Migraine - Giving Up Sugar Gave Me My Life Back (Contains Dad Dancing)

Summary

Andrew, a lifelong migraine sufferer, shares his journey to reduce migraine frequency and severity. After trying various therapies, he found significant relief through the Curable app, which focuses on mind-body programming, and by addressing reactive hypoglycemia caused by sugar spikes in his diet. He now follows a strict diet, avoiding added sugars and junk food, and exercises regularly. His new lifestyle has led to a remarkable reduction in migraine days, offering hope to others with chronic pain.

Takeaways

• 🕒 The video provides a time code for viewers who are in pain to quickly access the main revelation.
• 🌟 The video is aimed at those interested in the biggest trigger of migraines discovered by the speaker after 25-30 years of experience.
• 🚍 The speaker occasionally makes videos unrelated to their usual caravan or campervan content, such as a 'What I Eat in a Day' video.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The speaker, his brother, and mother have all suffered from migraines their entire lives, with the speaker experiencing up to 15 migraine days per month at his worst.
• ⚠️ The speaker is not medically qualified but shares personal experience and insights to help others who suffer from migraines.
• 🌱 Three years ago, the speaker quit a shift work job, adopted a plant-based diet, and experienced a significant reduction in migraine frequency.
• 📱 The 'Curable' app, which offers TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) mind-body programming, helped the speaker reduce migraine days to an average of about five per month.
• 🍔 The speaker discovered that his diet, despite being plant-based, needed to be cleaned up, as he was consuming a lot of junk food, which contributed to his high blood pressure.
• 🏃‍♂️ The speaker imposed a junk food ban, started running, and experienced a month without a headache, attributing this to improved diet and exercise.
• 🍫 The speaker linked a chocolate brownie to a severe migraine, which led to the discovery of reactive hypoglycemia as a migraine trigger.
• 🍬 The video concludes with the speaker's success in reducing migraines by avoiding added sugars and maintaining stable blood glucose levels.

Q & A

What was the speaker's strategy to reduce migraine frequency?

The speaker reduced migraine frequency by quitting shift work, adopting a plant-based diet, using the 'curable' app for TMS mind-body programming, and ultimately discovering that reactive hypoglycemia caused by sugar spikes in his diet was a significant trigger.

What is the 'curable' app mentioned in the script?

The 'curable' app is a TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) mind-body programming tool designed to help with conditions like migraines, fibromyalgia, and nerve pain.

How did the speaker's diet change after moving to Scotland?

After moving to Scotland, the speaker initially indulged in junk food from vegan offerings at fast-food chains and sugary drinks, which contributed to high blood pressure and migraines.

What is reactive hypoglycemia and how is it related to migraines?

Reactive hypoglycemia is a condition where a spike in blood sugar levels, often caused by consuming sugary foods or drinks, leads to a subsequent crash in blood glucose levels. This can trigger migraines, as the speaker discovered was a significant factor in his own migraines.

What was the impact of the speaker's diet change on his migraines?

After imposing a junk food ban and focusing on a healthier diet, the speaker experienced a month without a headache and a significant reduction in migraine days over the following months.

How did the speaker's exercise routine contribute to his migraine management?

The speaker began running and completed the Couch to 5k program, which helped lower his blood pressure and contributed to a reduction in migraine frequency.

What was the speaker's experience with alternative therapies for migraines?

The speaker tried various alternative therapies like acupuncture, osteopathy, and Reiki, but found them ineffective in managing his migraines.

What role did stress and anxiety play in the speaker's migraines?

While stress and anxiety were present during periods of high migraine activity, the speaker found that managing his diet was more crucial in controlling migraines, even during stressful times.

How did the speaker's approach to diet change after discovering reactive hypoglycemia?

The speaker banned added sugars, juices, and soft drinks from his diet, opting for whole fruits and water instead, to maintain stable blood glucose levels and reduce migraine triggers.

What was the speaker's advice for others suffering from chronic migraines?

