THE SIMPLYWELL PROTOCOL · migraine: migraine with au ra, migrain e witho ut au ra, an d re tin al migrain e . Migrain e ty pe s Migrain e ty pe s formerly thought to be d is tin

T H ES I M P L Y W E L L

P R O T O C O L

D R U G - F R E E M I G R A I N E R E L I E F N O W

BY MARYA GENDRONWWW.SIMPLYWELL.INFO

Page 2: Greetings! Page 4: First Things First: How to Set Yourself Up for Success Page 5: The Nature of the Problem Page 6: Overview of the Simplywell Protocol Page 7: The Backstory: Finding Health through Sickness Page 10: Self-diagnosed Histamine Intolerance Page 12: Histamine Intolerance Basics Page 15: Understanding Food & Its Relationship to Histamine Load Page 18: Lymphatic & Kidney Health - And The Importance of Fruit. Page 20: Lymphatic Health Basics Page 21: The Perfect Trio of Carrot, Potato, & Radish Juice Page 22: Prebiotic Basics Page 28: Appreciating Carrots Page 28: Appreciating Potatoes Page 29: Radish Magic Basics Page 30: The SimplyWell Protocol in Detail Page 35: Customizing the Protocol to Fit Your Needs Page 37: Other Dietary Considerations Page 39: A Note on the Problem with Suppressive Medications Page 40: Conclusions About the Healing Process Page 42: Simplywell Blog Posts and Resources Page 42: Services Page 43: Please Help Me Spread the Word! Page 43-44: Disclaimer, Copyright, Dedication

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The booklet you hold in your hands is a summary of the key information that I learned in my process of healing myself from migraines, headaches, brain fog, and indigestion. This is the booklet I wish that I had had access to three years ago. I have learned that it is totally possible to heal from chronic inflammatory conditions using the most gentle, affordable, bioavailable medicine available - FOOD. Long before getting sick, I already believed that food was medicine. Most of us believe this. But it took me 2.5 years to find out what the particular foods were, and in what form, that would actually bring me from a state of physical handicap to being fully functional again. This e-book is not a comprehensive outline of all types of migraines and their causes. Obviously, most migraines and most illnesses have multiple compounding factors that make up the picture of sickness. For me, migraines were certainly exacerbated by my own scoliosis and the different compensating pressure patterns in my musculoskeletal system that ripple through my body. But I now know that it was the underlying gut flora imbalances, compromised kidneys, and lymphatic congestion caused by a lifetime of assaults by antibiotics that was the deeper cause. I know this because by addressing these problems, my migraines resolved. The International Headache Society’s ICHD-3 classification system outlines three types of migraine: migraine with aura, migraine without aura, and retinal migraine. Migraine types formerly thought to be distinctive disorders, such as chronic migraine and hemiplagic migraine, are now being classified as “complications” of migraine. In contrast, clinical nutritionist Byron J. Richards has created his own classification system for migraine headaches because, “From a practical point of view the different types of headaches that Western medicine classifies have little use in fixing the source of the problem and stopping the headaches from happening in the first place.” He classifies migraines into four types of headache: Lymphatic/Pressure Headaches, Hormonal Headaches, Blood/Toxic Headaches, and Nerve Inflammation Headaches. Are these separate diagnoses relevant to determining whether the protocol will be helpful for you? Yes and no. People with different types of migraines have seen success with this protocol, indicating that many different types of migraine may have similar underlying root causes. The MOS, or “medication overuse headaches”, are the hardest for some people to overcome, as the meds they are dependent on for migraine relief are directly implicated in causing their migraines. People on daily use of pharmaceutical medications seem to respond

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poorly this protocol, or take longer to respond, and get more benefit as they wean themselves off their meds. I am not in any position to help people wean themselves off of their meds. What I can do is provide resources and information that help people to understand the ways that their meds may be exacerbating the problem, and the mechanisms behind that, so that they can be more educated and informed when working with their doctors to reduce or eliminate them if they decide they want to go that route. Most people on meds are very grateful for the relief they provide and see that they have an important place, even in the midst of side-effects. Their role is certainly more important when no other alternative is available. The question becomes how to evaluate the extent to which the Protocol is working or not for a person on meds. Because most meds affect both the kidneys and gut flora negatively, they undermine the Protocol. In a nutshell, the Simplywell Protocol is an approach to addressing four glaring problems: 1) histamine overload 2) inflammation in the colon, 3) congested lymph, and most importantly, 4) compromised blood pressure and electrolyte balance due to compromised kidney health (often caused by antibiotics). The key aspects of the protocol address these four problems by helping to reduce the histamine load, balance the flora in the gut, support the lymph, kidneys, electrolyte balance, and blood pressure - all through the simple act of enjoying very specific fresh, electrically-alive fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. I have a favor to ask of you and need your help. This protocol is quite new (as of Dec. 2016, 1 year old) and I learn from every person who tries it how to make the protocol better. You can share your experience with the protocol in our Facebook Group, or by emailing me directly ([email protected]). I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW IT HAS WORKED FOR YOU. This will help me to help others using the protocol. I am available for educational one-on-one health advocacy and consultation for those who want it. Appointments can be booked through my website. I hold in my mind’s eye a vision of you being completely free of migraines within one month’s time. May it be so! Blessings, love and light, Marya Gendron [email protected] http://www.simplywell.info

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1) INVEST IN A JUICER You can do the protocol without the juicer but it is better with a juicer. I use the Champion juicer. 2) BUY RESISTANT STARCH POWDER We all have busy lives. Do yourself a favor and buy this starch so that you can stay consistent with the protocol even when you don’t have the convenience of juicing. (Bob’s Red Mill brand is available in many conventional grocery stores and will work but it is not organic. I use Anthony’s Organic Potato Starch. If you are sensitive to nightshades, see the section “Customizing the Protocol to Fit Your Needs”). 3) BUY A PREBIOTIC MIX FOR DIVERSE PREBIOTICS It has become clear that a diverse array of prebiotic fibers above and beyond resistant starch is beneficial for creating a more diverse population of beneficial flora in the gut. Resistant starch alone will work for most people to get rid of migraines, but the introduction of more diverse prebiotics will take your gut (and head) health to a whole new level, eliminating other symptoms of indigestion and brain fog. I used to buy Garden of Life unflavored prebiotic fiber, now I make my own DIY powder. (Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post on how to make your own DIY prebiotic powder). 4) DO YOU HAVE SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)? It is not yet fully understood to what extent prebiotics affect people with SIBO, whether negatively or positively. It appears that this depends on the particular bacterial imbalances in the individual with SIBO. If you have an imbalance of bacteria in your small intestine, prebiotics could cause those bacteria to multiply. Please do more research into prebiotics, consult with your doctor, or experiment with caution. People with SIBO need prebitics, but must use them at a lower dosage initially and at a slower rate. A valuable article on the role of pro and prebiotics for those with SIBO can be found here.

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Yes. Migraines come from stress, poor eating habits, and cumulative lack of energy and sleep from years of chronic migraines. Genetic factors play a role (MTHFR gene mutations, anyone?). But it’s my view that migraines mostly originate from:

● Compromised gut flora (most often caused by antibiotics, NSAIDS, or other meds), which leads to excessive histamine-producing flora and histamine overload. This also leads to poor nutrient assimilation and low GABA which elevates glutamate and CGRP levels. Some species of bacteria actually help with blood pressure regulation as well, so antibiotics will negatively affect blood pressure by way of depleting these.

● Compromised kidney function (most often caused by antibiotics, NSAIDS,or other meds) will have a harder time filtering venous blood, resulting in lymphatic congestion. Compromised kidneys also affects electrolyte balance on the cellular level.

● Electrolyte imbalances lower blood pressure (leading to dilated blood vessels, impingement on nearby cranial nerves and offering less oxygen to the brain - leading to pain).

● Compromised liver and gallbladder function (most often caused by NSAIDS or other meds), which affects bile flow, optimal enzymatic function, and proper nutrient assimilation

● Estrogen dominance, which increases histamine and results from adrenal fatigue and dysregulated kidneys (most often caused by antibiotics, NSAIDS, or other meds, but exacerbated by stress).

● Dilated blood vessels, which lower blood pressure and impinge on nearby nerves leading up to the head at the neck, causing pain.

● Low blood pressure, which makes it difficult for sufficient blood and oxygen to get to the brain. This causes pain.

For the purposes of helping with HIstamine Intolerance, the ideal medicine/solution therefore would:

● Reduce histamine load ● Reduce estrogen dominance ● Balance the gut flora ● Balance electrolyte levels ● Balance blood sugar levels ● Raise blood pressure and thereby improve blood flow to the brain and extremities ● Improve vitamin/mineral absorption ● Support liver, gallbladder, kidney, pancreas, colon, adrenal and thyroid function ● Improve sleep

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● Improve digestion ● Improve energy levels

As it turns out, the SimplWell Migraine Relief Protocol addresses all of the issues above.

1) Drink freshly-juiced carrot potato juice every single day - with added salt for optimal electrolyte balance. >> After one month, you should be stabilized, and you can cut down to juicing 2-3 times a week while still maintaining the same level of prebiotic fiber through the use of powdered resistant starch, inulin, arabinogalactans, and pectin described below in #2. 2) Build up to consuming 3-4 T of prebiotics per day by supplementing your juice with prebiotic powders that contain inulin, arabinogalactans, and pectin. >> After you are stabilized, you will need to continue to consume the same amount of prebiotics every day - especially if you had chronic migraines prior to the protocol. Those who only had intermittent migraines may not need to be as diligent. 3) Avoid fermented, aged, histamine and tyramine rich foods, as well as fresh leafy greens high in nitrates, for at least the initial four weeks. >> After you have stabilized, gradually reintroduce trigger foods back in. You should be able to tolerate some degree of all of these foods IN MODERATION within 2-5 months on the protocol, but should not eat these foods excessively in general. 4) Eat 4-8 fresh fruits a day for optimal lymphatic health. >> After stabilized, it is still healthy to eat a lot of fresh fruit as part of a healthy diet. 5) Drink 1-2 healthy electrolyte drinks per day if you have low blood pressure (which you probably do). >> Maintain this after you have stabilized if you feel a benefit. My DIY electrolyte mix is outlined in more detail later in this e-book. 6) (Optional) Eat 2-3 small red radishes a day. >> After stabilized, you can eat radishes every few days.

