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by | 16 December 2019 · 9:10 am

More Gifts for People with Migraine or Other Chronic Pain

It might seem challenging to buy gifts for someone with migraine, neuropathic facial pain, or other chronic pain, but if you forget the word “cure” in your quest for the perfect gift and think of comforting the person instead, it will be much easier for you to get something that they’ll appreciate. Remember that “chronic” pain means “constant” pain: if it could be eliminated, most of us would have done anything necessary to rid ourselves of the debilitating, sometimes disabling, pain. Gifts for People with Migraine and Chronic Pain explains some of the products that I’ve come to rely on to reduce pain. Here are more of my favorite products that your family, friends, and colleagues with chronic pain might appreciate.

Ginger Root Tea

Migraine attacks and other chronic pain are sometimes accompanied by nausea. While prescription anti-emetics might help prevent vomiting, they don’t do anything to quell nausea. Ginger, whether crystallized, cut fresh from the root, or made into tea, is the best natural remedy I’ve ever found to quell nausea, whether it’s from migraine, medications, motion-sickness, flu, or holiday overindulgence. It has none of the side-effects of pharmaceutical anti-emetics (prescription or OTC) and can be added to liquids so you ensure that you remain hydrated. Ginger is also an anti-inflammatory, and I’ve found that when I drink ginger tea regularly, the neuropathic facial pain is reduced. Therefore, instead of saving the tea for hemiplegic migraine attacks, I have some regularly throughout the day (for Warnings about ginger consumption, see my Natural Nausea Relief).

The best ginger I’ve ever gotten for homemade tea is Tea Spot’s Organic Ginger Root. I realize that tossing a couple of pieces of crystallized ginger into a cup of boiling water will give a faint ginger taste, but Tea Spot’s Organic Ginger Root makes a wonderful tea that I can have without sugar. It provides all the stomach-calming and nausea-quelling properties of the crystallized ginger without any of the sugar. Also, since Tea Spot’s ginger root is dried and chopped, I don’t have to store it in the refrigerator or freezer as I do with fresh or crystallized ginger, which makes it very convenient.

You can get Tea Spot’s Organic Ginger Root for tea in several sizes: $4 sample (2 servings), $13.50 (¼ lb), $46.50 (1 lb). The Tea Spot has a large variety of black, green, and herbal teas, all of excellent quality and flavor (but then, I’ve been a tea-drinker all my life, preferring it to coffee). They also have tea samplers, tumblers, mugs, teapots, and more. Tea Spot gift cards ($25, $50, $100, $200) are available if you are unsure about which teas your recipients might prefer.

Books

I’ve always been a huge lover of books so even when I have a migraine attack, I need to read. Books have always been an integral part of my self-care routine even before I understood the meaning of taking care of myself. Sometimes, migraine or other pain is so debilitating that the person cannot read. Other times, as when migraine becomes chronic (more than 15 days per month for at least 3 months) or intractable (never-ending), the pain, though quite severe, allows some reading. Some people with migraine have told me they cannot read e-books during a migraine but can manage traditional paper books. At times, I can read on my tablet, but I need to put it on Night (Dark) mode. When I have a hemiplegic migraine and cannot read or even lift my head from the pillow, I listen to audiobooks, which was a lifesaver in April 2018 when this intractable migraine began. There are several ways to provide books as gifts to recipients: paper books, e-books, and audiobooks.

Paper Books

So many books, so little time. I get most of my books from Amazon these days, if only because living up here on Big Rock Candy Mountain with the nearest bookstore about 2 hours away doesn’t allow much wandering the aisles and spending the day as if you were in a library (no libraries around here either). Also, as someone with intractable migraine for over 19 months and with neuropathic facial pain (formerly, atypical trigeminal neuralgia), I am mostly house-bound. I love being able to browse any category of books I wish without leaving home.

If you know the categories, authors, or specific titles your recipients might like, it’ll make your job easier when looking for books they might enjoy. If you don’t have specifics on authors or titles, you can always get them Amazon gift certificates: available as a physical card in a decorative box or tin ($50-$2,000, several designs), a card in a decorated mini-envelope ($10-$2,000, 3-5 designs), a card in greeting card with a separate envelope for mailing ($10 to $2,000, several designs), or as an e-gift card ($25-$2,000).

eBooks

10 years ago, if you’d asked me about e-books, I never would have imagined that they could have existed, let alone that I would like them. When we moved up here on the mountain in 2009, however, all my boxes of books had to stay in the barn: the house was simply too small to hold them all, and it took me years to save enough money to have some bookshelves built in my office. In the meantime, when I was desperate for something to read, I began to look at the classics, which were inaccessibly stored in the barn, in electronic book form. At that time, most of the classics were free in e-book form. Now virtually all books are available in both paper and e-book formats, and though I love paper books most, I love the convenience of e-books.

