A WOMAN who suffers with chronic headaches is raising money for an alternative therapy.

Pippa Brown said her world “completely changed” after a bout of shingles left her with “weird” symptoms.

The 30-year-old, who has had chronic headaches for the past five years, said: “I moved to London for work in 2015 and I had tonsillitis all the time and awful chronic fatigue. It feels like there is lead in your body.

“My doctor gave me steroids and I started to get really bad head pains. After a course of antibiotics I woke up in the night with the worst headache I’ve ever experienced.”

Pippa, who lives in Medina Villas, Hove, was rushed to hospital and the left side of her body was temporarily paralysed.

She said: “I wish I was exaggerating my symptoms. I was later diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic headaches.

“The severity has changed but headaches are still my biggest symptom. It’s a really big challenge.”

Prior to becoming unwell, Pippa had been through a period of stress after a relationship break-up.

She said: “I was in a continual state of ‘flight or fight’ mode and your immune system just goes down. I had to give up my full-time job in London and was out of work for a few years, so I went through all my savings.”

In 2016 she started to look for alternatives to Western medicine as she felt the pharmaceutical drugs had “definitely exacerbated” her symptoms.

She said: “ME is so misunderstood – I’ve met doctors who said it’s all in my head. It can be scary to ask for help, as you just want to be believed.”

Pippa started having meditation classes to relieve the stress of having ME and it changed her life.

She said: “I started to have real feelings of letting my body rest and small fragments of pain relief. It was extraordinary.”

Now Pippa is trying to raise £3,500 to fund a week-long course of Ayurvedic therapy called Panchakarma, which includes a consultation with an experienced practitioner and personalised treatments.

She said: “It’s about bringing the body back into balance and is very tailored to each individual. I really hope to experience a big shift in my health.

“I believe a holistic health approach can really help people, especially with chronic conditions. I also want to raise awareness about ME, as it’s a condition which is not given any credit.”

To make a donation, go to gofundme.com and search for ‘Pippa’s Healing Fund for M.E/CFS’.