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I’m very grateful I was raised in a pristine natural environment with parents who ate healthy organic food and preferred natural medicine over conventional medicine. My health was great until I was twelve years old, during which time I started to get headaches and developed food sensitivities to MSG. At this time I also received my first antibiotic and first round of vaccines. Coincidentally, I also developed TMJ and scoliosis at this time. I now know that both TMJ and scoliosis are due to lymphatic and kidney congestion (your spine will curve away from the kidney that is more congested. This is not common knowledge even among doctors but it has been demonstrated to be true by way of people who have healed themselves of both TMJ problems and scoliosis through lymphatic cleansing and improving kidney filtration and health.) By sixteen, I had received one more round of antibiotics but was still generally pretty healthy, until I gradually and unconsciously added to my overall state of inflammation when I started working in a coffee shop. There, I consumed a lot of wheat and caffeine. Unknown to myself, my kidneys were becoming more compromised and my body more acidic. Other than having issues with acne though, I was generally resilient as we are when we are young. I didn’t know that my acne was an expression of lymphatic congestion and acidosis at the time. In my twenties I underwent two minor surgeries with the attendant antibiotics and painkillers. I also went on one full month of antibiotics to try to help clear my persistent acne issues, which I now understand were an expression of congested lymph from kidneys compromised by previous antibiotics. Needless to say, pharmaceutical medications are without a doubt a huge culprit if not the primary cause of most of my lifelong health problems. However, because these effects were gradual, it was difficult to measure or realize the real impacts until they had accumulated to the point where they started to manifest as chronic disease. Still, I didn’t develop consistent and persistent headaches until I was in my late twenties. At this time I also had another small round of antibiotics for a fungal infection. I thought I was getting an anti-fungal but it was actually an antibiotic - flagyl. After this I started to get regular migraines about once every two months. I also had a lot of stress in my life at this time and was very sedentary. I spent hours on the computer with my neck hunched forward scanning through huge reams of data. I know now that the stress from this time contributed to my lymphatic congestion, because when we are stressed the capillaries dilate, and blood proteins get stuck in the lymphatic system (more about this later).

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It all makes sense now, but it took me almost a decade to understand, much less solve the problems that I am sharing with you here. A few years later, I was still struggling with persistent migraines and trying everything I could do to alleviate them, with varying results. Over time, I learned how to manage them but never healed them. I could consistently get rid of an oncoming migraine through various means and techniques, which included drinking tons and tons of water or going for a run. I now know why these two approaches work. Running and deep diaphragmatic breathing gets the lymph flowing, and migraines are a result of inflammation in the lymph and some degree of sepsis. Water is a natural antihistamine and will lower histamine levels. It also raises blood volume, making it more likely that blood can reach to the head. It was when my son was born via c-section that my health really declined. The migraines had completely disappeared in the last trimester of my pregnancy, because the placenta releases diamine oxidase, the enzyme that breaks down histamine. This is the body’s natural way to protect the fetus from excessive inflammation in the mother’s body. Naturally, after the pregnancy, the migraines returned - but now I had them three times a week and on the days when I didn’t have them, I had a headache or brain fog. I was also sleep deprived from nursing my son all night, so my already taxed kidneys and adrenals were under even more stress than usual - for over two years. The adrenal glands use progesterone to make adrenaline, and progesterone is what puts the breaks on estrogen. So my adrenal fatigue was contributing to estrogen dominance, which contributes to histamine overload. Histamine disrupts sleep cycles, and the nightmare of insomnia reinforces itself and continues. It is very hard to heal without adequate sleep. The combination of epidural, pitocin, anesthesia, pain meds, and antibiotics did a total over-ride on all of my organ systems. As a result of this surgery and medications, I developed gallbladder spasms, thyroid problems, urinary tract infections, inflammation and pain in the liver and pancreas, bloating, nightmares, anxiety, depression, easy bruising, strange burning nerve sensations running up and down my legs and sacrum, numb hands, parasitic infestation, pain and pressure problems in my ears, muscle cramping, acidosis, joint pain, frothy saliva, . . . . etc. etc. etc. etc. I was a total wreck and my life was a living hell - my son and husband being the two lights in my otherwise dark tunnel. I have pulled myself out of this nightmare mostly on my own. I did see a naturopath early on and she prescribed me a Chinese remedy. I’m very grateful to her that she did this even though the remedy made me much sicker. I realized there was something in it that was exacerbating my symptoms. The first ingredient was cinnamon. I started googling cinnamon and found out it was high in histamine. Through a series of links I found myself on a website about Histamine Intolerance, something I had never heard about before, even from a doctor.

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This was the beginning of me understanding what was going on enough to start to heal myself. It started with eliminating fermented and histamine-rich foods - but we don’t heal through elimination. We heal through nutrition. I went through a very strict period where there was virtually nothing I could eat. I had so much histamine in my body that almost anything would trigger me. I became afraid of food. This is a horrible place to be in (especially when you are still nursing a little one!) and it is the exact opposite of healing, because it truly is food and plants which have the nutrition we need in a depleted state to rebuild our health. Incidentally, during this phase of strict eating I was eating mostly carrot juice, potatoes, cabbage, apples, and other veggies. I started to dramatically improve. I would always crave potatoes after a migraine. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was the resistant starch in the potatoes that was reducing the inflammation in my colon, which my body was so keen to tell me it needed. I was juicing carrots mostly for blood cleansing and parasite cleansing. I wasn’t aware then how important the potassium in them was for me, so I slowly petered off to juicing about once a week, and lost the benefits until I later had to rediscover them. The potassium in the carrots was helping my cellular metabolism and electrolyte balance. The sodium potassium pump in the cell requires plenty of potassium for optimal functioning. At the time, my research had convinced me that I needed magnesium more than potassium. So I was rubbing magnesium oil all over my body. Then I tried it orally. It took a lot of research to try to determine which magnesium was the best kind, and my cabinets were full of all sorts of supplements. I became disenchanted with all of them eventually. Supplements hold no power compared to food as medicine. One important difference between food as medicine and supplements as medicine (besides its affordability, bio-availability, and superior taste) is that living food also contains electrical energy and hydration that dry dead supplements do not. It took me almost three whole years of hell post c-section to reach the point where I finally healed the migraines that plagued me and had become a physical handicap that would have prevented me from holding a job if I had needed to do anything other than be a stay-at-home mom whose main job was researching every day how to take my life back. During this time, I worked on healing a lot of other organs besides my brain and gut in the process too, but that is another story. This story is about how I learned to first reduce histamine-rich foods from my diet; how to clean my blood and gallbladder and kidneys with radishes; how to improve digestion and drastically reduce bloating and inflammation in the colon with the help of resistant starch in potatoes and green plantains, and how to decongest the lymphatic system with the help of fruit and micronutrients available in living greens.

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I’ve also been amazed to watch my body healing from many seemingly unrelated (but apparently related!) issues that I had accepted as part of my life, such as acne and TMJ resolving on their own. I no longer have any premenstrual syndrome or pain or discomfort during my moon cycle. The cystic breast tissue that I had been told was just a hereditary trait has also completely resolved. My gums and oral health are incredible. It turns out that the body doesn’t know how to selectively heal, and when we support the whole, all kinds of problems just start to fall away. Supporting the whole unavoidably involves great attention to the quality of our diet and nutrition. Yet how and what to eat remains one of the most confounding question for many of us. We are the only species on the planet that is confused about what and how to eat. It’s my pleasure to share some of what I’ve learned works best for me. For the first time in my life, I have no food cravings, no food addictions, and no confusion about how and what to eat. I believe that all healing, whether on a physical, emotional, or spiritual level, requires a belief in the possibility of healing, and giving ourselves the permission slip to actually do so. Once these two factors are in place, healing becomes simple (but still, not always easy!).

When I realized that I had Histamine Intolerance, everything started to make sense and fall into place. I finally had a basic framework for understanding why I got migraines and how to prevent them (however, my knowledge was incomplete as I didn’t understand the role of the gut flora, kidneys and lymph in my state of sepsis). When my histamine levels reached a certain level, I would get a migraine. Histamine is a natural neurotransmitter that is utilized and produced by the body’s mast cells in making stomach acid. So it makes sense that when my histamine levels got high, so did my stomach acid, and the migraine would not disappear until I threw up large amounts of stomach acid. Afterwards, I would always crave potatoes. Identifying with a disease is never healing. Even though I was self-diagnosed with Histamine Intolerance, in retrospect I believe that it has become important to learn to un-diagnose myself. While a diagnosis is initially a relief because it is an explanation for what is going on,

