a friend or relative, go to your markets or farms once a month, buy more because you can put stuff in the car or truck, and learn the best ways to store that much meat and fish for a month. You can pay for gas or find another person who wants to shop for the same things you want.

This is how it's done. You can do this.

[Sorentus]

Well I already have this place that I can go once a week to get fresh ground grass-fed beef and up to a week I find still palatable but having fish out in the frigd for a whole month? That's gonna taste so gross lol. I'm wondering if I should just go with frozen, not sure if my concerns regarding frozen food are accurate, it just seems like it won't be good enough. How come living off beef organs, suet and ground beef with fermented veggie not good enough? At least until some healing has taken place and then I can do more eggs and other vegetables and fruits.

Lex has done ZC of mostly just frozen ground beef and suet if I recall and is doing better then ever.

[eveheart]

Well I already have this place that I can go once a week to get fresh ground grass-fed beef and up to a week I find still palatable but having fish out in the frigd for a whole month? That's gonna taste so gross lol. I'm wondering if I should just go with frozen, not sure if my concerns regarding frozen food are accurate, it just seems like it won't be good enough. How come living off beef organs, suet and ground beef with fermented veggie not good enough? At least until some healing has taken place and then I can do more eggs and other vegetables and fruits.

You have being eating RPD for less than two weeks, with disgestive issues you have candidly described here. That might be a reason to rotate your food sources.

I split and hang fatty fish like mackerel and salmon in the refrigerator for up to a week. It gets like moist fish jerky, but not gross. After a week, it's all eaten up, but it would continue to dry if left hanging. Hanging in the cold is a traditional way of storing fish. Thawed raw fish gets all weird and watery, IMO.

People who avoid frozen food do so because of bad reactions or dislike of the change in the food. I fall in the later group, but I still use a small amount of frozen food when there's something I want to buy that I can only source frozen. There are no paleo police telling you how to do it right, only suggestions here from a diverse group of people with a diverse range of good and poor health.

Lex has done ZC of mostly just frozen ground beef and suet if I recall and is doing better then ever.

It's hard to compare - Lex is managing high blood sugar issues, and you say you have no problem with blood sugar.

[Sorentus]

Yeah I don't might the taste of frozen food at all if it been in the refrigerator for a day or so. I only choose to eat fresh food because I feel it might benefit my health better, not because of taste. I been eating ground beef,lamb, pork and dunk eggs once and I feel best on ground beef, I still feel much better on raw then I did before the other diet so it's an improvement, I just still feel very ill because of feeling clogged, having constipation and chronic headaches. Honey helps me but then I hear all people saying "HONEY IS BAD" .I also am severely UNDERWEIGHT I lost 35 pounds I don't need to lose weight.

I haven't had the traditional rejecting feeling yet, when I become intolerant to a food I start to feel like my intestines are  burning, I haven't felt that yet, just that feeling of my intestines feeling stuck and it gets better with honey. So what's best, doing a rotation which will limit fresh with more frozen food and also cut honey even though I feel better on it? I'll do whatever I need to make it right, just not sure what right might be.

[van]

First suet is very hard to digest for many here, myself included.  I don't even consider trying to eat it.  Try back fat, tender soft, buttery..   I'd rather see you eat snacks between meals of protein of rice, potatoes, or other starchy foods with butter rather than getting considerable calories from honey.  You still haven't informed us as to how much honey you're eating in a day?   It may 'sooth' your insides in the moment, but I gotta believe that day in and out, constant loading up with honey is bound to cause havoc. 

[Sorentus]

I'm having 3  tablespoon 3 times a day with meal and an extra 2-5 during the day.  What kind of havoc? And do you think it could make me more tired? I'm sure you will say yes so please explain

[van]

May I suggest you learn about swings in blood sugar/insulin and the associated results.   The literature is accumulating daily.  Way to much to try to regurgitate for you here.  I truly believe you'll be glad you took the time.  That's a lot of honey.   Maybe if you thought of it instead as white sugar, you might intuitively understand?   Either way, the science is there should you be interested.   I often refer people to Dr. Ron Rosedale.  He has much easily understood information regarding the topic. 

[Sorentus]

Well I decided to cut honey for good at least for a couple of days, I think it makes me much hungrier then I should be, I also wanna see if it can help with energy. Too bad I'll just get terrible clogged organs though but, lethargy, hunger and constant headache outweigh my digestive pain atm. I wonder if a few grams of vegetable would screw up my attempt to regulate hunger.

I'm considering trying some marshmallow root to see if it can ease the spasms.

[eveheart]

...just that feeling of my intestines feeling stuck and it gets better with honey. So what's best, doing a rotation which will limit fresh with more frozen food and also cut honey even though I feel better on it? I'll do whatever I need to make it right, just not sure what right might be.

You present quite a mystery here. That is quite a bit of honey to eat in one day, so I wonder what is in your gut that kicks up until it gets its honey?

Also, I take it that you have had medical tests. What did they find? What caused you to lose 35 pounds? Have you had complete tests for diabetes, including blood sugar tests under a glucose load? You can post test results here or in your journal.

Also, you mentioned CFS - I take it that's chronic fatigue syndrome - here for the first time. IMO, that term is more effective as a description than as a road to healing. Perhaps you want to heal those gut problems first and get that constipation under complete control by any reasonable means. There are threads on this forum that you can search for some ideas.