The speaker suggested that others try the 'curable' app, consider the impact of reactive hypoglycemia, and experiment with dietary changes to reduce sugar intake, as these strategies helped him manage his migraines.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Migraine Discovery Journey

The speaker, Andrew, introduces the video by empathizing with those in pain and provides a time code for viewers to skip to the main revelation. He shares his personal and family history with migraines, emphasizing the impact on their lives. Andrew clarifies his lack of medical qualifications but offers his extensive experience with migraines. He discusses various treatments he and his family have tried, including acupuncture and Reiki, and mentions lifestyle changes like quitting shift work and adopting a plant-based diet. Andrew also highlights the use of the 'curable' app for TMS mind-body programming, which significantly reduced his migraine days. His biggest breakthrough came after moving to Scotland and discovering his high blood pressure, leading to a realization about his diet.

05:01

🍔 The Glasgow Vegan Diet Revelation

Andrew recounts his initial plant-based diet, dubbed 'Glasgow vegan,' which involved consuming processed vegan fast food and sugary drinks. He admits this diet was not optimal and led to high blood pressure. Upon further examination, he realized the need for a cleaner diet, leading to a complete ban on junk food. He shares his experience of running and the impact of living in the Outer Hebrides during the pandemic. Despite the stress, he maintained his diet and exercise, which resulted in no headaches during March. However, after indulging in a chocolate brownie, he suffered a severe migraine, leading him to research and discover 'reactive hypoglycemia' as a migraine trigger. He explains this condition and its role in his migraines.

10:01

🍫 The Role of Sugar in Migraines

Andrew delves into the concept of reactive hypoglycemia, explaining how sugar spikes can lead to migraines. He reflects on past experiences and identifies sugary foods and drinks as the culprits behind his migraines, not stress as previously thought. He shares his strategy for managing migraines by maintaining stable blood glucose levels, which includes avoiding sugary foods and opting for healthier alternatives like whole fruits. Andrew reports a significant reduction in migraine days over the past five months, crediting his dietary changes and the 'curable' app. He expresses newfound hope and motivation, encouraging others to try his approach, even if they don't suffer from chronic pain.

15:04

🎬 Wrapping Up the Video

In the final paragraph, Andrew wraps up the video by acknowledging the importance of the topic and its relevance to future videos, including a 'what I eat in a day' video and potential recipes. He thanks viewers for watching, gives a special mention to his dog, Dougal, and humorously notes the need to fix a hole in the roof. The video ends on a light note, with Andrew and Dougal bidding farewell to the audience.

Keywords

💡Migraines

Migraines are severe headaches that can cause intense pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound. In the video, the creator discusses his personal battle with migraines, which have significantly impacted his life, causing him to lose up to 15 days per month to the condition. The video's theme revolves around finding triggers and managing this chronic condition.

💡Curable

Curable refers to an app that the creator used for TMS (Thought-Field Therapy), a mind-body programming technique. The creator credits the app with reducing his migraine days significantly, suggesting that psychological factors and stress management play a crucial role in his migraine management.

💡Plant-based diet

A plant-based diet consists of foods derived from plants, including vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and fruits, with few or no animal products. The creator initially adopted a plant-based diet to improve his health, but later realized he needed to refine it further to avoid processed vegan junk food, which was contributing to his migraines.

💡Reactive hypoglycemia

Reactive hypoglycemia is a condition where blood sugar levels drop rapidly after a spike, causing symptoms like dizziness, shakiness, and headaches. The creator discovered that consuming sugary foods and drinks led to reactive hypoglycemia, which was a significant trigger for his migraines.

💡Sugar spike

A sugar spike refers to a sudden increase in blood sugar levels, often caused by consuming foods high in sugar. In the context of the video, the creator explains how sugar spikes from foods like cake, soft drinks, and candy bars have been a hidden trigger for his migraines.

💡Junk food ban

The junk food ban is a self-imposed dietary restriction the creator instituted to eliminate processed and sugary foods from his diet. This change was pivotal in reducing his migraine frequency, highlighting the impact of diet on health.

💡Couch to 5k

The Couch to 5k program is a running plan designed to get beginners running 5 kilometers in nine weeks. The creator mentions re-engaging with this program as part of his strategy to lower blood pressure and improve overall health, which indirectly helped in managing his migraines.

