What Helps (Six Months Post VM)
-Walking, 30 minutes in morning, 30 minutes in evening
-Stretching (ideally 30 minutes)
-Warm showers!
-Drinking adequate liquids (in the beginning, hot tea helped.)
-Getting adequate rest (I have to start winding down two hours before bed.)
-Taking naps (for a long time they were two hours a day)
-Chiropractic (helped with my insomnia and neck pain but be forewarned that the first few times you might feel worse for a couple of days)
-Cranio-sacral work (helps in general)
-Not going out for more than two or three hours at a time
-Taking supplements (especially magnesium)
-Using earplugs and sunglasses to help with the sound and light sensitivity (but try not to use them all the time so that your body will eventually be able to handle the sound and light)
-Writing everything down to keep track of what bothers me
-Eating as healthy as possible (organic as much as I can, lots of fruits and vegetables, little red meat, no bread—just whole grains, easy on the dairy)
-Avoiding salt, sugar, coffee, alcohol, gluten, white flour
-Using natural or organic cosmetics
-Seeing my non-VM related doctors as recommended (I had other things going on that I’m sure weren’t helping my general health)
What Makes me Worse
-Using or being around (yep) electronic devices
-Loud noise, amplified sound, bright lights, fluorescent lights
-High tech environments like the mall or an airport
-Stress or being tired
-Lying down makes my tinnitus worse
-Being out after dark (the headlights bother me and I get insomnia)
-High salt intake
-Hennaing my hair or putting white flower oil on my neck (both things give me a migraine—go figure)