Hey Tangerinearmy... 

Good move starting the anti-inflammatory regimen...  The odds are high you won't be sorry... I've sent you a PM that should answer some of your questions including how/where to source the needed supplements.

Try to see your PCP for the 25(OH)D lab test...  If he or she craters on you and refuses to write you a script for this lab test, there are local labs all around the UK that will do the 25(OH)D lab test without an Rx...  You'll just need to foot the bill.  Google it... 

In over four years of use by over 600 CH'ers here at CH.com and Clusterbusters, there haven't been any problems reported taking this regimen along with neurologist prescribed CH meds... or MM.

All you need to do is ask if you have questions...

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch

Hey Magnús,

Thanks for the wonderful update on your experience with the anti-inflammatory regimen... 

I suspect the spring CH burn through was due to an insufficient dose of vitamin D3 and resulting drop in your 25(OH)D serum concentration...  10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 and at times higher doses are needed during times of immune system stress.

Our immune systems take priority on the consumption of 25(OH)D...  When that happens, there may be insufficient levels of vitamin D3 metabolites and the enzymes needed to produce them to prevent CH. 

The Spring pollen season in late April through May here in the Pacific Northwest has alder and maple pollen blowing around thick enough to coat my pickup truck making it look like someone dumped a bag of Portland Cement all over it... 

When that happens, I need to ramp up my vitamin D3 intake to 20,000 IU/day in order to stay pain free...

During the Fall, the first rains trigger leaf mold on both the alder and maple trees and that requires higher doses of vitamin D3 to remain pain free as well.

We're finding just about anything that triggers an immune system response will require additional vitamin D3 to remain pain free.

Thanks again for the wonderful feedback.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

Hey Brian,

Great feedback... Thank you for sharing it with us...

It's a wonderful feeling knowing you finally have control over the beast... and you're pain free.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch

Great Idea Thierry...  You beat me to the punch.

Wishing all CH'ers and supporters a Very Merry and pain free Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

V/R, Batch (Pete & Joyce Batcheller)

Hey Andy,

Thanks for the wonderful New Year's Eve update...  Have a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

Hey Ernie,

Thanks for the update.  You're not alone.  Roughly 10% of CH'ers on this regimen experience an outbreak of CH after two years or so... 

Fortunately, I think we've a handle on this phenomenon...  Bump your daily intake of vitamin D3 to twice what you've been taking as a maintenance dose or 20,000 IU/day for a week or two.  Add a single 50,000 IU loading dose of vitamin D3. 

You'll also need to increase your magnesium intake up to 600 mg/day or 750 mg/day.  After a couple weeks, try to taper back down to 10,000 IU/day and a serum concentration around 80 ng/mL.

Doing this should buy you some relief, but try to see your PCP for a lab test of your serum 25(OH)D, total calcium, PTH, magnesium and vitamin B12.

While you're doing this pick up some vitamin B 50 and take a tablet a day for three months.  If you can't find any vitamin B 50, get the vitamin B 100s and take one every other day for three months.  The vitamin B 50 tablets are formulated with 50 mg of each B vitamin plus 400 mg of folic acid.  Try to avoid the B complex or Super B complex as they are light on some of the B vitamins.

It pays to be connected...  I got in touch with Dr. Stasha Gominak, MD and shared the data I've been collecting on the anti-inflammatory regimen preventing CH and migraine headahes.  She's a neurologist prac­tic­ing in Tyler, Texas who has been prescribing a vitamin D3 regimen very similar to the anti-inflammatory regimen for her patients suffering from sleep, chronic pain and headache disorders.  The difference is she tests for vitamin B12 and adds a 3-month course of vitamin B 50.

She's been using this regimen a lot longer than the anti-inflammatory regimen and had quite a few of her patients report a loss of effectiveness after a couple years of pain free existence... It took her a while, but when a couple of her patients reported the regimen was working again after taking some B vitamins, she did the clinical research and came up with the 3-month course of vitamin B 50 as a solution. 

We don't know why, but maintaining a 25(OH)D serum concentration up around 80 ng/mL causes us to burn down one or more of the B vitamins causing a deficiency.  When that happens, the wheels fall off and the headaches return.

The 3-month course of vitamin B 50 takes care of any B vitamin deficiencies.  I've also modified the anti-inflammatory regimen by dropping the Kirkland brand calcium citrate and adding the Kirkland brand Mature Multi. 

The Mature Multi has less calcium, more vitamin A (retinol) and all the B vitamins at RDA.  It doesn't have enough magnesium so I also suggest the Kirkland brand of magnesium citrate 250 mg liquid softgels...  Two to three of these (500 to 750 mg of magnesium) helps prevent any calcium-magnesium imbalance.

Dr. Gominak has a great website with videos well worth the time watching.  You can find it at the following link:

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Dr. Gominak comes at the treatment of sleep, chronic pain and headache disorders from a slightly different perspective...  As you'll see in her videos, 8 hours a day of "quality" sleep is very important.  She's also a big fan of maintaining beneficial colonies of GI tract bacteria.  The vitamin B 50 helps in this area but a healthy diet of whole foods with lots of green veggies is also important.

Take care and please keep me posted.

V/R, Batch