Greetings, people.

Right now I'm dropping weight by the dozens it seems. The reason is that I am getting hit so often and so severely, I dare not touch any chow anymore besides the occasional sandwich. Some foodtriggers are pretty obvious to me and have been for many years, but now it seems like it doesn't matter anymore what I eat, I'll get kicked later on anyhow. So my question is, are there any foods known to you which are safe? Coz right now I'm losing track. And is there even a correlation?
Any advice will bemore than welcome!

I speak purely from personal experience to say that food-triggers are practically unknown (save for a couple of additives) and one of the most important things you can do during a cycle is to maintain your three meals a day.

If this includes force-feeding then so be it, but failing to tie on the nose-bag just once can start a downward spiral where the the body gets weaker, the beast gets bolder, and you feel even less like eating.

A healthy body is a healthy mind which the beast finds offensive.

Eat well.  Eat often.  Offend the beast.

Years ago, when DJ first opened this site, we had long discussions about food triggers. The items were largely carry overs from studies in migraine but nothing specific to CH has emerged since.

Unless you see a repeated pattern linked to a specific food, I'd write the association off to random events.

Purely anecdotal, I know, and based only on my own experience...

I spent a long time trying to isolate any food or beverage triggers, and never found anything that I could implicate in any single headache, in more frequent headaches, or in an extended cycle.  

Only alcohol--which inevitably resulted in a headache shortly after consumption, but only when I was in cycle.  

As Brian said, it's very important to keep up your strength during the course of a CH cycle--and that means getting the proper nutrition, and as much rest as possible.  

Eating isn't very appealing, I know, and sleep is scary, but failing to get a sufficiency of either one will only wear you down that much more quickly.

Best wishes,

George  

I had the same problem for about a week when this cycle started.  True to his style, the beast would show his a** about 30 minutes after I ate anything.  I dreaded getting to the point where I had to eat something.  But, after about a week, he quit doing that, and I've had no problem since.  As Brian says, keep eating.

Hi,

Not much to add to what has already been said. It's good stuff.My personal experience for your consideration:

When in cycle, it's a given, ANY form of alcohol is a SURE trigger.

For me, MSG and aspartame  are triggers, dammit (no it's not immediate and some folks say that means it's NOT a trigger) I don't care, I'm the one dancing. Tomatoes do it too. Maybe the glutamic acid (with full knowledge that other foods have lots (even lots more). Can't figure that one but I know what happens to me...

Eating in general holds no interest. I'm 6' 3" and 184 lbs. In  bad cycles I regularly have lost 10 lbs. People say I look like shite (well, more than usual I guess). Now that REALLY helps when fighting the beast. The irony here, and Brian is spot on, is that this is exactly when you GOTTA eat. If I allow low blood sugar, BAM!

Eating anything itself is not the trigger, I'm suspecting a hit would happen anyway, or even if delayed, more frequently. Force yourself. I find that multiple small "snacks" during the day are easier to tolerate vs several large meals.

Not usually a candy eater, except when in cycle. But, if that's what it takes...

I'm a fan of the old cop show "Hill Street Blues". My favorite scene is when Henry tells Frank, in the midst of a crisis, "ahhh, let's manja Frankie".

Regards

Jon

Hi y'all, thanx for the replies!
Alcohol is most definately a huge trigger, found that out even before my twenties. Last time I drank it this time,was at mother's day, when I had only had shadows for about a week, and it was that day I had the first big one. I knew, after 2 anda half years the Beast was back.
Another major trigger for me is both greek and middle eastern food, and the same goes for chocolate (seems like the theobromine is a vasodiitator).
My gf Sonja says the same as you do, Brian: ''Ya gotta eat man, you're worn out enough as it is''. And it's all too true. I guess I've gotta force myself, as you pointed out. And as you all said, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to what does or does not anger our demon.
Thanks all, and with the risk of repeating myself; so so glad I stumbled upon this site!
Jon019: I remember that my late great mum used to enjoy that show when it was aired in the Netherlands back in the eighties! Such memories....

[ tried a colon cleansing thing on line it helped me . i didn't like the powder part of it but the pills worked, it seemed to get everything through me and helped with the food triggers, also find out some antibiotics help to with it ,

johnp wrote on Jun 8^th, 2008 at 3:19am:

[ tried a colon cleansing thing on line it helped me . i didn't like the powder part of it but the pills worked, it seemed to get everything through me and helped with the food triggers, also find out some antibiotics help to with it ,

Ummmmmm.....WHAT??????

I constantly tell family, friends, employees, and coworkers that when they are aggitated, take 3 deep breaths...IN slow, OUT slow. It works to calm wonderfully. Using that myself right now.