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many people reinforce their health problems by identifying with having a disease. So I think that a better descriptor for my symptoms would be that of “Histamine Overload”, rather than describing myself as having “Histamine Intolerance”. Histamine Overload describes a (temporary) state, Histamine Intolerance implies that the body’s mechanisms are dysfunctional, and that you are dealing with an actual disease. The body is not the enemy. I had to take responsibility for what it had gone through to make sense of what was “wrong” with it. In my case, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories were the assault that depleted my diamine oxidase levels making it difficult for me to break down any foods that were fermented or had tyramine or histamine in them. (More on fermented foods, tyramine, and histamine later). The antibiotics had shifted the balance in my flora towards histamine-producing bacteria, contributing to my load. For quite awhile, my sole approach to healing was to eliminate problem foods, because I didn’t know how to heal my pancreas from the non-steroidal inflammatories and their effect on my DAO levels - and because I didn’t realize that a huge part of my histamine load was in my colon. The antibiotics had wiped out much of the friendly bacteria in my colon and no amount of food elimination would change the fact that my colon needed good prebiotic starches to feed the healthy bacteria. I also didn’t know that the other huge piece of my inflammatory histamine load was in my lymphatic system, or that I needed to get my kidneys supported in order to get the lymph flowing and step out of the state of sepsis I was living in. One advantage of focusing on Histamine Intolerance is that I had to avoid many supplements. Quite a few supplements are made through a fermentation process. This includes vitamin C (which is also a mast-cell stabilizer), B vitamins, and probiotics. I didn’t explore probiotics for this reason, as I was afraid to get triggered by them. I’ve since learned how much more important prebiotics are as compared to probiotics. PRObiotics introduce friendly bacteria but they may not survive your stomach acid or be able to make much of a stronghold in your gut given the other flora that are already established there. PREbiotics are the food that feed the friendly bacteria. If you feed the good bacteria the right food, their populations will eventually dominate over the unfriendly bacteria, assuming you are not feeding the unfriendly bacteria too much as well. While eliminating all histamine rich foods and fermented foods did reduce my migraines, it also diminished greatly what I was able to eat, and it was always a very tenuous balance. My diet was very meager and I firmly believe we cannot heal by being afraid of most food or eliminating otherwise healthy foods. (Whereas eliminating unhealthy foods, better known as “food-like substances” - is ALWAYS an advantage).

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Because the foods that are fermented or contain tyramine or have histamine in them or liberate histamine is a huge category of foods, I learned over time how to discern which foods were the greatest triggers for me. A small portion of yogurt wouldn’t trigger me as bad as a small sprinkling of cinnamon or chili. A sip of kombucha wouldn’t trigger me as bad as a sip of wine. A bite of a date wouldn’t trigger me as bad as a bite of chocolate. UNLESS of course, my histamine load was already very high. THEN, the smallest thing could tip me over into migraineland! One thing that would have made it virtually impossible to realize I had Histamine Intolerance instead of a different kind of food allergy or food intolerance is that the reaction to histamine and tyramine rich foods is not always immediate. It is not an allergic reaction. Once the food hits the small intestine where the DAO is normally released, it will not get broken down properly because of the low DAO and so by the time it makes its way to the colon a few hours later, that food will start to ferment. Unfriendly bacteria in the colon will try to break that food down, leading to bloating and indigestion. These bacteria actually produce histamine. But this is not an immediate reaction so the connection between certain foods and bloating and headache can be hard to recognize, unless your histamine levels are already so high that you do have an immediate reaction. It all depends on how full your “bucket” of histamine is.

Histamine Intolerance is not a recognized medical diagnosis, so your doctor may not be familiar with it. Many other disorders have overlap with histamine intolerance in the symptoms that they present. SIBO, POTS, MCAS, Fibromyalgia, and Lyme Disease have similar symptoms. Histamine is a neurotransmitter in the body that is produced by basophils and mast cells as part of the inflammatory response. It is an organic nitrogen compound that helps increase the permeability of capillaries to white blood cells as part of a local immune reaction. It also regulates physiological function in the gut. It can be valuable to understand that Histamine Intolerance (HIT) can manifest in different people as different symptoms. For some people histamine overload will show up as a migraine, whereas for others it may show up as hives or psoriasis, for example.

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>> Histamine is a precursor to hydrochloric acid, aka, stomach acid. >> Estrogen causes histamine release. Estrogen dominance also downregulates DAO. Hormonal birth control causes estrogen excess and progesterone deficiency. >> Degranulation is a term used to describe the way in which mast cells can be triggered to release too much histamine. Chronic activation of mast cell degranulation is also known as “mastocytosis”. >> Diamine oxidase is an enzyme in the body that breaks down fermented and histamine-rich foods. People with histamine intolerance are often low in DAO, which in turn compromises the body’s ability to break down histamine as well as tyramine and tyrosine (amino acids in many fermented and aged foods). Eating foods high in tyramine, tyrosine and histamine, therefore, contributes to the histamine load and overload. (See food lists below). >> The most common pharmaceutical culprits in histamine overload are medications which trigger mast cells or inhibit DAO. These include non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and opiates. Vaccines also contribute to inflammation in the body. (See the section Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals That Trigger Histamine below). >> Copper is required to form the DAO enzyme and copper deficiency is associated with low DAO enzyme activity in animals. More research is necessary to confirm that copper supplementation increases DAO activity. Foods high in copper include fresh basil, cocoa powder (but watch it - it’s also fermented), cashews, grapes, potatoes, avocados, soybeans (mature), herbal tea, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, garbanzo beans and lentils. >> While antibiotics do not directly trigger histamine release, they are certainly indirectly implicated in histamine overload because they may result in a microbial environment in the colon where bacteria that produce histamine dominate in the absence of healthy gut flora that keep inflammation in check. >> Histamine ripens berries, therefore avoid red berries if you are highly sensitive. >> Many chemicals in bath, body, and beauty care products trigger an inflammatory histamine response. Those who have histamine overload benefit from using natural and nontoxic products. The color red in many cosmetics, as well as perfumes in many shampoos and lotions, are all big culprits in histamine overload. (See the section Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals That Trigger Histamine below). >> The symptoms of histamine overload manifest differently in different people. Which foods are trigger foods is also variable person to person. However, there seems to be some

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consistency in some of the biggest trigger foods, which include cinnamon, chili, nutmeg, wine, hard cheese, and chocolate. >> Some people with Histamine Intolerance are sensitive to salycilates, benzoates, and oxalates in fruits and nuts. I never really explored whether these were triggers for me. There comes a point where you decide you can’t be afraid of everything, but these substances are certainly playing a role for many people with HIT symptoms. The key is to not demonize the substances or the foods that contain them, but to recognize the problem comes from the body’s imbalance, and to eat in an educated way. >> Mast cell stabilizers are substances that help to prevent our mast cells from degranulating and releasing histamine. Mast cell stabilizers are calcium channel blockers (synthetic pharmaceutical grade calcium channel blockers are often prescribed for migraines). Natural mast cell stabilizers include Vitamin C, Quercetin, and Magneisum. >> Hormones, pesticides, stress, medications, chemicals and even changes in temperature, pressure and altitude can cause mast cells to release histamine. >> One easy way to determine if your migraines are related to histamine overload is to take supplemental DAO. This supplement is sourced from animal (usually pork) pancreas. Brands such as Seeking Health and all offer histamine block supplements in the form of DAO. Vegans who wish to boost DAO can sprout pea seedlings and juice or blend them, though this is labor intensive. Check out the Low Histamine Chef website for more into on pea seedlings for supplemental DAO. >> It is also worthwhile to note that Riboflavin (B2) and vitamins B6 and B12 are needed for the creation of enzymes that break down histamine. Most people with histamine overload do not react well to B vitamins though, because they are made through a fermentation process. Potatoes, which are a central part of the Simplywell Migraine Protocol, contain these vitamins in a bioavailable form.

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There are many many foods that are implicated in adding histamine to the body or triggering histamine. There are diverse perspectives on which foods these are, with some consensus. You can find multiple food lists helping you to avoid histamine - but first, a word of caution from Yasmina Ykelenstam, author of the web site, The Low Histamine Chef about the dangers inherent in food lists to avoid: “In my experience and in that of hundreds to thousands of people I have spoken to in my online groups, in my consults and in person, eliminating foods for a few weeks might help symptoms, but in the long run it may cause people to become reactive to an increasing number of foods. Possible reasons why this occurs: increased consumption of other foods that may cause reaction in large amounts (oxalic acid, salicylic acid, fructose as examples), limiting the number of foods eaten often means less rotation so the body may become sensitized to foods consumed regularly (research food rotation diets for allergy) and removing too many healthy foods from diet could slowly starve the body of needed nutrients that could help resolve inflammation in the long run.” To make things simple, I will provide here only a basic rundown of potential trigger foods that I found affected me the most. Everyone is an individual and reacts to foods differently. The most comprehensive list I have found of foods to avoid while attempting to reduce histamine can be found here. However, this list is so comprehensive that it can be hard to find anything to eat on this list. Also, a number of foods that I had no problems with and which I found very healthful for me are on this list to avoid - so: these lists are not so helpful. It is enough to know that you are an intelligent individual and that generally, foods high in histamine and fermented foods are best avoided in favor of fresh foods. How reactive each person is depends on their overall inflammation and this is highly variable. In addition, people following the SimplyWell Migraine Relief Protocol may not have much problem at all with the foods below after their inflammation is reduced with the help of resistant starch, potassium, and radishes. There is not nothing on the list below that I can’t eat at this point (yay!). I even ate cayenne pepper the other day and two glasses of wine followed by chocolate, with no migraine. This would never have been possible for me prior to

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discovering the humble roots that are the hub of this protocol. Therefore, the info below is kept very general and ideally, will only have to be avoided temporarily. Anti-histamines (DESIRABLE TO EAT to balance histamine load): Apples Black rice Capers Chamomile Galanga root Garlic Ginger root Holy basil Lotus root Mangosteens Moringa Nigella Sativa (Kalongi, blackseed) Nettle Olive oil Onions Peaches Peppermint Pea sprouts Pomegranate Tarragon Thyme Turmeric Watercress Foods high in histamine (BEST AVOIDED until stabilized): Anise Chili Cayenne Cinnamon Clove Nutmeg Fermented foods rich in tyramine and tyrosine (BEST AVOIDED until stabilized): Bacon Baker’s Yeast Beer Canned fish Cheese Chocolate