💡Blood pressure

Blood pressure refers to the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels. The creator discovered that he had high blood pressure, which was a surprise given his lifestyle. This realization led him to further refine his diet and exercise habits.

💡Stress and anxiety

Stress and anxiety are emotional states that can result from challenging situations and are often linked to physical health issues. The creator discusses how he managed stress and anxiety during the pandemic and a house move, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle even during stressful times.

💡Migraine triggers

Migraine triggers are factors that can provoke a migraine attack in susceptible individuals. The video explores various triggers, including diet, stress, and specific foods, and how identifying and managing these can reduce the frequency and severity of migraines.

💡Added sugar

Added sugar refers to sugar and caloric sweeteners that are added to foods during processing or preparation, as opposed to naturally occurring sugars in foods. The creator's experience suggests that eliminating added sugars from his diet was a key factor in reducing his migraine episodes.

Highlights

Andrew shares his personal struggle with migraines for 25-30 years.

He provides a time code in the video description for those in pain to quickly find the 'big revelation'.

Andrew's family, including his brother and mother, have all suffered from migraines.

In his mid-40s, Andrew experienced chronic migraines, losing about 15 days per month.

He emphasizes that he is not medically qualified but shares his personal experience.

Andrew tried various alternative therapies, including acupuncture and Reiki, with limited success.

Three years ago, Andrew quit shift work and adopted a plant-based diet, reducing his migraine days.

He credits the 'curable' app for a significant reduction in his migraine frequency.

Curable is a TMS (tension migraine syndrome) mind-body programming app.

Andrew's greatest revelation came after discovering he had high blood pressure.

He realized his 'Glasgow vegan' diet, heavy on fast food and sugary drinks, was problematic.

Andrew imposed a junk food ban and experienced a month without a headache.

He explains the concept of reactive hypoglycemia as a potential migraine trigger.

Andrew's migraines were often triggered by sugar spikes, not just stress.

He shares his strategy of maintaining stable blood glucose levels to reduce migraines.

Andrew has lost only eight days to migraines in the past five months by managing his diet.

He has not taken any pain medication for five months, allowing him to endure migraines naturally.

Andrew expresses gratitude for finally feeling like he has his life back at the age of 50.

He encourages viewers to try giving up added sugars to see if it improves their health.

