How I Resolved My Migraines

One day in April 2016, I was pretty motivated to get out in the sunshine and start my yard work. We have about one acre of ledges, overgrown weeds, and many rocky areas.
I have a vision of a wild but managed landscape. Many of the rocks are inconveniently located to this ongoing project. This particular Sunday was bright, sunny, finally warm enough to go out in a teeshirt, and if I had been able, I would probably have stayed until the sun was below the horizon, digging, moving huge, heavy rocks, mulching where I had cleared piles of weeds.
I had not been out long, hefting  heavy rocks here and there, when I started to feel a sharp headache. This was not like any headache I had experienced before.  I have not had many headaches in my life, certainly not on a regular basis. For people who have ongoing migraines, I sympathize with that level of suffering, from what I experienced firsthand.

I probably came indoors and lay on the sofa.  I may have taken ibuprofen. I likely did not go back out to continue my yardwork that day.
That was the beginning of ongoing, unpredictable migraines for me.  They happened once or twice a week. What I recall is that they would come on quickly.  If I would stop and rest, and take an ibuprofen, they would ease up or even disappear after a half hour or so. Sometimes they included nausea and vertigo. I often remained depleted, even if the pain subsided. The appearance of these headaches was a complete mystery. I could find no pattern or consistent cause.
It was starting to interfere with my life and responsibilities. I once had to have my students drive me home from my yoga studio because I started to have a fierce episode while teaching class and doing Cobra, a strong backband while lying on my stomach. (BTW, these are clues I could not yet read.)
I did visit my GP, as well as an acupuncturist, and I was referred for a neurology consult, I had an MRI. I probably visited another care provider or two.  “Sudden onset severe headaches, sharp pain, occasional nausea.”  No one had answers.  No one could read the clues.

About a year later, I planned to attend a training in Ayurveda, given by Dr. Claudia Welch and Dr. Robert Svoboda.  It took place in VT over 2 weeks.  It was primarily a lecture course, and while I was familiar with the basic principles and concepts of Ayurveda from my reading,  I wanted to get a fuller picture from these two widely respected practitioners. I don’t recall whether I had any migraines while I was there.  But I hoped to have a consultation with one of them to get insight into where the headaches were coming from and why. More importantly, I wanted some RELIEF -to know how to stop them!!
Neither of them were still offering personal consultations, but Dr. Claudia referred me to Dr. Allison Morse, also nearby in Vermont. I visited the Ayurvedic Center of Vermont for a consultation one afternoon during the training.
Looking back on it now, it seems very simple.  What I did not know very well at that time, was that I was unknowingly fueling a huge amount of internal fire and heat.  My constitution, or metabolic type, already includes a lot of fire. The natural consequence of all that heat in my system was the intense headaches. The recommendations were largely things I could stop doing, that were contributing to my problem.

A few clues that I can (now!) see in retrospect:  The first one I remember clearly. I was going out to work on one of the first hot days of the Spring.  Bright sun, and the heavy exertion of moving large rocks triggered volcanic heat within me. How do I know this is true? Because even to this day, if I go out to work at even a moderate intensity, in the bright, hot sun, I will start to feel a tiny inkling of head pain.  That inkling is a reminder to wear sunglasses and shade my head with a wide brim hat. Then I can work outside when it is bright, sunny and hot.  Also, if I push my energy limits (which I used to do often!) I will start to get a similar little pain signal. Another factor- maintaining abundant hydration.
I no longer get the heavy, intense headaches that take me down, as I did for that year-plus.

As time goes on, (aka as I age) my energy reserves are changing.  I manage my time and effort much more mindfully in my 60s than I did when I was 30- or 40-something. There were also some dietary habits that significantly contributed to my brief encounter with the migraines. I now know what I can eat and drink that supports my resilience and motivation, and what I can consume rarely or not at all.  Not just in relation to avoiding migraines.  I know what I can ingest with consequences (low energy, depleted immunity, digestive upset or other imbalances like vertigo) and I sometimes take the risks.  Some of those impacts also shift from season to season. They shift depending on my recent state of balance or depletion. They also shift as I age. I continue to witness, experiment, and adjust. 
 
This is what I have learned from Ayurveda: I have the wisdom and insight regarding how my body (and mind and spirit) work at the level of energies. I know how to keep a closer tab on my wellness or equilibrium: digestively, metabolically, mentally, emotionally.  I can use this knowledge to make daily choices, to form and keep habits that invigorate and rejuvenate me.  All these practices keep me much more stable and peaceful, in every way.
I know what clues to look for, and I see most of the sources of depletion and disturbance so I can correct them.  It is a work in progress.  Sometimes I indulge even when I know something I do risks tipping me out of balance. Ayurveda gives me the meanings of the clues my body gives me, it is an answer key to how & why my overall wellbeing rises or falls.

General comments about Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a comprehensive natural health system.  It accounts for the ways we change internally and in response to the weather and seasons, as our environment changes around us.  It explains how we transform all that we take in, (starting with our food, but beyond that too) and convert it to our life energies.  It is primarily based in our diet and lifestyle, with the use of plant-derived herbs and spices that can further shape how our internal energies are functioning.  When various systems have veered out of balance, the corrective diet, actions or herbs address the cause of the disorder, not just the symptoms.
It is an ideal system for anyone who likes to be in tune with their body, mind and spirit. It is an optimal health system if you have grown frustrated with the failure of traditional Western medicine to resolve your health issues. (Western medicine has many very powerful gifts and treatments for illnesses and disorders, especially acute problems.)  
Ayurveda has a wider goal: Prevent disorders from arising through maintaining internal balance. If dysfunction has begun to take root, it may be reversible. Small imbalances can be restored, especially when detected early. Another big picture goal of Ayurveda is healthspan: longevity with wellness and lifespan with good energy and fitness.

Ayurveda uses mindful self-awareness that allows us to be proactive in cultivating and sustaining wellbeing.  We can increasingly read and understand cues from within ourselves. We can also gradually gauge the influence of season and weather, the impact that Nature has on our inner workings on every level. We can fulfill our potential within our roles and goals in life, with our families and loved ones to our best ability when we are well and balanced.  Ayurveda has the strategies and practices to help us do it.