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Cured meat Dried fruit Kombucha Most condiments Lunch meat Miso Nutritional yeast Over-ripe bananas Over-ripe avocados Pickles Salad dressings Sauerkraut Sausages/Cured meat Soy sauce Supplements created through fermentation, ie B vitamins, probiotics, vitamin C, etc. Tofu Vinegar Wine Yogurt Raw veggies high in Nitrates (avoid in very large quantities, ie, green drinks. Alternatively, eat these cooked) Arugula Chard Celery Cilantro Kale Spinach Foods that block DAO (BEST AVOIDED): Alcohol Histamine liberators (BEST AVOIDED): Benzoates Colorants Egg whites MSG Nitrates and nitrites Sugar Sulfites

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Pharmaceutical and Chemical Histamine Releasers (best avoided): Note: the list below is a list of medications that DIRECTLY affect histamine load by way of triggering release of histamine from mast cells or depleting the body of DAO. However, it’s my view that ALL pharmaceutical medications affect histamine load indirectly, in that they affect our gut microbiome by feeding unfriendly, histamine-producing flora or by depleting essential nutrients needed to create DAO. Therefore, this list is only a partial list of medications that affect your histamine load. Aspirin Amphetamines Antibiotics Colistin sulfate Dextromethorphan (cough suppressant) Dipyridamole Fungal infection drugs Gallamine triethiodide Hydralazine hydrochloride Iodine based radiographic dyes Local anesthestics: lidocaine, etc.(any amino amide- type) NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories: Advil, Motrin,etc) Neuromuscular blocking agents (all) Opiates (Codeine, Morphine, Percocet/Oxy etc) Papaverine Persantine Polymyxin B sulfate Quinine sulfate Scopolamine hydrochloride Stilbamadine isethionate Thiamine hydrochloride Trimethaphan and Trimetaphan Tubocurarine chloride Tolazoline hydrochloride Vaccines Other Histamine Releasers (best avoided until stabilized): Artificial flavours Ascaris species of nematode parasite Bacterial Toxins Benzoic acid Cosmetics/Creams containing salicylates Cinnamaldehyde

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Cinnamic acid Dyes, colouring, ie, cosmetics Food additives Nettle stings Polymers: Dextran, Compound 48/80 Perfume, Man-made materials, Scented products Preservatives Snake venoms Sodium benzoate Spines & hairs of Caterpillars Electrolytes and Histamine Additionally, our electrolyte status affects the DAO receptor sites on our cells. So, even if you have enough DAO, if your electrolytes are off, your cells will not be able to utilize them.

Early on when I was experiencing very strange heat and what felt like nerve sensations running up and down my inner leg and on my sacrum, along with peripheral neuropathy in the hands, I was afraid that I had multiple sclerosis. Gradually though, I began to believe that what I was experiencing was lymphatic congestion. My theory is that the scar tissue above the pubic bone was preventing the flow of lymph from the legs up into the trunk. Lymphatic congestion and muscular tension in the neck was affecting the circulation and lymphatic flow in my arms and hands. I became more alert to the importance of the lymphatic system when I was introduced to the work of Dr. Robert Morse, ND. Dr. Morse has over 40 years of clinical practice supporting the body’s self-healing abilities through focus on detoxification, alkalizing the body, and flushing the lymph. This is impossible without fully functioning kidneys, since much of the lymph in our bodies exits out the kidneys via the venous blood filtration. The kidneys also regulate pH. (Note that when I speak about alkalizing the body, I am not referring to the blood pH, which is tightly regulated by the body. Health practices that attempt to alkalize the body are often ridiculed by “evidence-based” scientists because they don’t realize that alkalizing the tissues is the issue here - not alkalizing the blood. It is well known that viruses and bacteria and

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parasites are sensitive to pH and most of the pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and parasites prefer an acidic environment and cannot thrive within an alkaline one.) Basically, the health of the kidneys are absolutely essential for every function of the body. I had spent the first two years trying to heal myself by focusing on my liver health. However, the liver is not an organ of elimination. So, detoxing the liver if the kidneys are not healthy and supported does not make sense. Had I known then what I know now, I would have started my healing journey getting my kidneys healthy and my lymph flowing. What I most appreciate about Dr. Morse’s work, which has been completely instrumental to my healing, is his emphasis on cellular (and therefore tissue) renewal and regeneration. His approach to health is quite revolutionary in its simplicity, as it is based on the premise that because every single tissue and organ and nerve in our body is made up of cells, everything in the body can regenerate if we focus on reestablishing health on a cellular level. This is impossible to do with a septic lymphatic system, because a swollen and congested lymphatic system will prevent proper nutrition getting to the cells AND the metabolic waste getting out of the cells. Proper electrolyte balance is key to cellular respiration, nutrition, and hydration. Dr. Morse recommends a vegan diet with a large emphasis on fruit to heal kidney and lymphatic congestion. Fruit especially is very astringent and essential to eat in large quantities in order to get lymph flowing again. Dark purple grapes are especially good at cleaning lymph. Dr. Morse’s ideas were intriguing to me, but I probably never would have considered going on a fruit fast if it hadn’t been for the fact that it was grape season in Seattle, where I was living at the time. It just so happened that there were hundreds of pounds of delicious, ripe, neglected grapes on the vines in the alleyways of my neighborhood, so I took this as a sign that I should do a grape fast. It was one of the most profound and insightful healings of my life. During the course of the six days of this grape fast, I experienced movement in the lymph in my head, jaw, and neck especially. What I had thought were trigger points in my neck, were actually hardened lymph nodes. I experienced a wide range of healing reactions during the time, but the most eye-opening was the way in which my TMJ resolved itself. First, the lymph in my right jaw started to clear out. Then, my left jaw, after which my jaw realigned itself. My migraines greatly diminished after this. I also had various other cleansing reactions in my digestive tract and kidneys. It was after this flush that my kidneys started to release a large amount of calcification and mucous as well. This process of healing my kidneys is ongoing. It has been incredible to see the amount of congestion present and the way in which a diet high in fruit and fresh vegetables naturally allows them to clean and regenerate themselves over time.

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The lymphatic fluid is the interstitial fluid that performs a huge number of functions, but one of its key functions is moving metabolic waste out of the body. It cannot do this efficiently if there is swelling and edema around the cells or if the kidneys are congested or compromised (since lymph exits the kidneys). When there is edema and swelling around the cells in the interstitial spaces of the lymphatic system, cellular nutrition is also compromised, because the blood capillaries that bring nutrition to the cell have a very short range of irrigation and cannot reach the cells when the cells are surrounded by too much fluid (edema). Edema occurs when blood proteins (fibrinogen, globulin, and albumin) escape from the blood capillaries due to capillary dilation from stress and other triggers. While most of these large proteins stay in the blood, the ones that escape into the interstitial lymphatic spaces can cause a lot of problems. They can accumulate around the cell wall and stick there, clogging the cell. These large blood proteins have a negative charge and therefore, pharmaceutical medications attach onto them. According to Dr. Morse and other lymphologists, this is one cause of so-called “side-effects” of some medications. Sodium in the blood also attaches to these proteins and therefore, when the blood proteins surround the cell, the sodium will attract water to them, further waterlogging the cell and compromising cellular respiration, nutrition, and waste elimination in the absence of proper potassium to sodium balance. If on top of this the kidneys are not eliminating lymph well (via venous blood), the resulting state is a state of varying degrees of sepsis, along with the attendant feelings of fatigue, joint pain, aching, etc etc. These symptoms will lead one to be more lethargic and less physically active, which will further compromise lymph flow, since lymph moves as a result of deep breathing. Optimal lymphatic health involves balancing potassium and sodium levels (both found in carrot and potato juice - you need a 2:1 ratio of potassium to sodium), eating regular and large amounts of fruit, exercising regularly, reducing stress, and healing the kidneys. On a spectrum, the most astringent fruits for cleaning lymph are the citrus fruits followed by berries and grapes, melons and pineapple. Bananas are less astringent. Grape juice without added sweeteners can be used but is not as beneficial as fresh grapes. Citrus can be too aggressive depending on how much sepsis is present. A steady flow of fruits eaten daily along with other foods will gently and gradually clean lymph. Large amounts of animal protein congest the kidneys and lymph, and acidify the body. This can be easily determined by

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looking at your urine first thing in the morning. While lymph is flushing, you will see particles of acidic waste from the lymph in the urine. This is a good sign. The particles will settle at the bottom of the jar. If the urine is completely clear, it could be a sign of compromised kidneys and lymph.

It’s interesting how you can be trying so hard to get better, and someone tells you about something you could try, and you dismiss them outright for whatever reason. There are a few times throughout the past few years where someone gave me a suggestion which later, I realized it would have been very beneficial for me to explore right then. But the healing process is mysterious - sometimes we are not ready to receive the information that would really help us because there is another growth process taking place that has to happen first. Then, it all clicks! When I discovered resistant starch, it dawned on me that over a year ago, a very wise woman told me about it. My interest was piqued, but I filed it back on a long list of other things I was intrigued about and might get around to looking into some day. As it turns out I discovered resistant starch accidentally. I was reading on a web site that an old Ukranian folk remedy is to eat raw potato for stomach health. So I started adding some raw potato to my morning carrot juice. It didn’t taste bad at all, and I would notice a thick layer of starch settled at the bottom, which I scooped out and put back into the juice. I also was reading about the power of radishes at this time for thyroid health, cleansing the blood, liver, gallbladder and kidneys, so I threw a big black radish into the juice mix. It was about a week before I noticed that I wasn’t getting any daily headaches, my head felt clear, and I felt no impending migraine. I thought about the starch from the potato and figured it must be resistant starch, so I started researching resistant starch. So at three weeks, when I started to feel intense gas and bloating, I knew what was happening. I knew that this was a side-effect of the resistant starch, and happens when the previous microbial colony loses its foothold and the healthy bacterial population that thrives off of resistant starch starts to get a real foothold.