Your recipient can use an Amazon gift card for either paper or e-books, but you can also buy someone a subscription to Kindle Unlimited ($9.99/month) and they can read any book enrolled in the KU program. If you really want someone to gush with gratitude, you could buy them a Kindle ($69-249) — Amazon’s tablet — but that’s not necessary for them to enjoy e-books or to be in Kindle Unlimited. Kindle Reading Apps are free for any device: iOS, Android, Mac, PC. (It’s what I’ve used since about 2010, on my iPad, Mac, and iPhone).

Any Amazon gift cards can be used for e-books: card in a decorative box or tin ($50-$2,000), card in a decorated mini-envelope ($10-$2,000), card in greeting card with a separate envelope for mailing ($10 to $2,000), or e-gift card ($25-$2,000).

Audiobooks

Just as I never would have guessed that I would love e-books, I really never would have known that I would love audiobooks. And I never even listened to an audiobook before June of 2018, by which time I’d had an intractable migraine since April of that year and was bored witless. I couldn’t read — neither paper nor electronic books — so I tried the Audible 30-day free trial. I got a couple of my favorite classic books, each read by one of my favorite actors. While I lay on the couch (tired of lying in bed), I listened to the audiobooks. Before the end of the first couple chapters of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, I was hooked. Now I have a huge audiobook library, mostly classics, but some bestsellers and memoirs, too.

You can purchase gift cards for audiobooks directly from Audible (1, 3, 6, or 12 months for $15, $45, $90, or $150, respectively) or Audible via Amazon (same months and prices as at Audible). (Please note that Amazon gift cards are not eligible for use at Audible, and vice versa.)

Guided Meditation Apps to Reduce Pain

Surf City Apps and Relax Melodies

I’ve written several articles on the many free self-hypnosis meditation apps that successfully reduce migraine and chronic pain, and the links in this paragraph will take to those more detailed articles. I use Surf City Apps’ Migraine and Headache Relief, Chronic Pain Relief, and Sleep Well: Insomnia Relief (since both migraine and other types of chronic pain can cause painsomnia: pain-induced insomnia). I also use Relax Melodies, a guided meditation app which has a “background” feature which allows you to play its sounds “behind” other apps and which I use for the relief of both pain and insomnia.

Both Surf City Apps and Relax Melodies are available for iOS and Android devices. All these apps can be used for free, for an unlimited time. Download Sleep Well Insomnia Relief from Surf City Apps, from the App store for all iOS devices, from Amazon for Kindles, and from GooglePlay for Android devices. You can check out all Surf City’s free apps on its website. Their apps have been downloaded over 5 million times and average 4+ stars out of 5 for Sleep Well Insomnia Relief. Ipnos’ Relax Melodies app, available in 10 languages, has a 4.5 out of 5* rating (with 700,000 reviews).

• Migraine & Headache Relief is free from Surf City Apps for iOS or Android devices, from Amazon for Kindle, from the App Store for iOS devices, or from GooglePlay for Android devices.

• Chronic Pain Relief is free from Surf City Apps for iOS or Android devices, from Amazon for Kindle, from the App Store for iOS devices, and from GooglePlay for Android devices.

• Sleep Well Insomnia Relief is free from Surf City Apps, from the App store for all iOS devices, from Amazon for Kindles, and from GooglePlay for Android devices.

• Relax Melodies is free from Ipnos after selecting your type of smartphone, from Amazon for Kindle, from the App Store for iOS devices, and from Google Play for Android devices.

The Difference Between the Free and Premium Versions

Although all of these apps are available free, they’re worth purchasing the premium version. The difference between the free and the paid versions of these apps is the ability to change background noises and to Loop the meditation so that it repeats as often as the listener wishes (Surf City Apps) and to include additional guided meditations to reduce the stress and anxiety (Relax Melodies) that are often common in people with migraine and other chronic pain. The premium versions of Surf City Apps’ self-hypnosis guided meditations are $1.99-$4.99 depending on the meditation. Relax Melodies premium version is $4.99 for one month access to all its features or $27.99 for lifetime access.

