Erasing Migraines: An M.D. Turns to Chiropractic

Erasing Migraines: An M.D. Turns to Chiropractic

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Stress, sleep deprivation and fatigue have been no small component ofDr. Michael Benson’s life. As a fetal surgeon, Benson is often upfor 24- to 36-hour stretches at a time looking after patients. He has littletime to rest or eat regular, healthy meals. It’s no wonder he hassuffered from migraines for years.

Benson is not alone. It’s estimated that 28 millionAmericans suffer from migraines. As anyone who experiences these intenseheadaches can tell you, they can be extremely debilitating. Acute pain,possible visual disturbances and nausea, as well as sensitivity to light,sounds and odors can render a person incapable of going about everydayresponsibilities, much less performing complicated tasks like surgery.

In order to cope, Benson has used Ibuprofen and heat to manage the pain,but sometimes it doesn’t work. “I used to keep a preloadedsyringe of Toradol [a strong, anti-inflammatory pain reliever] in my medicinechest,” he admits, “because once my headaches get really bad,I get nauseated and can’t take anything by mouth. It saved havingto go to the ER.”

Having trained as an M.D., Benson confessed that chiropractic treatmentwasn’t in his knowledgebase or on his immediate list of pain-relievingmeasures. In fact, if he hadn’t been visiting his brother, a doctorof chiropractic, when a bad migraine hit, he may never have received chiropracticcare. “The Ibuprofen didn’t work, so my brother offered toexamine me and adjust my neck,” he says. “When you’rein pain, you’re willing to try anything.” Within 10 to 15 minutesof the adjustment, his migraine had disappeared.

It’s likely that Benson’s body reacts to stress by tensingmuscles around the cervical joints in the neck, causing nerves in his neckto become impinged and triggering his migraines. Chiropractic adjustmentalleviates this pain by relaxing muscles and promoting a full range ofmotion in the neck, allowing the headache to subside. And Benson’spositive experience isn’t uncommon. Recent studies at Duke Universityfound that spinal manipulation was almost always immediately effectivein relieving headaches originating in the neck and provided longer-lastingrelief than commonly prescribed pain medications.

Benson’s migraines probably won’t go away completely withoutsubstantial lifestyle changes— changes that could be tough to implementwith his profession. Once migraines are an established pattern, they arevery difficult to get rid of, explains his brother. But he can workto minimize them with chiropractic care— a solution that doesn’tcarry the potential side-effects of over-the-counter and prescription painmedication. Whenever a potentially incapacitating migraine hits and Bensongets an adjustment from his brother, “It always works,” hesays.