The primary objective of chiropractic care is find and reduce the underlying cause of your headache.
Headaches are common, but they’re not normal.
Drug Culture
Pain relievers of various types are the most common approach to headaches. In our practice we take a more natural approach. Our objective is to find and reduce the underlying cause of a headache.
Hidden Cause
A common cause of headaches is from spinal bones in the neck that aren’t supporting the head properly. You might not notice your reduced ability to turn your head. But these subluxations affect nerves, muscles and even the blood supply to your head.
Our thorough examination detects subluxation patterns that could be causing your headaches. If subluxations are present, you’re likely to benefit from chiropractic care.
Overview of Headaches
Without prescribing aggressive medication, most headaches can be managed through manual care, dietary changes, and brain based therapy. It really depends on the exact symptoms as headaches can be very different in "cause" but present the same initially. Most sufferers have chronic migraines while others have tension type headaches that develop from multiple causes involving food sensitivities, hormonal changes, inflammation, poor sleep habits, stress, medication side-effects, vascular compromise, neurodegeneration, and various psychopathological reasons.
Symptoms of a Headache
- Pain
- Neck stiffness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Double vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Dizziness
- Chills
- Increased urination
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness
- Problems concentrating, trouble finding words
- Sweating
Causes/Risk Factors of a Headache
Migraine attacks may be triggered by:
- Alcohol
- Allergic reactions
- Bright lights
- Certain odors or perfumes
- Changes in hormone levels
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Exercise
- Loud noises
- Missed meals
- Physical or emotional stress
- Smoking or exposure to smoke
Food-related triggers may include:
- Any processed, fermented, pickled, or marinated foods
- Baked goods
- Chocolate
- Dairy products
- Foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Foods containing tyramine, which includes red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and certain beans
- Fruits (avocado, banana, citrus fruit)
- Meats containing nitrates (bacon, hot dogs, salami, cured meats)
- Nuts
- Onions
- Peanut butter
Testing of Headaches:
As mentioned above, headaches may develop from multiple causes involving food sensitivities, hormonal changes, inflammation, poor sleep habits, medication side-effects, vascular compromise, neurodegeneration, and various psychopathological reasons. Thus, a thorough history and physical examination will be carried out to effectively manage your headache.
An EEG may be needed to rule out seizures while other methods of imaging may be warranted for suspicion of major pathology.
Support/Management of Headaches
Again, it depends on the exact nature of the cause(s). Once we identify this we can then proceed onward to a specific protocol that will alleviate your pain and suffering.
