When Andrea Wolfe was younger, her mother would buy a Dr. Pepper every time they were at a grocery store. The caffeine provided relief from her constant headaches.
Wolfe watched her mom suffer, knowing that these particular headaches were hereditary and that she was next.
Wolfe, an assistant professor in the Department of English at Ball State University, first noticed her one and off headaches in her 20s. By the time she reached her 30s, on and off became almost every day.
Wolfe took Advil almost every time she had a headache and eventually doubled the amount. The medication was helping, but she started experiencing stomach pains.
During her pregnancy with her son in 2008, the headaches became more frequent. Her doctor told her not to take Advil, making her pregnancy miserable.
“That was the point when I said ‘Oh my gosh. This is really happening all the time,’” she said.
Wolfe wanted to get a second opinion and met with two neurologists. Both concluded that she was experiencing daily chronic headaches.
The headaches typically occur 15 or more days a month and are less severe than migraines. Katherine Lee, a writer for Every Health website, explained in an article that around 5 percent of people in the world experience the headaches. Forty-five million of those people are American, most of which are women.
Eighty percent of people who have the condition use medication daily. Wolfe was prescribed a few different medicines.
Barbara Moss, health educator for the Indiana University Health Center, says daily chronic headaches require long-term management in order for an individual to control his or her condition. Antidepressants, change of diet and massages are options in managing the headaches.
After meeting the neurologists and learning of her condition, a friend suggested a functional medicine practitioner in Indianapolis.
“If you go to him, he’s going to change your whole life,” she said. “You have to be prepared to change your whole lifestyle: the way you eat.”
To read how he helped Wolf, head over to BallBearingsMag.com
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