Desperate Housewives‘ Marcia Cross is quick to smile and looks like a typical Hollywood glamour gal, but did you know that she’s battled migraine headaches for years?
She keeps smiling though and for a good reason. The 44-year-old from Marlborough, MA, has a lot to be happy about.
While her Desperate Housewives character, Bree Van De Kamp, may have just gone through a tumultuous year, Marcia’s life is on an upswing.
Most important of all: With her stockbroker husband, Tom Mahoney, whom she married in June 2006, she’s expecting twins this spring.
Did you also know that she earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology during a lull in acting jobs? Well, she did.
Life is no fairy tale, however. Marcia struggles to manage her stress and ward off the excruciating migraine headaches that have plagued her since her teen years. “I had my first migraine when I was 14 years old,” recalls the actress.
“I remember that I got blurred vision and was in agony. It was crippling, to say the least. I went to the school nurse, and was sent home to bed. At the time, my parents and I didn’t know what was causing my intense pain.”
In the ensuing years, Marcia’s headaches became more frequent and more intense. “Finally, in college, I went to my doctor, who diagnosed me with classic migraine symptoms,” she recalls.
After the diagnosis, Marcia began to keep a food diary, in an effort to pinpoint dietary triggers for the painful headaches. “I’ve become very knowledgeable about them,” she says. “I now know what might trigger my migraines and also how to best avoid them.”
Though she no longer keeps a food diary, she is vigilant about maintaining a migraine-preventive diet – even when she is forced to avoid her favorite desserts. “Chocolate is a big trigger food, and I don’t know if there is any substitute for chocolate,” she says.
“I can have jelly beans or carrot cake instead.” She also stays away from cheddar cheese, oranges and “red wine, which, of course, I’m not drinking now anyway.” And she says she has always been a healthy eater, choosing “a good balance of protein, vegetables and fruits.”
With long days on the set, Marcia is also keenly aware of the need to conserve energy. Insufficient sleep might bring on a migraine headache, so she strives for nine hours of sleep a day. “That’s for me to function at full steam at this stage,” she says.
“Before, I would be okay with seven or eight hours of sleep. But being sleep-deprived in any situation can interfere with general good health.”
Hence, says Marcia Cross, the on-set catnaps. “Taking one really helps – a 20- to 30-minute nap on my lunch hour really is great. I feel so much better when I get up,” she explains.
When sleep is not an option, Marcia might indulge in a bit of meditation. “That’s another way to calm your internal system down,” she says.
To help stave off migraines, Marcia usually turns to soothing scents from candles, aromatherapy essences and bath oils. “I use a lavender scent for calming purposes, so I have candles strategically placed throughout my home,” she says.
At the moment, however, she is avoiding fragrance: “My nose has become a detective, and I actually prefer no scents at all. Right now, smell is definitely not one of my favorite senses.”
Carrying twins is an arduous task, and Marcia Cross is doing her best to stay in shape -working with costar Eva Longoria’s trainer – without overdoing it. “I’m doing some light hiking in the neighborhood with friends, and have taken up Pilates,” she explains.
“But I am still going to the gym too, just a little less. I wasn’t doing Pilates before I was pregnant. I added that because it’s a good exercise to do now. You definitely have to concentrate when you’re doing it, so it’s a great focus.”
Yoga rounds out her exercise routine. “I just started taking yoga classes near my house,” she says. “I think it makes sense to stay physically active and keep your body strong. I can’t imagine just laying around anyway!” [source: Rite Health Journal]