People go vegan for a variety of reasons: helping the environment, saving animals and adopting healthier lifestyles. Senior Dana Schaumburg had a more personal reason—going vegan was the only way to cure her chronic migraines.

“I [went vegan] because I had chronic migraines and I had tried [a bunch of other medications but none of them worked],” Schaumburg said.
The various migraine medications Schaumburg was on didn’t help her headaches. Due to her chronic migraines, Schaumburg missed about a month of school, and as a result she dropped out of some classes she was falling behind in.

Schaumburg’s neurologist had a list of remedies she could try to stop her migraines which included medications, sleep habit changes and diet changes.

“I researched a lot, and a lot of studies have shown that many people don’t have the proteins to process dairy and meat,” Schaumburg said.
Although many people told her that making the change would be hard, Schaumburg experienced a smooth transition into veganism.

“All the research I did said to do it slowly—take out meat then take out dairy, but I did it cold turkey,” Schaumburg said.
Schaumburg became vegan seven months ago and no longer remembers what real dairy tastes like. Because there is a vegan version of most foods these days, Schaumburg said she doesn’t miss any foods she used to eat, such as chocolate, pizza and ice cream.
“I usually eat lots of vegetables,” Schaumburg said.

For breakfast, Schaumburg eats a bagel with peanut butter and bananas, for lunch it’s vegetables with hummus and her dinner options include either vegetable stir fry or Chipotle.

“I [don’t regret going vegan] because it’s helped me with so many health issues and I actually care about why I’m doing it,” Schaumburg said.
In the beginning it was hard going out to eat with friends who aren’t vegan, but she likes to go over why she’s doing it: for the environment, animals and for her body.

Schaumburg started noticing differences in her health as early as a week after going vegan.
“In the week after going vegan I didn’t have a migraine at all,” Schaumburg said.
Schaumburg also noted some differences in her appearance, such as weight loss and clear skin. After going vegan, her migraines stopped and she is no longer taking prescribed medications.

“I became overall a happier person,” Schaumburg said.