If you know of a specific app that someone uses to reduce pain, anxiety, or insomnia, you could always purchase gift cards so they can buy the premium versions of these apps. For people with an iPad or an iPhone, you could get them an Apple App Store or iTunes gift card via Amazon (physical gift card in $25, $50, $100, $200 amounts; e-gift card for $25, $50, $100, $200). You can purchase a Google Play gift card via Amazon (physical gift card $50; e-gift card for $25, $50, $100, $200) for anyone with Android phones or tablets.

Additionally, all of these guided meditation apps to reduce pain and insomnia are also available via Amazon for its Kindles: any Amazon gift cards can be used for the premium version of these apps: card in a decorative box or tin ($50-$2,000), card in a decorated mini-envelope ($10-$2,000), card in greeting card with a separate envelope for mailing ($10 to $2,000), or e-gift card ($25-$2,000).

Health Journeys App, CDs, MP3s

Health Journeys, founded by holistic medicine advocate Belleruth Naparstek, sponsors a large library of guided meditations, with many of them devoted to pain relief and healing. I regularly use Naparstek’s Meditation to Ease Pain and Meditation to Help Relieve Headaches, the latter of which features a guided meditation for relief of headache pain as well as a meditation designed to help prevent future head pain. I list several of Health Journeys other pain relief apps in my Gifts article.

These audio guided meditations are available in MP3 or CD format ($11.98 or $17.98, respectively) and are also available to stream from Health Journeys app for Android and iOS, which features a 7-day free trial. Health Journeys also has other items for pain relief and healing, including guided meditations by Dr. Andrew Weil, one of the leaders in holistic medicine (CDs only), essential oils, books, pillows, lotions, etc. They also have gift cards ($15-$100) so that recipients can choose their own gifts. Health Journey’s catalogue is available online or by mail.

Remember to think “comfort” instead of “cure” when considering gifts for people with chronic pain and it’ll be easier for you to please people. Don’t have anyone to buy gifts for you? Then take care of yourself by getting at least one of these gifts, or those in my Gifts for People with Migraine or Other Chronic Pain (portable aromatherapy roll-ons and balms; all cotton heating/cold pads; and more details and meditations from Health Journeys, which  I’ve used almost 30 years, back when cassettes were the way to have portable audio). Whether you buy these gifts for others or for yourself, they’ll help reduce pain and comfort anyone suffering from migraine attacks or other chronic pain.

♦
Related Posts on Migraine & Chronic Pain

For more of my articles on migraine or chronic pain,
see my Migraine & Chronic Pain page.

Related Posts on Migraine,
Chronic Pain, and Insomnia Relief

Gifts for People with Migraine or Other Chronic Pain

Gifts for People with Migraine or Other Chronic Pain

It's not as difficult to buy gifts for someone with migraine or other chronic pain as some you might imagine. Think "comfort" instead of "cure" ...
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More Gifts for People with Migraine or Other Chronic Pain

More Gifts for People with Migraine or Other Chronic Pain

It might seem challenging to buy gifts for someone with migraine, neuropathic facial pain, or other chronic pain, but if you forget the word "cure" ...
Continue reading
The Best Natural Nausea Relief

The Best Natural Nausea Relief

Updated: 25 August 2019 We've all been nauseous. Whether from pregnancy's morning-sickness or medication side-effects, from the annual flu bug or a migraine attack, from ...
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by | 26 August 2018 · 11:16 am

The Best Natural Nausea Relief

Updated: 25 August 2019

We’ve all been nauseous. Whether from pregnancy’s morning-sickness or medication side-effects, from the annual flu bug or a migraine attack, from anxiety or dehydration, or from eating a bit too much of that delicious holiday dinner, we can find nausea an unwelcome companion. Prescription anti-emetics can do an excellent job of preventing vomiting, but they can also make you dizzy or incontinent. Worse, since these powerful medications are to prevent vomiting, they don’t necessarily eliminate nausea. Over the last several years, I’ve come to rely more on natural remedies to relieve nausea, no matter its cause, and I’ve learned to keep many of these items in my pantry year round. Ginger is the best natural nausea antidote, and it’s generally regarded as safe to eat regularly.* I always have plenty of ginger in the house, whether as fresh root, crystallized, or as a major ingredient in some very yummy products. Fresh ginger root or crystallized ginger, which is made from the root, more effectively relieves nausea than culinary powdered ginger or herbal capsules containing powdered ginger.

