Experiencing Headaches?
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If you have a headache, you’re not alone. Nine out of ten Americans sufferfrom headaches. Some are occasional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing,and some cause debilitating pain and nausea.
What do you do when you suffer from a pounding headache? Do you grit yourteeth and carry on? Lie down? Pop a pill and hope the pain goes away? Thereis a better alternative.
Research shows that spinal manipulation – the primary form of care providedby doctors of chiropractic – may be an effective treatment option for tensionheadaches and headaches that originate in the neck.
A report released in 2001 by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-BasedPractice Center in Durham, NC, found that spinal manipulation resultedin almost immediate improvement for those headaches that originate in theneck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting reliefof tension-type headache than a commonly prescribed medication.
Also, a 1995 study in the Journal of Manipulative and PhysiologicalTherapeutics found that spinal manipulative therapy is an effectivetreatment for tension headaches and that those who ceased chiropractictreatment after four weeks experienced a sustained therapeutic benefitin contrast with those patients who received a commonly prescribed medication.
Headache Triggers
But to get to the bottom of the problem, you first need to find out whatis causing your pain. Headaches have many causes, or “triggers.” Thesemay include foods, environmental stimuli (noises, lights, stress, etc.)and/or behaviors (insomnia, excessive exercise, blood sugar changes, etc.).About 5 percent of all headaches are warning signals caused by physicalproblems.
Ninety-five percent of headaches are primary headaches, such as tension,migraine, or cluster headaches. These types of headaches are not causedby disease. The headache itself is the primary concern.
What Can You Do?
- If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as infront of a computer, on a sewing machine, typing or reading, take a breakand stretch every 30 minutes to one hour. The stretches should take yourhead and neck through a comfortable range of motion.
- Low-impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primaryheadaches. However, if you are prone to dull, throbbing headaches, avoidheavy exercise. Engage in such activities as walking and low-impact aerobics.
- Avoid teeth clenching. The upper teeth should never touch the lowers,except when swallowing. This results in stress at the temporomandibularjoints (TMJ) – the two joints that connect your jaw to your skull – leadingto TMJ irritation and a form of tension headaches.
- Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to help avoid dehydration,which can lead to headaches.
In addition, the ACA and its Council on Nutrition suggest you avoid thefollowing food “triggers”:
- Avoid caffeine. Foods such as chocolate, coffee, sodas and cocoa containhigh levels of the stimulant.
- Avoid foods with a high salt or sugar content. These foods may cause migraines,resulting in sensitivity to light, noise, or abrupt movements.
- Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages. These drinks can dehydrate you andcause headache pain.
- Other headache sufferers may want to avoid not only caffeine, but alsohigh-protein foods, dairy products, red meat and salty foods.
What Can a Doctor of Chiropractic Do?
Chiropractors may do one or more of the following if you suffer from aprimary headache:
- Perform spinal manipulation or chiropractic adjustments to improve spinalfunction and alleviate the stress on your system.
- Provide nutritional advice, recommending a change in diet and perhapsthe addition of B complex vitamins.
- Offer advice on posture, ergonomics (work postures), exercises and relaxationtechniques. This advice should help to relieve the recurring joint irritationand tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back.
Doctors of chiropractic undergo extensive training to help their patientsin many ways – not just back pain.
If your headache is symptomatic of a health problem that needs the careof another discipline, your doctor of chiropractic will refer you to anappropriate specialist.
