I have headaches...who eats organic fruits/veggies?

I am a long-time sufferer of migraines and headaches. Eventually my doctor and I figured out that my trigger was a hydration issue. At first we thought it was a food trigger so I began keeping a journal/log of everything I ate (and included liquids). Long story short: I HAVE to be properly hydrated every day with water. I drink 8-10 glasses of water on a typical day, and bump that up with activity (ie: I drink much more after running a long distance race).

Something to consider, but please keep in mind that I did not arbitrarily choose my water intake. I still have an odd day where I do not reach my intake goal... and the headaches/migraines hit me. They are much more manageable now and I only need an over-the-counter remedy.

Good luck!

I'm just wondering if the extra cost of organics are worth it...i was hoping others would help me out.

In the long run? Yes, organics are always better than processed. In the short run, you won't feel the difference unless EVERYTHING you eat is organic.

A friend of mine suffers from cluster headaches and was told by his MD to avoid nitrates.

Maybe give that a try?

I wish you luck! It's worth trying for a while to see if it helps. I've been suffering from migraines for over 4 years now and after all that time the only triggers my neuro and I have found are stress and weather. However, personally I notice that if I get off track with my exercise and start eating a lot of processed and/or takeout food I get them more frequently.

The herbal supplement Feverfew helps with migraines....but you cannot take it as a constant supplement. As with anything, too much is never a good thing.
Do some research but I do know people that it has helped. This is preventative only - not something you take, like Advil, if you're symptomatic

I suffered with migraines/headaches for years. I have found that proper hydration and magnesium supplementation (250 mg+/day) have been key. 85% of North American women are deficient in magnesium, and it is essential for muscle relaxation. I used to get headaches 3+ times a weak, and they would often progress into migraines. I maybe get headaches once a month now. Normally only when I eat peanuts or dark chocolate while being dehydrated/stressed.

my brother has had debilitating migraines for as long as i can remember. to the point where he would end up in the hospital usually about once a month vomitting so much and in such pain that all they could do is put him on enough narcotics to knock him out till it passed. NOT FUN!

roughly a year ago, he went to a diet of only fresh fruits and veggies. beans and legumes as well, so he gets a bit more protein. he's not had a headache since. not one.

I've had similar problem. I tracked what I ate and I came to conclusion that RAW onion caused this, so I only eat well cooked onion anymore and have no problems. I really had pains with these migraines, a killer once I had one it lasted for days without break and it wasn't caused by periods. Try looking into which food you ate before you got a headache each time and you might get what's causing them.

It's always worth a try, but I wouldn't count on it. Trial and error is all you can do.

I've been struggling with rebound headaches for years. I'm certain that the Excedrin I take is what is causing them, but I have never been able to beat them. Cutting out all or various combinations of ingredients has yielded no results and only led to debilitating pain. For now, I live with the headaches and 2-3 doses of Excedrin every day.

What did your neurologist day about possible food causes?

^^I use to do this too until I read that 1.) Excedrin is really hard on your liver. & 2.) Taking over the counter meds longer than a week can cause what you are trying to prevent, in this case, headaches. I too am a migraine/headache sufferer & coming off Excedrin was HARD! My headaches were horrible!! I learned that I must drink water! If I stay hydrated they decreased!! For the time they don't, my doctor prescribe me Fioricet. This pill is great b/c it takes away the pain without the hard side effect like grogginess! I started taking them 3 times a day now I'm down to 3 times a month! I also learn that exercise is my best friend to overcome the onset of headaches. Just don't workout with one, it will get worse!!!

I would also suggest taking a look at the artificial sweeteners if you're using any. Some can have some pretty uncomfortable side effects for different people. Also - if you're taking in less caffeine than normal that can give you headaches. One last suggestion that I just recently found was that headaches can be a sign of dehydration - the article I found suggested drinking a glass of water and give yourself a little time to see if that takes away your headache.

**you can never go wrong going organic**

this! I get migraines periodically and stress & allergies are my main triggers now however I used to get them 3-4 days a week and after reading up on artificial sweeteners I completely cut them out and noticed a HUGE difference. I didn't even realize how awfully clumsy I had become from them until I stopped using them. These days I use stevia for the most part, occasionally I'll have things with sucralose (that never gave me headaches but I did notice it was giving my stomach aches and made me bloated) or just have things unsweetened. Thankfully stevia is mainstream now so its pretty cheap and easy to get

organic is good but I believe the effects of the pesticides are more long term than short term, its always good to eat organically as much as you are able to. there have been studies that test which foods have higher amounts of pesticides on them so you can aim to eat less of those, here's one article: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/dirty-dozen-foods#slide-1
in general fruits & veggies that you eat the skin of or that grow in the ground, or leaf veggies are higher in pesticides and should be bought organic whenever possible, foods with thicker skins (bananas, oranges, coconuts) are lower in pesticides because you peal off the skin that was exposed before eating.

Side note: salad greens are super easy to grow organic inside, I grew them all winter (then my dogs destroyed my indoor greenhouse so I have to buy another one!) they grow quickly and are very cheap

Have you had your eyes tested recently? Just a thought.

I'm just wondering if the extra cost of organics are worth it...i was hoping others would help me out.

In the long run? Yes, organics are always better than processed. In the short run, you won't feel the difference unless EVERYTHING you eat is organic.

There are two major errors in this response.
(1) " Yes, organics are always better than processed." The label organic refers to both the way something is grown, and the way it is processed. There are organically grown foods that are "processed" (e.g. refined sugar). And a conventionally grown apple is still "unprocessed," but covered in pesticides.
(2) Levels of pesticide residue vary considerably among various fruits and vegetables, and not always in ways you'd think. For example, conventionally grown potatoes have high levels of pesticide residue, but conventionally grown sweet potatoes do not. If you cannot afford to do so (or just can't find everything you like to eat in organic), you do not need to eat 100% organic in order to *considerably* reduce your pesticide consumption. I'd recommend looking up the "dirty dozen" and the "clean 15" as a start for reducing pesticide consumption.

All I was referring to was her migraine symptoms. Her body would have to repair whatever damage was done before she wowould get relief and if she eats some organic but mostly dirty and processed foods then she isn't going to get the relief she seeks sshort term. Also, organic is an unregulated term; so I can make a product that is handled organicly in my hands but the ssuppliers might not be as clean as I am and their organic flour might have pesticides on it. Sadly, we put too much faith in big brother to save us from the bad guys and the bad guys only have to pay fines when caught.