For those new to ch.com, it is best to read ALL the items on the left of your screen. The accumulated knowledge is better here than anywhere else. You will see all kinds of opinions expressed in the threads, it might be tough to discern what is crap and what is gold. Rely on the accumulated, and be willing to consider the alternatives. Nearly every treatment we use has been disparaged at one time or another, but sometimes the "suggestion" is so off the wall I am concerned it will confuse.

The above qualifies. JohnP, PLEASE, tell me why I shouldn't consider this "treading in troll territory".

Regards,

Jon

hi, i really cant add much , everone has stated it right on so far. in my own experience, and i have spent a bit over ten years tracking EVERYTHING that went ino my body, i could find NOTHING that was a consistent trigger. just this cycle, which started about three weeks ago, did i actually notice that maybe pistachios are a "cycle" trigger. at least its the only constant munchie i have had throughout the years .  i am normally around 170 pounds and i too drop about 15 to twenty pounds during a cycle. i try to keep the vitamins going,(multi) and since my cycles normally are spring and summer, i can usually stand to eat raw, fresh veggies. carrots, green peppers, turnips,  all raw. seems to be the only thing that sounds good.  good luck and God bless.    Tuck

This may have been mentioned before as a possible food trigger, but it's new to me.
Watermelon (as a source of citrulline which is a precursor to arginine) is now being suggested to boost nitric oxide--not a good thing for CH but not so bad for ED  8-)

Abstract:
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...and from Science Daily..
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Pat

Interesting about the watermelon.  But here is a study that found that citrulline metabolism in clusterheads is not abnormal - these guys concluded that the conversion of citrulline to arginine to nitric oxide is normal in cluster headaches, and that the elevation of nitric oxide was probably a response to something else that happens when a headache hits.  

So I am going to eat watermelon, but will keep this in mind - I don't think it is a trigger, but worth thinking about and eliminating if a pattern is noticed.

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Dr. Robbins
Quote:

Foods to Avoid, and Sources of Caffeine: (Foods are often overemphasized as triggers) You may or may not be sensitive to any of the following foods. If a particular food is going to cause a headache, the headache will usually occur within three hours of eating. Also, the response to the foods may not be consistent. On one occasion, you may have a headache caused by a particular food; however, the next time you eat that same food, it is possible that a headache may not occur. While foods are not as common a headache trigger as stress, weather, hormones, missing meals, bright lights, and undersleeping, some patients are sensitive to the following: • Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) – also labeled Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, or Natural Flavoring. ♦ Possible sources of MSG include broths or stocks, seasonings, whey protein, soy extract, malt extract, caseinate, barley extract, textured soy protein, chicken or port or beef flavoring, smoke flavor, spices, carrageenan, meat tenderizer, seasoned salt, TV dinners, instant gravies, and some potato chips and dry-roasted nuts. • Red Wine (White wine is not as likely to trigger a headache) • Beer • All alcohol can trigger a headache; beer and wine are the worst offenders • Chocolate • Citrus Fruits, ripe bananas. • Ripened, aged cheeses (Colby, Roquefort, Brie, Gruyere, cheddar, blue, brick, mozzarella, Parmesan, boursalt, Romano) and processed cheese. ♦ Not likely to trigger headache: cottage cheese, cream cheese, and American cheese. • Hot dogs, pepperoni, bologna, salami, sausage, canned or cured meats (bacon, ham), aged meats, or marinated meats. • Nuts, peanut butter, large amounts of Nutrasweet. • Yogurt, sour cream. Caffeine While caffeine can help headaches, the overuse of caffeine may increase via rebound mechanisms. Some patients do not suffer rebound headaches from the ingestion of 500 mg. of caffeine per day, while others develop rebound headaches with as little as 30 mg. In general, I like to limit caffeine to 150 mg., or at most, 200 mg. per day. The average 8 ounce cup of coffee has 75 to 125 mg. caffeine. Drip coffee is stronger than percolated, and instant is the weakest form. Depending on the size of the cup and its strength, instant coffee may contain from 40 to 150 mg., but is usually closer to 40 mg. Decaffeinated coffee contains from 2 to 5 mg. per cup. However, the caffeine levels may be much higher at restaurants and coffee houses. These calculations all depend upon the strength of the product and the brew. Specialty coffeehouses (Starbucks, Caribou, etc.) often contain twice the usual amount of caffeine per cup. 6 Tea

Hope that helps
thebb

Some salty snacks such as popcorn and potato chips, one particular sauce and spicey foods in general can trigger a hit, so when I'm in cycle I avoid them. Other than those, I haven't noticed that what I eat would made any difference.

Sanna

maalstroom wrote on Jun 7^th, 2008 at 3:04am:

Greetings, people. So my question is, are there any foods known to you which are safe? Coz right now I'm losing track. And is there even a correlation?

