MY DIET/MY PROGRAM

             "Spend all their time feelin' sorry for themselves....Get over it"   The Eagles

     Many years ago my husband and I signed-up for swing dance lessons at a local club.  The music of the moment was highlighted by the great "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy" and the exciting "Brian Setzer Band".  We dressed in the fifty's look and had so much fun turning, spinning and jumping to new renditions of Louis Prima songs.  And there were other interests.

     Several years ago, I found myself still working hard at our schools but also dealing with my 85 year old mother who needed much emotional and physical help.  Sometimes, after work and after I had stopped to visit her at the hospital or assisted living or the nursing home, I would select a few fresh pieces of my favorite dark chocolate See's candy at the local store.  The moment I arrived home, I would get into my jeans, put on  a DVD (no streaming, yet) and slowly savor my sweet morsels.  And escape my frustration, fatigue and sadness.

     Around the same time, we would drive all the way from Orange County to Cheese Store Beverly Hills once a month.  They offered a reasonably priced cheese and wine tasting class and it gave us a good excuse to meet and socialize with our friends who live north of Santa Monica.  She is my best friend since fifth grade and they are a couple who like to laugh.  I needed and enjoyed that evening.

     And now I am sorry to tell you that if you have a predisposition for Vertigo, the days of fast dancing, of chocolate, of aged cheese and wine, and the coffee needed to get through work plus all these activities, are now over.  It is sad that I had  to let go of so many favorite things, and it took three years to  really internalize all of it,  but look what I gained in the trade:  No more debilitating vertigo and the concomitant nausea (and worse), reduced ear fullness (which can be intolerable) and less tinnitus.  And maybe no additional hearing loss in  my right ear.  I am not out of balance when I walk and I can drive.  Other environmental triggers are less threatening.

     If you want a detailed description of the diet, please see the first item (Dr. Texeido) in my Resource area (or click below).   And then get a copy of the book that is listed,  "Healing Your Headache" at your library or at a bookstore.

     Simply, the food triggers are "1) by-products of food aging (fermented food like red wine, aged cheeses and yeast in fresh bread and yogurt)  and 2) foods with chemicals similar to the neurotransmitters that our brains use( coffee, chocolate, MSG and nitrates)".  The food may alone cause a problem up to two days ahead, or it may combine with other partial triggers (the cumulative effect) resulting in vertigo symptoms. 
  

       REDUCING THE MIGRAINE MECHANISM, WITH or WITHOUT HEADACHE                                        (Click Here For Full Program - SPECIFIC LIST OF FOODS AFTER BIBLIOGRAPHY)) 
 

                     (YOU WILL NEED TO WORK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN TO FOLLOW THE FULL PLAN - It takes at least 3-4 months to turn things around)

               1.Stop Rebound Medications (They are  temporary fixes  that turn around and make the situation worse). 

              

               2.Reduce the factors that trigger (migraine) vertigo.  These are:  certain foods (tyramine, aged cheese))  and chemicals (alcohol, MSG, Nitrates, Sulphites, caffeine, fermented  products) you ingest, stress, not enough sleep,  exercise, bright lights and strong odors, barometric and weather changes and hormone fluctuations.  You need to raise  your threshold level of tolerance to these factors so that you can then include very  low levels of them without resultant vertigo (migraine) - this is the goal.

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               3.You may need a short term (three months) of medication to control vertigo (migraine) while you institute the diet and  reduce triggers, trying to raise your threshold, or tolerance, level.

       For me, the program required 12 weeks on Nortriptyline to reduce vertigo while I went on the strict diet.   I began the diet when I started the medication and also tried to minimize all other triggers.  I remained on the diet when the medication was removed.  I now follow the diet most of the time, but I rotate small amounts of, for example, chocolate (1 square) or one chocolate chip cookie, 2 tsp. of peanut butter, one ounce of lesser aged cheese and 1/2 of an orange or grapefruit, 2x/week for each "cheat" and I do not have them all on the same day.  That might have a cumulative effect.  Rotated small amounts is the key for me. Occasionally I put 1/2 tsp. of regular instant coffee into my decaf.  Not every day.   I limit my eating out to once or twice/week.

      I know I have a lower threshold during July and August from the heat so I sit in air conditioning or in front of a fan when I can.  I am drinking at least 8 cups of water a day. I am finally over  menopause issues so that has helped - it was a definite trigger.  I complete my walks either very early  or late in the day during the hot months and wear a wide brimmed black Goretex Sombrero Hat  (Outdoor Research) (very attractive!!!) that I found for much less money at Amazon than at other stores.   I walk alone so I am not talking a lot and turning my head left and right.  I am not really alone because I listen to music (my personal selection so I reduce stress) or a book on my phone.   The doctor would rather I use the stationery bike at the gym to reduce motion, and it does have a nice fan on it,  but I'm not a biker.  If I  use weights, I am careful not to strain.  I guess that would be hard to do with 5  pound weights.

     I take breaks at the computer and when reading to give my eye motion a rest.  It is important for me to try to reduce motion activities like spinning around the kitchen when cooking or turning too quickly in bed.   I never drink alcohol but a quarter of a cup of wine in a large sauce recipe or a little Bourbon in mashed yams does not seem to bother me.  But just a small amount of balsamic vinegar  is a definite  trigger.  Too much talking, especially in loud surroundings, causes problems for fullness in my ear which can be relieved with Nasonex,  but I do this no more than 2x/ month.  During allergy season(s) I take an occasional Allegra and that helps my ear fullness also.  I try not to linger under fluorescent lights and I do not sit in direct sun.  If someone is wearing too strong of a scent (really inconsiderate anyway), I move to another seat.

     There is some science behind vitamin B2 and Magnesium helping this neurologically based problem so I take both at my doctor's recommendation.

    **  **( Click Here For Lost and Found - What To Eat)