Though I always have plenty of fresh ginger root (sliced, then frozen to maintain freshness) for baking and stir-fry dishes, crystallized ginger is now one of my kitchen staples. Years ago, I saw ginger listed in an herbal anti-nausea supplement, so I bought some crystallized ginger at a health food store. The next time I got nauseous, I opened the bag and popped a slice into my mouth. It was delicious. Even better, two slices later, my nausea had completely disappeared. Since that time, I keep an airtight glass container on the counter filled with crystallized ginger. When I have the flu, am getting a migraine, or have nausea for any reason, I eat a few slices of crystallized ginger. It immediately relieves nausea, and if the upset stomach returns later, I simply eat another piece.

Once we moved to Big Rock Candy Mountain, however, I couldn’t find crystallized ginger in the local grocery, and the closest health food stores are over two hours away. At first, I decided to make my own. It’s not difficult: you just slice fresh, firm, dry ginger root, add sugar and water, and boil until the ginger is tender and the water turns into syrup. Then you strain and cool the ginger slices before rolling them in sugar. Time-consuming, but, honestly, easy-peasy. In addition to eating the crystallized ginger, I put a couple slices into my iced tea, water, seltzer, carbonated water, lemonade, smoothies, and even iced coffee. I love the taste, but when I’m nauseous, I’m usually also dehydrated or having a migraine attack, so putting the crystallized ginger into my beverages helps all the nasty symptoms I may be experiencing. At the rate I was eating my homemade crystallized ginger, I soon found it more convenient to purchase it online rather than drive to the big city every week.

Since I have severe allergies and migraine whose attacks can be triggered by many different foods additives or preservatives, I have to be very careful about which ginger products I buy. I can only have ginger root that has not been exposed to sulfites, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, or preservatives. I also prefer non-GMO and organic ginger. All of these products meet my stringent migraine and allergy requirements. I’ve listed each product’s ingredients based on its packaging in the most recent version I’ve bought rather than on any online listings since item’s actual ingredient list sometimes contain known allergens or migraine triggers. Here are a few of my favorite crystallized ginger products to relieve nausea.**

Caveat
Eating crystallized ginger or adding it to your beverages takes away your appetite along with your nausea. In fact, ginger root is such a strong appetite suppressant that it’s almost always one of the ingredients in herbal diet supplements. Fresh or crystallized ginger is a more powerful anorectic than any herbal diet pills, so if you have difficulty keeping weight on, you may want to monitor your intake of ginger.

Best Crystallized Ginger

Best Ginger For Beverages
No matter what kind of tea I having — black, green, rooibos, or herbal — I drop a couple slices of crystallized ginger into the bottom of the cup before I add the boiling water. If I have cold tea, I drop some slices into my glass before adding the ice. I don’t like too much sugar in my tea, and 2-4 crystallized ginger slices make it sweet enough for me. For my tea, whether hot or cold, I prefer NOW Foods Crystallized Ginger Slices, which contains ginger root, evaporated cane syrup, and cane sugar. NOW ginger is certified organic and verified non-GMO. NOW Foods brand is not dried out to the point of being hard, and it’s not too sugary. These slices give Perrier a very slight ginger ale flavor and are also excellent added to lemonade, limeade, or orange juice.

Best Ginger For Baking and For Smoothies
I’ve heard of people eating gingersnaps for nausea, but store-bought brands, even those with a strong ginger flavor, simply don’t have enough ginger to alleviate the fierce nausea that accompanies a migraine attack. Sometimes I make my own gingersnaps, and for that, I prefer NOW Food Brands Crystallized Ginger Dices, also certified organic and verified non-GMO.

Because they’re made for baking, the dices are shaped like little gumdrops, but not as sweet as candy. The dices are a little chewier than the slices and have slightly less sugar, but the taste is the same, and so is their anti-emetic and anorectic properties. The dices knock out nausea just as quickly as the slices, but because they’re smaller, I have to eat a whole handful to quell nausea. When I have a migraine, I often drink homemade smoothies as meals, and if I want crystallized ginger in my smoothies, I use the NOW dices because they get chopped and blended more easily.