Hello Maalstroom,

in my cluster headache experience potatoes, pasta and fresh dairy products (without added "chemicals") are safe. I think this is not just about "triggers" which cause an attack after a meal, I think things simply add up somehow. Some German cluster-heads have made the experience that a low purine and/or a low histamine diet adhered to for two weeks can improve their situation. For some others such diets did not make a difference and of course the results may be coincidential. Drinking a lot of water may also help for some people, see the link water x3 on the left side of this screen.

Please see also:
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and, if you understand German:

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pf wishes,
Friedrich

nitrates (hot dogs) chocolate, and beers are triggers for me.

Quote:

Any tips on food?

Try the Hot Pockets. They're delicious.

I was a very skinny young woman who ate everything edible and often, and I cannot think of anything that triggered CH except alcohol (during cycle only). My cycles were always in the spring and fall no matter what.

The only things that I can imagine triggering, when in cycle only, would be the vasodilaters/constrictors.  Things that can stimulate the hypothalamus.

Since I haven't had a CH since 1986, I can't try anything new to experiment with, but maybe some of you can add links and discussion to prove or disprove this.

The menu at the left is invaluable.  It took many years of research and comparing notes of CH sufferers to complile these truths.  Before you come to any conclusions, it would be best to do your homework and read everything here.

I'm glad to see so many people in this section because here is one of the places where help will be found.

Would be nice to see more old timers, like Bob Johnson and a few others, here more often.  Maybe I can stir up the pot.  ;D

I can't really say to much more then whats has already been said but while I'm in my cluster, Alcohol is a trigger for me and any MSG is a for sure ER visit!!!!  I avoid all MSG but it seems to be in just about everything.  When I accidentally eat MSG, the beast doesn't get me for a few hours but when it hits, it hits hard (like 9 / kip scale) and will not go away.  Last time my Wife accidentally fed me a plate full of MSG, it cost me 4 days of hell with pretty much no PF time at all and 2 ER trips.

Dave

Maalstroom,

I was wondering... have you noticed any difference with hits after you eat a meal you need to chew a lot vs. a meal which doesn't need that much chewing, soup for example?

Chewing has triggered a few hits for me in the past, so I know that it is possible.

Sanna

From the sounds of it I would consider that clusterheadache might be a misdiognosis for you, ever been checked for TJM?
     Especially with the chewing as a trigger,  maybe its not the food at all but a baddly aligned jaw!
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Sandie: no I don't think chewing has any influence to me. My question was more about ingredients and such, as known triggers to me are Greek, Lebanese and Israelian food, and I'm pretty sure it has all to do with the spices involved. Those foods, no matter how delicious I may find them, are a certain ticket to hell. Too many times I got hit after a meal with gyros or kabab on the worst ways possible. Therefor I avoid those, just like alcohol.
Yes I've read all the items at the left (well, not all of the old board offcourse, that'd take me weeks  ;D) and find it very usefull, and would recommend it to all who've come in here new.
Luckily I can report that I am out of cycle right now, but hope this thread keeps going so it may help others as well.
Thanx all of you for all thye wonderful response!

And o yes, Cluster from Koln, too bad those articles are only in German. Now that is not a problem for me, as I understand your beautiful language, but I guess most here have no knowledge of it at all.
Maybe someone could translate it some time and post it here?

Scmerzlose Tage Cluster!

maalstroom wrote on Jul 6^th, 2008 at 7:24am:

Maybe someone could translate it some time and post it here?

Hello maalstroom,

do whatever you like! :)

All CK-Wissen-Wiki articles are under the GNU Free Documentation License - so you can copy, copyedit and/or translate them as you want.

For details please see START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE (most of this is in English).  8-)

pf wishes,
Friedrich

Hi Friedrich,

Sorry, but I did not have the time to translate it earlier, was busy. But tonight I had some time, so decided to give it a go. Still not completed, but I will translate and post the second part in a few days, that's a promise!
There was however a term I couldn't figure out: harnsaürereduktion. What is meant by that? If you can tell me, I can modify it later.

Greetings from Maalstroom.

Stop eatung those Dutch hamburgers, Maalstroo! :)

Sandra :P

maalstroom wrote on Jul 9^th, 2008 at 3:03pm:

Hi Friedrich, Sorry, but I did not have the time to translate it earlier, was busy. But tonight I had some time, so decided to give it a go. Still not completed, but I will translate and post the second part in a few days, that's a promise! There was however a term I couldn't figure out: harnsaürereduktion. What is meant by that? If you can tell me, I can modify it later. Greetings from Maalstroom.

Hello Maalstroom,

great news that you are translating this article!

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reduktion = reduction

If you like you can put your translation here (free registration required)

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then more people could help and work at the translation.

pf wishes,
Friedrich