Headaches and migraines are among the most common complaints we come across at Peak Chiropractic Centre. If you have a headache or migraine, you are not alone. Some studies show that 9 out of 10 people get headaches.
Most headaches are occasional, some mild but annoying while others can be chronic, recurring and debilitating. They commonly result in pain in parts of the head or face like behind the eyes that lasts from a few minutes to a few days.
Migraines can involve severe throbbing, nausea, irritability, sensitivity to bright lights, numbness or pins & needles in the face, arms and/or legs and can last for a day or up to a week or sometimes longer resulting in extended periods of absence from work or school.
Each year in the US, Migraines account for a total of 112 million (112 000 000 000) bed ridden days. Migraine costs US employers about $13 billion ($13 000 000 000 000) a year due to missed workdays and impaired work function.
Headaches may be common, but they are not normal.
Headaches and migraines can have many ‘triggers’. Many are caused by subluxations – misalignments of the body that create interference to your nervous system. Subluxations distort the signals between your brain and your body, which in turn can affect your blood supply, organs, muscles, nutrient absorption, immune system and hormones.
Lifestyle choices can contribute to subluxations, which may lead to a headache or migraine – dehydration, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking or drug abuse, improper nutrition, excessive noise, work or family stress, fatigue, physical stress (overdoing it at the gym or lifting something incorrectly), poor sitting, sleeping and standing habits.
Headaches and migraines occur for a reason. It’s your body’s way of letting you know that something isn’t right; whether that’s a food you have eaten, hormonal imbalance or postural distortions.
We have become accustomed to ignoring the signs our body is sending us and too often end up self-medicating. Powerful drugs can numb your nervous system so the pain doesn’t register and while this approach may be convenient, it can cause adverse effects and kidney or liver damage. While we are numbed, we don’t realise what damage may be occurring below the surface. Taking medications may give relief for a little while, but that relief is only temporary at best.
How can Chiropractic help headaches and migraines?
Headaches are rarely a sign of immediately serious or life-threatening health problems; however, they can significantly impact your work and family life, your mood and movement and your ability to live life on your own terms.
The source of headaches may not always be the neck; they can come from other parts of the body too. Poor posture and structural misalignments of hips, pelvis and even feet are often contributing factors. Chiropractic adjustments to the whole body can remove the interference to your nervous system, allowing your nerves to function optimally and as a result, your body functions better too.
Each headache case is individual and seeking professional advice from your vitalistic Chiropractor for an evaluation early on to identify the likely causes for you is essential.
While some of our practice members enjoy immediate results, others notice a decline in symptoms over time. If you have had chronic headaches or migraines for many years, it can take time to notice improvement. Just like it takes more than one gym session or one salad to get in shape, it takes time to heal.
Regular Chiropractic care does not claim to treat or cure headaches, it helps to get to the root of the underlying problem by removing subluxations for a reliable, long-term solution to your headaches. So, if you know of anyone who suffers from headaches or migraines, help them to get off the meds and get in to see a Chiropractor. They will thank you for it.
References:
Arch Intern Med. 1999;159:813-818
