Man suffering from ‘suicide’ headaches finds relief with oxygen

Q: I am 30 years old and have suffered for nine years with cluster headaches. I would get them every day for a month straight.

I’ve tried prescription pills, but they never worked. I just had to deal with the pain.

About a week ago, my doctor told me to try oxygen. It has worked miracles for me. The pain is gone within minutes instead of the usual hour and a half.

If people suffer from cluster headaches, I really hope they ask the doctor about oxygen. Nobody should have deal with that kind of pain.

A: Cluster headaches are sometimes referred to as “suicide headaches.” That’s because the pain can be so intense that some patients may contemplate suicide if they cannot get it under control. The pain often is centered around the eye on one side of the head. Other symptoms can include a runny nose, tearing or redness in the affected eye and a droopy eyelid.

Guidelines from the American Headache Society classify oxygen as a first choice for treating cluster headaches. Other options include sumatriptan injections, zolmitriptan nasal spray and melatonin (Headache, July/August 2016; September 2016).

Magnesium, Coenzyme Q10 and vitamin B-2 also may be helpful against migraines.

Q: I read about the dangers of taking calcium supplements. It seems the calcium can end up in blood vessels instead of in the bones.

So does the calcium added to various foods such as almond milk count as natural calcium, or is that a supplement? Do only real dairy and some leafy vegetables get you the calcium you need?

A: In a recent study, people who took calcium supplements were more likely to have calcification in their arteries ( Journal of the American Heart Association online, Oct. 11, 2016). Calcification is linked to heart disease.

Paradoxically, people who consumed more calcium from food were at lower risk for atherosclerosis. As the investigators explained, calcium supplements cause “calcium loading.” This term describes excess calcium deposited in the bloodstream at one time. Getting calcium from food provides smaller amounts of this crucial mineral over a longer period of time, so it avoids the problem of calcium loading.

Although almond milk is not naturally high in calcium, the compound that is added is usually tricalcium phosphate. This is the same form that occurs naturally in milk.

Many food companies fortify almond, rice or soy milk with amounts of calcium roughly similar to cow’s milk. As a result, we doubt that a normal diet using one of these milk substitutes would be risky.

Q: About six years ago, a friend sent me an email about cinnamon and honey lowering cholesterol. I was taking a statin and looking for nonmedicinal ways of lowering my LDL, so I thought I would try it.

After a few weeks, I noticed I didn’t have any heartburn, so I started taking my PPI every other day instead of daily. Still no symptoms, so I went to three times a week. Nothing.

I decided to stop taking the PPI altogether. Still nothing.

I was symptomfree until I went on a four-night trip without taking any cinnamon and honey. My reflux came back. As soon as I got home I resumed it, and the symptoms went away again.

I have not been without cinnamon and honey for more than 48 hours in all these years, and have had no further symptoms. It may not work for everyone, but it sure works for me. And as for my LDL number, it is now 46.

A: An analysis of the medicinal properties of Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) has found that this spice can help control blood sugar, lower cholesterol and normalize blood pressure. A New Zealand study found that honey treated with cinnamon, chromium and magnesium lowered LDL cholesterol, raised HDL cholesterol and lowered blood pressure.

We could find no research on cinnamon and honey for heartburn. We hope others will report whether it helps them as it helped you.