[Sorentus]

They never figured out anything wrong with me, they just told me it looks like I'm IBS-C and that's it, offered me pain suppressant drugs. I seen over 6 doctor 2 gastroenteroligst, 1 nutritionist, had so many tests done and nothing came out.

I already incubated myself with 40 hookworms 3 weeks ago, I'm also having a fecal transplant this weekend and I tried every diets under the sun and I'm on raw paleo now. The only thing I haven't done yet for constipation is resistant starch powder. I was tested for fasting glucose here are the test results:

Fasting glucose: 4,6mmol/L
Glucose 30 minutes later: 5,5 mmol/L
Glucose 1 hour later: 4,3 mmol/L
Glucose 2hour later 4,3 mmol/L

If raw paleo, helminthic therapy and FMT fails I officially have no hope left. Every day is just more difficult then the last, more fatigue more headache, less energy reserves, if any.

[eveheart]

They never figured out anything wrong with me, they just told me it looks like I'm IBS-C and that's it, offered me pain suppressant drugs....

If raw paleo, helminthic therapy and FMT fails I officially have no hope left.

None of these therapies are quick fixes, so hang in there and stick with whatever gives you hope and small improvements.

[cherimoya_kid]

Vitamin D helps me sleep. I use the Now brand vitamin D.

[jessica]

honey probably helps your guts because you are having hydration issues and carbohydrates can be hydrating because they make your body hold onto water. 

you might want to think about soaking some dates in water and drinking that as an alternative, plus it contains magnesium and potassium which might help your intestinal and headache issues. 

over that I would suggest upping your fats when you get a change, ground beef is very chincy on fats.  if you are skinny you need tons of fats and proteins and some carbs to help them stick to your bones.

I think honey is fine in small amounts, and beneficial if unprocessed. I think you have to find what other carbs work for you.  for me I know that how my body processes carbs has everything to do with intuition, season, etc, you have to find what works for you and drop all dogma.  the goal is to feel better not to adhere to super strick rules, of course there should be guidelines in place like no processed foods, but if, for the time being, it is btter for you to digest warm or cooked foods that stay within the paleo category know that you may still be able to find healing

really encouraging you to try bone marrow, egg yolks(have you tried just the yolks?!), sourcing some fatty fish like mackerel, getting some backfat and suet.  also raw dairy or even just pasturized grass fed butter if that's all you have sources for

try eating these things with a little sea salt or seaweed, chewing on some celery, making a broth with zucchinis and drinking the juice, chewing on a small bit of bitter greens before you eat....etc.  something to get your digestion going.  I would also suggest dry aging your meat as it will make it easier to digest.

I would encourage you to consider sauna and self massage, stretching, and MAKING yourself just go outside during the day.  you don't even have to go far...once around the block and then lay down if you need to and do deep breathing.  if you have no activity, don't interact with the sunslight(like cherimoya mentioned, vit D is great to induce restful sleeps) and don't get out in nature during the day you will probably continue to find it hard to gather energy....even if you can find a place close to lay on the ground during the day, somewhere outside, under a tree in a park perhaps?  go there!  go where there is running water and sit near that as well.

some herbs that might help activate deep sleeps (do you dream?) include skull cap and lemon balm

cabbage juice is great for healing the intestines. 

Kelps provide healing healing and protection for the intestines, it creates its own mucilage that should be more helpful/easier to digest then fiber, as well as plenty of trace nutrients and iodine.

if your digestion is extremely compromised I would also suggest taking a probiotic, I suggest garden of life "primal defense" which contains many strains including microorganisms that are found in healthy soil. 

I would also suggest taking a supplement, FOR THE TIME BEING, not forever, but new chapter makes really good multivitamins that are food based that also include enzymes and probiotics.  no need to megadose but worth a shot to see how they make you feel.

[Sorentus]

Thanks Jessica for the input, I really wanna do egg yolk but I just always end up eating the whole egg because I don't want to waste the white part. If cabbage juice is really good I presume fermented cabbage is really good too? That's my only source of veggie atm. I love dates but any sweet makes me insanely addicted, I feel hungrier the more I eat them. It's really cold out there, 7F atm, I was thinking of using my twinlab cod liver oil again for the vitamin D until it gets warmer, but I was doubting the effects since it's likely heated and processed unlike the fermented brand.

I do have some skull cap, schisandra and valerian root, I'm concerned that because they are supplement they aren't raw and thus doing more bad then good? lol, yeah I' having a toxin phobia I guess. I don't have access to raw butter or grass <-fed but I made my own ghee from grain fed cows, it taste amazing but too much and I get very thirsty and don't feel that it contribute to my healing.

Regarding probiotics, I was gonna consider RAW Probiotics Ultimate Care by Gardan of life, it contain I believe all the strains in the other one you mentioned minus the one strain that is soil based. I tried SBO probiotics and they seem to just make me gassy and more constipated, maybe they help in other way but I haven't tried long term as constipation is a major issue for me.

Regarding multivitamin I tried a few, seems to give me energy as well as making me pee green for the whole day...not sure if doing more harm then good though.

Oh and I make amazing dreams, I feel in even when I sleep, then when I wake up it's hell again, I made vivid and lucid dream regularly, I had an amazing lucid dream last night.