[Donnah (OP)]

Last night I had a headache that felt like my head and eyeballs were on fire.  I've had several lately and didn't want to keep taking ibuprofen, so I wondered if an anti-inflammatory agent would help quench the fire.  I took shark cartilage at bed time and it helped some.  In the morning I took more and the headache went away.  Now I wonder if the cartilage worked or if it was coincidence.  Anyone else tried this, or willing to try?  

BTW you should NOT take shark cartilage if you are pregnant, nor should it be given to children.

[bezoar]

Donnah, the last thing I heard of shark cartilage being used for was cancer, and it didn't work.  I'll ask around and see what I can find out from my holistic friends.

[Ylide]

Have you tried baby seal bones?



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[neilep]

Oh my !!...how did it come by that baby seal bones can cure a headache ? I'm sure it's not very good for the seal !!....but Donnah, I hope you're feeling better now.

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[tweener]

cannabinoid! you're being mean to Donnah!  

( It made me laugh though! )

Sorry about your headaches Donnah.  I don't have a good remedy other than ibuprofen at about double strength.


----
John

[Ylide]

I'm not anti-animal-product or anything, I just happen to really like sharks and they're often fished for a few small parts (usually the fins) then the carcasses tossed back to sea.  I didn't even know the cartilage was useful in medical treatment...I can see using it for cancer treatment but using bits of such an extraordinary animal to treat mere headaches seems kind of...wasteful.

I'm not trying to be mean to Donnah, I was just being a smart-ass, as usual.  I bet you can guess from my handle on the forums what *I* do to get rid of a headache.





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[bezoar]

Donnah,
ONe of my health food buddies tells me that shark cartilage is an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever, so I guess that's why it worked for your headache.  I also heard that migraine headaches are common with people who suffer with fibromyalgia.  Are you watching your blood sugar?  Hypoglycemia can trigger migraines.  Lay off the refined sugar, alcohol, and caffeine and see if that helps.  Don't know if you have them, but allergies can also trigger migraines.

[MissMontana]

Donnah,

Do you know what shark cartilage contains? I try and avoid animal products but would be curious to find an alternative

[OldMan]

I sometimes find a few pressure points work, only sometimes though.

Try pressing on the palm and back of your hands between the middle and ring finger and you should feel a dull ache. I think there is another one on the top of the foot somewhere for headaches but can't remember where.

[Donnah (OP)]

Jay, I didn't know that so much of the shark was sometimes wasted.  I strongly disapprove of waste, especially when a critter's life is involved in the product.  How can I know that the shark cartilage I buy is from fishermen who use the whole carcass?  I'll still use shark cartilage, just like I eat meat, but make every effort to ensure that it is sensibly and humanely harvested.

Yes Nancy, I still watch my blood sugar, keep refined sugar and caffeine to a minimum, don't drink, and had both blood and scratch allergy tests.  The headaches I get now are mild compared to the screaming migraines I used to get.  I think these are due to menopause, though I've noticed a few triggers, like my temper (ooohhhhhmmmmmm).

MissMontana, the label says it's only shark cartilage inside the capsule.  Another natural anti-inflammatory is turmeric (a common spice).  Maybe I'll try that next time.

Tim, I use pressure points too, but did not know about the one you mentioned.  Thanks.

[Ylide]

Donnah:  Shark meat isn't eaten very often.  I can think of one time in my life I've ever heard of shark being eaten by someone I knew.  It's not a staple in any diet that I know of.  Most shark catches are actually incidental, with them being caught in tuna nets and such.  The fins and a few other parts are harvested with the rest being tossed back into the water for the other sharks to eat.  Maybe there are fishermen who are into holistic shark fishing, but I've never heard of it.  It's more profitable to fish for something like tuna and rape the occasional shark of its useful parts.



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[tweener]

Another effecitve anti-inflammatory is the whole diet.  There are a couple of books that discuss this in detail. I checked one out of the library a few months ago, and thought it made sense, but I never really pursued it.  You might do some searcing.  I don't remember the author's name, but I think the title was something like "The Inflammation Syndrome" or something like that.

Allergies are a real possibility, and they can be very specific to certain combinations of foods or substances.  Sometimes two or more things react together and give you problem while neither of them alone does any harm.

----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.

[roberth]

Actually, shark meat from a number of shark varieties is commonly eaten. In most places it has another generic name (I can't think of them all, but hake comes to mind). Shark has a firm pink or white flesh with no bones. Check out how to prepare it here: http://www.mycustompak.com/healthNotes/Food_Guide/Shark.htm
It's commonly available in fish and chip shops in Australia because it's lack of bones make it very children friendly.

[nilmot]

That'sinteresting to hear.
In our culture our eat shark's fin, a bit like the cartilage.

Tom

[Ylide]

thanks for the tip, roberth....it's certainly not a common food here in the US.  You can't even get it at most specialty fish markets.



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[Donnah (OP)]

I ate a shark steak in Italy and it was delicious.  Of course someone else cooked it.  

Tom, I tried shark fin soup out of a can.  Now it is entirely possible that I did something wrong in the prep, but yuck ptoey!!!

[bezoar]

When the public schools here served fish for lunch, it was usually shark meat.  Maybe the lack of bones was why.  I just figured it was cheaper.

[starburst]

you could try Tiger Balm ointment. i'm not sure if its available in your country...maybe u could try checking the chinese medical halls for it. it works for me. or else u could try brewing chrysanthenum flowers and add in some sugar into the water. boil until the water turns a murky yellow (or maybe a yellowish colour). the boiled flowers can be used again. my grandma boils it for me whenever i have a headache. dried chrysanthenum flowers can probably be found in chinese medical halls

[valley]

You might be better off trying another NSAID (eg: Aspirin/paracetamol) rather than Ibuprofen if (as I guess!) you are female. There were some recent studies that found that Ibuprofen is ineffective for a large number of women (clinical trials don't have to do sex-based studies so they only just found this out!).

I get bad headaches myself and the only thing I've ever found to have any effect is Codeine. Don't know if you can get this in Canada though - I know you can't in the US.

[Donnah (OP)]

Codeine (pure, not with Tylenol) works but I dislike using medication since natural remedies are generally more compatible with the body.  Most of my health problems actually started with some sort of dental or medical treatment.

Will try the chrysanthemum water.  Thanks Starbust.