Migraine headaches account for billions of dollars of lost time at work and countless hours of misery for those unlucky enough to get them. Unfortunately there has been little new to offer headache sufferers in the way of relief. I want migraine and regular headaches sufferers to consider that which is old to be new again. It could mean lasting results and relief they have not been offered before. What I have in mind is old fashioned chiropractic care to free up subluxations in the neck. When bones malign they can place undue pressure on the nerves that feed the head. This alone can cause tremendous amount of nerve pain. Removing the offending bone will relieve the pressure and pain effectively reducing the headaches.
Something else to consider if you have migraines or bad headache. If your problem comes from a subluxated bone there will be pressure on the brain stem. You may not be up on anatomy but there is brain tissue into the second vertebra in the neck. Any subluxation in the occiput, C1 and C2 bones will affect the lower part of the brain. What would happen if you hit you thumb with a hammer? It would hurt. What happens when you crimp delicate brain tissue? It will hurt even more. While I suggested you consider something old did you ever think it would be chiropractic care?
Chiropractic care has its’ share of detractors. This is in part to the fact that people do not know what it can do for people who have subluxations. If the bone is out of place and putting pressure on brain tissue can a pill effectively remove the pressure? No , of course it cannot remove nerve pressure. It can block out pain impulses but it can not remove that which is causing the problem. Why on Earth do highly trained medical doctors miss this connection? Perhaps they are too busy. Whatever their reason are they are not informed about something simple and effective in relieving migraine and headache pain. Maybe you should educate your doctor about the benefits of chiropractic care in relieving migraine pain. All too often the medical profession has a locked in belief that what chiropractors do is of little merit. What are they basing their beliefs on? It is time to change beliefs in the interest of helping patients get better.
One of the greatest benefits of chiropractic care in the treatment of migraines is that there is no damage to the liver, kidney or intestinal track. Migraine sufferers have their headaches for years, in most cases they are chronic in nature. The chances are they have self medicated with pain relievers like Advil, Aleve and Tylenol. All of these medications have side effects. When someone is in pain they will go over the recommended daily dose regardless of the damage it may do. The adage more is better is utilized even though there are warnings on the bottle against doing so. Long term abuse of over the counter medications lead to serious complications like liver or kidney disease and they can erode the stomach as well. Prolonged usage of Nsaids are serious and can jeopardize your health. These are serious consequences especially in light of the fact they could be helped with a simple chiropractic adjustment.
I want to take this time to explain the adjustment process. Many people fear the process out of the unknown. They have heard things about it so they are wary if not afraid of the process. The chiropractor will examine and x-ray the patient. They should take a history to determine any complicating factors. After this is done a treatment plan is given to the patient to remove the nerve interference. When the subluxations remove the nerve interference the brain is able to communicate with the body more efficiently and there is a decrease in pain as well. The chiropractor will use his hand or an instrument to move the bone causing the pain. Often relief can be felt immediately . My strict advise is that the patient needs to be 50% better in four weeks of care. They may not be healed but they need to see enough progress to warrant further treatment.
If the migraine sufferer does not feel enough improvement further tests such as an MRI or Ct Scan could be in order. Personally I like to get a brain MRI early on to rule out brain tumors or other serious conditions that can cause migraine symptoms. It is always better to be on the cautious side. Years ago before there were MRI’s I had a cousin who had a brain tumor that went undetected. The x ray did not show anything and technology was far behind.It was a lasting though that patients with chronic headaches need MRI’s to make better diagnoses. I will never let a patient go more then 4 weeks without advanced studies if they are not progressing enough.
So what does this mean to you if you have migraines? Go find a chiropractor. Ask him or her questions. If you have never had a cervical x-ray then get one. If the curve is gone when you look at the side view there is a good chance you may get the relief you need. The exam will give your chiropractor more information to help you. Since chiropractic has been around 1895 there may be some redeeming quality . If it did not have substance to it would it be around this long? I ask that you make an informed decision by actually investigating it deeply. Taking medication may help mitigate the migraines but if they keep returning you obviously have a problem. Solve that problem and get the relief my patients with migraines enjoy.