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A month later and still no migraine, I realized I had hit upon a wonderful combination of roots in my juice. At first I thought it was the resistant starch in the potatoes that was doing the trick, so I eliminated the radishes. Mild headache symptoms started to emerge again. I also experimented with plantain flour added to juice, but couldn’t find any organic plantain flour, so decided to keep juicing fresh potato for starch. I have since purchased organic potato starch, but I don’t rely on this alone, because I feel there are healing properties in the fresh potato juice itself, and because I want to keep getting the nutritional benefit from the carrots as well (potatoes and carrots are both high in potassium). Fresh food is always better than processed food. I started just eating the radishes, because they didn’t add great flavor to the juice.

Prebiotics are foods that feed friendly bacteria in our colon (as compared to probiotics, which introduce friendly flora. Many probiotic supplements and foods will cause migraines for people with histamine intolerance, because they are made through a fermentation process and contain tyramines). There are numerous kinds of prebiotics, including FOS (fructo oligosaccharides), GOS (Galacto-oligosaccharides), arabinogalactans, inulin and resistant starch. This protocol focuses on the use of inulin, arabinogalactans, and resistant starch. Feel free to research other prebiotics and incorporate them into your diet. Initially, the Simplywell Protocol only used resistant starch as prebiotics. It then dawned on me that if I wanted to feed as diverse an array of healthy bacteria in my colon, it would probably be beneficial to diversify my sources of prebiotics. Which is when I started to include inulin and pectin (with the Garden of Life brand of prebiotics). Arabinogalactans were featured already in my protocol before I even knew about them, as I had through chance chosen two foods that are highest in arabinogalactans: carrots and radishes. Resistant Starch Prebiotics (This info was adapted from an article in Mark’s Daily Apple called “The Definitive Guide to Resistant Starch”). >> Resistant starch is “the sum of starch and products of starch degradation not absorbed in the small intestine of healthy individuals.” So, resistant starch remains intact until it reaches the colon, where gut flora there metabolize it and convert it into short chain fatty acids. Actually, the word ※starch§ is misleading because resistant starch is actually a type of fiber.

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>> There are four types of resistant starch. RS Type 1 〝 Starch bound by indigestible plant cell walls; found in many beans, grains, and seeds; RS Type 2 〝 Starch that is intrinsically indigestible in the raw state due to its high amylose content; found in potatoes, bananas, plantains. (Type 2 RS changes its starch structure upon heating and at that point is digestible in the small intestine. Since we want to be feeding the colonic bacteria, and not the bacteria in the small intestine, cooking these foods will diminish the therapeutic effect since it converts the starch type to non-resistant starch with heat); RS Type 3 〝 Retrograded starch. This includes cooked and then cooled potatoes, rice, and beans. While cooking Type 2 starches and eating them hot removes the resistant starch, this third type of resistant starch will develop once the food has cooled and provide benefit if the food is eaten cold and not reheated; RS Type 4 〝 Industrial resistant starch; type 4 RS doesn’t occur naturally and has been chemically modified; commonly found in “hi-maize resistant starch.” This is generally not used as a form of resistant starch by those seeking the benefits of resistant starch. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Currently, we do not know if RS2 or RS3 is more effective at reducing migraines, whether both are equally effective or if RS2 is more effective. We’ve definitely seen people using RS2 (raw starch) recover. Those who have been relying on RS3 (cooked and then cooled starch) are not seeing the same benefit but those who have been relying on that form so far have been on more medications.) >> For the purposes of healing the colon, RS types 2 and 3 are relevant. The best fresh food sources are raw potatoes, green bananas, tiger nuts, plantains, cooked-and-cooled potatoes, cooked-and-cooled-rice, parboiled rice, cooked-and-cooled legumes. Resistant starch is also available in the form of dry powders and flours, including raw potato starch, plantain flour, tiger nut flour, green banana flour, and cassava/tapioca starch. These starches can be added to juice or into smoothies for a quick and easy dose of resistant starch. >> RS Preferentially feeds “good” bacteria responsible for butyrate production. Once the bacteria in our colon eat the resistant starch, they produce butyrate as a byproduct. Butyrate is the prime energy source of our colonic cells. Resistant starch promotes more butyrate production than other prebiotics. However, the amount of butyrate produced will depend on which kind of gut flora live in your colon when you introduce the starch, so it varies from person to person. Presumably, people who have received antibiotics will have smaller populations of beneficial bacteria, so a gradual process of repopulation will occur with the introduction of resistant starch. >> RS Improves gut function and integrity. Resistant starch basically improves the functionality of the gut by increasing colonic hypertrophy. Because it reduces leaky gut, RS also helps to prevent endotoxins from getting into your blood circulation. And thanks to this improved gut integrity, RS also helps to increases magnesium absorption (and by extension, probably other essential minerals and vitamins as well).

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>> RS improves insulin sensitivity, even in people with metabolic syndrome. RS also lowers the post-prandial blood glucose spike, which may also extend to subsequent meals. RS also reduces fasting blood sugar. >> RS increases satiety, making it easier to maintain other healthy eating habits and avoid snacking on junk food. >> RS may preferentially bind to and expel ※bad§ bacteria. This is only preliminary, but there’s evidence that resistant starch may actually treat small intestinal bacterial overgrowth by “flushing” the pathogenic bacteria out in the feces. It’s also been found to be an effective treatment for cholera when added to the rehydration formula given to patients; the cholera bacteria attach themselves to the RS granules almost immediately for expulsion. >> Anecdotal reports also confirm that regular RS intake may be associated with better sleep, lower body fat and increased lean mass, improved thyroid function and mental calm. >> Due to all of these benefits, many people take too much RS too fast and get gas, bloating, cramping, diarrhea or constipation. These side-effects are a result of the population of bacteria in the gut changing from “bad” bacteria over to beneficial bacteria. Going gradual and slow seems to work best (especially if you have SIBO). Butyrate production usually increases at three weeks, when most people will experience some degree of gas and bloating, which usually subsides. More episodes of gas and bloating may occur as the intake is increased. These side effects usually stabilize and diminish in a few days. >> The average intake of RS in China is 14.9 g/day from wheat, rice and starch products; compared with average USA 3-8 g/day intake. >> One medium organic potato, juiced, yields one tablespoon of resistant starch. >> Organic tiger nut flour is one good source of RS and is available through Organic Gemini brand but is more expensive than organic potato starch. 8 Tablespoons of tigernut flour are needed to get 3 tablespoons of starch. Inulin-based Prebiotics >> Inulin is a heterogeneous mixture of fructose polymers found in nature as plant repository carbohydrates. >> The best natural food sources of inulin include bananas, asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, jicama, leeks, onions, garlic, chicory, dandelion greens, stevia, and dandelion root. >> Being a prebiotic, inulin confers many of the same benefits that resistant starch does mentioned above. It creates greater diversity of beneficial gut flora in the colon, increases

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butyrate production, supports healthy blood sugar and bowel regularity, improves cardiovascular health, increases nutrient absorption and boosts immune function. >> Inulin helps to decrease serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. >> Those who have taken antibiotics may need more inulin. Those who eat a lot of sugary foods, alcohol, and processed foods benefit more from inulin, since these foods deplete our body of healthy bacteria. >> Ancient hunter-gatherers used to eat up to 135 g of inulin fructans per day. The average intake in the US is 1-4 g. Experts like Dr. Perlmutter recommends at least 12 g of inulin per day. >> Daily intake of inulin significantly decreases disease activity and significantly increases the amount of IL-10-positive mucosal dendritic cells and toll-like receptors 2 and 4 of these cells in those with Crohn’s disease. >> Inulin is used for rehydration and remineralization after loss of water from diarrhea and diaphoresis. Arabinogalactans >> Arabinogalactans are present in carrots, radishes, coconut meat and milk, echinacea, astragalus, shitake mushroom, black gram beans, pears, maize, red wine, rye, tomatoes, sorghum, bamboo grass, and larch fiber. >> Like all prebiotics, arabinogalactans help feed healthy bacteria in the colon which produce butyrate; they help improve insulin sensitivity, sleep, and nutrient absorption. >> They function as immune activity normalizers. If your body is battling an infection, arabinogalactans power up the attack against the invading organism or virus. If your immune system is too revved up, arabinogalactans can help suppress this over activity. >> Arabinogalactans inhibit the ability of toxic bacteria to adhere to the intestinal wall, thereby preventing infection. >> They boost the activity of natural killer cells, which attack tumors. >> In animal studies, arabinogalactans have reduced the spread of tumors to the liver by coating the binding sites that cancer cells would otherwise attach to.

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Pectin >> Pectin is found in higher amounts in the rinds and peels of some fruit, which is why you will sometimes see orange or apple peel listed in the ingredients of prebiotic products. >> Pectin can help to lower blood cholesterol levels, particularly very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL) particles which gets converted into low-density lipoprotein (‘bad’ cholesterol) in the blood. >> Pectin from citrus is also capable of turning inflammatory immune cells into anti-inflammatory, healing cells, which helps in recovery from infection. >> pectin has been shown to reduce levels of pathogenic bacteria and support higher amounts of friendly bacteria in the gut. >> Kiwifruit pectin has been shown to help Lactobacillus rhamnosus adhere better to intestinal cells than inulin, while reducing the adhesion of undesirable bacterium Salmonella typhimurium. My Daily Prebiotic Regime I originally built up to 4 Tablespoons of resistant starch over the course of three months. Then my body told me it only needed 3 Tablespoons. 4 Tablespoons may be more appropriate for a larger body size. >> Then, I started to use 1-2 Tablespoons of Dr. Perlmutter’s Garden of Life prebiotic fiber blend for my inulin intake, taken twice daily with 2 Tablespoons of resistant starch (one from Anthony’s brand starch, the other from a raw juiced potato).. >> I split my prebiotics into two doses - one in the morning, one in the afternoon or evening, so that my gut is getting from frequent and consistent infusions of prebiotics. >> I currently get my arabinogalactans from juicing 1-3 times a week and/or munching on radishes and carrots throughout the week. I no longer have to juice daily to keep my head clear. For a list of bulk prebiotic ingredients you can use to make your own mix, scroll to the bottom of this blog post of mine, “Why I Adore Prebiotics.”

