That the mind influences disease prevention and healing is inarguable, and for those skeptics who continue to resist this association there exists abundant "hard science" in its support. If one's emotional state can influence the ability of individual white blood cells to combat infection, it requires no great leap of faith to perceive that chronic headache and psychological health inextricably are wed*ded. In this chapter, we will discuss common migraine triggers, the utility of migraine diets, other lifestyle mod*ifications as therapy for migraine, and the use of various other "alternative" therapies for migraine suppression. In addition, we will discuss disorders that are comorbid with migraine, disorders whose existence may influence the clinical expression of migraine and whose successful treat*ment may improve that expression.

Migraine is a clinical disorder that thrives on change, be it change for the better or worse; changes in the barometric pressure, drops in serum estrogen levels, disruption of the normal sleep pattern (sleep deprivation or oversleeping), altitude change, change in stress level (increase in stress or release from a stressful situation) and a variety of other factors that have been incriminated as migraine triggers. Put simply, the migraineur is sensitive to changes in his/her internal or external environment.

It follows that adopting a lifestyle that minimizes such change can improve one's migraine syndrome. Going to bed at the same time each night and arising at the same time each morning; eating meals at regularly spaced intervals, regular aerobic exercise; in other words, living life at a level of serenity inconceivable to—if not impossible for most Americans ... a life that precludes the coexistence of infants or small children in the home, a demanding job, a demanding spouse, unpaid bills, needy friends and relatives, and a host of other obligations too numerous to name. Even so, the first and most important move toward developing an effective management program for your migraine may involve taking a step back to assess what factors in your life could be contributing to your headache syndrome and determining how those factors might be modified.