Posted by Julie (198.86.17.38) on September 28, 2000 at 08:59:39:
Boy, do I wish I had known some of you years ago! My husband, Doug, had cluster headaches back in the late 70's, occurring every 2 years in January. At the time, I was just reading about alternative methods and began researching clusters. I know the medical pages here on this site say it is not vascular but we found the opposite to be true. I wrote to the Shute Institute in London, Ontario, Canada, asking if they had treated anyone with clusters. When they said yes, I made an appointment and the rest is history. I remember it was October and he was due for his 2 yr. cycle of clusters in Jan. They told him to take 400 iu's of natural vitamin E (a D without the l after it on the label) and 400 in the afternoon. I was pretty skeptical at that point and told them the headaches were due in 3 mths. and would they work in time. They assured me they would and they DID! I don't know if this will help anyone else but let me tell you he doesn't forget to take his E very often. Two other times the clusters occurred when he forgot to take them: a bee sting during the summer (his foot even swelled up) and a stress from too many business trips. The portable oxygen tanks helped him until the vitamin E kicked in again. All has been well except for the past 2 weeks. He forgot to take the E on a business trip and he was sitting in his office one day when a pain came up his spine and settled in his neck. We are a little worried....same side as clusters and the piercing pain but there are differences: it is not as excruciating and it comes and goes at will. It has not gone to his eye as before. Another similarity is that he is awakened in the night with the pain. According to the medical pages on this site, there is no mention of a pain quite like this. Has anyone else had similar problems? Thanks for your wonderful site! Julie