Best Ginger For Eating
My favorite crystallized ginger for eating straight from the bag, whether to prevent nausea during the flu or a migraine attack, or throughout the day to keep my appetite under control, is Gerbs Organic Crystallized Ginger, sourced from Thailand. Made with ginger and cane sugar, Gerbs ginger comes in 2- or 4-pound resealable bags. Because Gerbs is a bit more expensive, I don’t like to put it in smoothies, tea, Perrier, etc., because its texture gets lost. Although both NOW and Gerbs crystallized gingers come in hefty slices, and though both are great for eating, Gerbs Organic Crystallized Ginger is slightly thicker and a bit moister. I keep some slices in a candy dishes on my desk and nightstand, as well as in an airtight jar on the kitchen counter, so that I always have some around if the nausea of a migraine attack begins.

Australian Crystallized Ginger

Top-Rated Crystallized Ginger
Based on articles and reviews of crystallized ginger by bakers, chefs, and cookbook authors, I tried Australian Crystallized Ginger, which is said to be the best in the world, and Thai Crystallized Candied Ginger. Both of these brands contain only cane sugar and ginger, and are free of sulphur (sulfites). These two brands of crystallized ginger are divine — sweet, very plump, and extremely moist. Both come in multiple pound bags. The Thai Crystallized Candied Ginger is especially sweet — very candy-like — though it is more ginger root than sugar and so, technically, is probably not “candy.” Because it’s actual ginger root, it quells nausea better than any “ginger candies” on the market: ginger candies are much like prepackaged gingersnaps — they may taste good, but they don’t have enough ginger to relieve nausea.

Thai Crystallized Candied Ginger

 

I wish I could buy these two brands all the time, but I found myself devouring these gingers even when I wasn’t nauseous, i.e., like candy. I went through several pounds of the Australian and Thai crystallized gingers so quickly that I didn’t have enough the next time I was nauseous from a migraine. Even my guy liked these brands of crystallized ginger, and he is a confirmed ginger-hater. If you don’t love crystallized ginger (or actually hate ginger in any form), Australian or Thai Crystallized Ginger might be the type you’d want to keep around the house to relieve nausea.

Best Ginger for Homemade Ginger Tea

The best ginger I’ve ever gotten for homemade tea is Tea Spot’s Organic Ginger Root. I realize that tossing a couple of pieces of crystallized ginger into a cup of boiling water will give a faint ginger taste, but Tea Spot’s Organic Ginger Root makes a wonderful tasting tea that I can have without sugar. It provides all the stomach-calming and nausea-quelling properties of the crystallized ginger without any of the sugar. Also, since the ginger root is dried and chopped, I don’t have to store it in the refrigerator or freezer as I do with fresh or crystallized ginger, which makes it very convenient.

Ginger is the best natural remedy I’ve ever found to quell nausea, whether it’s from migraine, medications, motion-sickness, flu, or holiday overindulgence. It has none of the side-effects of pharmaceutical anti-emetics (prescription or OTC) and can be added to liquids so you ensure that you remain hydrated. Even if you’re not fond of ginger, you’ll find that crystallized ginger, which is often made from baby ginger, has little of the heat of restaurant stir-fry gingers and none of the bitterness. The only thing you may have to worry about with crystallized ginger is that you’ll like it so much, you’ll find yourself eating it like candy, whether or not you’re nauseous.


*Safety*
It’s generally regarded as safe to eat ginger — up to 1000mg per day. if you eat too much in one day, you might get heartburn or diarrhea, so start slowly. Also, ginger may be an anti-coagulant: consult your physican if you are on prescription blood-thinners, and do not consume any ginger products for two weeks before scheduled surgical procedures. (back to article)

**Caution**
If you experience unrelenting nausea, it may be a sign of an ulcer or of something more serious. If nausea is accompanied by vomiting, it may be food poisoning or gastritis. Please check with your health care provider if you have daily nausea that is not relieved by ginger or OTC anti-emetics. (back to article)

Note: I have never received free products or other compensation for reviews.

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Filed under chronic pain, Chronic Pain Treatment, hemiplegic migraines, migraine, migraine self-care, Migraine Treatment, Migraine with Aura, Migraine Without Aura, migraines

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