Transcripts

now then remember notes

it was my notes if you are in pain while

you're watching this video and you're

trying to find what the big revelation

is i'm going to leave a time code

to that in the description below so you

can get to it as quickly as possible

and not have to watch or listen to

anything more than you need to

if you're currently not in pain and you

are interested in what

i found out to be the biggest trigger of

my migraines after

25-30 years then please do watch as much

as this video as you can

because the more people who watch it the

more chance there is that youtube is

going to promote it

and hopefully help more people get out

of pain

and if you're new to the channel and

you're wondering where the caravan or

the campervan is

i'll just explain that sometimes i do

shoot off and do the occasional random

video

for example living simply however many

people have asked me to do

the what i eat in a day video while i'm

on the road with the caravan

so in order to set a context for that i

do need to run through this

first so for those of you who've never

watched this channel before don't know

me i'm andrew this is my dog dougal

my brother and my mother and i we've all

suffered migraines our entire lives

while i was in my twenties i would lose

about eight to nine migraine days per

month

in my mid 40s i would say i peaked and i

touched chronic migraine sometimes

losing about 15 days per month

let me be clear that i am not medically

qualified

whatsoever so if you have any health

issues or before you change your diet

you must see

a doctor what i do have is experience

and i'd like to draw on that experience

and share it with you

my grainers watching this will be used

to all the frustration and torment of

not being able to plan anything

shrinking their lives to mitigate any

migraine attacks

and the scary nights where you're in so

much pain

you wonder whether or not to call an

ambulance of course

not all the days lost are lost to pain

as many are also

lost to the physical and mental

exhaustion that follow an attack

we are all different and what works for

me might not work for you

as a migraine and myself i know how

disappointing

all the false hope can feel but i really

really hope that by sharing what has

worked for me might help others too

my brother and my mother have done a lot

of tests and trials i've tried many

alternative therapies myself

i've tried things like acupuncture

osteopathy

and i remember once distinctly i went to

an acupuncture session

with a migraine and the therapist she

just panicked and just jabbing needles

in all over the place

and another thing i did was i even

trained to do my reiki level one

the irony being that while i was

training i had a migraine and even a

very

gifted reiki healer couldn't do anything

about it

i'm assuming you already live your life

doing all the things like moderate

or zero alcohol intake trying to

maintain good sleep hygiene

drinking lots of water shrinking your

social life

as we all know it all helps a little

three years ago i quit a shift work job

to clean up my sleep hygiene i went

fully plant-based with my diet

and that all really helped i went down

back down to about eight

migraine days a month which was a

substantial improvement

however i did have a couple of nine day

corkers in there as well

if you've seen some of my previous

videos you'll have met my very dear

friend sharna

last summer shana introduced me to an

app called

curable and that made a significant

difference

i went down to an average of about five

migraine days a month

i was really starting to get my life

back

so what is curable curable is tms

mind-body programming it's something

that's

well worth considering if you have

something like migraine

fibromyalgia nerve pain anything like

that

rather than go into it now i'm gonna

link in the description below

an article in tech crunch that's right

tech crunch because the author his wife

she tried curable she was uh lose she

was a chronic migraine sufferer

and after using the curable app she

got her life back and the author got his

wife back

i think i paid about 50 pounds for a

year's subscription to

curable which is about the same as one

alternative therapy session

but downloading the app is not enough

you've got to do the work

but it does reap dividends

however my greatest revelation came

when i moved to scotland just over six

months ago

while registering with the local doctor

it was discovered that i had

extremely high blood pressure on the

surface that would seem to be a nonsense

as i don't smoke i'm not overweight

there's no history in my family i'm on a

plant-based diet

i do all the things but upon further

examination i realized that my diet

needed cleaning up

yes i ate a plant-based diet but i was

what is sometimes called

a glasgow vegan as all the big food

chains

increased their vegan offering i felt it

my duty

to support their decision and i took

every opportunity to stuff my face with

a greg's vegan sausage roll

a burger king rebel burger and a kfc

chicken-free burger

all washed down with copious amounts of

full fat

full sugar full caffeine coke and yes

i've done the whole caffeine-free thing

for two years

it didn't work i needed to clean up my

diet so i imposed a junk food ban

no burgers no chips no cakes no sugary

drinks no biscuits just good

healthy wholesome food i went through

the entire month of march

without a headache during that time i

started running and did the couch to 5k

program

i'd already done that two years ago to

completion to help with my migraines

it didn't work so i stopped running

but now running was a means to bring

down my blood pressure

in addition i was now living in the

stunning outer hebrides during lockdown

and it became an enjoyable sanity savior

month of march of course

saw the beginning of the current

pandemic in the uk

i had driven all the way down to dover

with my caravan and i had jobs lined up

but these jobs got cancelled and

confusion reigned

do you remember how scared confused and

anxious we all were

when this situation changed from hour to

hour during that time

i also had to dash back to the hebrides

three days with a caravan

and at the same time do a second relay

