Healing Vestibular Migraines: my wellness plan + weaning off migraine medication (month four)

Hi there!

Oh man do I have a lot to say this month.  Mostly because I'm just so darn excited to share it with you and I feel like I'm onto something.  My soul is radiating the vibes of healingggg.  If you're new here, be sure to visit my FAQ page and the Vestibular Warrior Wellness Hub to get a glimpse of my journey with a vestibular condition (vestibular neuritis + vestibular migraines) and beyond, but then come back here!  I'm so happy to connect with you.

This month has been good; although, I feel like I have a bit more to report on the migraine-preventive (amitriptyline) weaning process.  I'm down by a third of my original medication dosage and I'm so happy with how my body is responding.  I did have a few days of feeling off and it was a sign to me to be really kind to myself, lots of plant-based eats, celery juicing (started this month!), cleansing supplements (I use doTERRA + started HUM Nutrition this month), pure plant oils, move + mediate workouts and CBD (non-psychoactive) for support.  I'm feeling really good.  It's awesome to see that listening to my body and responding accordingly with my toolkit is powerful.  Nothing like putting my toolkit to work!

[visit here to read all posts on my experience with weaning off migraine-preventive medication]

eating to heal

This month I've been diving into Medical Medium protocols.  I had read one of his book's during the first year with my vestibular something, and most of the foods promoted are a part of my vestibular migraine diet plan.  I saw he had a podcast episode on healing migraines and it struck me as something I wanted to revisit (listen to the episode here).  In short, the mindset is that a virus is at the heart of vestibular migraines.  Honestly this hits home for me, especially because my story involves vestibular neuritis which triggered vestibular migraines.  

My mission has always been to heal from the inside out.  I believe that my body (and yours by the way!) is meant to find its blissful balance, but environment, stress, toxins and lifestyle can throw things out of whack.  Especially as I'm weaning off my medication, I want to get to the root cause more than ever.  I'm so thankful to feel how I do today.  There was a time when my symptoms were 24/7 for months and months on end, so in comparison to that I'm on cloud nine.  That being said, even though I've recovered my wellness, I want to be free from the vestibular stuff.  And once I find that freedom, I want to help other Vestibular Warriors do the same.  Actually, my mission is to help other Vestibular Warriors every step of the way (my why for writing my book Uncovering Bliss: A Journey with a Vestibular Condition and Beyond).

Some Medical Medium basics on an anti-viral diet include cutting gluten, dairy, eggs, white sugar and processed foods.  I've embraced a vegan diet since 2009, and it changed my life, so animal products are not a part of my diet.  But I have a sweet tooth and if you follow me on Instagram you've probably noticed.  So my biggest shift is staying away from white sugar and processed foods (even vegan ones).  This doesn't mean forever but I recognize that in times of deep healing it's important, and so often necessary.

Bring on the celery juice!  If you Google "Medical Medium celery juice" you're bound to come up with a heck of a lot of information.  This article is a good starting point.  I'm jumping on board with this and I'm excited to see where it takes me.  I've been starting my day with either celery juice or cucumber juice, and then having a sweet smoothie to soothe my cravings.  The recipe posted below is from Oh She Glows second cookbook and it includes a banana, dates, cacao, hemp seeds...and it's freaking delicious.  

healing vestibular migraines

While a nourishing diet is my driving force, I absolutely turn to other things for beautiful support.  Particularly this month I've refined my plan.  I took a slightly bigger jump in decreasing my medicine dosage and that made me pinpoint exactly where I needed a bit of self-care.  Here are other things that have been making a splash:

Pure plant essential oils- no surprise here, but the Balance blend has been my BFF.  You can guarantee that if you're near me you'll be smelling these oils (which make up Balance): Spruce Leaf, Ho Wood Leaf, Frankincense Resin, Blue Tansy Flower, Blue Chamomile Flower, and Osmanthus Flower essential oils in a base of Fractionated Coconut Oil. [oils routine for Vestibular Warriors here]

Kait Hurley move + meditation workouts- movement for me is a must.  If I feel a sway or glitch (as I call it) or a spike in anxiety, I know it's time to get moving.  I always feel better afterwards, without fail.  These workouts are about sweating and then meditating, and it feels glorious.  When I started these workouts 15 months in with my vestibular something, I would wobble through every move.  I started with the restorative workouts and then worked my way up.  They are definitely an obsession of mine, so much so that I talk about them in the chapter on anxiety in my book.

CBD fruit chews (250mg)- Living in Seattle I feel like I have a lot of accessibility to CBD, but this wasn't the case when I was back east.  I was ordering CBD online and now I can go to the stores.  I've tried a variety of CBD forms (creams, vape, tinctures) and this month I got a package of fruit chews for my birthday and I love them.  I tend to eat one before bed and I can feel the calm set in and it's a beautiful thing.  I had a day with migraine pain and I came home and ate one of the chews and my pain went down, and almost disappeared.  I was really impressed.  That being said, you have to know the quality of what you're putting in your body.  There's a bunch of junk out there...and that's for another discussion.

Meditation- Dr. Joe Dispenza and Elizabeth Stanley, PhD are my inspiration right now.  I listened to Elizabeth on Jessica Murnane's podcast (listen here) and it's a really powerful episode on trauma, which so many of us that have journeyed with a vestibular something can relate too.  And most of us have experienced some sort of trauma throughout our lives.  The more I meditate, the more I crave it.  

I hope that gives you a look into what healing vestibular migraines looks like for me.  Be sure to check out the latest on Vestibular Warrior YouTube as well.

Talk to you next month!
-Em

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OTHER RESOURCES:
​
Em's book: Uncovering Bliss: A Journey with a Vestibular Condition and Beyond
​Vestibular Warrior Wellness Hub + Resources
YouTube Videos [Vestibular Warrior]
Oils Routine for Vestibular Warriors
​Em's Routine When Symptoms Heighten
​Migraine Vegan Diet
Bliss Out Vibes Podcast for Vestibular Warriors
​Contact Em