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Did going gray increase my migraine pain?
The author Dr Howard Schubiner has a book called “Unlearn your pain” which I’ll try to summarize soon. Until then, I want to mention a specific concept that he raises in the book – “predictive coding” – which is when you start to see and feel the things you expect…
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Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and migraines
My migraines seem to be the result of a combination of stress and hormones, linked to a mobile assemblage of environmental issues such as humidity, excessive noise or dehydration. For some unlucky people however, migraines (and other headaches) are the result of a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). According to the…
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Are you a crybaby?
Just after the 2024 Olympics, I read an article in a publication called ‘The Atlantic’ which was titled The Crybaby Olympics by Christopher Beam. I now can’t open it without a subscription, but I took a copy of the article’s tagline: “Sports have always had sore losers. But based on…
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Like mother like daughter
I’ve been thinking a lot about the habits that we learn from our parents – and those that we pass onto our kids. The list that comes up in my mind is a mixed bag of wonderful memories, routines and rituals… as well as a handful of dubious practices. [This…
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Winning at The Wheel of Fortune
A while ago I mentioned in passing that I had been the carry-over champion of a game show. This is that story… and apologies in advance; it isn’t going to do anything for your chronic pain – other than make you laugh – it’s just a strange little glimpse into…
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Conditioning and pain
Ever heard of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849–1936)? He was a physiologist who did experiments with dogs. Put simply, he would ring a bell each time he served the puppies their dinner. After repeating the routine often enough, he could ring a bell, and the dogs would salivate even if there…
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Nothing is inconsequential… including you
While I was busy living my life over the last 50 years, I generally assumed that the little things were essentially inconsequential… “Don’t sweat the small stuff” and all that jazz. Scraped your knee? Meh… it will heal. Arrive late to a meeting by a few minutes? Accidents happen. Did…
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Wash that pain right out of your head
When I was younger, I used to be a complete sucker for a musical on TV. “The Sound of Music”, “West Side Story”, and “Greece” all come to mind, as well as “The King and I”. As a teenager, I then went through a stage (pun intended) where I loved…
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Swimming for migraines
In Australia, where I live, summer has ended. Based on what I know from previous years, within a few weeks the temperature of the water in backyard pools will go from “balmy” to “fresh”. Another few weeks after that, and the water becomes “nippy” and off limits to all but…
The Mindful Migraine 