of my house move

stress and anxiety were at peak levels

as they say life is what happens when

you've made other plans

yet i stuck to my diet and exercise

regime

no headache i got home and i went into

self-isolation for 14 days

the very dear friends of mine down the

road they brought my food for me

and about a week into the self isolation

they brought me some chocolate brownie

hurrah i thought

one bit of brownie won't hurt after

having the chocolate brownie the next

day

i was dreadful that night the migraine

came

on and i was in bed for three days it

took me a further three days to recover

from the migraine

i knew i'd had brownies before they'd

cause migraines but i'm not

chocolate is not trigger for me so i did

some investigation

and i found a page from the migraine

trust

and that explained something they called

reactive hypoglycemia

those of you living with diabetes are

probably nodding nodding sagely at this

point

so what is reactive hypoglycemia

basically

if you have a sugar spike in your diet

that could come from

a sugary drink it could come from an

orange juice or

cake then your blood glucose levels will

shoot up your blood will produce a lot

of insulin to try and counteract

that but then of course the blood

glucose levels will crash back down

again

the insulin levels are still up here and

woohoo

hello migraine trigger it's actually a

very

common migraine trigger you we know we

shouldn't skip meals

and that's the reason why this

hypoglycemia

but reactive hypoglycemia is having too

much of a sugar spike

and i suddenly realized that was the

problem i shall leave a link to the

migraine trust and the page all about

hypoglycemia

in the description below with hindsight

everything became clear i realized why i

had encountered so many

attacks during holidays to the hebrides

it wasn't the relief of the stress

it was the afternoon tea and cake i used

to have

suddenly it made sense why just one beer

or one bourbon and coke could trigger a

migraine

and yet one gin and tonic with a meal

didn't

it was the sugar in the beer and then

the coke the migraines after a long

drive

they were nothing to do with the stress

of the road and everything to do

with the cake and chocolate and the soft

drinks that i'd boost myself with

along the way likewise stressful

situations

only this week i had a crazy mad

stressful week where everything happened

at once

but i did not reach for the biscuits and

the cake and i got through it without a

migraine

i'm filming this now at the end of july

since that attack in april i had

one further attack in june so migraine

hasn't gone away

but i can reduce the severity of the

attacks

by watching my diet even when i'm

suffering with a migraine attack

despite wanting coke or chocolate or

cake or anything sweet during an

attack i satisfy the craving now with

fruit and i freshen my dry mouth with

fruit

or with water and that is the key trying

to keep your blood glucose level

constant

it's really not that difficult you don't

need to exclude your favorite things but

you might need to change

slightly what you have and when you eat

it for example

brownies are 70 sugar so instead of

brownie

i now have either a scone or possibly a

slice of tea bread

straight after my lunch instead of

cheese on white toast for lunch why not

have beans

on granary toast juices and soft drinks

foods with a lot of added sugar are the

only thing i have banned

i will never knowingly consume aspartame

or any other artificial sweetener

so diet sodas are also out

regular soft drinks and juices are chock

full of sugar

instead of orange juice with your

breakfast just eat the whole orange

so over the past five months i have lost

only eight days to migraine that is

fewer than two days per month

i have not taken a single paracetamol

aspirin

sumatriptan or any other pain medication

for five

months i've been extremely lucky in as

much as i've been able to rest

and endure the migraine and let it play

out

rather than need to manage the attacks

and keep going with medication

over the next few months i'll be sharing

some recipes with you about the simple

things i make i'll do a video about what

i eat in a day

in the meantime there are tons of

resources out there and a load of videos

on youtube

all about giving up added sugar words

can't adequately express

just how much this means to me i finally

feel at the age of 50 i've got my life

back

and i'm finally letting myself get

excited and motivated

when i see something that inspires me

and that

is just massive as i said before we're

all different what works for me might

not work for you

and i really don't want to cause false

hope after being a lifelong migraine

sufferer at the age of 50

to discover the combination of curable

and the discovery of reactive

hypoglycemia

as a trigger have just been fantastic

and now i can really really get on with

my life

so i hope you found this interesting and

useful and maybe

it could also help possibly with other

things like

fibromyalgia nerve pain or whatever it's

certainly worth giving it a shot

and even if you're not in chronic pain

sometimes

giving up sugars can make you just feel

better you know there's days where we

all just feel oh

can't be bothered maybe give it a try

and you'd have to give it up completely

just as i say swap juices

for whole fruits get rid of sodas and

just drink water

and see how you feel it's worth a try

so dukes diggle it's time to finish the

video

i know you're enjoying the sunshine it's

beautiful i really need to fix the roof

don't

google can you come and say goodbye to

everybody

there we go right oh so

as i say something a little bit

different this week just because

it's very important to me and it's going

to set the scene now for

the what i eat in the day video and

maybe some recipes after that

hope you found it enjoyable if you did

folks you know what to do please give us

a thumbs up

subscribe if you don't already and it

just leaves me to say

from dougal and from me thanks for

tuning in what'd you reckon dougal

you're happy to get your dad back

and i really need to fix the hole in

that roof don't i

smile smoke

he never smiles

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