HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES

Chiropractic and Headaches Article that Appeared in the Pulse Magazine

It is estimated that one in five people in the US use pain-relieving drugs daily for headaches. Headaches can have many different causes. If you are having severe recurrent headaches it’s important that you see your doctor to get an accurate diagnosis, ruling out a serious condition such as a brain tumour, a weakened blood vessel, an infection, or high blood pressure. I see different headaches in practice:

Tension Headache

Pain is experienced at the back of the head the forehead and above the eyes. People often have stiffness and fatigue in the neck and upper spine usually caused by muscles in the neck and shoulders. Often there is stress involved this can be fear of being made redundant, fear of exams or other unresolved issues.

Migraine Headache

A very common headache (18% in female and 6% in the male population), requires rest in a dark and silent room. Many describe an aura, light flashes, visual spots, zig zag lines. Women who get migraines often experience these prior to or during menstruation. Some foods trigger migraines: bananas, cheeses, certain nuts, pork, shell fish and red wine.

Top Tips for avoiding Migraine Headaches:

Avoid triggers such as aspartame in diet drinks, caffeine, and Monosodium Glutamate (often found in take away food).

Learn to better manage stress with yoga, tai chi or music.

Feverfew can help a lot in migraine prevention.

Let go of anger, resentment, distrust and bitterness and live your faith.

Schedule an appointment with a chiropractor for a thorough comprehensive structural evaluation. Countless people with migraine have experienced complete resolution with careful competent chiropractic care.

Temperomandibular Joint (TMJ) Headaches

Do you grind your teeth at night and have grating or snapping jaws? These headaches can result from a neck problem. Often TMJ headaches result following whiplash trauma.

Sinus Headaches

The sinuses can also be a source of severe headache pain. It is important to establish the cause of the sinuspain so appropriate treatment can be given.

Cervicogenic Headache

Cervicogenic headaches are due to mechanical disturbances of the neck joints and they respond well to hands- on care such as chiropractic care. Specific stretches, stress management, dietary changes work well.

Rebound Headache

This has been discussed in the media lately as taking too many pain relieving drugs can cause rebound headaches just as suddenly stopping coffee or caffeinated drinks can cause a rebound headache.

Other Factors:

There are numerous other causes of headaches such as eyesight problems, dehydration, constipation and allergies.

Ice or Heat to Help with Headache Pain?

Most headache pain originates from blood vessels that are either too dilated or too constricted. For headaches due to dilation causing a throbbing feeling with every heartbeat using an ice pack can be beneficial. Constant headaches that do not have this throbbing pain are due to the constriction of blood vessels, so it is best to use moist heat on the back of the head and neck to alleviate these headaches.
If you want to have your headache evaluated thoroughly and properly and experience relief then please ring Dr Jonathan Grendelmeier (chiropractor/acupuncturist and trained in cranial manipulation) for an appointment.