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>> Carrots are a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Folate and Manganese, and a very good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium. >> They contain arabinogalactans, an important prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial bacteria in the colon. >> They help to reduce excess estrogen, which in turn helps to lower inflammation, since estrogen raises histamine levels. >> Carrots act as a very mild natural antibiotic in that they inhibit the growth and absorption of harmful endotoxins (gram negative bacteria) in the gut.

>> Potatoes are the most cultivated crop in the world. There are about 100 varieties of edible potatoes which have been cultivated between 4,000 and 7,000 years in the Andes. >> Most potatoes available in Western markets contain about 1 T of resistant starch for a medium potato. Sweet potatoes and yams don’t contain much in the way of resistant starch. >> They contain important B vitamins which migraineurs really benefit from but which they normally can’t tolerate in supplement form (because the supplements are made through a fermentation process). B6 and B3 are both high in potatoes (32% an 15% of RDA in 1 cup). B6 is involved in over 100 enzymatic actions in the body, as well as the production of serotonin and melotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and GABA (which inhibits glutamate inflammation in the brain). B6 helps with methylation and with cardiovascular health. >> Potatoes are also good sources of vitamin C (a mast cell stabilizer), potassium (an essential electrolyte), and copper (needed by the body to creat the enzyme DAO, which breaks down histamine), phytonutrients and antioxidants.

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>> Raw potato juice is alkalizing and anti-inflammatory. It has been used to treat gastritis, stomach ulcers, inflamed joints, kidney disease, and pancreatitis. It also cleanses the liver. >> Avoid potatoes with sprouts or dehydrated potatoes, as these contain solanine, a compound which can lead to nausea, headache, stomachache, and dizziness. If small sprout buds or dimpling has started to occur, cut these off before juicing.

>> Radishes are an amazing healing and cleansing food that are very hydrating and high in fiber. Originally grown in Asia, their medicinal use goes back to ancient times. Radishes were also recognized and appreciated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. >> Black Russian radishes are especially medicinal, but common red radishes and daikon radishes also have a long tradition of recognized therapeutic effects and uses. Black and red radishes have been used by some doctors in the old Soviet Union as accepted medical treatment for hypothyroidism. >>Radishes are in the brassica family, which includes some of the most healthful foods on earth. >> Nutritionally, radishes are high in vitamin C, folate, sulfur, iodine, potassium, and magnesium. >> Rafanol and rafanina are the lead sulfide compounds that give radishes their unique properties above and beyond mineral and vitamin benefits. Raphanin, the main sulphur component in radishes, is chiefly responsible for keeping the production of thyroxine and calcitonin (a peptide hormone) in normal balance. The glucosinolates, indoles, isothyocyanates, and sulforaphane are also responsible for the cleansing properties of radish. >> Topically, radish and radish juice has been used for acne, skin problems, and osteoarthritis. >> A traditional Japanese treatment for migraine involves fresh daikon radish juice used in the following way: “Cut fresh radish into small pieces; use a juicer to get the juice from the radish; let the patient lay down; apply a few drops of radish juice into the nostril; right nostril for left side head ache and the left nostril for right side headache; press on the other side of the nose with one finger to close off the other nostril; and take deep breaths to let the air carry the smell of radish through the nostril into your lung.”

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>> Radishes are known to prevent migraines of hepatic origin, protect the liver, cleanse the blood, serve as a digestive and diuretic. The isothyocyanates are especially good at draining the gallbladder. Radishes stimulate the production of gastric juice, decreases the likelihood of forming gallstones and kidney stones, regulate the colon, relieve constipation, are cardio-protective, prevent cell damage, neutra live pathogenic bacteria and viruses, promote expectoration in cases of lung disease, prevent anemia, and are anti-carcinogenic. >> The leaves of the radish can also be juiced, cooked, or eaten in salads. >> Radishes are contraindicated in cases of gastro duodena ulcers. Excessive over-consumption of radish juice can cause swelling of the liver. >> Some people are afraid of the potential effects of radishes on the thyroid due to the fact that they are in the brassica family, and categorized as goitrogenic. If you’re concerned about this issue please take a look at this article which dispels many of the myths about brassicas as they relate to thyroid health: “Goitrogenic Foods: Thyroid Busters or Thyroid Boosters?” >> Radishes also contain arabinogalactans, another type of prebiotic that favors butyrate productions and has been shown to favor selective probiotic bacteria including Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus and discourage the growth of opportunistic Clostridia and E. coli.

While just consuming daily prebiotics is probably the single most important factor in getting rid of my migraines, the SimplyWell Migraine Relief Protocol is designed to do much more than confer their benefits. The prebiotic aspect of the protocol is responsible for reducing inflammation, especially in the colon (and thereby decreasing the total body burden of histamine), supporting healthy gut flora, increasing nutrient absorption, and balancing blood sugar. But the carrot, raw potato juice, and radish aspects of the protocol are really important too! The potassium and magnesium in the carrots and potato juice provide needed electrolytes, which are essential for cellular metabolism - greatly compromised by diets high in calcium.

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Raw potato juice contains B vitamins including riboflavin, or B6, which has been shown to be very beneficial for those with migraines. The radishes help to continually clean the major organs in the body, including the intestines, liver, gallbladder, thyroid and kidneys. Both carrots and radishes contain prebiotic fibers called arabinogalactans, which increases butyrate production and has been shown to favor selective friendly probiotic bacteria including Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus and discourage the growth of opportunistic Clostridia and E. coli. Additionally, carrots help to reduce estrogen dominance which will help with histamine overload because estrogen creates histamine. Carrots are a mild natural antibiotic and serve to reduce histamine-producing bacteria. If you are like me, most likely as soon as you feel better, there will be the natural tendency to stop doing what is working. It is important, therefore, once we have stabilized to consciously continue the protocol to stay free from migraines. That said, after about four months without a migraine, it is totally possible to remain free of them while practicing an adapted and reduced version of this protocol. For example, now that I no longer get migraines, I eat four to five radishes every other day, juice every other day, and still take four tablespoons of Resistant Starch every single day. You will need to experiment to see what suits you, depending on how severe your migraines were in the first place. Keep in mind that the purpose of this protocol is not just to get rid of the most painful symptoms of histamine overload, but to address the core level underlying problems that led to it. To that end, staying persistent with the nourishing potatoes, carrots, radishes, salad and fruit after symptoms have subsided is certainly worthwhile as a continued lifestyle. Those who get migraines less often can adapt this protocol and experiment with it - they may not need such a rigorous approach as that outlined below to get good results. That said, the prebiotics are the hub of the protocol and should be taken daily even if other aspects of the protocol are adapted or changed. The process of changing diet can be initially difficult from the perspective of overcoming food addictions, but it is NOT complicated in terms of knowing what to eat. Most of us already know what we should do to eat better - eliminate processed foods and eat more fruits and vegetables, right? There’s actually nothing hard about it. It’s the part about having the self-control to not eat the culprit and trigger foods that is the hard part. For me, once I received the benefits of resistant starch and a regular infusion of healthy sugars from fruit and carrots, I no longer had the food cravings and blood sugar imbalances that usually caused me to cave in to unhealthy food due to low blood sugar. The healing aspect of this protocol has to do with the nutritional healing power of particular FRESH PLANTS. Not cooked foods. Not supplements. Not medications. In order to continually infuse my body with living, electrically-charged, nutritionally complete foods, I follow these practices, which I am calling the The SimplyWell Migraine Relief Protocol:

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1) Drink freshly-juiced carrot potato juice every single day - with added salt for optimal electrolyte balance. I use a Champion Juicer. I used to juice my radishes too but I like the flavor of radishes better on their own or in a salad. Bottled carrot juice does not impart the same value to the body. Carrots and potatoes are high in potassium and magnesium as well as other electrolytes that are essential for people with lymphatic congestion and histamine overload. I no longer supplement with magnesium and I no longer have any leg cramping either. It becomes very easy to do - you just get used to it. I use about 5-7 medium sized organic carrots and one medium sized potato. One medium sized potato will provide 1 Tablespoon of resistant starch. There will be a thick layer of potato starch at the bottom of the juicing bowl. I scrape that out and into the juice and stir my juice so that I get all of that important starch in my body. Ideally, I do my juicing first thing in the morning before a meal but sometimes due to schedule have to do it in the afternoon. In order to get an optimal electrolyte balance from the juice (2:1 potassium to sodium ratio), I supplement my juice with salt. You can put the salt in the juice, or on your hand, and consume it prior to chasing with the juice. 5 medium carrots and 1 medium potato yield approximately 2,000 mg potassium, so to get a 2:1 potassium to sodium ratio, you’d want to supplement with 1/2 teaspoon of salt (himalayan, sea salt, or table salt). Yes, that’s a lot. If you are feeling well, ¼ teaspoon may be enough. After you have stabilized, you can cut down to juicing 2-3 times a week while still maintaining the same level of prebiotic fiber outlined in step 2 below. Sometimes I also add a small amount of beet (large amounts of beet can be overwhelming to the liver and beets also contain oxalates), ginger, celery, parsley, or fresh aloe vera if I need some biters for further liver support. Another very beneficial root that I often add is fresh turmeric root. Fresh turmeric is one of the most potent anti-inflammatories that exists and it can now be thankfully found very easily in most health food stores and even some conventional food markets.) 2) Gradually build up to consuming 3-4 T of prebiotics per day by supplementing your juice with prebiotic powders. Gradually build up (from 1 Tablespoon) to 2 tablespoons of resistant starch per day (adjusting for whatever amount is in the juice you consume in any given day) and 1-2 tablespoons of arabinogalactan/pectin/and/or inulin prebiotics per day (such as Garden of Life brand or equivalent) over the course of two months.

