Headaches, migarines and chiropractic

Headaches, migraines and chiropractic

Chiropractic is effective in providing safe, natural relief of headaches - not just back pain!

Headaches and migraines are symptoms, signs that your body is not working well. Covering these symptoms with pain relieving medications may not remove the cause of your headache or migraine, but will add to your body's level of toxins.

Chiropractic is a natural approach to health which focuses on the relationship between the spine and the nervous system. Chiropractic can be effective in headache management because it corrects impairments of the nervous system which often cause headaches.

Tension; If the nerves that cover your head and scalp, which exit between the upper segments of your spine, become irritated then headaches may result. The response from the rest of your body may be to tense up, not just in your neck or head but over the rest of your body as well. This may result in pain at the back of your head which can then refer to the front of your head. Similarly, a restriction or nerve interference in another part of your body eg lower back, may cause your muscles to compensate and tense throughout your body including your neck thus resulting in a headache. In this way a dysfunction in many regions of your spine or body may cause head pain.

Toxic overload is another common cause of headaches and migraine. People who suffer from migraines typically have long lists of foods which they are sensitive to and avoid. Common irritants include tea, coffee, chocolate, citrus fruits, diary products and certain alcoholic drinks.

Although you may find that a certain toxin triggers your migraine it may also be the list of things you ingested before the ultimate item that attributed to the migraine. It is worth remembering that although a toxin may trigger your migraine or headache, it is your nervous system that controls your tolerance to them. Nervous system interference may affect the nerve supply to your liver and kidneys, these organs clear the toxins from your body, if the is not functioning at its full potential your tolerance to sensitive foods may be further compromised.

Emotional stress may cause all sorts of different muscles in your body to tighten, neck, scalp and/or back. Your toxic load may also be increased by the toxins stress produces.

Other causes of head pain such as tumours and infection are much more rare causes than those listed above. Your registered chiropractor is trained not only to detect the interference to your nervous system but also to identify any potential underlying problems. Should one of these problems exist your chiropractor is obliged to refer you to the appropriate practitioner for this condition.

In a recent study, "specific adjustments to the spine significantly reduced migraines in 71% of the people surveyed. The frequency, duration, severity and amount of medication all decreased markedly"*

Headache is also common in children.

*Tuchin, P.et al.(2000). A randomized controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 23(2), 91-95