Cocoa for headaches?

[Dale Moss]

A patient is prone to severe migraines, which feel like a spike being driven
into her left eye, with another spike going through her left temple to
intersect the first. She's responded well to Bryonia and is Nat-mur.
constitutionally. No meds touch these headaches, but a single dose of
Nat-mur. 1M kept her headache-free until recently. When a migraine came on
before she could see me, a friend of hers made her a drink of cocoa, with
lots of sugar because there was so much cocoa it was as thick as glue. That
lifted the headache immediately, she said in some amazement.

Has anyone out there had a similar experience? Is cocoa "homeopathic" to
certain types of migraines?

Peace,
Cinnabar

[Shannon Nelson]

Could it be the caffeine? I have a dim memory that sometimes that helps?
Shannon
on 3/2/04 4:31 PM, DMH at igan@gis.net wrote:

[Hennie Duits]

Some migraine patients can abort an attack with a big cup of strong coffee.

Hennie

[Rosemary C Hyde Ph D]

This could be an interesting clue for you. Chocolate does have pain in the left forehead, temple, eye. Does ther est of the case fit?

Rosemary

[Patricia Hatherly]

Dear Cinnabar

Perhaps this is an example of what causes also cures?
Cocoa is a rich source of amines which, in sensitive people, are implicated
in causing headaches.

regards
Patricia Hatherly

[Christine Wyndham-Thomas]

In relation to the below, whilst not exactly the same could be similar. I'm
quite overweight at the moment, although not through food, because I don't
eat enough to put on this much weight, but I drink loads of cups of tea with
three teaspoon of sugar in each cup. So I realise that my weight problem is
related to the cups of tea with the sugar that I drink.

Recently I've been trying to cut out the cups of tea altogether and drink
water instead but when I do, I get a terrible headache just above the right
eye, which gets worse as the day wears on and the only thing that will
alleviate it, or get rid of it, is having my normal cup of tea with the
sugar in it. As soon as I drink that the headache goes instantly and I feel
so much better for it.

I know that doesn't sound very good. As yet, I haven't tried taking any
homeopathic rememdies for it but did wonder whether Nux Vomica might help,
since I look on the problem as being one of over indulgence?

Christine Wyndham-Thomas

[Rochelle]

It is caffeine deprivation - you will have to cut out the tea more slowly and gradually over a week and that should do it!!
Rochelle
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk

[Joy Lucas]

And Thea has a very specific kind of headache as well - one which radiates
from just one spot in the head - a very interesting rx (aren't they all).

The cocoa headache sounds very much like chocolate but have a look at
Spigelia as well.

Best, Joy

www.homeopathicmateriamedica.com
on 3/3/04 8:55 AM, rochelle at rochelle@ntlworld.com wrote:

It is caffeine deprivation - you will have to cut out the tea more slowly
and gradually over a week and that should do it!!
Rochelle
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk

[Dale Moss]

Thanks, Patricia, Rosemary, Hennie, and Shannon. It could be amines, or
maybe some other factor. Caffeine seems less likely, because she would have
discovered its effects long ago if it worked on her headaches. Her
headaches do not appear to be triggered by any foods, she's not a coffee
drinker, and she doesn't crave chocolate. So the mystery remains.

Peace,
Cinnabar

[Dale Moss]

Joy,

The "cocoa headache" does indeed sound like Spigelia -- but it isn't. That
was the first Rx I tried. Didn't touch it. What led to Bryonia, which took
care of the acute, was that the pain moved backward from the front of the
head into the brain. She was also Nat-m. constitutionally, but I'd been
taught not to give Nat-m. during a headache because it can exacerbate.

Peace,
Cinnabar