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The protocol will eliminate migraines with resistant starch alone (ie, without the arabinogalactan supplement), but by diversifying the types of prebiotics available you will be also diversifying the populations of friendly bacteria in your colon, thereby eliminating other symptoms above and beyond migraines - such as bloating, brain fog, etc. Its preferable to consume prebiotics with other fiber so that bacteria in the entire colon get fed, especially those in the distal colon (where most colon cancer develops). Therefore, it’s best to drink your prebiotics in a fruit smoothie, that way you get the benefit of the lymphatic cleansing fruits which are also part of this protocol, in one step). Please beware taking this in a green smoothie as many leafy greens contain nitrates which will lower your blood pressure and contribute to migraines. If you don’t have the convenience of a blender, it is okay once in awhile to mix the prebiotics in a glass of regular juice or even water. After one month, you should be stabilized, but you should still maintain daily intake of 3-4 T of prebiotics, especially if you had chronic migraines. People who only had intermittent migraines may be able to get away with not taking the prebiotics every single day. 3) Avoid fermented, aged, histamine and tyramine rich foods, as well as fresh leafy greens high in nitrates, for at least the initial four weeks - and gradually reintroduce them once your migraine pattern has greatly diminished. While it is initially important to eliminate histamine-rich foods and fermented foods rich in tyramine and tyrosine, eventually, if you are like me, you will probably find that you can start to eat these foods again without getting migraines or brain fog. So, the tendency will be to push the envelope a bit and see how much you can get away with. It is wise to keep these trigger foods at a reasonable dose and not go overboard while your system is healing. If you are like me, you may find that your interest in beer, chocolate, and histamine rich foods has greatly diminished. For example, I no longer have much of an interest in chocolate anymore which feels very odd to me! I eat it occasionally and enjoy it but am free from the intense cravings I used to have. You should be able to tolerate some degree of all of these foods IN MODERATION within 3-5 months on the protocol, but should not eat these foods excessively in general. 4) Eat 4-8 fresh fruits a day. Fructose in fruit is utilized by the cells via diffusion and doesn’t tax the pancreas to the extent other high-glucose foods do (not true with high fructose corn syrup, which is mostly glucose anyway). I have always been yeast prone and have had zero problems with yeast since eating more fruit. Fruit is hydrating and energizing, full of electrolytes and amino acids used to build tissues in our bodies. Fruit is my go-to snack. Fruit also keeps the lymphatic system clean.

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Fructose breaks down into a variety of waste products, one of which is uric acid. Uric acid drives up your blood pressure by inhibiting the nitric oxide in your blood vessels. We want to increase our blood pressure to get more blood to the head. My mentor and teacher, Dr. Robert Morse, ND, is actually healing people with diabetes using fruit, believe it or not. Things are not always what they seem. Fruit tends to be demonized because it contains sugar. We can’t live without sugar, it is what our cells use for energy. Rather than trying to avoid sugar, I choose to stock up on sugar in its healthier form - in fresh fruit. (Dried fruit is not the same as fresh fruit and is very concentrated and fermented. The sugars in dried fruit also change from their fresh fruit state. Dried fruit does exacerbate candida and can contribute to histamine overload because dried fruit is full of tyramines.) I eat fresh green papaya or pineapple at least three times a week. These two fruits contain important digestive enzymes that break down fibrin. Fibrin creates tough connective tissue that forms into fibrous cysts, growths and cancers. After stabilized, it is still healthy to eat a lot of fresh fruit as part of a healthy diet. 5) Drink 1-2 healthy electrolyte drinks per day if you have low blood pressure (which you probably do). For many of you who do not have chronic migraines, just the carrot potato juice with salt should be a sufficient dose of electrolytes. But for those with more ongoing chronic migraines, and making a DIY electrolyte powder mix and having it on hand to supplement with throughout the day may be very beneficial. I am adding this extra step into the protocol even though it was not included in my original protocol and many have healed without adding electrolytes to their daily intake. However, it is very clear that most people with migraines have low blood pressure and that their electrolyte balance is thrown off. Adding more salt to your diet in the form of electrolyte drink should not be problematic unless you have high blood pressure, which you probably don’t if you have migraines. Drinking electrolyte drinks can raise blood pressure and improve electrolyte balance. Sodium helps to contract blood vessels, which raises blood pressure. Angela Stanton, creator of the Stanton Protocol, has made the observation that people with migraines are chronically dehydrated not because they don’t drink enough water, but because they lack the perfect ratio of potassium to sodium to transport oxygen into the cells, keeping them properly hydrated. Most electrolyte mixes you can find a store do not contain the proper 2:1 potassium to sodium ratio, which is why you will need to make your own. My recipe is below:

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>> For every 1 SaltSticks, use 1 teaspoon of potassium powder (I use NOW brand potassium gluconate). I just open up 30 capsules of SaltSticks, pour them into a jar and mix them with 30 teaspoons of potassium powder so I have a lot on hand. >> I then take 1-2 teaspoons (depending on how severe the headache is) of this mixture mixed in with juice or water. You can use another brand of electrolytes plus potassium, so long as the ratio of potassium to sodium is a 2:1 ratio. An excess of sodium to potassium will exacerbate our migraine. Therefore do not also over-salt food that is low in potassium, or eat high-potassium foods without some sodium added. 6) (Optional) Eat 2-3 small red radishes a day. Yes, radishes do contain nitrates (more than carrots and potatoes), but their impact seems to be mitigated by other beneficial properties that help us with migraine (including the fact that they contain prebiotic fiber as arabinogalactan). If you dislike the taste of radishes or want to avoid their nitrates, skip this step. I’ve personally tried eliminating them and feel better eating them, but not eating them will not reduce the efficacy

We are all individuals and it may be necessary for some to create an adapted version of the protocol to fit their needs. I will try to anticipate some of the challenges people have had so far on the protocol and address these points. >> If you are sensitive to nightshades (ie, potato), use green plantain or tigernut flour instead of potato starch or juiced potato to get your resistant starch. Keep in mind that by not juicing raw potato you will also not be getting the B vitamins and potassium and magnesium in the potato, so try to compensate for that elsewhere in your diet. >> If you are trying to reduce carbohydrates, you can just rely on the powdered resistant starch. Resistant starch is a fiber, not a carb or starch (despite its misleading name), even when it comes from a carbohydrate-rich plant. To replace the carrot juice portion of the protocol, one could supplement with a potassium supplement or research other foods high in potassium that are low carb. That said, I don’t recommend this approach, for two reasons. Vegetable are complex, not simple carbs. Carbohydrates is a huge category of food, and

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demonizing such a large group is problematic in my view. The resistant starch in this protocol helps with insulin sensitivity so blood sugar levels should become more balanced even in the presence of carbs like potato or carrot juice. Supplements like supplemental potassium are not as bioavailable as potassium from fresh juice is. >> If you dislike the taste of radish, try mixing thin slices of radish with apples and cucumber in a salad with mint and herbs. Do some research and find creative ways to mix them with other foods. Or, you can just use the radishes every few days rather than daily if they are too intense for you. The protocol will probably still be effective in eliminating migraines without the radishes but may not be as effective at getting your thyroid feeling better, your gut health as balanced (since radishes contain arabinogalactans), or eliminating milder bothersome symptoms of histamine overload such as brain fog or mild headaches. I have eliminated radishes various times and have learned through trial and error that I feel much better when I eat them. They also make you look beautiful, because they keep your major organs clean. >> If you generally avoid grapes and fruit because of your concern over fructose, consider that all of the cells of our body need sugar to produce ATP. The problematic sugars are simple sugars in refined food. Fructose in fruit is bound to fiber, making it much easier for our body to assimilate than say high fructose corn syrup, which is mostly glucose anyway. 4.9 million lives could be saved each year if people ate more fruit, according to an article in the Lancet. Our gut health affects how well we can handle sugar and when we address this through the use of prebiotics, we become less dysregulated by healthy sugars. Also note that fructose in fruit does not tax the pancreas or require insulin, as it is utilized via facilitated diffusion. Fruit does contain some glucose along with fructose. >> If you are sensitive to salicylates in fruit, then eat the low salicylate fruits such as banana, pear, and papaya while you are stabilizing in the first month. Then consider slowly adding fruits that were previously problematic back in and see if you still react to them. As with histamine and oxalates, it’s my view that the problem is not the presence of salicylates (or histamine or oxalates), but rather our inability to process them due to the way our body has been compromised or overburdened with them. Once our bodies start to heal on a core level, we find we are able to eat these foods again without any problems. Give yourself a month on the protocol and then try out these foods again. Also try to reduce your salicylate load overall be eliminating other sources of them in your body care products and makeup.

