I’ve been at war with migraine headaches of all kinds and have been trying everything I can to win. The neurologist injected me with six vials of Botox in my head, shoulders and neck; that’s three large hypodermics. And I was still getting ocular migraines.

I have been going for acupuncture twice weekly, I took two week’s worth of Chinese herbs which I deemed my daily dirt martinis. The headaches persisted. I was getting head “aches” with pain and the persistent, pit bull headaches of the not painful ocular migraines which usually leave in thirty minutes. Sometimes they would come back, but occasionally they would diminish in length. I still am not sure which is worse: a headache with pain that persists for days or an ocular migraine that leaves fairly quickly that impedes my vision.

I go for therapeutic massage with a terrific guy whose life is split between rubbing out people’s knots, and playing gypsy punk-rock music. It works for me. (Bad Buka)

What I have added to the mix is the following, so if you too suffer from migraines, I hope something on this page will help you:

I bought the Cefaly device from Belgium (about $325 with shipping) which has just been approved by the FDA. It requires a doctor’s prescription. The last time I was at the neurologist he never mentioned this device. I shoved the article in his face and demanded a prescription: I was a desperate woman. It came a couple of weeks later and I began using it six nights ago, on Friday, a day when I had an ocular migraine. It starts with a tickly feeling and gets progressively stronger. Each day I have had to control the progress of the electrical signal as it got too intense. The stimulation of the trigeminal nerve in the face is supposed to build a kind of immunity to migraine. I had two oculars the next day. It might take a few months for this to kick in, though some people report they were “cured” very soon.

I was able, after doing a lot of research, to locate a pair of Gunnars Optix (Gunnars.com) computer eye glasses. I actually was alerted to them through twitter. Some Staples (look for coupons) carry a moderate selection, as does Game Stop if you just want to give them a try. If you are a heavy computer user or gamer, you NEED these! They make a big difference. So many people were complaining on twitter that they got ocular migraines at work and that these helped. Often, if I would look at my computer screen or phone screen it would initiate a migraine reaction. It could be the screen refreshing, or as Gunnar puts it, “blue light.” The lenses are tinted a soothing light amber and the blue light is neutralized. The lenses have a subtle curve which prevents dry eye. I recently began wearing reading glasses at the computer for astigmatism but strangely, I can wear the non prescription and sit a little further back and a focus pretty well on the screen–it’s probably healthier, too.

I was awarded a $15 coupon from paypal for Overstock.com which I had no intention of using and then it dawned on me: maybe they carry Gunnars. They do, and another pair I wanted was on special that day for $70 and I had a $15 coupon. So the $99 Staples glasses ended up costing me about $70 with a coupon and rewards, and the Overstock.com will end up being $55 with FREE shipping. The lenses are excellent, by Carl Zeiss. I might still spring for another pair with my reading prescription. Believe me, it’s worth it.

I began to feel better as I combined all my treatments, but there was still something bothering me: it was like my vision was jumping, blipping. The feeling was like I had (but didn’t at all) too much caffeine. More research. I began to add magnesium in a highly absorbable form and liquid vitamin B12 supplements twice daily. Magnesium is great for muscle spasms and if you have asthma, magnesium is tantamount. The B vitamins are nerve vitamins and B12 has been found to help migraines. Migraines are brain stem spasms. They can originate in blood vessels, in muscles, in nerves, in the retina. I was convinced I had some kind of deficiency and addressed it.

In the 1970s my parents took a trip to London and my mother, who was always into homeopathic medicine, found “cell salts” in the pharmacy. They are tinctures of elements which are present in a healthy body; if there is a deficiency, there are symptoms. Some are single, others are mixed for specific ailments. Above you can see three preparations in the larger bottles for: headaches, migraine, neuralgic pain. The small vial, ferrum phos, is one of the set of twelve in the travel case which can be combined to address specific symptoms. These have been very helpful as well, are natural and not harmful like all the drugs that are prescribed. Usually local health food stores have them, but I also recommend: http://www.1-800homeopathy.com.

It is now Thursday afternoon. I have not had a migraine of any kind since I had a double-whammy last Saturday. Up until that time, I had at least one every day. If you are suffering from migraine of any kind, I raise my glass of magnesium tonic to you and wish you the best: Let’s kick migraine’s ass.