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Since creating this protocol and seeing many people get alleviation and success with it, other factors contributing to migraines have come to light: namely, the problem of nitrates. Recent research has shown that people with migraines have more nitrate-producing bacteria in their saliva, thereby converting nitrates in not only lunch meats, but also green veggies, into nitric oxide - which lowers blood pressure. Low blood pressure is directly implicated in migraine headaches. In a future edition of this book, I will outline why it is important to minimize fresh nitrate-rich vegetables in your diet (ie, green smoothies using spinach, arugula, cilantro, or kale, especially). In the meantime, please read this article from my blog: “Migraine Trigger Alert! High Levels of Nitrates in Green Leafy Veggies”. I’d like to mention, however, that I became migraine free without knowing about nitrates in vegetables. As long as most of your veggies are cooked and you aren’t pounding too hard on the green smoothies, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem - unless you are very sensitive. Either way, it’s good to know about the presence of nitrates in leafy greens. Foods which are acidifying contribute to inflammation. Therefore, many foods which are not directly histamine triggers indirectly contribute to histamine overload because they change the Ph of the tissues, which leads to overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria and viruses that produce histamine. Acidifying foods include all processed, refined, and denatured foods (such as foods made with refined flour and sugar), “food-like substances” that contain genetically-engineered organisms (corn, soy), food dyes, and preservatives; coffee, alcohol, and excessive consumption of animal products. Some crops, especially oats, wheat, barley and beans grown in damper regions are sprayed with glyphosate herbicide (aka, Roundup) to dry, ripen, and finish the crop before harvest. Roundup is inflammatory and is now a recognized carcinogen in the state of California. Herbicides and pesticide residues are acidifying and cause inflammation. Organic food is preferable even though it still contains herbicide and pesticide residues from drift from nearby crops. Carbohydrate-rich foods have gotten a bad rap, but healthy complex carbohydrates are important aspects of a balanced diet. I personally prefer starchy root vegetables as my healthy form of carbs. I eat a lot of sweet potatoes, squash, potatoes, and rice. Look into the Yazurihawa of Japan for a good example of one of the healthiest people on the earth who also happen to eat a diet high in carbohydrate rich foods.

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Some people may find it difficult to increase their vegetable intake significantly while relying on meat for protein. Sufficient protein can be obtained from vegetables and beans. Animal protein has to be broken down by the body into amino acids in order to be utilized to make tissue and muscle. Many plants contain these amino acids which are the raw building blocks to make tissue and muscle. Excessive animal consumption congests the lymph and acidifies the body. Those who want to experience benefits of primarily plant-based diet can simply reduce their animal consumption and benefit from the lower strain this puts on the organs. Dairy is especially congesting of the lymph, even more than meat. I also want to mention the importance of fermented foods. Due to my histamine overload, I could not eat fermented foods because I could not break them down, however my nervous system needed the B-vitamins and probiotics in fermented foods. B6 is needed to make diamine oxidase, the enzyme that breaks histamine down. So while I had to avoid fermented foods initially, now that my histamine levels are much lower due to the resistant starch, I can now eat many fermented foods without repercussions. It’s amazing to be able to drink a glass of wine or eat some chocolate without such severe effects. But the main foods that I eat that are fermented are sauerkraut and kombucha to get my daily fix of B vitamins. Fresh bell peppers are also full of B-vitamins. I regularly drink herbal teas that are delicious, anti-inflammatory, and detoxifying. A few of my favorites are peppermint tea, ashwagandha tea, dandelion root, burdock, and ginger or turmeric tea. Try taking a thumb of ginger, a thumb of fresh turmeric, a few crushed cardamom pods, and blend in the blender in 2 cups of water. Boil these roots over the stove for ten minutes, then strain. Add this tea concentrate into the blender again along with a tablespoon of honey, and a tablespoon of organic coconut oil. Because the tea is hot, it will blend the coconut oil beautifully until it is a creamy, milky consistency. This tea will stabilize your mast cells and help with inflammation. Burdock tea is also good blended with honey and coconut oil. Coconut oil is a great replacement for creamer, tastes amazing, and is much better for you.

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While emergency medicine has its place, conventional medicine is causing an epidemic of chronic inflammatory disease. It’s urgent that we recognize the true gravity of this fact. Our bodies were not designed to metabolize synthetic chemicals, whereas they did evolve to metabolize plant-based molecules in whole form. Pharmaceutical medications are not medicinal in the true sense of the term because they suppress rather than repair. As many of us know, those “side-effects” don’t happen on the side for those of us who experience them. They should be called “systemic effects.” As mentioned earlier, “medication overuse headache”, or MOH, is real and needs to be looked at. Essentially, “side-effects” are your body’s way of telling you that your medications are making you sick. Only the person who is taking the medication and who has to deal with these “side-effects” has a right to determine whether the benefits outweigh the risks. People are increasingly aware that the benefits may not outweigh the risks, but don’t know what the alternative is. Not surprisingly, some of the most powerful and healing alternatives to conventional pharmaceutical medicine can’t be patented and are extremely affordable - which is why many of them haven’t been studied clinically and certainly aren’t being marketed to us. Some of the best alternatives are already in our kitchen. However, they only work as a lifestyle, and not as treatments. To heal our bodies, we have to heal our life. This is good news! Characteristics of Pharmaceutical meds: >> require a prescription, are high-tech and patented (not easily accessible) >> are expensive (require costly health insurance or are subject to random price hikes) >> have negative so-called “side-effects” (in other words, are making you sick with dizziness, fatigue, rebound and medication-induced headaches, chest pain, drowsiness) >> are suppressive, so don’t solve the underlying problem but rather, drive it deeper into the body. >> are foreign substances to our bodies (evolutionarily novel for our organs to process) >> steal vital nutrients needed for essential body functioning >> compromise liver, kidney, and gut health (thereby affecting bile flow, gallbladder health,

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lymphatic health, and gut flora balance). >> some opiate-based medications activate mast cells and increase histamine release >> are habit-forming and prevent some other natural therapies from working >> we don’t really know how many of them actually work Compare this to Folk Medicine, which is generally: >> discovered by laypeople without expertise or specialized training >> easily accessable, affordable or free >> self-administered, ie, self-empowering >> free from unwanted side-effects >> safe, gentle, and effective >> easy to comprehend and therefore, relay to others >> easy for our bodies to process >> natural, nourishing and supportive >> low tech and open-source (free from trademarks and patents) In other words, a truly holistic medicine will have POSITIVE SYSTEMIC “SIDE-EFFECTS”

Healing is simple, but not always easy. It is a nonlinear, gradual process of self-empowerment requiring discernment, attention to your body, intuition, instinct, research, objective trial and error, and familial and community support. Most importantly, it requires eating well. Plants are our allies. Food truly is medicine. Healing comes from self-care and supporting the body’s own self-repair mechanisms. We all have the capacity to be well. Information is power, if we apply it. When we do, we find that the body does not know how to selectively heal. Lifelong health problems simply dissolve. Sometimes the solutions are right under our noses, and we don’t heal because we can’t believe the solution could be so simple. Sometimes we hear about solutions from others but can’t benefit from them because we are not at a place in our healing journey to be receptive to that information at that time. This is an inevitable part of the mysterious process that is healing.

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As part of healing from histamine overload, there was a stage where I was literally afraid of almost all foods. While this may be a natural step in the healing process, some people don’t get out of this stage and so they never heal. Healing can’t happen when we are cut off from nourishment. Healing happens through nourishment. I also feel it is important to advocate for the importance of doing your own research, thinking for yourself, and considering “anecdotal evidence” from lay people as potentially insightful in solving your own health challenges. For me, this approach is what got me well. We live in a cultural climate right now where we are told that if we are not specialists, we have no right to have an opinion or do research on areas outside our expertise. We are also told that any and all information that is not confirmed by clinical study (I.e., anecdotal evidence) is invalid. I feel pretty sure that if I had succumbed to this strange messaging, I would not be well today. No-one cares more about your own health and wellbeing more than you do (except, maybe, your mother). And no-one has the same amount of power to change, or insight into what is going on with your body, than you do. Healing is a process of peeling back layers, and you may find as I have that once your migraines have disappeared that you be more resourced and able to do the deeper layers of healing work. My healing work now is focused mostly on emotional health: forgiving the medical system for the way my birth turned out, forgiving myself for ending up with a c-section, and staying grateful for what I went through and all that I learned of value from it. This was the little nudge that I needed and that we all need in order to make healing simple: know that it is possible, and give ourselves permission to heal. Without these two components, this whole process may be much harder than it needs to be. Are you ready? Dare to think for yourself. Dare to do your own research. Dare to ask for help and get the support that you need. Dare to take care of yourself. Dare to take the time to truly heal. Dare to be simply well. Thank you for taking the time to share with me whether or to what extent this protocol has been beneficial for you. [email protected] http://www.simplywell.info

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To see a complete list of blog posts here. A comprehensive resource list is here.

I love what I do – because I know with absolute certainty that the everyday state of physical compromise that so many have taken to be their “normal”, can be changed and transformed into a true state of vitality. I want to see that look of optimism, vitality, and refreshment on your face, too! I offer health coaching in person, over the phone or via Skype to people globally. Health consultations for migraine headache relief come with a complimentary copy of my e-book, the SimplyWell Migraine Relief Protocol. I also am available for in-person coaching, biodynamic craniosacral and massage therapy sessions in my office in Portland, Oregon, at $65 an hour. My hours are generally 9am – 5pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you live in a different country or time zone and these times don’t work for you, please email me at marya at simplywell.info.

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Website: www.simplywell.info Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/SimplywellProtocol Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCZnQbV8rOPJGoMhwWgZHMLQ Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/simply_well/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/simplywell_protocol/

I am not a physician. This booklet is not intended as medical advice. It describes my firsthand experience and is meant to be inspirational and educational. Nowhere in this book do I intend to dispense medical advice, diagnose or treat. Please evaluate this information with a curious and critical mind, do your own research, and to the extent you try anything out in this book, pay attention to your body and its own particular reactions and needs. Only you are responsible for your wellbeing. While I, the publisher, have used my best efforts in preparing this guide, I make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives, promoters, or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. I shall not be liable for any loss of health or any other damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consquential, or other damages.

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Copyright © 2016 by Marya Gendron. All rights reserved. You are welcome to print a copy of this document for your personal use. Other than that, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the author. Requests to the author and publisher for permission should be addressed to the following email: [email protected].

I dedicate this booklet to my husband, Nicholas Clare,and my son, Orion Sage, for being such a solid, compassionate rocks for me through it all. Deep gratitude to you my loves!

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